Category: An Orderly Account: Gospel of Luke

Some lines in the readings set in some of the lectionary passages for this coming Sunday place the focus on the judgement of God.

In the parable of the vineyard which is recounted in Isaiah 5, the Lord God is claimed to say: And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

This is immediately followed by the declaration that the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!

In other words, the judgement of God is to be rained down on Israel:

bloodshed, not justice;

a cry, not righteousness.

By the way, there is a neat wordplay here in the original Hebrew of the parable that is worth reproducing In transliteration:

le-mishpat we-hinneh mispah

li-tzdaqah we-hinneh tzeaqah

The psalm chosen in the lectionary to accompany this scripture passage, Psalm 80, makes allusion to the same action of judgement threatened in the parable, before going on to utter a cry for divine compassion:

Why then have you broken down its walls, so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit? The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feed on it. Turn again, O God of hosts; look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine, the stock that your right hand planted.

God executes judgement according to this psalm, also.

The same emphatic declaration of divine judgement occurs in the words of Jesus in Luke 12: Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.

This is no “Jesus meek and mild” of the hymn by Charles Wesley:

Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, Look upon a little child,

Pity my simplicity, Suffer me to come to thee.

Loving Jesus, gentle Lamb, In thy gracious hands I am;

Make me, Saviour, what thou art, Live thyself within my heart.

Now I would be as thou art; Give me an obedient heart;

Thou art pitiful and kind, Let me have thy loving mind.

On the contrary, this is a Jesus filled with passion, declaring I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! This Jesus is much more akin to the figure that is depicted by John Bell and Graham Maule of the Iona Community:

Jesus Christ is raging, raging in the streets,

where injustice spirals and real hope retreats.

Listen, Lord Jesus, I am angry too;

in the Kingdom’s causes let me rage with you.

In Luke 12, Jesus is carrying through the programme that he enunciated at the start of his ministry, preaching the good news of the kingdom of God (Luke 4:43)—the same kingdom in which God requires upright behaviour (Luke 13:22-30). And Jesus takes on the role of declaring God’s requirements (this is especially expressed in many parables in Matthew’s Gospel) and affirming that, in the very fact of his presence, the kingdom is already a present reality (Luke 11:20 and 17:20).

Jesus does not shy away from the role of stating divine judgement. He does so, on the basis of the claim that he makes, in the Synoptic Gospels, to be integrally related to the kingdom which God is seeking to establish.

What are we to make of the righteous judgements of God, threatened in the parable, prayed about in the psalm, and declared with forceful passion in the words of Jesus?

Judgement sits alongside grace as integral the nature of God. Divine judgement is carried out by God from the plagues of Exodus to the denunciations of the great prophets and the military victories of foreign powers. That same judgement is proclaimed by Jesus, valorised by Paul, and envisaged in the dreams of the prophet John in the last book of the Bible.

Judgement is executed on those human beings who have entered into covenant relationship with the Lord God. Judgement means that God is holding them (and us) to account for the actions they (and we) have undertaken, which contradict the conditions of the covenant and demonstrate that one party (the human party) has strayed from the agreement reflected in the covenant.

This is as much the case for the New Covenant (reflected in the New Testament) as it was in the Old Covenant (reflected in the books that Christians identify as the Old Testament). It’s not the case that the OT God is a figure of judgement but the NT God is a figure of grace. Grace and Judgement exist equally and consistently in the character of God as attested in both testaments of Christian Scripture.

Judgement sits alongside Grace. They are related as both being integral to the kingdom which God seeks to establish, and the demands which come when seeking to be faithful to the vision of that kingdom.

God’s Grace invites people into a covenantal relationship, where mutual respect is to be manifested in specified actions. The Law that is given in the Old Testament is a guide as to what is expected of the human parties to the Covenant. Grace brings with it responsibilities and expectations.

That Covenant is the foundation upon which the Kingdom is based. God seeks to establish a realm in which the convent relationship guides all actions; a realm in which the requirements of justice and righteousness are lived out in the actions and attitudes and relationships of those who inhabit the Kingdom. So Justice is a consequence of the covenant established by Grace.

God’s Judgement operates in a manner consistent with divine Grace and is consequent upon the requirement of Justice. Judgement is executed when the actions and behaviours that are expected within the covenant relationship are not carried out; when injustice reigns in place of justice. The Law that is given in the Old Testament is a guide as to what is expected of the human parties to the Covenant. Judgement expresses the consequences that follow when the responsibilities and expectations of the covenant relationship are not met.

So we ought reasonably to expect that God will exercise judgement.

It is, of course, ultimately a divine decision as to when and how judgement is to be executed. Scriptural advice is consistent, that is not for human beings to determine that judgement. Jesus exhorts this in Matt 7:1-5 and Luke 6:37, Paul repeats it in Romans 14:4, and James advises the same in James 4:11-12.

The psalmist expresses the claim that God rightly judges people in various Psalms, such as 7:8-11, 50:4-6, 58:1-11, 67:3-4, 76:1-12, 96:10-13, and 98:1-9, and the prophets concur: see Isa 2:4, 11:1-5, Jer 11:20, Ezek 7:27, 18:30-32, 34:17-22, Micah 4:1-5.

So faithful adherence to the covenant relationship means that we are expected to adhere to the demands of justice, which are integral to the kingdom which God seeks to establish. And those demands of justice mean that we might well expect and anticipate judgement when we, as humans, fail to keep our commitment in the covenant.

So, I wonder: does Jesus have every right to threaten a fiery judgement and execute divine wrath? Especially, given who he is confessed to be, within the tradition of Christian orthodoxy? The threat of judgement, based on a requirement of justice, comes with our agreement to commit to the covenant which God has established in grace. That’s what Jesus is seeking to affirm—isn’t it?

This offers us a different picture of Jesus from what Charles Wesley popularised. But it’s a portrayal that is faithful to the witness of scripture.

See also

https://johntsquires.wordpress.com/2019/01/31/an-orderly-account-a-quick-guide-to-luke-and-acts/

The section of the Gospel which is set in this Sunday’s lectionary (Luke 10:38-42) is found only in Luke’s Gospel. It recounts a time when Jesus was in the house of Mary and Martha. The story, by tradition, takes place in Bethany, in the house of Lazarus. The Gospel of Luke doesn’t provide this location, however; the text simply notes that Jesus “entered a certain village” (10:38). The tradition clearly depends on identifying the Mary and Martha in the story, with the sisters of Lazarus, as noted in John 11:1. Luke doesn’t draw this conclusion in what he writes.

The manner of Jesus’ interaction with these women is often noted. Jesus treats Mary as a student, sitting at his feet, learning of God’s ways. Commentators regularly focus on this feature, as a significant action by Mary, affirmed by Jesus. Women can rightly be regarded as disciples. The traditional of twelve men as the closest followers of Jesus, probably shaped by the idea that the 12 men correlated with the 12 tribes of Israel, is another tradition that depends on reading the Gospels in a particular way.

A significant characteristic of Luke’s story of Jesus is the emphasis he places upon women within the story. Feminist scholars have noted the prominence accorded to women as followers of Jesus as well as in the ongoing Jesus movement. Here is a short study that Elizabeth and I wrote on this theme, which might be helpful in preparing for this coming Sunday.

Read Luke 8:1–3. Luke emphasizes that Jesus travelled with women as well as men. Alongside this, we need to note some comments attributed to rabbis in

ancient Jewish literature. Rabbi Jose ben Johanan of Jerusalem (a 2nd century rabbi) said:” Let you house be opened wide, and let the needy be members of your household; and talk not much with womankind.” (Mishnah, Aboth 1.5)

An older saying stated: “What conduct is such that transgresses Jewish custom? If a woman goes out with her hair unbound, or spins in the street, or speaks with any man.” (Mishnah, Ketuboth 6.6)

In the light of these sayings, what can we say about the kind of effect this must have had on those who saw him traveling in this way?

What changes in attitudes and habits would male disciples need to make when women became part of Jesus’ traveling group?

It was not uncommon for Jesus to talk in public with women. Can you name some occasions when he did so?

A famous instance is reported in John 4. Read John 4:9 (most commentators note that this verse is important). Now read John 4:27 (this verse is usually not highlighted as being significant.)

What does this tell us about the attitude of Jesus towards women?

Read Luke 8:43–48. Notice how Jesus insists that he talk to this woman (8:45–46). What kinds of risks was Jesus taking by talking in public to a woman who was clearly unclean?

Notice also what words Jesus spoke to the woman (8:48). Who else does Jesus commend for their faith? (See Luke 7:9; 7:50; 17:19; 18:42.) What do they all have in common? (Hint: Where do they stand in relation to the Holiness which was at the heart of Judaism?) What is the significance of putting forward such people as role models of faith?

Now read Luke 10:38–42. Notice that Mary sat in the traditional position of the pupil, at the feet of the master (Luke 10:39).

What does this say about Jesus’ attitude towards teaching women?

Compare this with a saying of Ben Azzai (another 2nd century rabbi), who is remembered to have said: “A man ought to give his daughter a knowledge of the Law so that if she must drink the bitter water, she may know that the merit that she has acquired would hold her punishment in suspense.” (Mishnah, Sotah 3.4)

But Rabbi Eliezer (late 1st century) is claimed to have decreed: “If any man gives his daughter a knowledge of the Law, it is as though he taught her lechery.” (Mishnah, Sotah 3.4) In the Jerusalem Talmud, Rabbi Eliezer is further reported as having said: “It is better to burn the Torah than to teach it to women” (J.Sotah 19a.7). In yet another rabbinic writing, it is said: “All are qualified to be among the seven [who read the Torah in synagogue on the Sabbath morning], even a minor and a woman. But a woman should not be allowed to come forward to read the Torah in public.” (T.Meg. 4.11,226)

Jesus commended Mary for her interest in the Gospel, and affirmed that she chose “the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:42). Compare this with a traditional rabbinic saying in the Mishnah: “Anything found by a wife and the work of her hands belongs to her husband and during her lifetime he has the use of her inheritance.” (Mishnah, Ketuboth 6.1)

Read Acts 1:12–14. Which people are identified by name?

Who is there but not named?

What else does Luke tell us about the mother of Jesus? (Read Luke 1:26–56; 2:15–20; 8:19–21.)

Who might the other women be? (Read back to Luke 8:1–3; 23:49; 23:55; 24:1–9.)

Where did the group meet?

Why do you think that Mary was the only female named in this passage? What might that suggest about her role in the group?

Read Acts 16:11–15. How is Lydia described in this passage?

What does the phrase “godfearer” suggest to you? Where else is it used in Acts? (Check 13:16; 13:50; 16:14; 17:4; 17:17; 18:7.)

What kind of gathering is described in 16:13–14?

What does this suggest about the role of women in religion?

What does the occupation of Lydia suggest about her financial means? About her status in the city?

Who would be included in “her household” (16:15)?

What does this suggest about her position in society?

What does this passage suggest about Lydia as a role model for conversion and acceptance of the Gospel?

Read Acts 21:8–9. Where else has Philip been involved in the story of Acts? (Check back into chapters 6–8.) What values and qualities did he have there?

How does this passage describe the daughters of Philip? (Read Acts 21:9.)

Who else has been described as a “prophet” in Luke’s story? What role do they play?

Can you recall any other female prophets? (Look especially at Luke 2:36.) What special contributions do they make to Luke’s story of Jesus and his followers?

In the light of all these passages that we have looked at in Luke-Acts, what can we say about the significance of women in the ministry of Jesus? in the early Christian movement? in the community of which Luke was a part?

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This study forms part of a 64-page study booklet, From Learners to Leaders: an exploration of the Gospel for Year C, by John Squires and Elizabeth Raine (available in hardcopy directly from myself at johntsquires@bigpond.com)

See also

https://johntsquires.wordpress.com/2019/01/31/an-orderly-account-a-quick-guide-to-luke-and-acts/

https://johntsquires.wordpress.com/2019/02/05/costly-discipleship-according-to-luke/

https://johntsquires.wordpress.com/2019/02/19/the-beloved-physician-the-lover-of-god-and-loving-our-enemies-luke-6/

https://johntsquires.wordpress.com/2019/04/17/the-death-resurrection-and-ascension-of-jesus-in-lukes-orderly-account/

https://johntsquires.com/2019/04/26/the-cross-cultural-nature-of-the-early-jesus-movement/

https://johntsquires.com/2019/05/22/jesus-and-his-followers-at-table-in-lukes-orderly-account/

https://johntsquires.com/2019/04/30/the-calling-of-saul-and-the-turn-to-the-gentiles-modelling-the-missional-imperative-acts-8-12/

https://johntsquires.com/2019/07/02/from-learners-to-leaders-deepening-discipleship-in-lukes-orderly-account/