The Gospel of Luke – Luke 18:15-19:27 – Preparation, pt.2

Tonight, we continue our study of Luke’s gospel with Luke 17:11-19:27. These readings are the final leg of Jesus’s march on Jerusalem and take us to the eve of his Triumphal Entry. You can join us any time on our journey.

Interdependence: (vv. 18:15-30)

Jesus is continuing his teachings on being prepared for the coming of the Kingdom. The theme in these verses is that members of the Kingdom must practice interdependency. This theme is given to us through two separate stories that also appear in Matthew 19 and Mark 10.

First, we have Jesus saying, “Let the little children come to me. . . . For whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” Children, particularly infants and toddlers (but excluding your grandchildren), are usually not the model of Christian virtue – humility and thinking of others first are not their forte. Rather, children are different from the rest of us because of their dependence on others. To survive, little children must be in a relationship and have a community.

Next, we have the story of Jesus’s meeting the Rich Young Ruler. (Mark presents the man as “rich,” Matthew describes him as “young,” and Luke adds “powerful.”) The man asks, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus first tells the man to turn his focus to God the Father – the source of all things and the Ultimate Good. Jesus then tells the man to specifically obey the commandments concerning adultery, murder, theft, perjury, and familial honor – in other words, those commandments focused on interpersonal relations. The rich, young, powerful man responds that he obeys all these commandments.

The problem, as Jesus and the reader should sense, is that despite the man’s obedience, he is still searching. Jesus then tells him to divest himself of his wealth and give it all away. This the powerful man cannot do. Jesus asks him to abandon the value of this world and adopt the value of the next. And he cannot make this transition.

Jesus then says, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into the Kingdom of God.” Jesus’s hyperbole suggests not difficulty, but impossibility. (Although legend says that Jerusalem had a small gate called the “Eye of the Needle,” there is no evidence for such a gate, and the explanation appears to have arisen in Europe during the Middle Ages.) Jesus, however, follows up his statement of impossibility with a statement of Grace. God is able to compensate for human weakness.

One of the first and greatest commentaries on this story is from St. Clement of  Alexandria (c.150-c.215). His commentary is HERE and is well worth the read.

The Blind Beggar: (vv.31-43)

Within these verses, we see a contrast between the misunderstandings of the disciples and the faith of an unnamed blind beggar. As they approach Jerusalem, Jesus once more reminds his disciples that he must be delivered up to the powers of this world, be mocked and killed, and rise on the third day. Once more, the disciples lack the vision to understand Jesus’s teaching. Their vision is too small, and their faith is too weak to grasp fully what Jesus tells them.

As opposed to the disciples, we have the blind beggar. The beggar simply cries out to Jesus. He does not ask an existential question like the rich young ruler, and he demonstrates a complete trust in Jesus that even his “blind” disciples do not have. As Jesus prepares to enter Jerusalem and go to the Cross, that journey can either be puzzling and dark as to his disciples or joyful and bright, as demonstrated by the blind man. It is simply a matter of faith.

Zacchaeus: (vv.19:1-10)

Jericho is Jesus’s last stop on his way into Jerusalem. The town is located in the Jordan Valley near the Dead Sea, about 17 miles from Jerusalem at the end of a major road. This road gave Jesus the setting for the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Luke 10:30. Zacchaeus is the local chief tax collector for the town and the surrounding area. Like a mob boss, Zacchaeus not only takes a cut of the taxes he collects for the Romans but also a cut of the taxes that other tax collectors collect as well.

Think of the scene. Jesus enters the Jericho. The people crowd around him. Zacchaeus also wants to see Jesus but probably does not want to be out front. He is curious but not committed. Unfortunately, he is short and cannot see over the crowd, so he hops up on a low branch of a sycamore tree. Jesus spots him and invites himself to Zacchaeus’s house. Once again, everyone complains that Jesus is eating with the bad guys.

In this story, however, we see what it looks like when the lost are found in real life and not simply in a parable. Zacchaeus gives half (not all) of his wealth to the poor and returns fourfold any ill-gotten gains from his tax collection racket. This is what true repentance and amendment of life looks like. Notably, Jesus does not ask Zacchaeus to follow him to Jerusalem, to give up all his wealth, or even to give up his occupation.

Parable of the Pounds: (vv.11-27)

The last story in Luke before Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem is the Parable of the Pounds. This parable is similar to the Parable of the Talents found in Matthew 25:14-30 which we previously discussed with the Rev. Robert Capon. The parable itself reflects the story of Herod Archelaus, the son of Herod the Great and older brother of Herod Antipas.

The theme of the parable is faithfulness to Jesus. The king tells his servants to take the risk and invest his funds while he is away. Two of the servants take the king’s money and put it to work (like the disciples who gave up everything to follow Jesus). They had faith that even if the investment turned out poorly, the king would not be displeased. The third servant hides the money in a napkin to avoid losing it because he fears, not trusts, the king. This servant is condemned because he placed his fear of the king over his trust of the king.   

Luke places this parable on the eve of Jesus’s entry to Jerusalem. In the next line of Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is preparing to march into Jerusalem, just as the returning king in the parable. This parable is the last warning. (Matthew places the parable on the eve of the Last Supper for the same effect.)

Dinner is at 6. The menu is St. Patrick’s Day (observed). Discussion about 6:45. Compline at 8. Please join us!

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and he who fears is not perfected in love. 1 John 4:18