In Chapter 9, the disciples become active participants in Jesus' ministry (9:1-6).
The following of the sending of the disciples with Herod being perplexed (9:7) suggests that as Herod hears about what the disciples are doing, eh connects it with Jesus. A reminder to us that as we go into the world to serve Christ, people will come to understand and/or judge who Christ is by how we act on his behalf. Herod thought when he beheaded John he had stifled this new thing happening -- little did he realize that John was just the beginning!
When Jesus has been teaching and healing all day, eating =time arrives (Luke 9: 10-17). What should they do? The disciples go for the easy way out -- send the crowds away to get food. But Jesus has a better idea: "You feed them," he tells the disciples. A sign of the disciples growing responsibility and Jesus' growing expectations of them. In your life of discipleship, can you point to areas where you feel God is giving your more responsibility?
When Jesus asks who the crowds say he his, Peter has the correct answer: "the Messiah of God" (Luke 9: 18-20). If someone asked you, who would you say Jesus is?
Jesus foretells his resurrection and he outlines the challenge of being a disciple (Luke 9: 21-27).
Jesus is transfigured on the mountaintop (Luke 9: 28-36). I find it curious that the disciples want to stay on the mountaintop and build dwelling places. Apparently, they are willing to just hang out with Jesus, but Jesus has other things to do. I also find it curious that the disciples kept silent and told no one about the transfiguration of Jesus. Did they think no one would believe them? Why do you keep silent about what Jesus has done in your life?
Jesus foretells his death again (9: 43b-45), which is matched by his persistent desire to get to Jerusalem, which is where his final conflict will take place (Luke 9: 52). Note that Jesus does seem too upset that the Samaritan village did not receive him (9: 51-56).
Monday, December 8, 2014
Friday, December 5, 2014
Day 8 Advent Reading: Luke Chapter 8
Jesus uses some good images to try and help people understand what he is teaching them.
Many biblical scholars would argue that Luke 8: 11-15, the interpretation of the parable of the sower, does not contain Jesus' actual words; rather, Luke added this interpretation (and credited Jesus with it) of the parable that the early church taught.
WE again see the presence of fear when the disciples are caught in a storm on the boat (8: 22-25). Notice that the fear is not noted until after Jesus had calmed the seas, as if the power of Jesus is more frightening than the storm! In some ways, I think we have lost any sense of fear when thinking about the power of Christ. Fear seems like a bad thing in our day, but fear in Luke seems to be tied to an acknowledgement of how awesome or powerful Jesus was.
Fascinating that after Jesus heals the Gerasene demoniac, Jesus refuses the man's offer to come with him and instead sends him home to tell others about what Jesus had done (8:38-39).
In the story of the healaing of the bleeding woman and Jairus' daughter, I have always been intrigued by the fact that the woman thought she could be healed by merely touching the fringe of Jesus' clothes (8:40-48), and indeed she was correct. How long it must have seemed to Jairus to wait for Jesus to deal with the woman before moving on to Jairus' house to see his sick daughter. In the aftermath of Black Friday when no one has any patience or concern for anyone else as they try to find the best deals, Jairus' waiting seems extraordinary (as the parent of a daughter, I find it excruciatingly painful to think about waiting for Jesus to deal with someone else while my daughter is dying).
Many biblical scholars would argue that Luke 8: 11-15, the interpretation of the parable of the sower, does not contain Jesus' actual words; rather, Luke added this interpretation (and credited Jesus with it) of the parable that the early church taught.
WE again see the presence of fear when the disciples are caught in a storm on the boat (8: 22-25). Notice that the fear is not noted until after Jesus had calmed the seas, as if the power of Jesus is more frightening than the storm! In some ways, I think we have lost any sense of fear when thinking about the power of Christ. Fear seems like a bad thing in our day, but fear in Luke seems to be tied to an acknowledgement of how awesome or powerful Jesus was.
Fascinating that after Jesus heals the Gerasene demoniac, Jesus refuses the man's offer to come with him and instead sends him home to tell others about what Jesus had done (8:38-39).
In the story of the healaing of the bleeding woman and Jairus' daughter, I have always been intrigued by the fact that the woman thought she could be healed by merely touching the fringe of Jesus' clothes (8:40-48), and indeed she was correct. How long it must have seemed to Jairus to wait for Jesus to deal with the woman before moving on to Jairus' house to see his sick daughter. In the aftermath of Black Friday when no one has any patience or concern for anyone else as they try to find the best deals, Jairus' waiting seems extraordinary (as the parent of a daughter, I find it excruciatingly painful to think about waiting for Jesus to deal with someone else while my daughter is dying).
Day 7 Advent Reading: Luke 7: 18-50
I always find it curious that John the Baptist is asking if Jesus :is the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another" (7:19).
1. Wouldn't John have already known the answer? Certainly his mother Elizabeth seemed to know the answer earlier in Luke when she spent time with Mary, Jesus' mother.
2. Maybe John is doubting what he thinks he knows while he is imprisoned and his life is threatened.
3. maybe Luke attributes this question to John because it is an important question that people are asking.
4. maybe John is a little surprised that Jesus is a little less fiery and prophetic (like John), and a little more pastoral and focused on teaching.
5. Maybe John is giving Jesus an easy question with the hopes that Jesus gives an answer that will convince others who he is.
6. why do you think John asked this question of Jesus?
Notice that Jesus' answer is focused on what Jesus is doing, not on some bold declaration that Jesus might speak.
1. 7:22 offers not only Jesus' proof of who he is, but also a litany of what Messiah i here to do.
2. That list provides a pretty good checklist for us to see if what we are doing and what the church is doing are in synch with what Christ was doing.
When Jesus forgives the sinful woman, the issue really seems to be about her response to being forgiven (7: 36-50).
1. The Pharisees want to focus on the question of why Jesus is associating with such a person.
2. Typically, readers of the story focus on the woman being forgiven.
3. Jesus seems concerned with how the woman (and the Pharisees) respond to being forgiven.
4. Can you point to ways in your life in which you show a gracious response to God's forgiveness of you?
1. Wouldn't John have already known the answer? Certainly his mother Elizabeth seemed to know the answer earlier in Luke when she spent time with Mary, Jesus' mother.
2. Maybe John is doubting what he thinks he knows while he is imprisoned and his life is threatened.
3. maybe Luke attributes this question to John because it is an important question that people are asking.
4. maybe John is a little surprised that Jesus is a little less fiery and prophetic (like John), and a little more pastoral and focused on teaching.
5. Maybe John is giving Jesus an easy question with the hopes that Jesus gives an answer that will convince others who he is.
6. why do you think John asked this question of Jesus?
Notice that Jesus' answer is focused on what Jesus is doing, not on some bold declaration that Jesus might speak.
1. 7:22 offers not only Jesus' proof of who he is, but also a litany of what Messiah i here to do.
2. That list provides a pretty good checklist for us to see if what we are doing and what the church is doing are in synch with what Christ was doing.
When Jesus forgives the sinful woman, the issue really seems to be about her response to being forgiven (7: 36-50).
1. The Pharisees want to focus on the question of why Jesus is associating with such a person.
2. Typically, readers of the story focus on the woman being forgiven.
3. Jesus seems concerned with how the woman (and the Pharisees) respond to being forgiven.
4. Can you point to ways in your life in which you show a gracious response to God's forgiveness of you?
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Advent Reading Day 6: Luke 7: 1-17
The story of Jesus' healing concerns a Roman centurion's slave (Luke 7:1-10)
1. The centurion was obviously on good terms with the Jewish elders because they are willing to go ask Jesus to heal the centurion's slave.
2. the centurion is clearly an outsider.
3. The centurion also seems to understand who Christ is, or at least the power Christ has, since he sends word that he knows that Jesus does not need to come to see the slave in person -- Jesus could just command the salve to be healed and the slave would be healed.
4. this all moves from conjecture and supposition when Jesus heals the slave.
5. Apparently, Jesus does that this power, and Jesus is willing to share that power with an outsider, or really the slave of an outsider.
The next story has Jesus healing the widow's son (Luke 7: 11-17)
1. Jesus' concern for a widow equates to looking after the powerless segment in society.
2. Notice that "fear seized" all of them (Luke 7:16). Fear seems to be a fairly common response to encountering God in Luke's Gospel (wait until we arrive at the birth narrative when someone is afraid in every scene!).
3. this story parallels the story of Elijah raising with widow's son (1 Kings 17: 10, 17-24) and Elijah raising the Shunammite's son (2 Kings 4: 18-37). Remember that Jesus references these healings when he preaches in Nazareth and the people get angry with him. By having this story appear twice, we can assume that Luke thinks that they are important stories to understanding who Jesus was.
4. This story also reveals a characteristic of Luke the storyteller: in three healing stories that are paralleled in Mark and Luke, Luke adds the note that the child being healed was an "only" child; Mark does not (the other two stories are found in Luke 8:42 and Luke 9:38).
1. The centurion was obviously on good terms with the Jewish elders because they are willing to go ask Jesus to heal the centurion's slave.
2. the centurion is clearly an outsider.
3. The centurion also seems to understand who Christ is, or at least the power Christ has, since he sends word that he knows that Jesus does not need to come to see the slave in person -- Jesus could just command the salve to be healed and the slave would be healed.
4. this all moves from conjecture and supposition when Jesus heals the slave.
5. Apparently, Jesus does that this power, and Jesus is willing to share that power with an outsider, or really the slave of an outsider.
The next story has Jesus healing the widow's son (Luke 7: 11-17)
1. Jesus' concern for a widow equates to looking after the powerless segment in society.
2. Notice that "fear seized" all of them (Luke 7:16). Fear seems to be a fairly common response to encountering God in Luke's Gospel (wait until we arrive at the birth narrative when someone is afraid in every scene!).
3. this story parallels the story of Elijah raising with widow's son (1 Kings 17: 10, 17-24) and Elijah raising the Shunammite's son (2 Kings 4: 18-37). Remember that Jesus references these healings when he preaches in Nazareth and the people get angry with him. By having this story appear twice, we can assume that Luke thinks that they are important stories to understanding who Jesus was.
4. This story also reveals a characteristic of Luke the storyteller: in three healing stories that are paralleled in Mark and Luke, Luke adds the note that the child being healed was an "only" child; Mark does not (the other two stories are found in Luke 8:42 and Luke 9:38).
"Tell Me More" Luke 1: 39-45; Isaiah 40: 1-11
We continue thinking about "bit players" in the Christmas story, this week turning to Elizabeth, Mary's cousin.
Young Mary, pregnant in a surprising way, goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who is also surprisingly pregnant, for words of comfort.
Young Mary, pregnant in a surprising way, goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who is also surprisingly pregnant, for words of comfort.
Elizabeth's story reminds us that Christmas is not just for children. Christmas is for the broken-hearted, the disbelieving who are seduced into believing by the God who does the unexpected.
Elizabeth is having a challenging time: she is pregnant late in life; her husband has been struck mute for the duration of her pregnancy (ok, maybe that's a blessing not a challenge); the God thing probably seems a bit overwhelming.
What importance is there in the text telling us that Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit?
Elizabeth asks the question that leads to Mary's singing (?) of what we know as the Magnificat, which describes what God is doing in the coming of Christ.
Notice that Mary arrives in haste, but then settles in for a three-month stay.
Rick Morley, an Episcopalian priest and blogger (http://www.rickmorley.com/archives/2154) writes the following about Elizabeth: When she [Mary] enters Elizabeth’s house she doesn’t find judgment or doom-and-gloom. She is met with joy. " Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!" What it must have meant for Mary to have heard those words. Like cool water on a hot day. Like a soft stool after being on your feet for hours. After feeling shame—after feeling like a disappointment to all who were around her…she was declared to be a blessing. As was the child in her. There’s a lot going on here, but what strikes me is that we need more Elizabeths in the world. We need more people willing to move past judgement and shaming, and offer God’s blessing. We need people who look upon the world and see God’s redeeming hand at work, not just see the worst in other people and ourselves. And we need to feel that call to bless deep within ourselves, like a child leaping within us. For, if there were more Elizabeths in the world doing that holy work, there just might be more people breaking out into holy song like little Mary.
Midge was sold "pregnant" with Nikki, who was a tiny baby inside Midge's magnetic removable womb. This led to some controversy with some consumers saying that the doll was inappropriate for children, or that it promoted teen pregnancy. Another cause for this controversy was that Midge did not initially have a wedding ring, but this was later fixed. She also was packaged without Alan. Customers complaining about the doll led to Wal-Mart pulling the Happy Family line off their shelves.[7] A new version of this Midge was produced for Wal-Mart, this time not pregnant and with a cardboard cut-out display of Alan and Ryan standing next to her inside the box.[8] The Happy Family Line included everything from a talking house, a backyard swimming pool, neighborhood market, and playground. See the following article to read more about this: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2002-12-24-pregnant-doll_x.htm
I found a web-site that sells fake wedding rings for pregnant women to wear, in part to keep from getting judgmental looks or unwelcome questions if they are not wearing their wedding rings when pregnant (http://blog.emitations.com/fake-wedding-rings-for-pregnancy/).
This leads to the question: Does Mary go to Elizabeth's to avoid the questions and looks from neighbors?
The prophet Isaiah speaks a word of comfort.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Day 5 Advent Reading: Luke Chapter 6
I am struck by the battle between Jesus and the Pharisees in Luke 6: 1-11. The Pharisees want to do battle over policy -- should Jesus work on the Sabbath; Jesus chooses the side of healing -- making the question of policy secondary to the actual healing. It is easy to point fingers at the Pharisees, but I wonder how often we allow rules to frame our actions and miss the real issue.
The picking of twelve disciples (6: 12-16) is symbolic of the twelve tribes of Israel. In a sense, Jesus is introducing the new order. Note that the new leadership does not depend on one's familial connections, but on one's willingness to follow Christ.
Jesus' command to love one's enemies (6: 27-36) emphasize God's grace and mercy, rather than God's judgment. How often do we find ourselves judging instead of showing grace and mercy?
Just for fun: Make a list of people with whom you have trouble working with or getting along. Reread 6: 27-26 with them in mind.
Or: Reread 6:43-45 and list the good fruit that is now falling from you tree.
The picking of twelve disciples (6: 12-16) is symbolic of the twelve tribes of Israel. In a sense, Jesus is introducing the new order. Note that the new leadership does not depend on one's familial connections, but on one's willingness to follow Christ.
Jesus' command to love one's enemies (6: 27-36) emphasize God's grace and mercy, rather than God's judgment. How often do we find ourselves judging instead of showing grace and mercy?
Just for fun: Make a list of people with whom you have trouble working with or getting along. Reread 6: 27-26 with them in mind.
Or: Reread 6:43-45 and list the good fruit that is now falling from you tree.
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Day 4 Advent Reading: Luke Chapter 5
Yesterday's notes may have been too much material. I never quite know how much detail is necessary when studying a biblical text. I find myself trying to explore lots of the nuances and connections with the text, but sometimes that overwhelms the text.
Today, no textual comments, just a few images as you read Chapter 5.
Putting out into the deep: As you read Luke 5: 1-11 imagine what it might mean in your life to "put out into the deep" and the willingness to do (put out their nets) what they know won't matter (they've already done it and caught nothing) because Jesus asked them to do so.
Friends: What would you do for a friend? As you read Luke 5: 17-26, consider what you would do to help a friend find healing and forgiveness?
Will you answer: As your read Luke 5: 27-32 about the Pharisees complaints about the disciples and Jesus' response that did not come to call the righteous but the to call the sinners to repentance. Who are you in that story?
New life: As your read of of new and old wineskins, imagine what it might mean in your life to throw out the old wineskin completely and start with the new.
Today, no textual comments, just a few images as you read Chapter 5.
Putting out into the deep: As you read Luke 5: 1-11 imagine what it might mean in your life to "put out into the deep" and the willingness to do (put out their nets) what they know won't matter (they've already done it and caught nothing) because Jesus asked them to do so.
Friends: What would you do for a friend? As you read Luke 5: 17-26, consider what you would do to help a friend find healing and forgiveness?
Will you answer: As your read Luke 5: 27-32 about the Pharisees complaints about the disciples and Jesus' response that did not come to call the righteous but the to call the sinners to repentance. Who are you in that story?
New life: As your read of of new and old wineskins, imagine what it might mean in your life to throw out the old wineskin completely and start with the new.
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