We live in a world in which people more than ever focus on physical possessions and experiences, they inter-act between themselves in all that they and others experience but, says Jesus, these are not the things that matter.

We will read in Luke’s gospel tomorrow – his comment that, “one’s life does not consist in the abundance of

(our) possessions” [12 v.15] Today’s chapter (11) contains quite a number of sayings by Jesus which challenge our understanding; one is a parable (v.24-26) about an “unclean spirit” which, when it has “gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there.” Then Jesus gives the lesson the parable is teaching, he says “and the last state of that person is worse than the first”

So Jesus is making a point about the human state of mind – what “possesses” the mind – the need to get rid of bad attitudes. In Luke ch. 9 we read the comment of Jesus’ disciples James and John (aptly named ‘sons of thunder – Mark 3 v.17) who, when a Samaritan village did not provide for them, said “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them? But he (Jesus) turned and rebuked them, you do not know what manner of spirit you are of..” [v,52-55] At the beginning of the chapter we read how Jesus had sent out “the twelve and gave them power …” But now, in this situation, their spirit, that is, their attitude of mind, was wrong.

So the lesson of the parable is that in getting rid of bad ways of thinking it is essential we put good ways of thinking in their place and not leave “the house” of our mind empty. Now back in today’s chapter, the next verse (27) contains a very significant point. “As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him. ‘Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!’

This shows the woman’s mind was focussed on physical things- but there was no lasting value in that! We can see in history the meaningless worship of the Virgin Mary for which God’s word gives no warrant at all – she is dead and buried and awaits the resurrection like all other worthies who have served the Almighty; as we read in Hebrews of those who do God’s will, “These all died in faith, not have received the things promised, but having seen than and greeted them from afar …” [11 v.13]

Finally, notice how Jesus responded to the woman who made this comment! His answer is most significant! He said, “blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” And, wonderfully, we can read it whenever we want to! But maybe we have a “spirit” in our house that hinders this? Let us be blessed through the word of God and “keep” in our house what we read so that our minds are dominated by a right spirit. .

1 Chronicles 3 records the sons of David and their genealogy through Solomon to Zerubbabel the Governor under the returned exiles from Babylon around 537 BC. Jeconiah was a descendant of king Solomon David's son. But that man was disinherited by the LORD, who said of Jeconiah verses "write this man childless ... no son of his will prosper, nor sit on David's throne verses Jeremiah 22 verses 24-30. The two branches of David's family came together in Zerubbabel by way of a Levirate marriage. Matthew 1 records Jesus' legal right to the throne through Joseph (the guardian of our Lord) as recorded there. Whereas Luke 3 records Mary's genealogy and therefore that our Lord Jesus Christ's actual ancestral line through Nathan David's son. In Ezekiel 16 we have a description of Israel Yahweh's faithless wife. Her descent is said, spiritually, to be from Amorite stock - the earliest of the Canaanitish nations (meaning "great of mouth") and the Amorites were of giant stature as Deuteronomy tells us. Israel's father is said to be a Hittite from the powerful kingdom of the Hathi originally in Turkey and among the mightiest empires of that time - rivalling Egypt. Yahweh Israel's Sovereign Lord had pity on His people and took her unto Himself as His wife in love. How did Israel repay her God's loving kindness; only by scorning Him and prostituting herself without payment. God would judge her as the profligate covenant breaker that she was. But her younger sister, Judah, behaved no better. The Almighty describes them as being of the same sisterhood as Sodom, whose abominable lewdness was legendary. Nonetheless the time would come when the repentant daughters would again be covenanted by the everlasting kindness of Yahweh in the Kingdom of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. In Luke 12 the Lord counsels regarding the destructive teachings of the Pharisees. Our Lord Jesus says to his followers to have no fear when they are tried and killed by the religious authorities. This is because our Father has power over everything - including life and death. When giving testimony before rulers believers would be aided in their witness. In the parable in this chapter of the rich fool (based on the life of Nabal in 1 Samuel 25) our Lord refuses to arbitrate in a property dispute between two brothers. Instead, Jesus turns the opportunity into a discussion about the dangers of covetousness and the need to be rich in loving service to God at all times. Christ urges the disciples to be free from anxiety. Look at nature and the Almighty's abundantly providing out of His richness. Disciples need, as wise and faithful servants, to be in a state of continual readiness for their Lord's coming. A constant challenge for disciples is that often times family opposition will be the result of a person's acceptance of Christ. As disciples we must be alert to the era in which we live. Our Master is standing at the doorpost of our hearts and knocking Revelation 3 verses 20-21. Finally, if believers find themselves in a dispute, they need to quickly reach agreement with their adversaries, or the results may be much worse.

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The scriptures make it plain that the condition of our hearts matters most of all. Jesus gave a very significant answer to “a lawyer (who) stood up to put him to the test, saying, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” [Luke 10 v.25]

Jesus answered his question with a question; ”What is written in the Law? How do you read it? And he answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbour as yourself”[v.27]

Jesus commended him for his answer, but we should note that his answer came not from the initial law that Moses gave after being on the mount, but from the final exhortation Moses gave to the people before his death! (see Deut. 6 v5; 10 v.12; 30 v.6)

It is also valuable to note that in the parallel passage about this in Matt 19 v.16-22, we learn that there was one thing the young lawyer loved that undermined his awareness of the need for a correctly focused attitude of “love” – it was that he had “great possessions” – and he loved those too.

So it is the affect that loving God has – on all your other attitudes, the other things you love, that matters. Now this was a contrast to the ‘cold’ feelings of the religious men who were jealous of Jesus . The lament of God recorded by the Psalmist comes to mind, “But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts …” [81 v.11,12]

We noted the fleshly feelings that the LORD told Ezekiel to condemn, for today’s chapter (14) starts, “Then certain of the elders of Israel came to me … and the word of the LORD came to me, ‘Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts…. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them? … say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: Any one of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart … and yet comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him … that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who are estranged from me through their idols.” [v.1-5]

God further says through Ezekiel, “For anyone … who separates himself from me, by taking his idols into his heart … and yet comes to a prophet to consult me … I will set my face against that man (or woman) …” [v.7,8] We meditated on this – we come to God’s word and read it for what reason, in what spirit of mind? Is not this parallel to a person coming to a prophet in those days – if their heart has the wrong attitude – God will set his face against them – and us.. Finally, taking our thoughts back to the lawyer – Jesus told him he had “answered correctly; this do and you will live” [v.28] – so let us – “this do” – and serve our Lord with all our heart.