Recap

So far in Luke, we've read through the introduction, and started Jesus' ministry in Galilee. We noted how this book was written with the book of Acts to be one continuous story. We also looked at how, for Luke, the kingdom of God is centred on uplifting the marginalised and outcasts and bringing salvation and repentance, empowered by the Holy Spirit.

We read two miraculous conception stories. First, Zechariah and Elizabeth, too old for children, are promised a son, John, who will turn people to God. Second, Mary, a virgin, is told she will bear Jesus, the son of God and the promised king from David’s line. Both John and Jesus fulfil Old Testament prophecies.

Jesus is born in Bethlehem, announced to shepherds by angels, showing God's desire to reach the poor and outcasts. Mary and Joseph take Jesus to the temple to fulfil firstborn rituals. At twelve, Jesus is in the temple, focused on God's work. He is later baptised and resists the devil’s temptations in the wilderness. Throughout, people are filled with the Holy Spirit to fulfil their roles. John the Baptist taught the importance of repentance and caring for the poor.

Then Jesus began his ministry, using Isaiah 61:1-2 to declare his mission to those on the margins of society. After being chased from the synagogue, Jesus liberated people from demons and illness, putting his words into action. He called his first disciples by demonstrating his power, filling fishermen's nets after an empty night, showing his provision. He also called a tax collector, a sinner, explaining that he came for those in need. Jesus healed a leper, and a paralysed man, again showing his power and care for the outcast.

Jesus taught his disciples about the order of his new kingdom, focusing on how the kingdom of God is often a reversal of the values of the world. Much is the same from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) but Luke also includes a series of curses that came after the Beatitudes. These served as a warning to those who risked being proud and feeling like they had enough without Jesus. In God’s kingdom, it’s those that recognise their need for God that are blessed, while those that think they have enough will be left wanting.

We then read through two healings; one of Roman centurion’s servant and another of a widow’s son. The Roman centurion, though a non-Jew, showed greater faith than many religious leaders. Finally, we read John the Baptist’s question to Jesus. “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” (Luke 7:20). Jesus responded by pointing to his ministry, to the poor and needy. 

Luke 8-9

Jesus carries on in his ministry, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. Luke makes a point of noting all the women that were with Jesus as he did this. There were many who he had healed and cast demons out of, but there were also many who were active participants, providing for Jesus and his disciples. In a culture where women were very much second-class citizens, Luke wants to make it very clear that they are just as involved in the kingdom of God as anyone else.

Most of what comes next has appeared multiple times before in different gospels. There’s very little that’s uniquely Lukan in these two chapters. But even the stuff that is familiar has a slight Lukan twist.

So we read as Jesus shares about the Parable of the Sower. A man sows seeds that land in different ‘soils’, be it the path, amongst rocks, amongst weeds, or in good soil. When Jesus explains this story in Matthew, the focus is very much on the sower and on the harvest. The message is that when you share the good news of God’s kingdom, there will always be those that don’t receive it properly. But don’t be disheartened because eventually there will be some that do, and the harvest from those people will be great.

But in Luke, the focus is less on the harvest, and more on the soils. The individual people. For the good soils he writes, “As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience. (Luke 8:15) Luke wants you to go away and think about what kind of soil you are, move closer to being good soil that bears fruit with patience.

Next, we get three stories demonstrating Jesus’ power and authority. Jesus calms the story while out at sea, he casts a legion of demons out of a man, and he heals a woman with a problem of bleeding then immediately resurrects a girl who has died.

In defeating the storm, Jesus shows his authority over the powers of chaos. A storm doesn’t hate you. It doesn’t care if you live or die. It just is. But Jesus is greater than any storm. In casting out the demons, Jesus shows his authority over the forces of spiritual darkness. This enemy does hate you and actively pursues evil. But Jesus is not intimidated by these forces.

Then, in healing the older woman and resurrecting the young girl, Jesus is showing his authority over life and death. The older woman’s bleeding was clearly connected to her ability to reproduce and bring life. By healing her reproductive system, Jesus shows he has the power to give life, and then by resurrecting the young girl, he is showing his ability to conquer death.

Luke continues to explore who Jesus is, but now through the eyes of his disciples. Jesus summons his disciples together and equips them to share the kingdom of God with power.

We then get Herod setting up the question, ‘who is this Jesus?’ This is followed by the Feeding of the 5,000 which we’ve covered multiple times now. Jesus is providing for the people here, just as God provided for the Israelites in the wilderness.

Having performed this miracle, Jesus turns to his disciples to ask them the question, “who do the crowds say I am?” (Luke 9:18). They give him various answers, and so Jesus gets straight to the point, “who do you say that I am?”. Have the disciples understood who Jesus is?

Peter responds “The Christ of God.” So Jesus unpacks for them what that means. His role is to suffer and die, not defeat and conquer the Roman empire as many likely thought. Jesus goes on to explain that’s the message of the kingdom of God. His followers must also be willing to suffer and die with him.

Then, to confirm all this, three of Jesus’ disciples get to see him transfigured a few days later; shining bright and talking to the Old Testament prophets, Moses and Elijah.

We now move from Jesus’ time in Galilee to the journey to the Jerusalem. Now that the disciples have understood who Jesus is (at least to some level) they need to understand who they are to be.

Coming down from the mountain where Jesus was transfigured, they encounter a man whose son is possessed by a demon. Jesus’ other disciples had tried to cast them out but failed. Jesus rebukes them and then casts out the demons. His disciples need to have faith in Jesus’ authority over the forces of darkness, even when they can’t see him with them.

The disciples are arguing amongst themselves about who is the greatest, but Jesus explains to them that being the greatest is actually about ridding yourself of all pride or position, like a child.

A little further, the disciples see others who are not part of their group casting out demons in Jesus’ name. They want to stop them, but Jesus explains to them that anyone who is doing these things in his name is on the same team as them. It doesn’t matter if they’re not part of the same ‘group’.

A Samaritan town they visit rejects Jesus, and two of the disciples want to call down fire to destroy them. Jesus points out to them that’s not the goal. We don’t destroy people who disagree with us.

Then finally we’re reminded of the cost of following Jesus. It will mean saying goodbye to a lot of things, including creature comforts and things we care about. Luke has very intentionally brought these stories together to show the reader what it means to truly be a disciple of Jesus.

Psalm 114

This psalm isn’t attributed to anyone in particular and falls into the category of praise psalm. This psalm was likely a short song, accompanied by music, that sung of the wonder of God tied to the Exodus.

Psalm 114:1-2 - Israel went out from Egypt

Psalm 114:3-4 - Nature is moved by God and his people

Psalm 114:5-6 - Asking nature why it moved

Psalm 114:7-8 - Creation trembles at the Lord’s presence

The psalmist open with setting the scene. Israel had left Egypt. They had been brought out by God and they now belonged to him. They were the place his presence dwelt.

As the Israelites left Egypt and moved out, the psalmist describes the seas as looking at them and fleeing. Here the psalmist is personifying the Red Sea as it split in two to allow the Israelites to travel through. They then mentioned mountains skipping like rams. This is likely an allusion to how it was on top of mountains that God often met his people, and so even the mountains were subject to them.

This is intensely figurative language to awaken the imagination of the singers and listeners in worship. We aren’t meant to read this as though the Israelites believed the seas actually fled and the mountains actually skipped around.

This psalmist then asks the question, why? Why would the sea flee and mountains skip at the sights of the Israelites? Because of the presence of the Lord. The presence of the Lord was with his people, and all creation trembles before him. He can turn the very rocks into water.

This psalm serves to awaken the wonder and majesty of God in the act of bringing them out of Egypt. It wasn’t just that they moved from one land to another. There was divine, miraculous power at work in their exodus.