Scripture: Luke: 9: 22-26 Nigel Bunce
Despite the sense of gloom that pervades the Gospels, and the agonizng deail in wich the gospelw riters protray the Cucifixion, it remains for me a joy and a privilege to be a Christain and to mnister to our parish.
The Temple authorities have Jesus in their sights
We heard this evening’s reading last Sunday, but I didn’t speak about it. However, it’s very relevant to this first week of Lent. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record these words of Jesus. He faces death. His followers risk the same fate. But he will be raised on the third day. Right from this announcement, we realize that Jesus is a marked man. The Temple authorities have him in their sights.
Jesus spoke these words while he was still in Galilee, in the north of the Holy Land. Yet, within just a few verses, Jesus begins his journey towards Jerusalem. Thus, tonight’s passage from Chapter 9 represents a turning point in Luke’s Gospel story. The atmosphere becomes progressively darker as we journey with him.
The structure of Luke’s Gospel
More than half the text (13½ out of 24 Chapters) describes the events that lead to Jesus’ death.
Summarizing, the first two chapters record the birth and infancy narrative. Chapters 3 to 9 describe Jesus’ early ministry in Galilee, including this evening’s reading. The next 10 chapters follow Jesus as he travels south. However, now his teachings become much more pointedly against the Temple authorities.
Jesus gets to Jericho, just northeast of Jerusalem, in Chapter 19. Then, he enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. His final week, the Last Supper, Jesus’ arrest and Crucifixion carry us to the end of Chapter 23. Chapter 24 is devoted to post-Resurrection appearances and finally his Ascension.
Luke’s Gospel is typical
I can make similar analyses of the other three Gospels. The results are the same. It’s as if the objective of the Gospels is the Crucifixion, with the Resurrection almost an afterthought. Frankly, this focus tends to make Christianity into a religion soaked in gloom. Especially through Lent, the coming Crucifixion looms ahead.
All the Gospels describe the Crucifixion in agonizing detail. We may claim to be Incarnation, Resurrection, or Pentecostal people. However, in truth, none of these are the main thrusts of the Gospels. It’s a problem for me. Because, one of my aims in ministry has always been to make our worship joyful. That can be a little difficult, especially during Lent.
Yet being Christian is still a joy and a privilege
I guess that means I must have a bit of the Pharisee in me. Not because I agree with them in their confrontations with Jesus. Rather, it’s because I understand their attitude towards following the rules that the Law of Moses prescribed. They saw following these rules as a joy and a privilege, because God had given them.
Therefore, despite everything, I still find it a joy and a privilege to try to follow Jesus’ message of peace, equality, and love. And even more so, to have the joy and privilege to be able to share it with the people of this parish, St. George’s Lowville. Amen.