Reading the Gospels Together The Storyline of Luke’s Gospel – Part 8 The next story is about some people who tell Jesus about some Galileans who were killed by Pilate and is joined with a story about some people killed when a tower accidently falls upon them. Jesus interprets both actions as opportunities to repent. And then Luke tells the parable of the man who wants to destroy a fig tree that has been unproductive. The gardener convinces him to give it one more year. This story is followed by another in which a woman who has been bent over for eighteen years who is healed by Jesus on the Sabbath. The event brings the condemnation of the religious leaders. All of these stories are unique to Luke and likely serve him to provide evidence once again of reception and rejection. Luke now picks up a couple of parables, one of which he had omitted earlier from Mark’s storyline and another he shares with Matthew. Both are about the way in which the kingdom of God, though small and perhaps unimportant in appearance, is nonetheless powerful and will accomplish what God intends. We were wondering when Luke would get back to the journey of Jesus to Jerusalem. As if he was aware that his readers might be wondering about this, Luke interjects that Jesus was traveling through town and villages on his way toward Jerusalem. Luke does not tell his readers whether these towns and villages were in Galilee or not. One can’t help but wonder if Luke had at his disposal a whole host of stories about Jesus that were not set in Galilee and were thus eliminated from Mark’s collection of stories. It is tempting to come to a conclusion like this since John will provide for his readers a storyline in which Jesus will spend a great deal of time in Judea and not Galilee. And we may have noticed that Luke does seem to have some connection to John that the other synoptic writers do not have. But perhaps this is too much conjecture since Luke does not provide locations for these stories. Having given this information, that Jesus is indeed still on his journey to Jerusalem, Luke returns to his theme of rejection or reception. The question is asked if few or many will be saved. The implication of Jesus’ answer is that there will be few. That may be a troubling answer for Luke’s readers. How will his readers know if they are among those who will enter? Luke’s answer is that the first will be last and the last first. Jesus came to preach good news to the poor, to set the captives free, and to proclaim liberty to the oppressed. If his readers do not see themselves among those in need then they likely will not see themselves as entering the kingdom. Once more Luke reminds his readers of the destiny of Jesus as he tells a story of some Pharisees who come to warn Jesus that Herod is out to kill him. It is interesting that those who come to warn Jesus are Pharisees. We are reminded of Luke’s earlier concern that there were those among the people of Israel who did welcome Jesus and look for his coming. Luke will tell us of more Pharisees who will be believers – chief among them is Paul, but that is the story of Acts. Here the warning provides Jesus with an opportunity to point toward Jerusalem and repeat that Jerusalem is his destiny. The words are suggestive. Three days are mentioned. The whole story points toward the passion narrative Luke will tell. And in the midst of this story Luke provides the passionate words of Jesus as he laments over Jerusalem. Matthew also knew these words and he has Jesus share them in the midst of Jerusalem just before he is betrayed. Luke will repeat this scene as Jesus comes to the brow of the Mount of Olives and overlooks that city. But even here, in the midst of the journey Jesus laments that those who God wanted to gather would not. They were not able to recognize the visitation of God to his people – and so they are lost. For a third time Luke tells his readers that Jesus went to eat in the house of a Pharisee. Once again it is the Sabbath and Jesus heals a man with swollen arms. The story sounds a lot like the story Luke had told earlier when he was following Mark’s storyline. That story was of a man with a withered hand. There the religious leaders had become intent on doing Jesus harm. Here the story ends only with amazement. Still at the banquet Jesus addresses the question of social hospitality. Jesus tells his followers that they are to invite those who cannot repay the social grace of a meal. Again the concern for the poor is at the forefront of the story. Luke remembers the purpose of Jesus’ coming – to preach good news to the poor. And the meal concludes with the parable of the man who arranged a banquet and invited his guests. Some of those guests refused to come since they had other more important things to do. And Jesus reminds his readers that the same may be true for those who do not welcome God’s coming. The parable is once again about rejection of reception. Luke joins to this banquet some words of Jesus to his followers about the cost of being a disciple and warns them to count the cost – that cost will be everything.