Reading the Gospels Together The Storyline of Luke’s Gospel – Part 6 After the first and second sequence of Jesus telling of his impending suffering, death, and resurrection followed by the transfiguration and the healing of the epileptic boy followed by a second prediction of suffering, death, and resurrection followed by the disciples’ arguing about who is the greatest and John’s suggestion that someone driving out demons in Jesus’ name should be stopped because he is not part of the inner group, Luke will move away from Mark’s story in significant ways. Mark had told his readers that Jesus had taken his disciples to the farthest north section of Galilee where Peter had made his great confession and then slowly began to move through Galilee toward Jerusalem. Luke does not mention the journey to Caesarea Philippi or provide any location for the first events. But after the second passion prediction Luke tells his readers that Jesus and his disciples are already at the border between Galilee and Samaria. Luke will now insert a large section into Mark’s storyline most of which is unique to Luke although some of it he also shares with Matthew. Matthew had put much of this material in his Sermon on the Mount. In many ways, beginning with this episode and continuing through the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, Luke has created a lengthy “travelogue” that serves at least three purposes in his narrative. First of all Luke makes clear that Jesus is destined to go to Jerusalem to accomplish God’s will for him and for all people – this destiny is “the visitation of God to his people.” The second purpose is to provide examples of some who welcome that visitation and others who do not. And a third purpose is to provide for his readers a definition of what discipleship consist. In this third purpose, Luke is doing something a little like Matthew did in his five discourses. We will need to pay attention to how Luke works these purposes into his narrative. Luke begins by providing his readers with some important information only they will know – the characters in the story are not privileged to have this information. Luke tells his readers that the time was drawing near when Jesus would be taken up into heaven and that Jesus had made up his mind to go to Jerusalem. In his version of the transfiguration story Luke had given the content of the message that Moses and Elijah had delivered to Jesus on the mountain – Jesus was told of the “exodus” that he would accomplish in Jerusalem. So Luke makes it clear that the destiny of Jesus is Jerusalem and that he will accomplish the deliverance of God’s people there. Jesus begins the journey to his destiny. The beginning is without success. Jesus is rejected by the Samaritans in this story precisely because he is heading for Jerusalem. Luke is very aware of the hostility between Samaritans and Jews and will need to see how he deals with that hostility. Luke now provides his readers of three examples of people who seem to desire to be followers of Jesus but they are unable because they underestimate how challenging that will be. Matthew had also provided his readers with the challenges of being a missionary. He and Luke share this material. Next Luke tells his readers of a second missionary journey. This time seventy-two others – not part of the Twelve – who are sent as missionaries. Only Luke tells of this second missionary journey and it sounds a lot like the first journey of Jesus’ disciples which was also told by Mark and Matthew. Readers may remember that Matthew had introduced that missionary journey by telling his readers of Jesus’ lament that the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Here Luke provides his readers with that lament. In the middle of this second missionary journey Luke shares Jesus’ condemnation of the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum which is material he also shares with Matthew. Much of Jesus’ ministry had happened in these cities but unfortunately, it seems, they had not welcomed his visitation. After sharing the words of condemnation Jesus returns to report on the success of the seventy-two. They misinterpret their success and Jesus warns them to be glad not so much because they have power over evil spirits but because their names are written in heaven. Again sharing words that are also found in Matthew, Luke tells his readers that only those whom he chooses will know the Father and he has chosen them. These words, as we noted when we were looking at Matthew’s storyline sound much like many of the words in John’s gospel. These are not exactly comforting words since they seem to indicate that we do not have anything to do with whether or not we will be included. There is mystery in becoming a disciple. And Jesus tells these disciples that many longed to see what they see but could not. But they are blessed to see. Those who welcome to visitation of God to his people will be blessed to see. Luke now tells two stories that are unique to his gospel. The first is the familiar parable of the Good Samaritan. The last time we heard of the Samaritans they were rejecting Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem. But the hero of this parable is a Samaritan. Some reject, some welcome. We have noticed before that one of Jesus’ main concerns in Luke’s gospel is for the poor, the oppressed, and the needy. Jesus came to bring good news to the poor and to set free the captive and oppressed. Luke has not forgotten that concern – it is the main point of the parable. Luke follows up this parable with a story of a visit by Jesus to the home of two sisters – Mary and Martha. Neither Mark nor Matthew ever mentions Mary or Martha. But John does. In fact, Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus play in important role in John’s gospel. Are Luke and John talking about the same family? The most logical conclusion is that they are. They both know at least Mary and Martha. John tells his readers that Mary, Martha and Lazarus lived at Bethany – a town on the summit of the Mount of Olives, just a mile east of Jerusalem. If Luke and John are talking about the same Mary and Martha then Luke brings Jesus to the outskirts of Jerusalem long before Mark could ever have envisioned him arriving there. But, we need to remember that Luke had already brought Jesus to the border between Samaria and Galilee as he began his “travelogue.” Jesus had also just told a parable of a man journeying from Jerusalem to Jericho which is a journey that would have made much more sense to an audience nearer those two cities than one back in Galilee. Perhaps what this indicates is that Luke is aware that Jesus’ ministry was not as confined to Galilee as Mark characterizes it – something that will become even more evident in John’s gospel. The story of Mary and Martha is really a story of welcoming the visitation of God. Mary has the better part because she sits at Jesus’ feet to learn from him. Martha is not totally rejected but she is warned that those who are too busy with activities might miss out. Is this Luke’s way of pointing out that religious activity for its own sake is useless?