Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness

And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!" But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"

And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, "This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.

"No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light."

- Luke 11:27-36

In yesterday's reading, Jesus answered His critics who claimed He was casting out demons by Beelzebub. He said, "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters." We are to understand the crucial choices we make to be a part of this kingdom of heaven, or not.

And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!" But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!" My study bible says of these verses, "God's blessing falls not upon those who have prominent family connections, but upon those who hear the word of God and keep it. Jesus is stating a principle, not denigrating His mother: she both heard God's word and kept it, and thus became the most blessed of women (1:28-39, 42)." Jesus always emphasizes that those who seek to build this kingdom ("who hear the word of God and keep it") are family. See also Luke 8:19-21.

And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, "This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here." A note reads, "The sign of Jonah is the preaching of Jonah (v. 32) under which the Ninevites repented. By contrast, this evil generation (v. 29) did not repent under Jesus' preaching, which is far greater than Jonah (v.32). In Matthew, the sign of Jonah is also Jonah's three day sojourn in the belly of the great fish, a picture of Christ's death and Resurrection (Matt. 12:40)." In yesterday's reading, Jesus refused to give "proof" to those who asked for a sign so that they would believe. Repeatedly, we have been invited to understand the importance of being witnesses - those who have been a part of this event, of the "kingdom of heaven coming near" have a responsibility as witnesses. Do they accept or reject? The kingdom "breaking through" in our world, in whatever form, such as the preaching of Jonah, or the wisdom of Solomon, confers on us responsibility. Do we accept or reject? Do we demand signs or perceive with the heart what is there and good and true and of great value?

"No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light." A note in my study bible says, "Spiritual sight is compared to physical sight: if the eyes of both body and soul are healthy, a person is full of light." Once again, we are told of the importance of choice. There is the kingdom of heaven, and then there is that which works against it. It's the same warning as in yesterday's reading about the vigilance necessary even when our "internal houses" are swept clean. Do we choose to fill ourselves with this light? Can we perceive it and embrace it? Do we hold anything back from its searching beam?

How are we filled with light? We make choices - to be filled with light or darkness. The extreme dichotomy here can be misleading, to my mind, because of the way we perceive. But if you think about it, this great light that Christ brings - and the presence of the Spirit - is something that we take in or not. Using the metaphor of John's Gospel (the light that shines in the darkness), we are to understand what is in us, what our spiritual states are. Do we allow that light to shine within ourselves? Do we allow it into all of our secret, internal places so that it transforms and heals? Or is a part of us dark, reserved from this light and hidden away from its capacity for transformation and enlightenment? These are our important choices, to be a part of this kingdom or not, and to become one such as Solomon or Jonah from within whom the light shines in the world. Jesus says that the lamp of the body is the eye; therefore we must take great care how we discern, how we perceive. It's not the first nor the last time we will receive this message. What does it mean to you? How do you perceive?