The teachings of Philip G. Roets & Lois Roets
Gospel of Mercy, Prayer, Holy Spirit
Commentary by Philip G. Roets STL, SSL
The Gospel according to Luke uses the preposition, "kata," in the Greek title. This translates to "Gospel according to Luke." This tells us that these ideas have Luke as their source but were not necessarily written down in this order by Luke.
Certain themes run through this Gospel. Luke is called the Gospel of Mercy or Pardons because this theme runs through some of the events. It is called the Gospel of the Poor because this theme is stressed and developed in several ways. It is called the Gospel of Total Renunciation or Self-Denial because there is great stress on giving up everything to follow Jesus. It is also called the Gospel of Prayer, Gospel of the Holy Spirit, the Gospel of Messianic Joy. This does not mean that Luke's writings have an exclusive corner on these topics.
Luke tells us that many accounts of the life and works of Jesus exist. He says that these come from eyewitnesses and ministers of the word and he does not, in any way, condemn them. However, he too has done some investigating and is now going to write an account to will develop certain aspects of teachings of Jesus. He is not claiming to put them in chronological order or to give every detail.
Luke's purpose is twofold. He wants to present these ideas to "Theophilus" and wants to show how well founded all these teachings really are. Many attempts have been made to locate or identify this Theophilus but none have really succeeded. Later, in the introduction to Acts, he will dedicate that work also to Theophilus. It seems strange that someone so important as to have two major works dedicated to him is not remembered or referred to again.
The solution is obvious. "Theophilus" is a fictional name chosen by Luke to designate every open-minded person who picks up these writings to read or to listen to. The name means "Friend of God." It is a generic name for a Christian. In this dedication, Luke stresses that anyone who reads these accounts will have to be a friend of God in order to benefit fully from them.
Holy Spirit
The Gospel begins with this story about the parents of John the Baptist and his coming. John's parents were Zachary and Elizabeth. Elizabeth was a relative and close friend of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Zachary, her husband, was a priest at the Temple. Both were good people who lived according to the Law. They were also sad because they had no children. The couple were getting older and did not expect to have a child. This does not mean that they were real old people as is usually depicted in art works. At that time, childlessness was considered a curse and was usually blamed on the woman.
To understand the setting of this story, remember that the priests were divided into groups and took turns serving at the Temple. Zachary's group was on duty as this story begins. He was chosen by lot for the privilege of going into the Holy Place to burn incense before the Holy of Holies. Meanwhile the people would be gathered outside to pray.
Zachary went inside the Holy Place alone. There, above the altar of incense, was an angel of the Lord. Zachary almost fainted with fear. Then the angel spoke. He tells Zachary that their prayers for a child have been answered. His wife will conceive and bear a son. His name will be John and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit — the spirit and power of Elijah. He will preach and prepare for the coming of the Messiah.
Zachary was stunned, but he also decided it was some kind of hoax and he said as much. He did not believe what was being said. So the angel said that he was Gabriel and to prove that he was telling the truth, he says that Zachary will be mute until the child is born.
Meanwhile, the people were buzzing among themselves wondering what was keeping Zachary so long. Finally, he came out. Something was clearly wrong. Zachary could not speak. He could only gesture. They realized he had some kind of vision or apparition. When the time for his temple service ended, he went home. Elizabeth conceived a child and for five months she told no one about it. She saw the pregnancy as a great blessing from Yahweh himself.
Holy Spirit
Luke is a master storyteller. He carries more than one thread through the story and gradually ties them together. He picks up a new event.
It is now the 6th month since the conception of John Baptist. Gabriel is sent to Nazareth in Galilee to a girl who is engaged to a man named Joseph. He belonged to the house of David. The girl's name was Mary. Gabriel salutes her: "Rejoice, Most Favored One! Yahweh is with you."
Mary was disturbed by these words. What was he talking about? So Gabriel said: "Don't be afraid. You have found favor with God. Behold! You shall conceive and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father. He shall reign as king over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom there will be no end."
Mary said to the Angel: "How shall this be since I know not man?" (Mary is asking whether she is to get married right away or what is her course of action.) The angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit shall come upon you and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you. He that is born of you shall be holy and shall be called Son of God. And know this too: Elizabeth, your relative, has conceived a son in her old age and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren. For nothing is impossible for God." Mary said "Behold, the Handmaid of the Lord! Be it done unto me according to your word!" And then the angel left her.
This story is the subject of art, song, and history through the centuries. There is no doubt of this significant event. The whole plan of salvation is dependent on the consent of Mary and Joseph. Are they willing to take on the responsibility for this central event of all time and place?
Mary was already engaged to Joseph. This meant, according to the Jewish custom of the times, that they had the right to live together as husband and wife if they wanted. The engagement was as binding as marriage itself. If an engaged girl got pregnant, it was presumed that the fiance was the father. If he was not, the girl was guilty of adultery.
Mary is given a new name by the angel, the name "kecharitomene." The total meaning of this word is hard to translate. The root of the word means "favor." The form of the word signifies some quality that is present totally and in the highest possible way. So she is greeted as the "Fully Favored One." It is a title or name that is not applied to any other human being in the whole of biblical history.
"Yahweh is with you!" Again, this is a technical phrase that has been used of many people in the past. All the holy and important people in the history of the chosen people had the privilege of Yahweh's presence in a special way. Recall the stories of Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and others. Now Mary is said not only to enjoy his favor but her name is the "Fully Favored One."
The Power of the Most High and the Holy Spirit are the source of this tremendous event. "Power of the Most High" is a phrase used of the Father. "Holy Spirit" is a reference to the creative spirit or breath of Yahweh in the act of creation. It is manifest in relation to the Kings of Israel, and especially in Elijah. The Holy Spirit becomes synonymous with the spirit of Elijah. John the Baptist will have a special share in this spirit. Jesus will be a special manifestation of this Holy Spirit and this starts with his conception by Mary. The apostles will be filled with this Spirit at Pentecost and begin their enthusiastic response to the spread of Jesus' Kingdom.
We need a special note on "Holy Spirit" at this juncture because of its meaning and the importance of the concept throughout this Gospel story. Jesus is presented to us as the New Adam or the Second Adam. Creation got off to a poor start in the disobedience of the first Adam. The special happiness intended for mankind was lost through that disobedience. The special role of Jesus, the Messiah, is to restore this happiness to all of mankind.
The first Adam was fashioned in a special way according to the Biblical tradition. There was a lump of clay (Adamah), the creative power of God, and God's breath. He breathed into the lump of clay and it became a living being. The second Adam is also going to come into being through this breath of Yahweh. It is the Holy Breath of Yahweh that will overshadow and surround Mary and she will conceive this child. This son is the special son of the Most High. The mission of this special son is to restore the dignity of mankind and to put the creative breath, the "Holy Spirit," at the disposal of every person who accepts his ideas and plans and lives according to them.
The Holy Spirit is the Creative Breath of Yahweh that is now in the world in a special way as it was intended from the beginning. The Holy Spirit is divine in that it is the breath of Yahweh. Jesus is the Son of the Most High. He is the fulfillment of what had been promised in the Chosen People of the Old Covenant and the Kings of the Old Covenant. They had failed but Jesus did not. Jesus is divine in that he participated in the creative breath of Yahweh in a special way, cooperated perfectly, and made it possible for anyone who wants, to participate in this same way in the new creation of the second Adam.
Mary's answer is a model for cooperation in the plan of God. She is a "servant," a person who is ready and willing to cooperate in all details. She is ready and willing to do everything just as envisioned by God. Then, to clinch this whole event, Mary is told her relative, Elizabeth, has conceived a child and is now in her sixth month. Mary had asked for no signs but she was freely given one by the Angel.
As we read the two stories, there is little doubt that Luke wishes to contrast the difference between the faith and responses of Mary and Joseph and the hesitancy of Zachary. Zachary was a priest. He was expected to have a much deeper faith in and understanding of God and his actions. Mary was an ordinary young woman. Yet in the showdown, Zachary did not believe and even laughed at the suggestion. Mary believed fully and offered to do whatever was expected of her in this role.
The writer clearly wants his readers to see that the entire plan of salvation rested on the consent of this one young couple. There is no doubt why Mary and Joseph have held places of honor in the Christian world all through the ages. The important point is to give Mary and Joseph their due in the heart of the plan of salvation but not to destroy the picture by superstition.
The other phrase that needs special consideration in this scene is "Son of God." This is a phrase that has been used often and with much meaning in the history of Israel. It is by no means something new. In fact, Mary is given a full picture of what her child will become.
In Exodus 4:22, the whole people of Israel is referred to as the "Son of the Most High." This is a very special title and is contrasted to the other peoples in the world at the time. The same meaning is given to the phrase in Wisdom 8:13 and is referring to the same time setting.
In 2 Samuel 7:1-16, Nathan, the prophet, applied this phrase to David, as King. The phrase was to be applied to Solomon as David's successor and all the kings that followed him. In Sirach 3:30-4:11, the phrase, "Son of God," became the special title of the person who was generous and kind towards the poor. In Wisdom 2:13,16,17 and 5:15, the notion was widened to include every virtuous or holy person. His life guaranteed him this special honor.
Thus the titles, Son of Yahweh, Son of the Most High, Son of God, were not something new. In fact, they were one of the best summaries of the special mission of Israel and the way in which this mission was applied in the historical evolution of the people.
As soon as Mary heard of the condition of Elizabeth, she knew her relative would need assistance. So Mary leaves immediately for Elizabeth's home. Luke does not say where it is but it is a town in the hill country of Judah.
When Mary arrived at the house, she greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary's voice the child in Elizabeth's womb moved. Elizabeth interprets this as recognition of Mary and her role as mother of Jesus. Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit, the spirit of Elijah, and she cries out "Blessed are you among all women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. How is it that I am honored with a visit from the mother of my Lord? The moment your greeting reached my ears, the child within my womb leapt with joy. Blessed is the one who believes in the words spoken to her by Yahweh."
Luke has said that he went back to the sources for all his material. The only source available for the details of these introductory pictures is Mary herself. The other participants are all dead. Mary was still alive and we can be sure Luke made a special effort to hear the story of the life of Jesus from her lips.
Mary's reaction to the whole event is expressed in a song called the "Magnificat" which is the Latin translation of the first word in Greek. The word means "to proclaim or shout out so that all may hear."
Some people have questioned how a simple girl like Mary could have burst forth into such a beautiful and meaningful song. Others have claimed that this was a part of the prophetic spirit that Mary immediately shared. Neither of these comments is necessary. Mary, like a good Jewish child, knew her Old Testament well and knew many parts by heart. If you look to 1 Samuel 2:1-10, you find this song almost word for word being sung by another lady. The lady is Hannah or Annah, the mother of Samuel, around 1100 B.C. Mary gives the song new meaning in reference to Jesus.
The song is a marvelous response to the events in hand and gives the proper perspective that everyone should have. The event is the greatest of all the works of Yahweh and is evidence of his wisdom in calling an ordinary person to work with him. He shows his holiness, mercy, power, kindness, fairness, and above all, his fidelity to every promise he makes.
Luke says that Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months. She probably stayed until the baby was born and then returned home.
The child was born. Zachary and Elizabeth had a son. All the neighbors and relatives came to their home to offer their congratulations. On the eighth day, the baby was to be circumcised. They were going to call him "Zachary" after his father. Elizabeth spoke up and said, "He is to be called John." The relatives were shocked and objected. Nobody in your relationship had this name. He should be named after the father. They signed to Zachary to find out what name he wanted. He called for a pencil and paper and wrote "John is his name."
Everybody was surprised, but immediately Zachary's punishment was removed and he began to talk. He really put his heart and soul into his praise of Yahweh. The people were amazed and asked each other what this child was going to become.
The song of Zachary is also named from the first word of the song in Latin. It is called the "Benedictus." It is almost perfect poetry, but is easily understood since Zachary, as a priest, would have had a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures and would have known them from memory. It was almost a natural for him to use the phrasings of the Bible to express his personal feelings.
Luke now summed up the next thirty years in one sentence: John grew and matured. He lived in the wilderness until he appeared openly to Israel. This might seem strange to us. However, remember that John was destined to be a special person in the plan of salvation even before his birth. His parents would certainly have told him about this. Moses and many of the prophets had lived in the desert as a kind of hermit. They spent their time meditating on the plan of God so far manifested, and planning what was still to be done.
When was Jesus born? Luke gives us a definite time but the references are hard to pinpoint. One thing is known for sure. Our present year, 1 A.D., is a miscalculation. According to the information given by Luke and our points of reference outside the Bible, Jesus was born somewhere around 8–6 B.C. This date does not make a particle of difference to the story. If you want further details, look up some of the technical articles and books written through the centuries.
The decree from Rome was concerned with a census to determine population for taxation. The people had to go to their town of origin to be registered. This meant that Joseph and Mary had to travel to Bethlehem. In the course of that trip, Jesus was born. Luke's account is very succinct. I think this is due to the account he received from Mary. There were lots of details she could have supplied but did not. Her son, her first-born, the son of the Most High, the son that had been foretold, the son whose lifework was to be so important, starts his life as a poor outcast of society.
The inns or motels of those days all carried a "no vacancy" sign because so many people were coming back to their hometowns for the census. Finally, Joseph decided on a sort of stable because there was a manger in it. Mary gave birth to her son and wrapped him in regular baby clothes of the times, and laid him in the manger.
Jesus was called the "first-born." The first boy was always given the title of "first-born" even if there were seven sisters born before him. The title is technical and very important. The first-born was the boy who was to carry on the family name and look to the welfare of the whole family. For this reason, the first-born always received a double portion of the family inheritance.
Then Mary told about the shepherds coming to visit. These shepherds were from the area and were keeping the night watch over their flocks. This meant that the sheep of several smaller flocks were all brought together. Then the shepherds took turns watching over the flocks while the others slept. In this way, all the shepherds could get some rest during the night and the sheep were never left alone.
The shepherds received a special message about the birth of this child. The message stressed that it is good news and not for them alone but for all people, the whole world. Jesus was described as Savior, Messiah, and Lord. The sign would be that he appeared as an ordinary baby and had a manger for his bed. Then the whole chorus of angels sang, "Glory to God in the highest heavens and on earth peace to men of good will."
The same question rose here as was treated earlier in the scenes with Zachary and Gabriel and Mary and Gabriel. Did angels take bodily form and actually appear to all these people? Or is this a literary artifice to explain the clarity and intensity of the ideas and the certainty that they are from God? I have no trouble with either solution. The all important point, as far as Luke was concerned, was that all the people concerned knew from the very start who Jesus was and what his mission was to be. They were absolutely certain this was the plan of God that had been told over and over again through the centuries by reliable people.
The shepherds put their words into action and went to find this child. They came to the manger and they found Mary, Joseph and the child. They told Mary and Joseph what they had seen and heard. Then the shepherds returned to their pasture grounds and told everyone along the way about what had happened and how they understood it.
Luke made special mention of Mary in this incident. She sealed all these words in her heart and pondered them over and over again. Every mother does this with regard to her children. They remember details that everyone else forgets. Mary did exactly the same about Jesus. She didn't forget a word he said or a word that was said about him, or an action he performed. Luke, of course, was stressing how reliable all his information is. Only Mary could tell him what she thought about or how she meditated on what she had seen and heard.
As Luke said, he went back to the sources for his ideas. We cannot imagine he asked Mary for the details of Jesus' early life and then went to other people for everything else. Luke clearly had two major sources for his ideas about Jesus. One was Paul, who was his first contact. Paul would have had some harsh tones in his presentation. The other major source was Mary. Mary would have presented a mother's picture and would certainly have stressed how deeply she felt the hardships her son endured from the very start of his public life. Jesus was an unusually sensitive person and he learned this sensitivity from his parents.
These men formed the center of the story of the preparatory period of the Old Testament. We start with Adam, the man. His wife was Eve, or Life. These two people failed to get off to a good start because of disobedience. The struggle-aspect of human life was born. Jesus is the new Adam and Mary is the new Eve. Mary's role as Eve is explicitly stressed in the Gospel according to John.
Then we have Abram, or Noble Father. He was a man who traveled from the area of modern Iran to the land of Palestine. He married a girl named Sara, the Princess. His name was changed to Abraham, or Father of many nations. He was the founding father of the Chosen people.
Isaac came next. He was named "he smiles" because Sara smiled first in amazement and then in joy as she learned that she would truly have a child. From Isaac and Rebecca we got Jacob, the "Gripper." Jacob was a twin and the second to be born. He was born "holding on" to his brother's heel.
Jacob had twelve sons by his different wives and these became the founding fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel. Outstanding in the history of the people was Juda, from whom the people took its name, the Jews. Levi was important because he was the founder of the priestly tribe. Joseph is remembered specially because it was his wisdom that delivered the people from the slavery of Egypt. Benjamin, the son of Jacob's last years, was well-known because his father specially loved him.
Moses came next. His name means "Drawn out" because he was saved from death by being left in a basket on the river and saved by the daughter of Pharaoh. Moses was the liberator-leader of the people and the great Law-Giver. Joshua took over after Moses and actually led the people across the Jordan into the Promised Land.
Samuel was one of the great teachers of the people and his wisdom guided them in their early days as a people. Nathan came as a prophetic guide of Kings. He gave sound advice although it is not always followed.
The Kingdom was founded in Saul but he failed. David was the beloved and got off to a good start. He was able to establish the kingdom physically. Solomon took over and ruled in wisdom for a long time and was able to keep all the tribes together as one. He died. The Kingdom was established. David built the royal palace and Solomon built the world-famous Temple.
Then the Kingdom split in half and the prophets came to try to guide the rebellious people toward obedience to Yahweh. The prophets were many. We should remember Elijah, the father of the prophets. His spirit was the Holy Spirit in which all future prophets must share. John the Baptist, Jesus and the Apostles all shared in this Holy Spirit as they carried on their work.
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezechiel and Daniel were four more men whose spirit and teaching were so important in bringing the mission of the people down to the days of Jesus. Amos was noted for his bluntness of word. Hosea was remembered because of his description of love.
Read these men as they were the sources that Luke talked about. Their messages were the words that Mary learned as a child and passed on to Jesus as his mother. This was the Jesus presented by the Gospels as the fulfillment of all the ideas and ideals that had been handed down.
The circumcision of a Jewish baby boy always took place on the eighth day. At that time he was given his name and became an official member of the people of God. Mary's baby was called Jesus exactly as she had learned from the angel.
Frequently, we will see paintings of this event taking place in the Temple. This is not true. The circumcision was usually performed at home. It was frequently done by the father or some man in the community who was proficient at this work. The important parts were the name and introduction of the child into the people of God.
Forty days after the birth of a boy and eighty days after the birth of a girl, the mother and child would come to the Temple in Jerusalem for the formal purification and presentation before God.
Remember, childbirth had been given a pejorative meaning at the time of the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. In Jewish law, this penalty remained and had to be formally removed from the mother after the birth of each child.
Again there was something special for Jesus in this presentation because he was the "firstborn." As such he belonged to the Lord in a special way. This custom went back to Egypt and the sparing of the firstborn of all the Israelites at the time of the Exodus. The child had to be redeemed. If the family was poor, as in the case of Mary and Joseph, they had to offer a pair of pigeons or doves.
In Jerusalem at that time, there was a holy old man named Simeon. He was ready to die but was convinced he would not die, until he had actually seen the Messiah. He was moved to come to the Temple on that day and moved by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Elijah, to accept Jesus as the Messiah. Then he sang his famous "swan song" of peace and joy that the savior of the whole world had actually come.
Simeon summed up his thoughts in a rather somber prophecy. Jesus was destined to be the catalyst for the rise or fall of all in Israel. He would become a sign that was rejected. All of this was going to bring deep sorrow to the heart of Mary.
Thus Luke's Gospel pointed out very clearly that the child would be a source of unlimited joy and an equal depth of pain and sorrow. The reason was not to be found in the child, but in the reaction of the people to him and his teaching and work.
Another person, a lady by the name of Anna, was also living in and serving at the Temple. She, too, came in and spoke of Jesus as the source of deliverance for Jerusalem.
All these stories are important because they give us an introduction to the adult life of Jesus as Luke presents it. The stories are even more important because they show us Mary's picture of her son and what it meant to her from the opening message, to the dying words, and in the victory of Easter and Pentecost.
The first thirty years of the life of Jesus are summed up quickly. From his presentation in the Temple at the age of 40 days, until he was 12 years old, we are told "he grew in age, was filled with wisdom, and shared in the favor of God: age, wisdom, and favor." During those first twelve years, the child was educated, primarily by the mother, in the meaning of the Torah and how it was to be followed in daily life.
At the age of twelve, Jesus was to go to Jerusalem again, to the Temple, and be accepted as an adult member of the people of God. The child was given a test by the Doctors of the Law at the Temple. This was the "Bar Mitzvah" or "Son of the Law" examination.
This story is unusual on several scores. The family had come to Jerusalem for the Passover. After the eight days, they started back for Nazareth. The women went in one group and the men in another. The children could go with either group. Mary thought Jesus was with Joseph and Joseph thought he was with Mary. The first night, when Joseph and Mary met, there was no Jesus. They looked everywhere. Then they headed back to Jerusalem. On the third day, they found him. He was sitting among the doctors, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone was amazed at his intelligence and the depth of his questions and answers.
Mary goes to him and asked, "Son, why did you do this to us? Didn't you know your father and I were looking for you and really upset?" Jesus answered, "Why were you looking for me? Didn't you know I had to be about my Father's business?" But neither Joseph or Mary knew what he was talking about.
What does this incident tell us? Many writers have presupposed he was manifesting his divine knowledge and that he was God. I think this destroys the whole import of the story. Jesus was presenting himself as a typical young, teenage talented and gifted child. Because of his intelligence, his special guidance from Joseph and Mary, he had arrived at the fact that he had a special vocation in life. When he got to the Temple and took his Bar Mitzvah, he couldn't help but see the failure of the teachers to understand the Law. So he took it on himself to start the teaching. After all the help his parents had given him, he was surprised they had not arrived at the same conclusion.
However, he knew he was not ready to start his life's work as yet. So he went back to Nazareth with them and lived as an obedient and respectful teenage boy. Again, said Mary to Luke, "I really mulled over these events in the intervening years." Jesus continues to grow in wisdom, age and favor before God and men.
Introduction to the Public Life of Jesus
Luke started his account of Jesus' life as an adult with the story of his cousin, John. We already know who he is. Luke gave us a set of names from the history of the times so that we could put these events in their proper place. We will meet some of these men later: Pontius Pilate, Herod, Annas and Caiaphas.
John the Baptist was living the life of a hermit out in the desert. As he mulled over events and times he realized that the time for the coming of the Messiah was close at hand. He left his desert retreat and went out into public life as an itinerant preacher. John's preaching topic was "metanoia" — a Greek word that means a complete conversion and about-face from one's present way of thinking and acting.
The picture that Luke presented was taken from the Old Testament prophet known as Second Isaiah. He was a man from the 5th century B.C. Isaiah II had risen to urge the Jews who returned from exile to live according to the Law of Yahweh and not to fall into the fertility worship of the pagans around them.
The description that John the Baptist used of himself would be that of a forerunner for some very important person. In the days of the Prophet, their roads were more or less meandering footpaths. When an important person was coming, forerunners went to the surrounding towns to tell the citizens to send out road crews, to make a presentable path for the sedan-carriers to follow.
John used the forerunner image of his work. There was an important person about to appear in the world. He was the SAVIOR and he would bring SALVATION to all mankind. John's work was to prepare the hearts and minds of the people to receive this Savior.
John was a stern preacher and accepted no sham conversions. He addressed them as "brood of vipers." We read that title and hardly react. However, if you Americanize the phrase, you'll see it carried a particular impact. John was calling them all snakes. He called them vipers which are the most poisonous kind. He called them not merely one snake but a whole brood. How far do you think a preacher would get, today, if he started his address with the words "You, Snakes!"?
John demanded proof from their lives that they were sincere. He warned them not to use the fact that they were descendants of Abraham as a point of leverage. John said that God could turn the stones of the desert into sons of Abraham if that was all he needed. What did John demand by way of sincere repentance and change of conduct? He stressed that they have to live by the laws of charity and justice. He spelled out the details for them.
John made such an impression on the crowds that they began to think he might be the Messiah himself. They said as much. John told them they were totally wrong. He said, "I am baptizing you in water, that is, with an external sign. The one who is coming after me will baptize with the HOLY SPIRIT and FIRE."
If you take this phrase back to the Old Testament, you will find that it referred to Elijah, the father and founder of the Prophets. His spirit was called the Holy Spirit and he left this world in the fiery chariot. In short, said John, "I am not the Messiah but I'll tell you what he will be like. You are looking forward to his coming. Just remember he will tolerate no double-dealing or failure to keep the Law."
The Messiah is like a farmer harvesting his grain. His coming will be the winnowing process. This was the last stage of the harvest before the grain was gathered into the barns. The grain and chaff were thrown into the air. The wind blew the chaff off the threshing floor and the grain fell down on the floor — clean and ready to be carried inside. The chaff was taken aside and burned. This, said John, is the Good News. If you have not identified yourselves by your lives as "good grain" when the Messiah comes, you will be the chaff that is tossed aside and burned.
Meanwhile, Herod, the Jewish ruler of Palestine, was living with his sister-in-law for all to see. John the Baptist denounced him publicly for this and all his other crimes. So Herod tossed John into prison but was afraid to kill him because of his popularity with the people.
Jesus at Prayer
Luke says merely that Jesus was baptized with the crowds. How did John know Jesus? Remember, Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Elizabeth, the mother of John, were cousins and very good friends — as Luke had already pointed out. There is no doubt that Jesus and John grew up together. We know from Luke that Jesus was well aware of the difference between his ideas and those being commonly taught. This was seen in the incident in the Temple at the Bar Mitzvah. So when Jesus appeared, John knew Jesus was on the verge of starting his work. John feels that Jesus should take the lead.
Afterwards, while Jesus was at prayer, the heavens opened, the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove. A voice was heard saying, "You are my son, the Beloved. In you I am well pleased."
Here are several historical points of reference. Jesus was immersed in the Jordan River at about the same spot where the Israelites had crossed from the desert into the Promised Land about 13 centuries before. Jesus was about to establish the New Israel. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Elijah, came upon him. We have the return of Elijah, the father of the prophets. The form of a dove carries us back farther to the story of Noah. When Noah wanted to learn if it was safe to leave the Ark, he sent a dove which became the symbol of peace. Jesus was called the special Son of the Father. This phrase first indicated the whole people of Israel and then came to signify King David.
In these few verses, Jesus was pointed out as the new or real Israel entering the Promised Land. He was the return of the prophetic office of Elijah and the saving power of Noah. He was the fulness of the Kingship of David. Then Luke gave a short summary of the genealogy of Jesus, tracing him back to Adam.
Luke makes a special point of Jesus spending time in prayer. The Baptism of Jesus (Luke 3:21) was presented as a type of meditation on the role that was his in the fulfillment of all the promises made in the past. After the Cures (Luke 5:16), Jesus spent time praying — a meditation on what he had been able to do and the results that his works had on the people around him. Before Choosing the Twelve (Luke 6:12), he spent the time in prayer, thinking over his choices, and then picked the twelve. Before Peter's Profession of Faith (Luke 9:18), Jesus had just been praying — Luke seemed to hint that he was mulling this question over in his mind and needed reassurance. At the Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36), Jesus was praying while the apostles slept. The Model Prayer (Luke 11:1) arose when the apostles wanted to learn to pray the way he did. And in the Garden (Luke 22:41), there is no doubt that this was a turning point in the story of Jesus in each of the Gospels.
The above incidents are a summary of the times that Jesus was at prayer in Luke's Gospel. We see that the intent of the writer was to show that Jesus' life was surrounded by prayer. It was prayer of petition but emphasized the meditative or thinking aspect more.
This incident in the life of Jesus paralleled the events in the life of Elijah (1K. 17–2K. 2). Elijah went out into the desert to live by himself and meditate on the work that he had to do. He knew it was going to be difficult and entail much abuse and suffering.
Now Luke tells us that this Spirit of Elijah led Jesus out into the desert. Luke says he was tested by the devil throughout the entire time. Jesus was on a 40 day ritual fast and, at the end of the time, he was hungry and weak. The devil presented Jesus with the same basic temptations as the Jewish people faced down through the centuries.
First was the temptation to set material wealth and power up as the only goal of their lives. These would become a god and their worship would be total pursuit of wealth and power to the exclusion of all else. Jesus' answer was prompt and accurate: "The Lord your God you shall worship and Him only shall you adore." Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 6:13 to show the answer the Jewish people should have given centuries before and must give at the present time.
Next came the temptation to foolish danger. Jesus was to go up to the top of the Temple. He was to stand on the parapet and jump down into the valley below. He did not have to worry, says the devil. God had put him in the care of the angels in a special way and they would keep him from getting hurt. Jesus answered again from Deuteronomy 6:16. "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."
The devil left when he saw his defeat. However, he would be back later when times look more auspicious. Now Jesus had established himself as ready to step into his role as Messiah.
Return to Galilee; Jesus in Nazareth
Luke stressed that it is the spirit of Elijah that turned Jesus' footsteps back to his home area of Galilee. Luke also stressed that Jesus was well received. This was a strong point with Luke, probably because of the way in which the same people turned totally against Jesus in a short while. This acceptance would also be a strong point with Luke in the early days of the Christian mission. Luke also told us that Jesus taught in their synagogues and everyone praised him. However, the opposition of the leaders was quick to come because they saw Jesus as a threat to their position of authority.
Jesus came to Nazareth where he had been brought up. On the Sabbath, he went to the synagogue as was his custom. He offered to read. They handed him the scroll of Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll to 61:1-2.
It was a custom to ask any man who was willing, to pick a passage of the Scriptures and then comment on it. Jesus read: "The Spirit of the Lord has been given to me for he has anointed me. He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom to the captives, to restore sight to the blind, to set the oppressed free, to announce the year of the Lord's special favor."
When he was finished reading, he carefully rolled the scroll, gave it back to the one in charge, then sat down. Luke noted that the eyes of everyone were fixed on him. People were waiting to see what he had to say.
Jesus began with a dramatic statement: "Today, this writing is being fulfilled in your very ears." The audience liked what they heard and they were surprised that he could speak so well. "This is the son of Joseph?" they puzzled. Jesus picked up from this. He said: "You are no doubt thinking that I should do here what I did in Capernaum. I'll explain why I don't. No prophet is ever accepted in his home territory." Jesus told them to look back at the example of Elijah and Elisha.
Jesus' approval rating plummeted. The people were ready to kill him. He was comparing them to the hard heads and hard hearts described in the time of Elijah and Elisha. They took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built to throw him down and hurt or kill him. Jesus slipped off through the crowd and left.
Jesus went from popular hero and home-town boy who makes good to the villain who was to be killed. All this happened during one short sermon. This fickleness was part of the reason why Jesus did not want the work of Messiah or Savior even though he knew it had to be done.
Cures, Healings, and the Mission to Judea
Jesus went down to a Galilean town, named Capernaum. There again he taught on the Sabbath. He really impressed the people because he sounded like someone who knew what he was talking about.
Then Jesus gave a sign of his authentic power. A man was present who was "possessed by an unclean spirit or a devil." The description of the man was one who was affected by violent seizures as many epileptics are today. The medical men had little explanation for what was going on. In the popular mind, these seizures were the evidence of a person's being completely taken over by an unclean spirit.
If you remember that breath is the evidence of the presence of God in people, you will see what the unclean breath or spirit represents. In the story of the creation of people, The Lord-God breathed the breath of life into the lump of clay and it became a person. Breath (or the Latin word "Spirit") signified the creative presence of God in human beings and their total dependence on Him. So when a man is taken over by a seizure, there is no explanation, and they said that an unclean spirit or the devil had possessed him.
The devil showed its opposition to Jesus. Jesus publicly rebuked the spirit and commanded him to depart from the man. The man had one final seizure seen by the crowd and was then cured. The people couldn't believe their eyes or ears. They spread the report everywhere.
After the synagogue, Jesus went to Simon Peter's house. Peter's mother-in-law was in bed with a severe fever. Jesus went over and sternly commanded the fever to leave, and it left. The mother-in-law got up immediately and prepared a meal for her guests.
Luke could have described one cure or event after another. Instead he gave us a summary saying that this was a good picture of the life of Jesus. He healed all the diseases the people put before him and he sent the demons howling on their way.
Jesus knew he could not stay too long in anyone spot. He had to get the news of the coming of the Messiah presented to everyone so that they could choose him and his work intelligently. He summed up his work as "proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of God." The word to "proclaim" is the verb used of the herald who goes about making known an official decree or announcement. The "Good News" is a technical term used throughout the New Testament and borrowed from Isaiah. The "Kingdom of God" is not a simple territorial government or place. The word used is "Basileia." It is an "eia" word in Greek — an action word. It is really the "Kinging of God" and refers to the people who are called to participate in the power and dignity and extent of the Kingship of God.
It may sound mundane but the "Kinging of God" has much the same notion as "kinging" in a game of checkers. The "kinged" checker has more influence because of earned position. The "Kinging of God" which Jesus preached and described did just exactly this to an ordinary person. The follower of Jesus had new power in all his actions. The Christians together are to change the face of the earth and the community of human beings.
The crowds around Jesus were numerous but Jesus knew if his work was to succeed and spread, it had to have a solid nucleus of disciples who would carry it through the world. Now he began to select these special people out of the crowds listening to him.
Jesus was down by the shore of the Lake of Galilee. There were two boats tied up there and the men were on shore cleaning their nets. Jesus got into one of the boats and asked that he be moved a short way from the crowd. The crowd was so large and pushing so much that there was danger that Jesus would be pushed into the water.
The boat belonged to Simon. When Jesus finished speaking, he turned to Simon and said, "Move into the deep water and lower your nets for a good catch." "Rabbi, we are the fishermen. We have been working here all night and there are no fish there. But if you want, we will drop the nets in the water." Simon clearly did not think Jesus knew a whole lot about fishing. However, Simon decided to humor him.
The result was fantastic. They had so many fish, the nets began to tear. They signaled to their fellow fishermen in the other boat to help. When they had emptied the nets, they had a load in each boat.
Simon Peter was overcome with awe or fear. He said, "Depart from me, Lord. For I am a sinful man." None of these fishermen could believe what had happened and yet the evidence was in their boats. Then Jesus carried the idea much farther. He says, "Don't worry! This is really nothing! From now on you will be catching men!"
They brought the boats to land and all four of them left their fishing and went with Jesus, full time. The four disciples were Simon (Peter), Andrew — his brother, and James and John — the Zebedee boys.
The Leper, the Paralytic, Levi, Fasting, and the Sabbath
The leper came right up to Jesus. This in itself is amazing. There was a standing practice or law that lepers had to stay outside the towns. When lepers saw people coming, they had to make some noise and tell everyone they were lepers. Thus no one would accidentally bump into them and perhaps contract the disease.
The leper fell prostrate at Jesus' feet and made a supreme act of faith in Jesus. "Sir," he said, "if you want, you can take away this uncleanness." Jesus stretched out his hand and deliberately touched the man. He said, "I want it! Be made clean!" The leprosy was gone. Jesus said, "Now don't tell anybody about this but go show yourself to the priests and make the offering commanded by Moses, as evidence for them."
Jesus was teaching and in his crowd were Pharisees and lawyers from every village in Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a stretcher. They could not get through the crowd to Jesus so they went up on the roof of the building, removed some of the tiles, and left the stretcher down at the feet of Jesus. When Jesus saw the faith of the group, he said to the paralytic, "Sir, your sins are forgiven!"
This really shook the Scribes and Pharisees to the core. Only God could forgive sins and this man was forgiving sin. Jesus knew what they were thinking so he brought their thoughts out into the open. He asked, "Which is easier to say: 'Your sins are forgiven?' or to say 'Arise and walk?' But that you may know that the Son of Man has the power on earth to forgive sins" — here he turned to the paralytic and said — "'I tell you, get up, roll up your pallet and go home.'" And the paralyzed man jumped up in front of their eyes, picked up his pallet, and went home praising God.
Note the way Jesus worded his question. There is no doubt it would be much easier to say "Your sins are forgiven." This is something that cannot be seen and whether it happens or not is a matter of faith. But if he said to a paralyzed man, "Get up and walk" and the man stayed there paralyzed, everyone would know he was a fake. So Jesus performed the external sign to prove that the internal sign took place, and to give us an indication of what forgiveness actually achieves. Sin is a paralysis of the spiritual life of a person. Forgiveness removes this paralysis and restores the life of the spirit to the person.
Jesus had four of his special followers already picked. Now he called a fifth person. This man's name was Levi (or Matthew). He was a tax-collector (publican) for the Romans. This meant he was a man despised both by the Romans and the Jews. The Romans despised him because he was a Jew and a member of a conquered people. The Jews despised him because he was working for the hated Romans, their conquerors.
The role of the tax collector was an opportunity for open robbery. The tax collector was told by the Roman authorities how much revenue they expected from his territory. Rome did not care how much the person collected over and above the prescribed sum. So the tax-collector could ask any amount by way of taxes and he had the power of Rome to enforce his demands. Then he could skim off all above the asking price of the Romans for himself.
The tax collectors had to be exact in their bookkeeping because they never knew when the Romans would demand an accounting. Tax collectors were despised by all and so they tended to associate with their kind. Jesus was invited to join them for a dinner and he did not hesitate. As the leaders walked by and saw Jesus at table with this despised lot they complained to his followers. "If your Master is so great, why is he at table with the tax collectors and other sinners?"
Jesus gave his own answer. He cracked down hard on their hypocrisy. He said, "It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick people. I did not come to call just people, but sinners, to repentance."
Jesus compared what he was doing to a wedding feast. He said that you do not ask the members of a wedding party or the invited guests to fast while they are celebrating the wedding. After the wedding is over and the newly-wed couple had gone its way, then the people could return to the routine of daily life. The same was true for the followers of Jesus. His presence was like that of the Bridegroom. While he was with them he would be instructing them in how they were to live their lives and continue his work.
Then Jesus used two comparisons to bring out the relationship between the Old Law and the New Law. He talked first of putting a patch on an old cloak. He said you do not cut a piece out of a new cloak and sew it on to an old one. The New Law or Dispensation that Jesus was talking about was not merely a patch on the Old Law. There was really no comparison between the Old and the New. The Old Law was a preparation for the New Law, but the New Law will stand on its own.
Secondly, Jesus compared the New Law and the Old Law to new wine. The bottles for wine were made each year out of the skins or the intestines of the animals. These skins were pliable and could stretch and then gradually harden and get set. This allowed the new wine to "work" or ferment until it was ready for use. If this new wine was put into old, hardened skins, the fermentation process would burst the skins. If the new wine was put into new skins, they could expand with the fermentation and then gradually get set.
To understand the Sabbath grain controversy, two points must be kept in mind. First, there was the custom of picking grain as you walked through a farmer's field. The grain was planted on both sides of the path. Anyone walking along the path was entitled to reach out and take a handful of the grain as long as the traveler did not leave the path to do so. After the person had a handful of the grain, he had to rub the grain back and forth in the hands to remove the hulls from the kernels. The problem, as the Pharisees saw it, was the Sabbath. People were not allowed to do any work from sun-up to sun-down. However, rubbing the grain back and forth in the hands was considered work. Therefore this was not permitted on the Sabbath.
Jesus advised these legal sticklers to go back to the life of David and read how he acted in reference to the Law about food. David stopped by the Tabernacle. He and his men were on the way to a fight. They were without food and were hungry. David went into the priests and talked them out of some of these "sacred loaves." They were not supposed to get them, but David saw it as an emergency and so the law did not bind in the situation. Jesus drew a basic principle from his conduct and that of David's. "The Son of Man is master of the Sabbath." He placed himself above the legalistic rituals of the Sabbath.
Luke 5:6 ff.; Luke 5:12–16
Here is a bit of summary on the identity of Jesus. I think Jesus was, what we would call today, a talented and gifted student. He showed this publicly at age 12 when he came into his first formal contact with what was being taught officially in the Temple about the plan of God.
Up to that time, Jesus had been instructed primarily by his mother, Mary. Such was the custom of Jewish family life. Mary had a clear notion of this plan as is evident from her song, the Magnificat. She took a famous song from the Old Testament and brought it up to date with her role in this plan. She told Luke explicitly that she thought about all these ideas constantly and went deeper and deeper into their meaning.
These ideas she had shared with Jesus from his first days. At age 12, he was amazed at the legalistic interpretation of the Torah that was officially prevalent. Jesus did not hesitate to express his convictions. The teachers were amazed at his answers and they began to ask him questions for their own enlightenment.
Jesus went back to Galilee with his parents and continued to learn his trade as carpenter or handyman and mull over the meaning of life. Finally, as a full-grown adult at the age of 30, he stepped out on his own and began to teach his ideas. People liked them and began to follow him. Yahweh showed his approval of Jesus' teaching as he had done for the prophets in the Old Testament times. He performed unusual deeds and miracles through them.
Mary and Elizabeth, the mother of John Baptist, were cousins and close friends. So it is quite reasonable to suppose that these two boys were together a lot of the time. John was six months older than Jesus. We can see from his public life that he was a serious-minded person and was deeply concerned about the keeping of the Law of Yahweh. He did not hesitate to express his ideas or to warn people about the danger of sinful ways. In many ways he was much like Jeremiah of the Old Testament.
Jesus, too, was serious-minded. However, he was able to lighten up a bit more. The two boys went well together. When Jesus appeared at the river to be baptized, John wanted him to take over. Jesus refused and told John to keep on working exactly as he had been. Later, Jesus would give outstanding praise of John to his apostles.
This is another occasion when Jesus spent the night in prayer. It would be good here to look up the description of Moses in Exodus 33:7-11. Moses had a special tent outside the camp. When he wanted to consult with Yahweh about his next move, he would go to this tent alone and there receive his instructions. Jesus, as the new Moses, went into the hills alone to spend the night in prayer. This time, the prayer was a prelude to the choosing of the twelve apostles.
Luke did not make a big story of this event. He said they were picked from all his disciples or followers. They were called "apostles" — the people SENT as ambassadors. There were twelve and their names are listed. Matthew would be the other name for Levi. The number 12 was probably a deliberate and symbolic choice. They were to be the leaders of the New Israel and therefore there would be 12 of them as in the Old Israel. Judas, son of James, was the one called Jude or Thaddaeus. Judas Iscariot was always pointed out as the one who would be the traitor.
Luke 5:17–49: Beatitudes, Woes, Love of Enemies, Sincerity, Solid Foundations
This is the collection of teachings that is known as the "Sermon on the Mount" in Matthew's Gospel. Luke presented a much shorter version. He introduced the ideas by telling us that they were on level ground. A large crowd of people were pressing around Jesus. He was healing all sorts of diseases and ills. Then Jesus began to talk.
Luke did not develop all these ideas. Instead he stressed poverty, hunger and sorrow. Christians were from among the poor classes and may have grumbled a bit at their lot. Luke tried to assure them that their hardships were not overlooked and they would be rewarded for them. He stressed the reward they would receive and that this was the same way in which they had treated the prophets before them.
Then Luke gave us a list of "Woes." He was really saying the same thing again, except the language was more forceful. The word "woe" is a powerful word and has to be described rather than translated. Luke stressed that people who are rich, eat well, or enjoy life now, would be miserable and sorry later on. In fact, said Luke, if people like you and speak well of you, take another look at your life. This approval was the way in which the people of the past greeted the FALSE PROPHETS. If the world liked you, you may be on the wrong track.
Luke developed the Love of Enemies idea thoroughly. We can understand why. Luke was writing for the communities established originally by Paul. They were in the Diaspora and would be pounced on by Jewish communities and the pagans alike. The tendency was to lash back and defend themselves. Luke said this would not win the good will of the people and lead them to the harmony, love and peace intended by Jesus. Their model was to be God himself who took care of the good and the bad alike.
Luke gave us a figure of speech to indicate how great our kindness and compassion to others should be. He used the example of a person selling a bushel of wheat. He said that the grain was to be put in the basket, then pressed down, shaken well, and even running over. Every Jew had a catch-all pocket in the front of his cloak on the chest. If the merchant followed the customs, he would fill the basket as described. Then he would open this pocket and throw extra grain into it. Luke stressed that this kind of generosity is absolutely essential because you will receive according to the way in which you give.
Luke then talked about the necessity of sincerity in daily life. He stressed the fact that a Christian was not supposed to be bothering about the faults of others or correcting them until he had removed all his own faults completely. The very thought of hypocrisy was taboo for these early Christians. If they were going to ask something of others, they had to be sure they were living the principle first. Sincere guidance to others can come only from a sincere heart in oneself. A person's words must flow from the abundance of one's own heart. In other words, one cannot pick delicious fruit from weeds.
The life of the Christian is like the building of a house. The most important part is the solid foundation. Then no matter what the storm, the superstructure will be able to withstand it. The Christian way of living has to have the stability of bedrock.
Luke 7:1–17
This story is really unusual for a couple of reasons. A centurion was a Roman soldier and officer. He had many men in his command. Literally, the title means he was in charge of 100 men. There is mention of several centurions in the New Testament. All of them were friendly to the Christians.
This centurion was concerned about one of his slaves. Slaves were considered the property of the master, to be bought, sold, treated well or mistreated according to the discretion of the master and owner. So this centurion's concern about a slave was a rarity. Secondly, when Jesus proposed to go with the centurion to his house, the Roman protested and said "I am not worthy that you come under my roof. Just give a command from here and my servant will be healed." Jesus marveled aloud at the humility and the faith of this man. He told him to go on home, and that what he asked for had already happened. The man left, full of confidence that his request had been answered.
The first Christians were so impressed by this incident that they recalled it at the Eucharistic meal each day. Even today, it has remained as an essential part of the ritual.
Jesus and a large crowd of people were coming near the city of Nain. At the gate of the town, they met a funeral procession. The corpse was a teenage boy. He was an only son and his mother was a widow. Jesus took in the whole story at a glance. He walked up to the lady and said, "Stop crying." Then he went to the coffin and put his hand on it. The bearers stopped. Jesus said, "Young man, I say to you, arise!" The teenager sat up and began to talk. Jesus gave him back to his mother.
Luke says everyone was impressed by the incident and the report went around the whole countryside.
Luke 7:18–50: Sin, Sorrow, Forgiveness
This incident was inserted at this spot to tie up Jesus' relation to the Old Law and to set the New Law totally in motion. It also gives us a full assessment of John the Baptist and of all the prophets. John the Baptist had pointed Jesus out as the Messiah. His own followers were a bit on the envious side. They saw that everyone was following Jesus and ignoring John. They complained about this conduct of Jesus. John sent them over to Jesus. John himself had no doubts but he wanted his disciples to see who and what Jesus really was.
Jesus quoted from Isaiah 61, the Servant Songs, to answer their questions. Jesus was doing exactly what had been foretold by Isaiah II and III about 600 years before. Jesus praised John the Baptist and condemned the leaders of the Jews because they refused to follow the Baptist or himself. They looked on the Baptist as some kind of mental patient and considered Jesus a profligate. Therefore they refused to accept either one.
This is an exceptionally beautiful and pointed story. Jesus was invited to a dinner by a Pharisee, named Simon. Keep these points in mind about an occasion such as this. First of all, when a guest arrived, the host met him at the door. The host presented the visitor with water to wash the dust of travel from his feet. If possible, he would have a servant to do that menial task. Then the guest would be given a special cloak to wear during his stay and his head would be anointed with perfumed oil. These were all common courtesies expected in the society of that day.
Secondly, the guests reclined on long couches at the table. Their feet were stretched out away from the table so this lady could easily reach the feet of Jesus. Thirdly, we do not know who the woman was. Some try to make her Mary Magdalen or Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus. There is no certainty for either of these identities.
In the middle of the dinner, this lady came into the banquet room. She went right up to Jesus and began to cry bitter tears over his feet. Then she dried them with her hair. Simon was amazed and said, "If Jesus knew who this woman is, he would not even let her touch him."
Jesus picked up on the attitude immediately. He told his story about two men were in debt to the same person. One owed five hundred denarii and the other owed fifty. A denarius was a good wage for a whole day at the time. So the first man owed two years wages, the other owed seven weeks. Neither could pay his debt, so the creditor canceled both debts instead of putting them in debtor's prison. Jesus asked, "Which man would love the creditor more?" Simon saw that there was only one possible answer. "The man who was forgiven more."
Jesus said, "That's right! Now apply this to the present situation. I came into your house as a guest and you insulted me socially by not showing me the amenities of a guest. This woman exceeded common courtesy to wash my feet with her tears and dry them with her hair. Therefore her sins, even though many, have been forgiven. The person who is forgiven little, loves little." Then he turned to the woman and said, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace!"
The point of the story is clear. Jesus was not establishing a kingdom in a vacuum. The people who followed him would have their faults and commit their sins. However, if they were motivated by love in their lives, their sins would be forgiven. Without love there is no forgiveness. Forgiveness is not a matter of ritual or routine. Forgiveness demands evidence of true sorrow in the life of the person.
The Sower; The Lamp Stand
Jesus continued his travels through the towns and villages. He was accompanied by the twelve apostles and several women. One was Mary Magdalen, from whom seven demons had been driven. This is often taken to mean that she was a terrible public sinner. However, it can mean merely that she was a very sick person and was cured.
The first important difference between Matthew and Luke in their account of the parables is the number and the orientation. Matthew listed seven parables — all in a cluster and all geared to developing the notion of the Kingdom of the Heavens. Luke listed only two of the parables and used the stories to stress how people must react to the teachings of Jesus.
The parable of the Sower is almost the same as that told in Matthew. The farmer was sowing his grain. Some of the seed fell on the footpath and was trampled on and the birds ate it. Some fell on the stones and sprouted immediately but then shriveled and died because of lack of moisture. Some seed fell among the weeds and was choked out by the weeds. Some of the seed fell on good ground and produced a hundred-fold. In the explanation, Luke said that the seed was the word of God. The seed on the path represented the people who hear the teaching, but the devil came and snatched it away before they truly believed and were saved. The seeds on the stones were the people who received the word gladly but there was no follow-through. The seeds among the weeds were the people who accepted the word but then the cares and worries about money and pleasure choked out the true values of life. The seed on the good soil was the people who received the word into dedicated and courageous hearts and they yielded a harvest of good works through patience and perseverance.
The second parable in Luke is the parable of the lamp. The lamp was lit and put on a lamp stand so that everyone in the household might see by the light of the lamp. This parable is part of the introduction to the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. Luke gives it a little different slant in his interpretation. The purpose of the lamp is to make sure that everyone's life is clear and out in the open for all to see. The person who uses his talents will be given more. The person who does not use his talents, will lose even the ones he thinks he has.
Luke 8:19–56
Luke interjects the thought about the family of Jesus at this point. He says that Mary and his relatives were there and wanted to talk with him. They could not reach him because of the size of the crowd. Jesus declares that his family is not just his physical relatives. Anyone who listens to the word of God and lives by it forms his true family. This, of course, was no rejection of Mary, his Mother. She certainly lived by her own dictum: "Be it done unto me according to your word." Mary was part of the family of Jesus on both scores.
Jesus was in the boat with his apostles. A sudden and threatening storm came up. This was a regular occurrence on the Sea of Galilee. These storms could be truly life-threatening. Jesus was tired from all his teaching and was sound asleep. The apostles awakened him and he rebuked the rough waters and they calmed down immediately. The apostles were amazed. They asked each other, "Who is he really? He talks to the wind and the water and they obey him!"
Luke placed the cure of the demoniac opposite Galilee, across the Lake. As Jesus was stepping ashore, a possessed man came running towards him and shouting. He was a scary sight. He wore no clothes. He fell down at the feet of Jesus and begged him not to torture him. The man lived in the uninhabited area among the tombs. He would go into seizures and the people would bind him with chains but the man would break these. Then he would go out into the wild areas and rave like a truly mad man.
Jesus asked him his name and he said "Legion" because of all the devils in him. The devils pleaded with Jesus not to send them back to the Abyss or the bowels of the earth where demons were thought to dwell. There was a large herd of pigs in the area and the demons asked to be sent into the pigs. So Jesus sends them into the porcine flock. The pigs go mad and run off the cliff and drown in the Lake.
The swineherds were shook. Those pigs were their responsibility and their livelihood. Now they were gone. When the people came out to see what had happened, they saw the possessed man, fully clothed and sitting calmly at the feet of Jesus. The people were amazed and they begged Jesus to leave the area. The man who was cured wanted to go with Jesus but Jesus told him to go back home and tell everybody what God had done for him. So the man went off and became a messenger of good news to his people.
This is a story within a story. Jesus and the apostles came back to the western side of the Lake. The crowd was waiting for him. There was a man named Jairus, an official in the synagogue. His twelve year old daughter was dying and he wanted Jesus to come and do something.
As they walked along, the crowd pressed tightly against Jesus. There was a woman there who was suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years. No one could help her. She came up behind Jesus and touched the hem of his garment and the hemorrhage stopped immediately. Jesus asked, "Who touched me?" They thought he was joking. Everybody was pushing and shoving and he wanted to know who touched him? Jesus insisted, "Somebody touched me and power went out from me!" Then the woman realized she had been discovered and she came forward and explained what had happened. Jesus said kindly, "Daughter, your faith has restored your health. Go in peace."
About that time a messenger from the house of the official got through to them. "Your daughter has died. Don't bother the Master any more." Jesus heard the report and said to the father, "Don't be upset by this. Just keep believing and she will be all right."
When they arrived at the house, Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and went into the room. People were weeping and wailing. Jesus told them, "Stop crying. The girl is not dead, but asleep." They laughed scornfully because they knew she was dead. Jesus went to the girl, took her by the hand and said, "Child, get up!" Her breath returned and she got up. He told them to get her something to eat. The parents were amazed but he told them to keep the incident to themselves.
Luke 9:1–17
This will be a good place to summarize what Luke has told us about Jesus and his personality and mission so far. Who is the Jesus that Luke is presenting? Luke stresses that he is using only eye-witness accounts for the story that is unfolding. Why stress the point? By the time that Luke was writing, there were many accounts of the life of Jesus. Many of them were wild and false. Luke did not want the important message of Jesus to be weakened or destroyed by a lot of folklore and literary trash.
Luke told us that one of his principal sources was Mary, the Mother of Jesus. He stressed that she told him exactly what she saw and thought about deep down in her heart. We get the introduction of the two key characters, John Baptist and Jesus, even before they were conceived.
Zachary and Elizabeth were an older, childless couple. They had practically given up on having children. In fact, Zachary thought the whole idea was a joke for a man his age. John Baptist was conceived and born. He was a cousin of Jesus who went out to live the life of a hermit in the desert. People came out to him and he was adamant in his demands. There had to be "metanoia" — Greek word for a complete change of life and moral practices. If there was any hypocrisy, they would be cut off totally. John Baptist was a real "blood and thunder" preacher.
Jesus was born on the trip to Bethlehem. He was born in a little cave that belonged to some shepherds. Luke saw this as an omen about the mission of Jesus. Jesus was taught a solid interpretation of the Law and Messianic hopes by Mary. When he got to the Temple at the age of twelve for his Bar Mitzvah, Jesus was surprised at the legalism and shallowness of the official teaching. He gave answers that amazed the teachers. And he asked questions that they had not even imagined.
At the age of 30, Jesus set out on his own mission. His mission arose out of a sense of urgency to show the world the plan that Yahweh had in store for mankind. At the same time, he had many a doubt as he saw the ignorance, stubbornness, and hesitancy to accept these ideas. He knew that the opposition would grow ever greater and lead finally to his own betrayal and death.
Then Luke presents Jesus in his work in Galilee and finally in his move to Judea and Jerusalem. Luke, like Matthew and Mark, sum the whole public life of Jesus up in a single year. John indicates that it took longer, probably about three years. However, the picture is the same. The climax of Jesus' life will be his total giving of himself to prove the extent and sincerity of his zeal and his love.
The next stage of Jesus' work began. He empowered the twelve to spread out and continue his work. He stressed that they should not worry about their livelihood, but spread the Good News from village to village.
Herod heard the reports about Jesus. They sounded like the reports that he had heard of John Baptist. He knew that John was dead because he had ordered him beheaded. Now, who was this Jesus?
The twelve apostles came back. They were pleased and proud that they were able to share in the works of Jesus. Jesus took the twelve to the town of Bethsaida so that they could be by themselves. However, the crowd learned of this and the people came flocking after them.
Late in the afternoon, the apostles approached Jesus and told him that he should send the people back to their homes to get food and night's lodging. Jesus told them to feed the crowd themselves. The apostles objected that they had only a few pieces of bread and a couple fish. Jesus told them to seat the crowd in groups of fifty. There were about five thousand men plus all the women and children. Then Jesus blessed the five loaves and the two fish, broke them and gave them to the twelve to distribute. They fed all. After everyone one was filled, they gathered 12 baskets of leftovers.
The point of this story is to make sure that we share whatever we have with others. This can be done by selling it to those who can afford to buy and by giving it to those who are too poor to buy. Sharing is the heart of the message. If this sharing is carried out, there is no problem that cannot be answered totally.
Luke 9:18–27
Jesus and the twelve apostles were alone. Jesus asked them, "Who do the crowds say I am?" They said that there was no solid agreement. Some thought he might be John the Baptist returned. He might be Elijah whom they were expecting to return before long. Or he might be one of the ancient prophets of whom they had heard so much.
Then Jesus asked the twelve, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter blurted out the answer for them all, "You are the Christ of God!" (This meant that they saw him as the Messiah sent by the Father.) Jesus told them not to mention this to anyone.
Jesus introduced this notion of suffering and death frequently into the picture. There were two reasons for this. First, Jesus did not want the apostles to be under any delusions of grandeur as was common in the popular picture of the Messiah. His suffering and death would be hard enough to accept without contributing to the false, idyllic picture. Secondly, Jesus had to handle this notion of suffering and death in his own personal life again and again. He knew from what he had seen how terrible the social rejection and the physical torture would be. He had to bolster his courage over and over again so as not to run away from it.
This fear was not some kind of superficial sham. Jesus was scared and honestly said, again and again, that he would like some other plan but he would accept what was coming.
Jesus now transferred this notion of suffering and difficulty to all his followers. His point was clearly that the life of those who choose him and his ideals was not going to be easy or well accepted by the others. However, Jesus stressed that if anyone was ashamed of him and his ideas and ideals in this life, he would be ashamed of them in the next. In short, if you want the glory, you have to bear the pain.
Jesus was not talking about some event that would take place years or centuries from that time. In fact, he said, there are people here right now who will see the fulfillment of all these promises.
Luke 9:28–50
There is a good possibility that Luke connected the previous verse about seeing the Kingdom of God with the scene that he now described.
Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on to a mountain to spend time in prayer. While he was praying, his face suddenly began to glow brightly. Then there were two men talking to him about his death in Jerusalem. The two men were Moses and Elijah. Peter, James and John were practically asleep but they watched what happened.
When it was over, Peter immediately came up with plans for three shrines, one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah. He clearly was thinking of pilgrimages and the whole bit. As he was prattling on, a cloud came over them and a voice said, "This is my son, the Chosen One! Listen to him!" When the voice stopped speaking, they saw only Jesus as his usual self. The three apostles were mystified and told no one about the event until after the resurrection.
There is not much doubt why Luke arranged these events and sayings in this order. He was giving the entire picture. There would be rejection, suffering, death and shame. But there would also be glory and renown. The two come together, the first as the source of the second. The glory was the fulfillment of all the expectations of the Torah and the prophets.
As they were coming down from the mountain, a man came up to intercede for his son. This son was an epileptic and had the grand mal seizures which left him completely exhausted. The man had asked the disciples to help him but they had failed. Now he approaches Jesus. Jesus blamed the failure on the lack of faith of the father and then he expelled the demon and the boy was cured. Luke drew no further conclusion from the incident.
Everyone was praising Jesus. His popularity could not have been greater. There was danger the twelve might forget what Jesus had said about the final outcome. So he told them about the coming rejection, suffering and death again. The apostles did not understand what he was driving at but they hesitated to ask for any further details or proofs.
No doubt this argument about who is greatest had arisen because of the obvious favors shown to Peter, James, and John. They were taken special places with Jesus and the others were left behind. They were told certain facts and told to keep them to themselves until the right time. Jealousy and envy arose. Who was the favorite of Jesus?
Jesus settled the whole question in a very dramatic way. He set a little child down beside himself and said: "Anyone who welcomes this little child in my name, welcomes me. Anyone who welcomes me, welcomes him who sent me. For the least among you is the greatest." In short there is room at the top for everyone. Greatness in this kingdom of Jesus is not external prestige or worldly honors and ribbons. Greatness is determined by service and simplicity.
John brought up a new problem. They had found a man casting out demons in the name of Jesus. However, he was not one of them. He did not belong to the twelve. So they tried to stop him. Jesus said: "Don't stop him. If he is not against you, then he is on your side." If a person is doing the work of Jesus, it does not make a particle of difference who he is. He is working to make the world the brotherhood of man. In the end, all the works will be shown together.
If this principle had been followed from the Council of Nicea to the present day, much wrangling and enmity could have been avoided and much good could have been accomplished. The Roman structure insisted they were the "one and only" and all others were to be outcasts. The result has been greater and greater disunity.