Luke 9:51-62 (Year C June 26-July 2) shows the difficulties of discipleship both in rejection (verses 51-56 and in following Jesus (57-62). In 9:51-10:42 is the theme of demonstrating hospitality to Jesus and his message. Luke portrays both villages and persons who serve as good and bad examples. Following Jesus is intimately related both to welcoming Jesus and to embodying in one’s life his commitments and practices. It refers to crossing boundaries, including Samaritan and Gentile territory.
Luke 9:51-56 (unique to Luke) is a story about Jesus and an inhospitable Samaritan Village.[1] The time drew near for Jesus to be taken up (ἀναλήμψεως). Elijah would be taken up (II Kings 2:9-11), and Luke describe it in Acts 1:2, 10-11. Jesus was taken up in glory (I Tim 3:16). so he resolutely turned his face toward Jerusalem. The fulfillment of the prophetic ministry of Jesus is drawing near. It will end with his assumption or ascension, but now Luke stresses that Jesus begins the journey with determination to go to Jerusalem. This is the road appointed by his Father. Jesus must face conflict, rejection, and disappointment from the outset of his journey. Jesus sent messengers ahead of him in this journey, like the ministry of John the Baptist, now dead, so these disciples take over that role. Their role will be more clearly later (10:1-20). These messengers enter a village of the Samaritans to prepare for the arrival of Jesus, but they did not receive him because he was determined to go to Jerusalem. Granting hospitality is the concern of the entire village, but here the village refuses to receive Jesus and those accompanying him.[2] The Samaritan hatred for the Jews would show itself toward any Jew making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. This phase of the ministry of Jesus begins with a conflict. The lower-level conflict during the journey involves an encounter with a village of Samaritans. The first stop on Jesus' long journey makes for an inauspicious, ignominious beginning. The reaction of James and John shows characteristically a defective discipleship. Luke has already shown the significant gaps in the disciples' ability to comprehend their role (9:45-50), but here James and John patently disregard Jesus' earlier instructions about how they are to behave when they and their message are rejected (9:5). Because this is a Samaritan village, the punishment James and John eagerly suggest and happily volunteer to inflict recalls the judgmental fire that Elijah and Elisha called down on the Samaritan king (II Kings 1:1-16). Elijah emphasizes that as a man of God, he will call down this fire to consume 50 people. Luke’s use of an Elijah-Elisha typology for describing events in Jesus’ life is one of the gospel writer’s repeating themes. The analogy is particularly clear, although here the template serves to distinguish Jesus from those Old Testament prophets. Such a response would be consistent with the view of the Zealot movement.[3] While later copyists went as far as to insert “just like Elijah did” into verse 54, Jesus’ response makes it clear that his presence is not “just like Elijah’s.” The rebuke represents a decisive break with the tradition of sacred violence and human vengeance in the name of God. When Jesus rejects Elijah’s methods of dealing with adversity and refuses to rain divine detonations over the nameless Samaritan village, he is also rejecting a prophetic identity based on political zealotry. In that sense, the story stands in tension with the Elijah tradition and contains a caveat bearing the mark of Jesus. The reaction of Jesus to the suggestion foreshadows the attitude with which Jesus will confront his accusers in the upcoming passion play — there is no place for retaliatory anger, for “getting even,” when Jesus encounters conflict during his earthly ministry. Jesus rebukes James and John for their suggestion.[4] Determined to reach his goal of Jerusalem, Jesus simply accepts the Samaritans’ rejection and moves along. Thus, at the beginning of the journey, Jesus must face opposition, which he accepts quietly, refusing the path of vengeance. It is a foretaste of the passion and a rejection of the spirit of Elijah.
When does zeal for God become fanaticism? Our contemporary world abounds in examples of the way religion and violence can join hands. In his word and deed, Jesus rejected this path.
For Luke, discipleship means traveling with Jesus to Jerusalem, moving with him through sacrifice to new life. Disciples head toward the cross, the symbol of obedience, commitment, and sacrifice, but also the path toward accepting the vocation to which God has called us, toward a love demonstrated in the giving of oneself for others, and toward compassionate service.
Luke 9: 57-62 (verses 57-60 = Matt 8:19-22, verses 61-62 unique to Luke) encapsulate three encounters with would-be followers of Jesus. This is a good example of the synoptic gospels creating an imaginary situation. They characterize the person of Jesus. Following here is in its figurative sense, for it was in common use by the Jews as a term for discipleship. The disciple following his teacher meant he acquired knowledge from him and followed his example in practical affairs. This brief biographical story brings to symbolic expression the truth that to follow Jesus sets the disciple free from every duty, permits him no further obligation by requiring of him a surrender securing him to Jesus alone.[5]
Here is another example of the low-level conflict we will see in the journey narrative provided by Luke. Luke presents his version of encounters with prospective converts. This will establish a pattern in Luke of interrupting travel sequences with dialogues and discussions on discipleship. These three pronouncement stories show Jesus making startling requirements of true discipleship. If any suspect that gathering a large band of devoted followers was part of the impetus for his journey, Jesus squelches that possibility through surprisingly hard, harsh-sounding, demanding retorts to the requests made of him. Jesus avoids offering them what Bonhoeffer called "cheap grace." The encounters are open-ended since they end only with the words of Jesus and never communicate the response of inquirer as to whether they accept or reject the requirement. The web of commitments we have in our lives may conflict with the call of Jesus to become part of the rule of God. Luke refuses to make discipleship appear easier than it is. The words of Jesus are tough to hear, for discipleship has costs involving we have, all that we love, and all that we are. in each example of potential disciples is the matter of following Jesus. Such following describes someone who accompanies another, who takes the same road as he does. It indicates the follower who respectfully walks behind a master or prince, the scholar who strides along at a distance behind his teacher.
The first potential disciple (9:57-58 = Matt 8:19-20, who identifies the unnamed man here as a scribe) is an encounter with a scribe who boldly says he will follow Jesus wherever he goes. Jesus responds to the volunteer’s enthusiasm over apostolic mission with an aphoristic rejoinder in verse 58 that reveals a sobering reality in the difficulty of following Jesus: Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man (ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, bar enasha, a man such as I, a man like myself) has nowhere to lay his head. The saying contrasts a human being such as Jesus being homeless in this world with the wild beasts.[6] There is no definitive place to go. Any true disciple of his must be prepared to face continued homelessness and rootlessness. The generic us of “son of man” is essential to the point Jesus is making. Just as Jesus has given up the security of a home, so a follower of Jesus must be prepared to accept similar deprivations. He invites followers to share in the conditions of his own missionary vocation.[7] Jesus identifies himself as a homeless wanderer, without permanent address. It suggests the hardship and loneliness involved in following Jesus. The saying explores what following will be like. The same fate is in store for the follower as for the one who leads the way. The one who leads the way does not have a home.[8] The poetic nature of Jesus' answer reinforces the unique state of homelessness the man such as Jesus experienced. Jesus’ image of vermin and scavengers being more secure in their provisions (foxholes and bird nests) than he, is hauntingly precise. A man such as him will lead a life less civilized than that of the animals seen regularly at the edge of ancient Galilean towns and villages. Homelessness and rejection, veritably epitomized by this vagrant journey he has undertaken, is the mark of this ministry.[9] The follower of Jesus must give up the idea that it is the path of comfort and affluence. The saying is like that of Cynic philosophers who wandered about Galilee with a simple life, often without shoes, with long hair, a single garment, and frequently sleeping on the ground.
The second and third would-be disciples’ requests sound so reasonable and compassionate that Jesus’ rebuffs seem even more startling. Jesus challenges the second and third would-be disciples to place priority upon participating in the rule of God that the prophetic ministry of Jesus has initiated. Jesus wants them to decide what the main thing will be in their lives. Following Jesus involves conflicts over valuable dimensions of our lives, and not between good and evil.
Jesus approaches the second would-be disciple (verses 59-60) with the call Follow me, like that of the first disciples. Following is figurative of discipleship, of following the example of the master in practical affairs. Such following sets the disciple free from other obligations and surrendering to Jesus.[10] However, this person responds by addressing Jesus as Lord (Κύριε) saying that he must first go and bury his father, suggesting that me must first fulfill his filial duties as part of the ancient household. Burying the dead was a duty of foremost importance in Jewish tradition. The fifth commandment to honor one's father and mother was included in fulfilling this final act of respect and devotion. Even the pagan Romans expected filial responsibilities to include properly burying one's father and mother. In Judaism, all other normal religious obligation could be set aside for anyone to perform the pious duty of burying the dead. However, with the surprising response in verse 60 and a display of dark humor, Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, stating the central theme of the proclamation of Jesus,[11] go and proclaim (διάγγελλε) the kingdom of God, another way of saying that God is near.[12] This saying refers to some specific occasion. It hints at the eschatological mood of the ministry of Jesus. It contains something new that reaches beyond the typical piety and wisdom of the time.[13] Following is figurative of discipleship, of following the example of the master in practical affairs. Such following sets the disciple free from other obligations and surrendering to Jesus.[14] As for him, who is not among the dead, he as a would-be follower of Jesus must go and proclaim, announce, and spread the news of the rule of God. The saying contradicts traditional familial relationships and obligations. It would have been an acute form of dishonor to leave one's father unburied or to permit someone else to bury him: it would have brought shame, not only on the father's memory, but also on the son. Note the fifth commandment: "You are to honor your father and your mother." Honoring parents entailed seeing to their proper burial. The call to discipleship dissolves the web of responsibilities and commitments within the ancient household, which potentially included aging parents, extended family, children, and the families of the slaves. It could include 15-40 people. Jesus questions the impulsive intensity, the self-sufficiency, and imprisonment this relationship can involve. [15]The behavior suggested here would not have been socially acceptable. Living without a permanent residence might have been marginally acceptable; leaving a father unburied would have been regarded as outrageous behavior. The encounter is open-ended, never communicating the response of the disciple. The would-be follower prioritized his little corner of the world over the universality of spreading the news of the coming rule of God. Jesus is setting aside normal obligations because of the claims of the rule of God.
The third would-be disciple (verses 61-62, unique to Luke) approaches Jesus insists he will follow him, addressing him as Lord (κύριε), but tempers his offer by saying he must first say farewell to those at his home. He lacks the qualities of a true disciple because he made a condition on which he will follow. Such limited readiness reveals he is not ready.[16] The response of Jesus in verse 62, in a form of the Jewish proverb, offering a general statement that is meaningful apart from its situation, but which in its express religious character in its type of piety and its form,[17] gives priority to the imminent rule of God, subordinating other duties and concerns: [18] No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. Here is the central mission of Jesus.[19] The pathos of the dominical saying here has little direct connection with the verse 61 and is consistent with the eschatological mood of the ministry setting of Jesus.[20] It hints at the eschatological mood of the ministry of Jesus. It contains something new that reaches beyond the typical piety and wisdom of the time.[21] The metaphor stands for those who hanker after what they have left when they enter upon a new stage of life. The saying has the story of the call of the Elisha in the background, where Elijah calls him to follow, Elisha asks permission to return home, say good-buy to his father, Elijah is intentionally ambiguous, but Elisha has a symbolic communion-type meal of farewell with his family (I Kings 19:20). Jesus, however, turns plowing into a metaphor that denies the very legitimacy of the request itself. Jesus rejects another Elijah image. Devotion to the rule of God transcends family ties and the sacrifice of its security, filial duty, and affection.[22] Jesus challenges followers to look ahead rather than to look back.
At every stage of our lives, the temptation is present to gaze to the past and wonder why our lives turned out the way they did. We can second-guess ourselves. We can play “what-if” games with the choices we have made. Such backward looks makes us unfit today for the rule of God that seeks to shine through the word and deed of the disciple. Looking ahead involves hope, from which will spring our happiness. Moving forward with faith will bring fulfillment into our lives. Moving forward with love will expand our sense of genuine community with family, neighbor, and world.
I conclude with a hymn by William Cowper, from an 1879 Methodist Hymnal.
O Lord! my best desire fulfil,
and help me to resign
Life, health, and comfort to thy will,
and make thy pleasure mine.
Why should I shrink at the command,
Whose love forbids my fears?
Or tremble at the gracious hand
That wipes away my tears?
No! rather let me freely yield
What most I prize to thee,
Who never hast a good withheld,
Or wilt withhold from me.
Thy favor, all my journey through,
Shall be my rich supply;
What else I want, or think I do,
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4] An ancient manuscript adds a saying of Jesus: You do not know what spirit you are made of. The Son of man came not to destroy souls but to save them. This manuscript tradition recognizes distinctive nature of this biographical story in that there is no saying of Jesus forming the point of the story.
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
[9] (For the wildlife imagery see Mahlon H. Smith, “No Place for a Son of Man,” Forum, 4 [December 1988], 83-105).
[10]
[11]
[12]
[13]
[14]
[15]
[16]
[17]
[18]
[19]
[20]
[21]
[22]
No comments:
Post a Comment