Reading the Gospels Together The Storyline of Luke’s Gospel – Part 4 Luke now returns to Mark’s story as Jesus moves on to Capernaum. Mark had provided his readers with a day in the life of the ministry of Jesus in Capernaum. Luke follows Mark closely in telling the same things; however, we already know that Jesus has been involved in ministry so Luke does not characterize it as the first day. Luke had also omitted Mark’s story of the call of the first four disciples prior to the beginning of the ministry of Jesus in Capernaum. Luke now moves on to tell his readers about the call of disciples. He uses a story that he shares with the writer of John’s gospel – although John will tell the story as a resurrection appearance of Jesus. This is likely a good example of how independent stories of Jesus are used by gospel writers in different contexts to make their point. The basic story is of disciples fishing without success and Jesus telling them to drop their nets on the other side of the boat and a great catch of fish happens. In Luke’s version of the story, the point is that Jesus’ actions are so powerful that they point out to Peter his sinfulness. Peter recognizes from the very beginning that Jesus is the Lord and that he is not worthy to be his follower. Jesus calls the sinful Peter to be a follower anyway and Peter responds by leaving everything and following Jesus. Luke’s story of the call of the first disciples is in many ways more realistic than Mark’s was. In Mark the disciples are almost passive followers – Jesus calls and they follow. Here, we can identify with Peter far better. Luke goes on to mention Peter’s partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who also become his followers. And although Andrew is not mentioned we might assume that he is also included. So in the end the same first four disciples are welcomed into Luke’s story. Luke now returns to Mark’s storyline and tells the same series of stories that Mark had used to reveal the deadly opposition of the religious leaders. Luke tells the story of the healing of a leper, of the healing of the man brought by four friends, of the call of Levi and the banquet in his house, of the questioning of why Jesus’ disciples do not fast, of the complaint against Jesus’ disciples for “harvesting” on the Sabbath and concluding with the story of the man with the withered hand who Jesus also healed on the Sabbath. As Luke ends this sequence he softens Mark’s story where Mark had told his readers that the religious leaders wanted to kill Jesus. Luke tells his readers that they were enraged and discussed what they could do to Jesus. Their rejection of Jesus will come later – and not all religious leaders will participate. Luke omits Mark’s summary statement of how people from all the surrounding territory came to hear Jesus’ teaching and then picks up Mark again with the choosing of the Twelve Apostles. Like Mark, Luke provides a list of the twelve. His list is quite similar with a couple of changes. Andrew is moved forward to be listed with Simon Peter and Thaddeaus is replaced by an Apostle named Judas son of James. These Apostles will become a critical part of Luke’s larger story playing an important role in his second book, Acts. Luke now interrupts the storyline of Mark’s gospel and tells his readers that Jesus began to teach his followers. Readers soon recognize that Luke’s story sounds much like Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount. Luke places the setting of this story on a plain in Galilee. The content of the teaching is very similar, although Luke’s version is much shorter and the focus is moved from Matthew’s concern for authentic piety to Luke’s concern for the poor and the oppressed. We need to remember that Luke has introduced us to Jesus as one who has come to bring good news to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and so that oppressed might go free. That is at the heart of Jesus’ sermon on the plain in Luke’s gospel. Luke’s version of the sermon has both beatitudes and woes. Matthew had used only beatitudes in his sermon on the mount saving the woes for later. Luke does not portray Jesus as one who expands the teaching of Moses and Jesus does not tell his disciples that their righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. But Luke does highlight the love a follower of Jesus must have even toward their enemies. Both speak about the need not to judge others and that the wise man builds his house on solid ground. Luke’s sermon is not as harsh toward the religious leaders as Matthew’s was. Since so much of the material in Matthew and Luke is so similar, it is likely that they both found this teaching of Jesus in the lost document we have theorized that they used. Luke will save some of this teaching for a later point in the story. Or, perhaps it was Matthew who gathered all these teachings together. Both make significant use of this material though in slightly different ways. At the conclusion of his sermon on the plain Luke tells his readers about a Gentile whose servant is in need of healing. This story is one that Luke shares with Matthew and likely with John as well. Each of them uses the story in a completely different context. From the healing of the Gentile’s servant Luke moves on to tell a story only he seems to know. The story is located in the town of Nain in Galilee and centers on how Jesus raises a dead son and gives him back to his mother. The story sounds a lot like similar stories in the OT about Elijah and Elisha healing sons and giving them back to their mothers. In the story Jesus breaks through the barrier of death in two ways – first by touching the dead person and then by raising him to life. Luke likely places this story here because of the next story he will tell – the story of the disciples of John the baptist coming to ask if Jesus is the one of if they should look for another. The evidence given to John includes the raising of the dead and this is a prime example for Luke. Luke shares the story of the disciples of John the baptist coming to Jesus with Matthew using almost the same words as Matthew did. This is one more way in which Luke gives his readers more information about the followers of John the baptist and their lacking in understanding. In his own way Luke is also demoting John the baptist in favor of Jesus with these and other stories about John’s followers he will tell in his gospel in the book of Acts.