Reflections to close out the term Luke 10:1-11,16-20

Luke 10:1-11,16-20 Gospel reading for Sunday 4th July 2010

Firstly some random ramblings ... a list of questions and things that jumped out at me in this passage, in no particular priority order:

1. 72 were sent out ... is there any significance in that number?
2. Like lambs amongst the wolves ... does not sound all that appealing.
3. Who were these people? (their training seems minimal)
4. Don't take anything along with you ... that's tough.
5. Don't greet anyone on the road ... that's odd.
6. Eat what is set before you ... that's a blast from the past!
7. Stay in the one house ... that sounds like freeloading!
8. These people were given incredible healing power.
9. These people are to be listened to.
10. They returned with joy.

A few insights sourced from a number of different commentaries:

1.  It is interesting that the 72 reads 70 in some translations and early manuscripts. Apparently 70 was the traditional Jewish number for the nations of the world.
2. Greet no-one seems to be an instruction to make sure that they don't get side-tracked but concentrate on the mission.
3. Hospitality customs were strong in Jewish Society. Either visitors were openly accepted or blatantly rejected. Jesus makes a strong point about the consequences for people who reject the bearer of the message because this rejection equates to a rejection of God.

Amongst and beyond all this however, my attention was drawn to a simple but profound point from the opening verse ... that it was the Lord who appointed the people.
What's more, we have been appointed to our stations in Lutheran Schools to GO (verse 3). We have been called to the task of delivering the message to those in our community. The word GO makes this a task that requires some intentional action on our part ... it cannot be passive. The command was not sit, stay, lie down or rest ... but GO.

Lord at a time of year when we are swamped by tasks and sapped of energy, help us not to feel burdened by the call to GO out there for you.  

May we experience that feeling of joy  ... knowing that somewhere, sometime this term we may well have shown Jesus to someone. Amen

What is the cost of following Jesus today? Luke 9:51-62

Luke 9:51-62 Gospel reading for Sunday June 27th 2010

A new patch of hostile territory surfaces this week. Surprisingly Jesus is already talking about the journey to Jerusalem. In order to make the trip to Jerusalem form the Northern territory around Galillee it was necessary to pass through Samaria. This was at least a 3 day journey. The Samaritans were quite hostile towards the Jewish pilgrims who were passing through and were not at all helpful in even providing them with overnight shelter. This is quite contrary to what would happen in Jerusalem as people flocked in for the Passover. It was the done thing for all of the locals to open up their houses, backyards, "garages" to one and all.

From what I can gather this is a turning point in the ministry of Jesus. From this point forward in Luke's Gospel, Jesus will have the cross as a central focus in his teaching. But what do we make of some rather harsh comments of Jesus here? Not exactly encouraging care responsibility to family if we take this literally.
I suspect that this is another example of the genius of Jesus teaching style. Is he simply making the point that commitment to him can be something that we tend to put off, or do in half-baked fashion? I'm not sure. I can see though that it does ask us to examine the cost of being his disciple. Is this any greater cost now as it was then? In the end though is it really a cost? If we get this right, what the world views as an outrageous cost is ultimately an amazing grace-filled reward, far better than the return of the top 100 super funds all put together!

Lutheran Schools in hostile territory? Luke 8:26-39

Luke 8:26-39   Gospel Reading for Sunday June 20th 2010

There are some troublesome aspects to this story. To be honest the whole demonic thing is not something that I feel comfortable with. Maybe it is related to the fact that we don't readily associate demons with life in modern day society. It seems though that demons were a part of everyday life in the time of Jesus, as there are a number of incidents under this theme during his ministry. Should we perhaps pay more attention to this? I don't know! To add to the uneasiness surrounding this passage, we note that this is no casual, ho-hum casting out of demons, this is a highly dramatic event. 

Another thing that has always bothered me is the fact that the herd of pigs, presumably the livelihood of many in the region, is totally destroyed ... a sure way to aggravate the local people!

So what do we make of this? Can we come back to what has been unfolding in Jesus' ministry to date. This is still very early days as identified in recent Gospel reflections. Surrounding this story we have in rapid succession, raising a dead person, being anointed by a prostitute, the watershed teaching parable of the sower and calming the storm. We need to go back four verses for a highly significant point where Jesus says to his disciples "Let's go across to the other side of the lake."

Why is that significant? Jesus is entering gentile (non-Jewish) territory. Firstly he has just calmed the demons of nature. That's not just a convenient piece of imagery to go with this line of thinking, but a reality of society in those times, that they saw demons behind the violent storms of nature on land and seas. So Jesus continues to stamp his power and authority on the world at large as if to make the statement that there is nothing under heaven and earth that does not submit to the power and authority of God.

Maybe this also serves as a two-pronged timely reminder to us. Firstly, in effect there is a sense in which we operate our schools in hostile territory. Jesus never promised that our journey would be easy and free from trials, but he has promised to walk beside us - always! What reassurance it is to know that our God of such awesome power is at the helm.

Nev

Jesus anointed by a sinful woman. Luke 7:36 - 8:3

Luke 7:36 - 8:3 Gospel reading for Sunday June 13th 2010.

(Those who have been following Gospel Reflections for some time may recall the story from John's Gospel of Jesus anointed by Mary from the March 2010 archive.)

Chances are that a superficial look at this week's story from Luke will leave us confused and asking the question ...What was all that about? The broader story itself, seems to be continuing the theme as discussed last week; that of raising up the plight of the lowly.

But before proceeding, let's make sure that we properly pick up the context here, noting that there are several inflammatory points as highlighted: An uninvited and unaccompanied woman of very doubtful repute, gate crashes what would have been a male dominated gathering of highly righteous people and plays out this crazy anointing scene ... and Jesus approves! In a way, all that is just confirming in rather spectacular anecdotal fashion the lost and marginalized agenda of Jesus. (It also reaffirms the fact that this is a very different context to the story much later on at Bethany involving Mary, Martha and the resurrected Lazarus.)

A bit more context ... remember Jesus had been invited to dinner at the home of Simon the Pharisee. This was no ordinary friendly dinner invitation. This was an invite with an agenda. It was a plan to corner Jesus and potentially provide opportunity to trap him. Already Jesus had provoked the Pharisees by suggesting that tax collectors and prostitutes had a better chance of being saved than them. They were not happy. We note that Jesus was obviously short-changed in the hospitality stakes. He was given very poor treatment upon arrival at the Pharisee's house, quite contrary to the accepted expectations of the day.

However the fact that a mini-parable is wedged right in the middle of the story, makes the whole thing extraordinarily fascinating. I found this commentary from Sermons in Seattle particularly insightful if you would like to reflect on this further. I have reproduced a small section here:

"The key to the story is one line. If you read the story carefully in the Bible, you notice that Jesus had been talking to Simon but he had been looking at the woman. Jesus turns to Simon and says, revealing his spiritual genius, “Her sins are many and they have been forgiven therefore she has great compassion."

"Jesus says that there is a connection when you realize the degree of your own sinfulness, the magnitude of your own sinfulness, the size of your own imperfections inside your soul; there is a connection with such an attitude and your degree of compassion for others."

Message for us as leaders in Lutheran Schools?
(in the form of a prayer ... the reverse Pharisee prayer!!)

Lord, help us to recognize and appreciate the immensity of what you have done for us, so that we may respond with great compassion to all in our community and beyond. Help us NOT to be like the Pharisee in thinking that we have all the answers and in thinking that we have little for which to be forgiven. Amen

Nev

Jesus Raises a Widow's Son Luke 7:11-17

Luke 7:11-17  Gospel Reading for Sunday 6th June 2010

Our readings now move beyond Easter and Pentecost and begin to track the ministry of Jesus via Luke's Gospel through until Advent.

Two words jump out immediately at the start of this reading. Soon afterward. Soon after what? It seems that this is an important hint that we need to look back to check the bigger picture of what has preceded this story. We note that Jesus has just completed the task of gathering his disciples together and has got into the swing of starting to teach the people. It is interesting to note that already at this very early stage of his ministry in verse 11 of Chapter 7, that "a large crowd went along with him".

There is a significant point in relation to cultural context here. Jesus chooses to highlight one of the least of Jewish society, the widow. She has lost her husband and now her only son, her only source of support and her ticket to any sort of reasonable existence in her world. The plight of the widow in the time of Jesus was appalling. Jesus reaches out with compassion. His heart went out to her. This poor widow was given a second chance by Jesus. He has put firmly on the agenda the idea that he has come for all, not just the upper echelons of society. This theme of raising up the plight of the lowly has also been present in the events leading up to this reading.

The implications for us in Lutheran Schools are clear. We are called to serve the lost, the struggling, the marginalized in our society. We are called to provide opportunities to make a difference in the lives of people and families in our communities, perhaps even those who society generally may have rejected.

Fill us with your Spirit Lord to help us see and implement your agenda.