Day 19: Luke 13-15. Coming Home, and other stories
I am tempted to begin at the end -- and focus all my attention on Chapter 15. There's something about this chapter that makes everything else worthwhile. There are many difficult things in Luke, as there are in Matthew and Mark. But the sheer grace of chapter 15 -- the images of the father with his arms wide open, the woman searching everywhere for her coin, the shepherd looking high and low for just one out of 100 sheep -- make every difficult saying worth it.
There's one catch, though: you have to be lost. If you are a wandering son, a coin gathering dust in a dark corner, a sheep out in the wilderness, Luke chapter 15 is good news. If you are not lost, or you don't think you're lost, well, you might not understand what all of the fuss is about.
I noticed reading these familiar stories again that the wandering son doesn't get to say his whole speech before his father interrupts him. (The part about "treat me like one of your slaves..." the father does not let him say.) (I also notice that the older son fusses that he has been working "like a slave" all these years for his father... coincidence? what do you think?) I noticed that the woman who finds her lost coin goes out and has a party once she finds it. Presumably, she spends all the money she worked so hard to track down. huh. What did you notice?
When I lived in Japan, I remember the chaplain at the boys school where I taught talking about the parable of the lost sheep. Since Japanese culture is much less individualistic than ours, the good news of the parable for him was not just the one lost sheep found, but the fact that we are not complete without the one missing. It was another way of thinking about this parable for me.
Just a few words about chapters 13 and 14. Chapter 13 has some hard sayings, and a lament over Jerusalem. It also has the marvelous healing of the bent-over woman (a story unique to Luke). (And notice again, that Luke includes many stories featuring women). But again, as in many other instances, Jesus is getting in trouble for healing on the Sabbath. And this time, in the synagogue, even!
Chapter 14 has something to do with table etiquette. The first "parable" Jesus tells doesn't seem too much like a parable to me, actually. It's just instructions about where to sit and who to invite. The second parable is another version of the one we heard in Mark, about the landowner who has a party and discovers that his invited guests are no longer interested. Then, Jesus changes the subject to the "cost of discipleship" -- Jesus warning potential disciples to count the cost before following him. Consider where Jesus' path will lead, it's understandable that he would warn people. On the other hand, it's just the opposite of clever marketing. He is almost trying NOT to attract people.
What do you think?
Where is the Good News in these chapters for you?
There's one catch, though: you have to be lost. If you are a wandering son, a coin gathering dust in a dark corner, a sheep out in the wilderness, Luke chapter 15 is good news. If you are not lost, or you don't think you're lost, well, you might not understand what all of the fuss is about.
I noticed reading these familiar stories again that the wandering son doesn't get to say his whole speech before his father interrupts him. (The part about "treat me like one of your slaves..." the father does not let him say.) (I also notice that the older son fusses that he has been working "like a slave" all these years for his father... coincidence? what do you think?) I noticed that the woman who finds her lost coin goes out and has a party once she finds it. Presumably, she spends all the money she worked so hard to track down. huh. What did you notice?
When I lived in Japan, I remember the chaplain at the boys school where I taught talking about the parable of the lost sheep. Since Japanese culture is much less individualistic than ours, the good news of the parable for him was not just the one lost sheep found, but the fact that we are not complete without the one missing. It was another way of thinking about this parable for me.
Just a few words about chapters 13 and 14. Chapter 13 has some hard sayings, and a lament over Jerusalem. It also has the marvelous healing of the bent-over woman (a story unique to Luke). (And notice again, that Luke includes many stories featuring women). But again, as in many other instances, Jesus is getting in trouble for healing on the Sabbath. And this time, in the synagogue, even!
Chapter 14 has something to do with table etiquette. The first "parable" Jesus tells doesn't seem too much like a parable to me, actually. It's just instructions about where to sit and who to invite. The second parable is another version of the one we heard in Mark, about the landowner who has a party and discovers that his invited guests are no longer interested. Then, Jesus changes the subject to the "cost of discipleship" -- Jesus warning potential disciples to count the cost before following him. Consider where Jesus' path will lead, it's understandable that he would warn people. On the other hand, it's just the opposite of clever marketing. He is almost trying NOT to attract people.
What do you think?
Where is the Good News in these chapters for you?
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