29 When the crowds were increasing, Jesus began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31-32 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgement 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 behold,  something greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold,  something greater than Jonah is here.”

33 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. 34-36 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.” Luke 11:29-36 English Standard Version

People living in the Northern Hemisphere have become accustomed to setting their clocks forward in Spring, and back again in Autumn. The aim of this is to make the most of what light is available at different times of the year. Our section in Luke's gospel today shows how that principle can be true of a relationship with God as well. Jesus knew full well that the increasing number of people coming to hear Him speak and hoping to see a miracle did not mean that they were willing to make changes in their lifestyle. What did He call that generation in vs 29, and why?

Their evilness lay not only in whatever sins were dominant in their life, but also in that they were demanding that Jesus give them some spectacular sign before they would believe He had come from God. I've heard of people in our generation doing that too. They say they will only believe in God if He does something special for them to prove He exists. What two things ought the people in Jesus' time to have done according to vs 31-32?

They ought to have to have gone out of their way to listen to what Jesus had to teach, and they ought to have humbled their hearts in deep repentance as they realized the danger they were in because of the hypocrisy and sin in their lives. The Queen of Sheba had travelled many miles to hear Solomon's wisdom, and the ungodly people of Nineveh had repented when Jonah (who was not the best preacher!) had warned them of God's judgement. Yet Jesus was wiser than Solomon and greater than Jonah. Jonah is the man who was swallowed by a huge fish God specially prepared (the Bible doesn't call it a whale) and, in Matthew 12:40, Jesus says: “For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.” So, considering what Jesus has been telling them, what would you say vs 33 implies?

I'd suggest it means that light is meant to be put to the best possible use. Light should not be covered up or put in a corner where it's not much use. But that is even more true of spiritual light and what we do with it, as vs 34-36 imply. When our eyesight is excellent, our whole body benefits. But people with poor eyesight easily stumble. We need to take to heart the truth Jesus taught which shines so brightly in our dark world. The wisdom He imparted, and the warnings He gave, ought to lead us to give Him our fullest attention. How sad it will be for people who heard quite a bit about Him and some of the things He said, but never really made much of them. Jesus says such people will be condemned on judgement day by people who had lived terrible lives, but who repented of their sins through the message of the Bible. Oh let us not waste the spiritual light that God, in grace, has given to us.