This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Luke 13:1-9. The English Standard Version (ESV) presents the text in two parts. To the first part, it supplies the heading “Repent or Perish.” To the second part, it supplies the heading “The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree.” The passage begins with the words “There were …
The Barren Fig Tree: A Reflection on Justice and Sin Read More »
This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Luke 13:31-35. The English Standard Version supplies the heading “Lament over Jerusalem.” The speaking characters are Jesus and some Pharisees. Verse 31 begins with “At that very hour.” Luke begins with these words because he wants us to connect what follows with what Jesus said earlier. What …
Why didn’t Jesus choose Herod to be his executioner? Read More »
This Sunday the lectionary invites us to ponder Luke 4:1-13. The English Standard Version supplies it with the heading “The Temptation of Jesus.” It supplies the same heading to parallel accounts at Matthew 4:1 and Mark 1:12. Other versions supply headings like “Jesus tested by the Devil[1].” The account tells us that right after Jesus …
Are we missing something in the Temptation of Jesus? Read More »
This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to read Luke 9:28-36. The English Standard Version, and most other translations, supply the passage with the heading “The Transfiguration.” The Transfiguration is at once simple and perplexing. There are parallel accounts in Matthew and Mark.[1] What Luke tells us before he introduces the passage is important. Jesus had …
The mystery of the Transfiguration: Understanding Jesus’ divine nature Read More »
Last Sunday, the lectionary invited us to ponder Luke 6:17-38. This is the middle portion of Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain, the beginning of which I discussed last week. The English Standard Version supplies today’s verses with the headings “Love Your Enemies,” and “Judging Others.” Some teachings are repeated often. For example, in church membership …
The most outrageous and difficult command in Jesus’ sermon Read More »
This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Luke 6:17-26. The English Standard Version presents the verses in two clusters, under the headings “Jesus Ministers to a Great Multitude,” and “The Beatitudes.” These are summaries of the first two parts of what’s often called Jesus’ “Sermon on the Plain.”[1] Luke presents the sermon as something …
Listen to Jesus like those under the Japanese occupation Read More »
Last Sunday, the lectionary invited us to ponder Luke 5:1-11. The English Standard Version supplies the passage with the heading “Jesus Calls the First Disciples.” Christian speech can seem very strange to outsiders. The first time I attended a church service, I was horrified when the congregation sang “I really want to bless you, Lord.” …
I no longer worry that Christians are agents of death Read More »
This Sunday, the lectionary offers us an alternative gospel reading, because it’s also the day of the “Feast of The Presentation of the Lord.” The passage is Luke 2:22-40. The English Standard Version supplies it with the heading “Jesus Presented at the Temple.” On feast days, churches celebrate special moments in the story of salvation. …
This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Luke 4:21-30. The English Standard Version puts verses 16-30 under the heading “Jesus Rejected at Nazareth.” Last week, I wrote about verses 14-21. Those verses end with Jesus receiving a positive reception – almost a standing ovation – in the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth. People …
“Poor, captives, and blind,” are not distinct groups. They overlap. They include people born female. People who lack education, family heritage, caste, religious purity. People who suffer from poor health or are under demonic oppression or are debt slaves. People who work in occupations considered despicable. In other words, people with low social status.
