Written by Paul J Bucknell on October, 29, 2020
Luke 11:33-36 Entertaining Light in Our Souls
Applying the “dying to self” spiritual discipline to our lives
I’ve been searching on how spiritual disciplines help our Christian lives for more than two decades now. As I practice them, I continually discover new insights. They most often come when I reflect on why a certain Bible teaching is beneficial to my life. So when I’m reading a scripture passage, a specific Bible verse will trigger open another window into how Christians spiritually grow. My most recent book, Dying to Self, interestingly started in this self-reflective way on an airline flight to Southeast Asia. The Bible passage from Luke 11 serves as another example of how the Lord stretches my perspective.
“33 “No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light. 34 The eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35 Then watch out that the light in you is not darkness. 36 If therefore your whole body is full of light, with no dark part in it, it will be wholly illumined, as when the lamp illumines you with its rays.”” (Luke 11:33-36 NASB)
Jesus uniquely describes the light-dark conflict that takes place in a Christian’s spiritual walk. The light represents the clarification of spiritual matters. Our increased faith runs parallel to our growing spiritual understanding. The end purpose of this light goes beyond our lives to provide light to others. By actively refraining from placing the light in a hidden spot, we expand the light’s glorious purposes: “No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar” (Luke 11:36).
Darkness refers to the voids where unbelief and untruth reign. I understand, maybe from my self-reflections, that people, including Christians, possess numerous dark pockets. And so, sanctification becomes the slow but sure process where the light of truth brings its purifying powers to these darkened areas.
The spiritual discipline of “dying to self” broadens our spiritual understanding by chasing out darkness from the hidden corners of our lives. I will further introduce this process below. This spiritual discipline helps His people to regularly maintain and expand light’s penetration into these dark tunnels eclipsing our souls.
(1) Maintain the Scope of our Shine
Each time I “die to self,” I launch a looped inspection of my soul. My mind repeatedly does search, asking, “Is there anything going against my desires to do God’s will?” I search for dark places. A parallel but larger question is, “Am I really seeking God’s will?” My mind follows this loop around several times.
The quest to align our wills to God’s remains human beings’ chief purpose for only then do we truly worship and trust Him.
When I find a slight resistance towards God’s will contemplating a certain issue, I quickly acknowledge it and further proceed to conform my soul to seek His will (i.e., love God with all my soul). When pursuing my will over God’s will, I must first seek cleansing through Christ’s blood (1 John 2:1-2). I do not seek “my” will but God’s will. My will, then, becomes swallowed up in an increasing passion for serving God in every area of my life. Be careful not to assume, as in Eastern religions, that our goal is to extinguish our will. Instead, we exercise our will to conform to His.
This maintenance of the soul is needed, serving a basic role in preserving one’s spiritual growth. Christians face so much distraction, temptation, and the sin that they often unknowingly begin to filter out the shine of God’s light. This is like the headlights of older cars, which often acquire a darkened filter through the years, making the lights less bright and helpful. When living in Taiwan, we had to clean the grit from the table or floors each day. Well, this spiritual grit is near to each of us, causing the need for the regular maintenance of our souls.
If we regularly tend to our souls, we are less able to unknowingly or willingly fall into a deepening stupor of darkness that threatens to cast itself over our minds.
(2) Broaden the Scope of our Shine
Jesus is not teaching us anything new by reminding us of the importance of keeping a light high in the room, though some of us might never have thought of it. We have lights so that they can shine! But the need for repeating this spiritual truth becomes obvious when so many people do contrary to what we know is true in our physical lives. The light for many believers appears misplaced, leaving a confusing glare hanging over our souls.
The presence of darkness admits to the absence of light. These places, isolated from the truth, are known as the evil one’s footholds in our lives. The fight to eliminate dark pockets is called spiritual warfare. This term sounds a little overkill, but it rightly describes the battle going on within a Christian. Our goal is full illumination. Jesus states, “Your whole body is full of light, with no dark part in it, it will be wholly illumined” (Luke 11:36).
As we identify various desires, frustrations, etc., we begin to spot some areas that need to be warmed by the light. These can be very recent, small areas of need, such as a certain time one spoke rudely to a person. Or, the problem can be long-standing, often connected to our experiences growing up—may be rooted in my poor relationship with my father. But they appear as a black hole, swallowing any attempts to improvement. We’ve been deluded, thinking it’s easier to close the door than open it and let the light shine into it. Most of these issues will never go away by themselves unless we learn appropriate truths and apply them to our specific issue. Room by room, corner by corner, issue by issue, we proceed cleaning our house (i.e., our lives).
By focusing on past success or what we have done right, we hamper any effective hunts for darkness. Pride lowers the light down into the cellar. This practice of “dying to self” helps us identify and deny our desires’ great importance. We might want an increase in pay, and yet we are restful that the Lord knows our situation and will watch over us.
Darkness can easily hide in our lives. Like a reflection in a pond, the surface is easily disturbed not to see down. Perhaps we can over scrutinize here, but our society’s greater problems include distraction, entertainment, and self-pleasure. We end up never really examining our inner thoughts on what rooms might need a sweeping. By avoiding a search of our inner thoughts, we think all is fine—not knowing that this delusion of darkness, as said by Jesus, keeps us from progressing in our spiritual lives.
In light of Jesus’ words of Luke 11, we might admit that we have got used to our lights being positioned low and out of sight. And though we have briefly lifted the lamp on occasion, we found it far too bright and quickly lower it again.
Light—Shine, Water—Flow, and Life—Live
Three powerful themes run through the scriptures. Each, in their particular way, portrays the same truth of God’s abundant, growing, and healing grace. In Luke 11, we see the purifying power of light, which brings redemption by eliminating the dark powers of sin. God’s grace increases in its healing powers as it flows from His throne, reaching the world’s furthest reaches (John 7:38, Gen 2:10; Ez 47:1-5, Rev 22:1-2).
“Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” (John 7:38)
Lastly, the Spirit of life enters His people again (John 3:1-10; Ezekiel 37:1-11 valley of dead bones), animating what was spiritually dead. God’s offered life in Christ re-centers believers for their greater purpose of serving God and others. (See more in my book Redemption Through the Scriptures.)
Light, water, and life each symbolize God’s issuance of grace.
Summary
It’s important to develop good spiritual disciplines early on. Make them part of one’s daily routine. Darkness cannot go away by itself as it has retained its position through the lack of truth (light). And so, we must compel ourselves to constantly apply God’s Word to each area of our lives, realizing it’s His Word that will give us the needed perspective to make the darkness uncomfortable so it disappears.
Luke 11:24-26 “When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds it.
By loving God’s will, we can keep evil out. Accountability can help, but there is no substitute for His people to seek God’s work in their lives. By maintaining and expanding the light in our souls, we will continue to grow as His children.
Bible Study Questions for Luke 11:33-36
“33 “No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light. 34 The eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35 Then watch out that the light in you is not darkness. 36 If therefore your whole body is full of light, with no dark part in it, it will be wholly illumined, as when the lamp illumines you with its rays.”” (Luke 11:33-36 NASB)
- What are the different illustrations used in Luke 11:33-36?
- What effects of light do we see in this passage?
- What is the teaching given in verse 33? How do we practically do that?
- What is the teaching given in verse 34?
- Does verse 34 logically link to 33? Please share your reasons.
- Read verse 35 and discuss how one can fulfill this command.
- Do you think verse 36 can be realized on this side of heaven? Why or why not?
- How does the author suggest that this increased illumination can be pictured as sanctification (increased purity in our lives)? Do you agree?
- Explain a darkened corner of your life that you have seen the light or truth eliminate since your salvation.
- Pray alone or together that God’s light would more powerful shine into every part of your soul(s).
