Any literal interpretation of Jesus’ words in Luke’s gospel (Luke 14:25-33) would likely challenge the credibility and sensibility of today’s contemporary reader. I can’t even imagine what the people of Luke’s time thought when they heard the words "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.”
After all these weeks we finally understand that Luke has a reason for speaking so directly to his audience, who while relatively affluent, was living in difficult times. Luke’s world was not a peaceful one; the Jews and early Christians faced a domination system that threatened their existence. In helping us understand Luke, David Steindl-Rast tells us that metaphor speaks to our intellect through our poetic sensibility. He suggests that reading the Bible or Gospel requires that we tune into the language of metaphor which asks that we take it seriously but not take it literally and that we read these lines as we might read poetry. Literal translations deny our ability to feel the words that take our individual meanings beyond mere intellect. Is this not another way of understanding what we mean when we say and the Word was made flesh? The meaning not the words become part of our being; we don’t just understand what we are reading, we know down deep inside us.
We have all been involved in the planning of a party either as hosts or as guests. We have all experienced the initial excitement in discussing plans. But how many times do we renege or receive polite apologies when it comes time to commit? Are you or we coming to the party? Isn’t this a little how we feel in reading Luke’s gospel? How do we politely decline Jesus’ invitation to the banquet; it sounded so good in the planning stage but isn’t this a lot to ask of us right now; would you mind if I take a rain check? I’d really like to but I’m not sure I have what it takes to get involved right now. I know God will understand.
Now as for Jesus’ invitation. I suppose we can ask for a rain check but in the long… and short run, we are hurting ourselves. By saying “no” to Jesus’ invitation- “maybe later” - we are denying ourselves the opportunity to experience the Kingdom of God not just later, but right now, here in the present. Living for others out of our love for God, is the only way to find joy, peace, and a repaired relationship with God and each other in this world and in the hereafter. This is at the heart of Luke’s gospel and at the heart of Christianity.
By now we’ve learned that following Jesus is more than just sitting back and listening to a beloved teacher. Jesus’ words are meant to get us to move and to give up those things that get in the way and to surrender to His will. In essence this is what it means to be transformed in His likeness and what it means to be part of the “Body of Christ.” We don’t want to miss this party!
I'm sure we all
played the familiar game: who are the three people you would like to invite to
dinner and why. How about Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King, Ronald Reagan,
Mary, St. Paul, and my parents. Needless to say, Jesus was always at the top of our list. The
proposed dinner guests would invariably change depending on where we were at
given points in our lives. Jesus was a constant.
However, after reading Luke these many weeks I wonder if we might rethink
inviting Jesus to dinner. His last outings in Luke have made me a little
uncomfortable. Chances are he’s likely make a scene and create a disturbance. Could
it be possible that we could find ourselves siding with the Pharisees as we
raise our eyebrows at his disheveled group of “party goers?” They tended to eat
and drink to excess. And what about the woman who in the middle of having a
“meltdown,” crashes a dinner party of the elite and cries all over Jesus’ feet?
What about Jesus meddling in family business and taking poor Martha to task for
complaining about her sister Mary, who instead of helping with the dinner, is
hanging around with all the men in the dining room. And this week (Luke 14:1, 7-14) he is not only telling us who to invite to our party,
but where they should sit when they do arrive. Frankly, Jesus can be a risky
guest and makes us a little uncomfortable.
And that’s precisely the point in Luke’s gospels. He
warns us about becoming too comfortable with protocol for protocol sake.
Self-imposed cultural niceties can easily become devices to exclude “others”
who are different from us. Of course it’s easier for us to associate with those
who are just like us and keep us in our comfort zone. But maybe we should ask
why do they make us uncomfortable? Do we see in them, something about ourselves
that make us uncomfortable? Associating with the “disenfranchised” cannot help
us socially, economically, or emotionally…but what about spiritually??
Once again we
are reminded that Jesus is wasting no time in making his way to Jerusalem: “He
was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching on His way
to Jerusalem.” (Luke 13:22-30)
Because we know the end of the story, the very mention of Jerusalem strikes an
ominous chord since it meant rejection by his followers and the horror of the
cross. Along the way some unnamed person in the crowd asks Jesus, “Lord, are
there just a few who are being saved?” Whatever his motives, the enquirer may
have been aware of the increasing opposition from some religious leaders and he
might have sensed that the crowds, despite superficial interest in Jesus’
message, tended to side with their leaders. But he asked a follow-up question,
“Are there just a few who are being saved?” Jesus did not answer the question
directly but in typical fashion answered his question with a question and
asked, “Will the saved be you?”
Jesus was speaking to a crowd made up mostly of religious Jews. Almost without
exception, they believed in the one true God. They were not agnostics; they
were faithful to the Hebrew Scriptures and lived in basic accordance with them.
In giving his answer, Jesus was not addressing a Godless audience. He
was talking to a “church” crowd, most of whom assumed that they would go to
heaven because they were good Jews. He gives us and them church folks
some important and practical lessons on the subject of his Kingdom which he
says requires our earnest effort, our urgent attention, and our careful
self-examination. It requires our earnest effort because the entrance door is
narrow. It requires our urgent attention because the door is soon to be closed.
It requires our careful self-examination because once it is closed, the door
will be eternally-closed.
Our Lord did not say, “Good question sir! Now, let’s divide up into groups and
come up with a consensus as to what each of you thinks about what I said and
report back.” Jesus was in a hurry; he’s moving quickly, his time is limited
and he wasn’t interested in speculation about theology. He was concerned about
the personal salvation of his listeners. So, rather than opening it up for
discussion, Jesus gave a command that applied the question to his hearers’
hearts: “Strive to enter by the narrow door.”
Strive implies a great deal of effort. When I think about the word strive, I
think about dedicated athletes or patients in rehab. Their motivation and
dedication is to do what needs to be done because it’s doable and something
they value. Gold medals are not won by being passive. Did you ever hear an
athlete receiving a gold medal, say, “I had never worked out before or run in a
race until a few weeks ago. I thought it would be fun, so here I am.” Every
athlete or patient who wins strives to win. They know they must invest a great
deal of time and effort to accomplish their goal. Wining is not by accident. It
is the result of deliberate and sustained effort and commitment.
The fact that the door is narrow implies that it takes some deliberate thought
and effort to go through it. There aren’t many doors into the “place,” so that
you can’t take your pick. There is one and only one door, which is Jesus
Christ. He alone is the way, the truth, and the light. “No one comes to the
Father except by Him” says John. There isn’t one great big door that’s easy to
find and stroll through without thinking about it. There is one narrow door.
You might not like the fact that it is narrow. You may think that it’s too exclusive.
You may say, “I believe that God is loving and that He will accept everyone who
tries to do his best. I believe that all sincere people will get through the
door.” But, according to Jesus it is narrow, not wide. He made it narrow
without checking with us for our ideas about how wide it should be. Jesus is
asking, “Are you striving to enter the narrow door? Are you making your faith a
matter of deliberate and sustained effort? Are you sure that you’re entering
the narrow door as defined by Jesus and not a broad door of your own choosing?”
You say, “Whoa! I thought that my salvation is a free gift, received simply by
grace through faith, not a matter of our effort. How does this harmonize with
striving for it?”
Jesus isn’t talking about being united with God by works or human effort. He is
talking about our attitude toward it. He has been telling us all along that
nothing takes precedence over our relationship with God. Nothing on earth
should get in the way and that our relationship with Him and our quest be not
just good for an occasional stimulating theological discussion but living in
the love of Jesus’ teachings. Our journey is not easy and we, like the determined
rehab patient and athletes, must dedicate our lives to the goal and strive to
enter by the narrow door every day of our lives.
Gospel (Luke 12:49-53) appears to be a departure from his preceding accounts.
In earlier writings he reminds us not to be “foolish” and to be at the ready
but He also tells us that the God’s Kingdom is ours. So this stern message is a
departure from what preceded:
I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I
have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it
is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I
tell you, but rather division!
History by its very definition is an account of the past which while a
recording of what has transpired, cannot be separated from the time and events
of the day in which it is written. Nor for that matter, can it be read in a
vacuum. Likewise, history’s account is influenced by the author’s own
perspective. And so it is with Luke, who while conditioned by traditions that
he has inherited, is focused on his goals for relating the story of Jesus to
his community.
While as stated, history is by definition retrospective, what we learn from
history is projected forward and applied to our own personal experience. As
interesting as the historical context of Luke’s day may be, we ask what we can
learn from this account and what does it say about us and our lives today.
Jesus’ words set in the time of Luke were written for an audience that lived almost
a century after Jesus died. This period reflects the turmoil of Luke’s day:
there was wealth; poverty; political domination; dissension among the ranks of
the new Christian communities, and a growing impatience created by the delay of
Jesus’ anticipated return.
No doubt that Luke is providing insight for what is in store for Jesus as he
makes his way to Jerusalem. Here, we get a glimpse of Jesus’ humanity when he
says what stress I am under
until it is completed! Jesus proclaims that the Kingdom of God is a
“new world order” that is centered on the power of love not the love of power. As
with the “rich fool” those governed by wealth, status and power will live in a
“house divided" on so many different levels.
Families, nations and communities will live in turmoil.
There is no other way to peace but through love, forgiveness and humility. So,how does this gospel speak to us today in August, 2019 as we look at our world beset by senseless mass shootings, and we experience the
ravages of a drug pandemic that spares no one, as it destroys its victims and their families and friends?
Last week’s Gospel reminded us to keep our “eye on the prize” and not be distracted from anything that gets in the way of our relationship with God. As in Mark’s Gospels, Luke’s narration (Luke 13:30-42) of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem does not linger and is focused. The message is clear in its words and its cadence. There’s no time to waste on earthly distractions and useless baggage that only serve to get in the way. These gospels teach us that the essence of discipleship is living the Word of Jesus that in time defines who we are as it becomes an integral part of our human behavior. The Word has become “flesh” in us.
In last week’s reading the foolish farmer learned that for all his self-directed future plans for additional wealth and surplus, he would not have time to “eat, drink and be merry.” This was to be his last day on earth. This week’s reading is more assuring as Jesus tells us:
Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom…
Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven
that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.
In these readings we are assured that there’s nothing we can do to earn God’s unconditional love; it’s God’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom for no other reason than it simply pleases Him. It’s not because of what we’ve done or really, who we are but simply because it pleases God to do so. One of the messages here is to trust in God’s love and we will be free of all anxiety, guilt and unworthiness.
It is beautiful to be loved for ourselves isn’t it? However, Jesus’ message as Luke continues to narrate Jesus journey to Jerusalem is not to start living recklessly but to be prepared…the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.
So, we are asked to travel light; to free ourselves of those things that get in the way of our being God centered and not us-centered. Living fully human does not mean living unto ourselves as did the rich farmer who had to have more of those things that were as finite as his fragile life.
Suppose we ask, what if we too started giving things away just for the pleasure of it as God does for us?
