In the beginning of Luke’s Gospel, the writer states that he intends to write an orderly account of the life of Jesus. When one comes to “The Travel Narrative” portion of this Gospel, however, one may recognize that this portion of the story differs from the rest of the narrative. While much of Luke appears to be in chronological order, and interested in being as historically accurate as possible, this section deviates from this pattern. “The Travel Narrative” does not pay strict attention to the order of events. For some reason, Luke decided to deter from his orderly account. However, when one looks at the structure of “The Travel Narrative” one may see that this part of the story does in fact follow an orderly pattern of thought. The arrangement of the material within this section is not according to chronology, but rather to theme.
The New International Biblical Commentary suggests that this portion of Luke is arranged according to certain themes presented in the book of Deuteronomy, and that each theme in Luke is presented in the same order as they are presented in Deuteronomy (167). For example, the event towards the beginning of “The Travel Narrative” where Jesus sends out the seventy (or seventy-two) is seen to parallel or correspond with the seventy who accompanied Moses when he went up the mountain. If this is the case, then Luke would have had to have been very familiar with the Jewish Scriptures. This idea also draws attention to the fact that Luke’s Gospel portrays a message that is different in a way than the message of Deuteronomy. While the gospel-writer does not reject Deuteronomy, he does present similar materials to those seen in Deuteronomy in a rather different light than the way they are presented in Deuteronomy.
Luke’s Gospel contains the message that Christ came to save not only the Jews, but the Gentiles (goi’im) as well. Everything within Luke’s Gospel can be seen as an attempt to show that Christianity or following Christ is not limited to the Jews. This is one reason why Luke takes Jewish ideas and concepts such as those found in Deuteronomy and presents them in a way that is favorable to the Gentiles (Evans 167-8).
At the beginning of “The Travel Narrative” it is stated that Jesus turned His face toward Jerusalem. This verse lays the foundation for all that is about to take place. From this point on, the story of Jesus is based for the most part upon His teachings, rather than upon the actual events, presumably that were given on His way to Jerusalem. These teachings are grouped together according to theme, and one should not think that one of Jesus’ sayings was immediately followed by the next. While this may be possible, it would appear to be more likely - and this taking into consideration the placements of different teachings in the other gospels as well - that the sayings and teachings of Jesus are presented according to theme, as well as according to the various points the gospel-writer was trying to make.
Near the beginning of “The Travel Narrative” Jesus is said to send his disciples on ahead of Him to prepare the way. However, when they come to a Samaritan town, and the Samaritans find out that Jesus is on His way to take care of business in Jerusalem, the Samaritans say that He and His disciples are not welcome. When the disciples report this news to Jesus, James and John (the sons of Zebedee) ask Jesus if He would like them to call down fire from Heaven upon these Samaritans. This may in fact be a reference either by the gospel-writer, or by the young disciples themselves to the famous prophet Elijah. The disciples would have known the story of Elijah calling down fire from Heaven to consume the commander and soldiers when they came from Samaria to arrest him. James and John believed that if Elijah would call down fire to destroy unbelieving Samarians, then Jesus would certainly do no less. However, Jesus rebuked the two disciples for saying such a thing. Luke uses this event to show that Jesus did not come to destroy life, but to save it. He also shows that Jesus had compassion on the Samaritans, thus indicating that Jesus came not just for the Jews, but for the Gentiles as well (Powell 61). This is the first reinforcement of Luke’s theme of salvation for all people presented in “The Travel Narrative.”
The verses immediately following this show Jesus talking to three different people. It is likely that these three people did not approach Jesus at the same time, but that Luke recorded three different conversations and grouped them together based on their theme and in order to make a point. The three potential disciples all wish to follow Jesus, but they have various things that they would like to do first. Jesus tells each of them that if they really want to follow Him, they must give up all of these other things. This is a hard teaching, because Jesus is asking them not to do things that were considered good, even important for an individual to do, but Jesus is saying that following Him is more important than even ones family ties. There is also another reference to Elijah here. One man states that he would like to go say good-by to his family before following Jesus. This is the same request that Elisha made to Elijah when he received his calling. Elijah allowed Elisha his request, but Jesus says that whoever “puts his hand to the plow and looks back” is not fit for “service in the kingdom of God" (Lk. 9:62). This is also a reference to the same story, for Elisha was plowing when he received his call.
In chapter ten, Jesus sends out the seventy (or seventy-two) to the towns ahead of Him to prepare them for His arrival. Jesus then is recorded as saying that those Jewish towns who reject Him will receive a worse punishment than the wicked pagan nations who did not have a chance to receive Him. Jesus indicates that the wicked Gentile cities of Tyre and Sidon, and even Sodom and Gomorrah, will receive a lesser punishment than the Jewish cities that reject Him. This would appear to be another attempt by the gospel-writer to show that the Jews are no better than the Gentiles. Jesus even says that if the miracles that had been performed in the Jewish cities had been performed in the wicked Gentile cities they would have repented.
Throughout Luke, the gospel-writer has a way of turning things on their heads. He portrays Jesus as being one who has no problem with messing with people’s traditions if they interfere with the Kingdom of God. In this way, many role-reversals may be seen presented. In verse twenty-one Jesus praises His Father for hiding “these things from the wise and learned” and instead revealing them to “little children.”
Jesus also shows His willingness to upset tradition when it interferes with the Kingdom of God when he is tested by an expert in the law. Both the torah-teacher and the rabbi (Jesus) agree that the best thing one can do is to love God with all of their being, and to love their neighbor as them self. The torah-teacher sets Jesus up by asking him who his neighbor is anyway, and Jesus responds by telling a parable. In the parable Jesus says that both a priest and a Levite saw a fellow Jew left for dead on the road to Jericho, and they left the man there and went on their way. Jesus’ point is that these two thought that the laws of cleanliness were more important than the law that said to love your neighbor. Jesus then says that a Samaritan came along and helped the Jewish man left for dead. Jesus says that even this Samaritan knew which was the more important law. In making the good man a Samaritan Jesus is again showing that Gentiles are no worse than the Jews (Powell 61).
Jesus is also recorded as allowing Mary to sit at his feet like he allowed his disciples to do and listen to his teachings. This is another example of Jesus’ overturning the laws of social norms when they interfere with the Kingdom of God. Jesus came not only for men, but for women as well (Powell 63). When Martha tells Jesus to rebuke her sister Mary for not helping her with the meal preparations, Jesus says that Mary “has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (Lk. 10:42).
Chapter eleven begins by Jesus teaching His disciples how to pray, and then a grouping of teachings is listed on prayer. This is followed by an account of Jesus driving out a demon and a list of several sayings relating to the topic. Jesus then goes on to say that the people He has been speaking to are wicked. He emphasizes the thought that the Gentiles are no worse than these people by referring to the Ninevites who repented at Jonah’s preaching, and the Queen of the South, who sought out Solomon’s wisdom. He says that they will condemn “this generation” at the judgment for not receiving Him.
Later, Jesus again flips tradition on its head by not washing before the meal at a Pharisee’s house. Jesus uses this as an opportunity to point out that there are more important laws than washing ones hands, and the Pharisees have decided to follow the less important laws while ignoring the most important laws of loving God and loving neighbor. More of Jesus’ sayings against the Pharisees are recorded at the beginning of chapter twelve.
Luke then gives a record of Jesus’ sayings in regard to putting faith in God rather than in material things. The parable of the rich fool is recorded here, as well the famous “lilies of the field” series of sayings. Luke then records a series of teachings by Jesus on the Second Coming, saying that one must be ready for this event. Jesus calls all to repentance. In the midst of this call, Luke records a unique teaching of Jesus. Jesus goes against popular thought and says that people who had been killed tragically were not being punished by God for sin. They were no more guilty than anybody else. In this passage, Luke records the healing of the crippled woman on the Sabbath. In both stories or teachings, Luke appears to use Jewish symbolism. He uses the number eighteen to describe both the number of people tragically killed as well as the number of years this woman had been crippled by a spirit (Keck 273). The fact that her infirmity was caused by a spirit is significant. The number eighteen is essentially the same as six and six and six, indicating that her infirmity, as well as the tragic deaths of the others, were directly related to Satan. It is fitting then that Jesus heals this woman on the Sabbath, the seventh day. In this way, Luke uses Jewish convention to tell his version of the gospel. At this point, Jesus also reiterates the fact that the Pharisees have chosen to make certain rules, such a strict interpretation of keeping the Sabbath more important than the law of loving ones neighbor.
After this, Luke records Jesus’ sayings about the Kingdom of God, and includes a foreshadowing of Jesus’ soon coming death in Jerusalem. Luke also records the account of Jesus healing a man during the Sabbath meal at a Pharisee’s house in the same place where he records Jesus’ sayings on inviting the poor to banquets rather than the rich (Powell 61).This leads into Jesus’ story about the great wedding banquet. Luke then records a number of Jesus’ sayings, such as His words about counting the cost of what one does, salt without saltiness, and placing the command to follow Him above the command to love ones family.
In chapter fifteen, Luke records three of Jesus parables on searching for what is lost. In these stories, Jesus paints a picture of God that shows His character. He shows that God is a God who loves everybody dearly no matter what they have done, and longs desperately to bring them back into His presence. In the parable of the lost son, Jesus ends His story with the older brother deciding whether or not to welcome his brother back into the family as his father has done. In this way, Jesus is telling his audience to go against their tradition of excluding those who have rebelled against the community. Jesus tells them that they should always be ready to welcome these people back.
In chapter sixteen come some of Jesus’ more difficult teachings. At the center of this section of the narrative is the message that one must choose to love God over money (Powell 61). Jesus tells the story of the “shrewd” manager, and of the rich man and Lazarus. Within chapters sixteen and seventeen Luke adds some sayings of Jesus on divorce, sin, faith, and duty which seem unrelated to the other themes. Luke then reiterates the fact that Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem and proceeds to tell a story about Jesus healing ten lepers, but only the Samaritan leper coming back to thank Him. In this way, Luke again places the hated Samaritans in a favorable light.
Jesus again speaks of the coming of the Kingdom of God, pointing out that this is a spiritual kingdom. However, he goes on to say that while the Kingdom is spiritual it will take on physical form some day. Jesus then begins to speak of prayer and its part in the coming of the Kingdom. He says to pray and never give up, and he tells a story about a tax collector and a Pharisee who both prayed, but the tax collector was the one whom God accepted because he was the humble one. This is how “The Travel Narrative” ends. Up until the end, Jesus is portrayed as one who is not only for the Jews and the righteous law-keepers; He is shown throughout the narrative to be for everyone.
_______________________________________________
Evans, Craig A. (ed.) New International Biblical Commentary, 5th printing. Hendrickson Pub., Inc.: 2002. Peabody, Mass.
Harris, Stephen L. The New Testament: A Student’s Introduction, 6th Ed. McGraw-Hill: 2009. New York.
Powell, Mark Allan. (ed.) The New Testament Today. Westminster John Knox Press: 1999. Louisville, Kentucky.
Fitzmyer, Joseph A. (ed.) The Anchor Bible. The Gospel according to Luke I-IX. Bantam Doubleday Dell Pub.: 1970. New York.
Keck, Leander E. (ed.) New Interpreter’s Bible. Vol. IX Luke John. Abingdon Press: 1995. Nashville, TN.
Sources
Evans, Craig A. (ed.) New International Biblical Commentary, 5th printing. Hendrickson Pub., Inc.: 2002. Peabody, Mass.
Harris, Stephen L. The New Testament: A Student’s Introduction, 6th Ed. McGraw-Hill: 2009. New York.
Powell, Mark Allan. (ed.) The New Testament Today. Westminster John Knox Press: 1999. Louisville, Kentucky.
Fitzmyer, Joseph A. (ed.) The Anchor Bible. The Gospel according to Luke I-IX. Bantam Doubleday Dell Pub.: 1970. New York.
Keck, Leander E. (ed.) New Interpreter’s Bible. Vol. IX Luke John. Abingdon Press: 1995. Nashville, TN.
No comments:
Post a Comment