Luke 11:Luke reinforcing the line 'God-Jesus-disciples'

Luke 11:Luke reinforcing the line 'God-Jesus-disciples'

1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."

19 Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.

20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

29 As the crowds increased, Jesus said, "This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.

30 For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation.

Verses 1-13 point to the efficacy of the 'God-Jesus-Disciple' line. At that time, the prayers flowing along this line were communicated without hindrance. Luke included Gentiles in the group of disciples, which was a result of honoring Jesus' will (Matthew 28). An example of this is the letter written to persuade Theophilus. However, verses 14-26 represent an attempt to break the 'God-Jesus-Disciple' line. To denigrate Jesus as being in the line of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, rather than God, is an act of breaking the established line. Jesus finds the attempt to destroy the line absurd. His statement that a house divided against itself cannot stand is a sharp retort (verse 19). The Bible often contrasts light and dark swiftly. In Genesis, chapters 1-2 are bright, but immediately in chapter 3, the dark side of human disobedience appears. Luke, possibly well-versed in Genesis, wastes no time in showing attempts to break the line established by Jesus. Moreover, Luke warned that attempts to break the line would be persistent and fierce (verse 26). From verse 37 onwards, Luke almost predicts that if one demon cannot break the line, seven more will come. There's a saying that angels have no wings, implying that angels exist so close that people are unaware of their presence. In Tolstoy's short story, the angel was a neighbor. Similarly, demons (or evil spirits) have no horns. Like angels, demons also exist as neighbors. Luke metaphorically depicted the seven demons as Pharisees and teachers of the law.

Verses 29-36 are the highlight of chapter 11. Luke's understanding of the sign of Jonah is not the familiar story of three days in the belly of a fish, but rather the truth that God loves both Israel and Assyria's Nineveh. God is a being of infinite grace and love not only to Jonah but also to the people of Nineveh. God's passionate love knows no boundaries. Jonah could neither stand in God's way nor escape to Spain to avoid God's decision. Luke correctly and accurately understood the book of Jonah and presented this fact to Theophilus to persuade him.