Today’s reading is the second part of the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee. It’s worth reading in context from verse 14. Things began very well for Jesus (verse 15). Things even went well when he came back to his hometown – at first (verse 22). Jesus read well and spoke well. People were proud of their own young Rabbi who was doing well. It seems weird, yet also strangely familiar, when Jesus chooses to provoke the congregation in Nazareth, his hometown (verses 23-27). This reminds me of when ministers are going through a rough patch in their relationship with their congregation and say, “I don’t care what people think of me. I’m not here to be popular!” I hold back from saying, “Well, you’re doing a good job of that.” It’s a tricky balancing act to be connected enough to the system to be listened to, but not so enmeshed that you’re unable to challenge the system from within. Jesus shows us that there’s a time to provoke and a time to embrace. It takes emotional and spiritual intelligence to discern the moment.
Today’s reading is a composite of two stories from other Gospels, one from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and one from the end. In Mark 1:16-20 we read the calling of the fishermen, who immediately left everything and followed Jesus (see Luke 5:11). In John 21:1-6 we read the miraculous catch of fish as a resurrection narrative. Perhaps Luke brought together two stories from when the disciples’ journey started (Mark 1) and when it was restarted after Jesus’ death and resurrection (John 21:1-6; see Luke 5:4-9) to make a point. After all, Luke tells us that he consulted many sources and put them in order (Luke 1:1-3). For me, this tells me that being Christian, being the church, has at least two dimensions. First, it is about discipleship. Following Jesus means leaving other things behind. Secondly, the abundant catch is generally taken as a symbol of God gathering people at the final judgment (Matthew 13:47-50), just like the symbol of the harvest (eg Matthew 9:35-38; Mark 4:26-29). Following Jesus is about gathering people under the reign of God. Our Synod resolved in 2019 to organise ourselves for growth in and through our Congregations in discipleship, relationship, impact and number. In today’s passage I hear growth in both discipleship and number.
In Luke 4:16-21 we heard Jesus pronounce his own personal statement of vocation. He found his purpose in the words of Isaiah 61:1-3. (See 26 January.) This week’s reading begins Jesus’ manifesto for the people of God. This is Luke’s so-called Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:17-49), roughly parallel to Matthew’s longer, better-known Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). The Sermon on the Mount begins with the Beatitudes (blessings) in Matthew 5:2-12. Luke begins his Sermon on the Plain with a shorter set of blessings (Luke 6:20-23), but pairs these with a matching set of Woes (curses) in Luke 6:24-26. This reflects what we heard in the Magnificat (Mary’s Song of Praise) about God’s purpose in Jesus (22 December), including “He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.” (Luke 1:53; see Luke 6:21,25). Throughout Luke, we see Jesus turning the world and its powers upside down.
I once had a strange linguistic experience in a Greek Orthodox convent. This happened in Meteora, central Greece, the cluster of convents and monasteries perched impossibly on the top of sheer-sided pinnacles to protect them historically from Ottoman attack. My local guide had warned the group against taking photos in the convent as the fierce nuns would confiscate their cameras and not give them back. As we wandered through the convent, we came across an inscription in Greek which I pointed out to the guide, Luke 6:37. I think that my New Testament Greek was better than hers! We discussed what I saw as the gap between stated belief and lived-out values in that context. It seems that it easy to worship the words as a community but forget what it is to live them. Which enemy of yours is God calling you to love? (Luke 6:27-36) Which person whom you find intolerable is God calling you to forgive? (Luke 6:37-38) Our love and forgiveness may not change the other, but they can heal us.
These Lectionary Reflections were prepared by Rev. Dr Robert McFarlane, Presbytery Relations Minister, Synod Mission Services