Proper 4
Preaching
Preaching Luke's Gospel
A Narrative Approach
Luke 7:1 marks a transition in the flow of material in this Gospel. We move from the sayings of Jesus to the deeds of Jesus.
... Luke has pulled together the following stories into a "Christological drama" in which the authority of Jesus' messiahship will be revealed, while still hidden in the mystery of the necessity of his rejection and death. "Who Jesus is" will be made evident in a variety of displays, but "why he must die" becomes the motive power of the plot of the narrative ... Luke's "Christology" is ... a per-sistent demonstration that Jesus is truly the anointed one of God, the fulfillment of God's promises and the faithful revelation of God's will and rule. This "Christological drama" is, therefore ... a dynamic demonstration of God's will and greatness, driving finally to the mystery of the necessity of the death of the Messiah.1
Tiede also points out that the material in Luke 7 has to do with Jesus as the prophet of God. We will take up this prophet theme in Chapter 15.
In this particular story we hear about a Gentile, a centurion in the Roman army, who comes to Jesus on behalf of his sick slave. We have discussed the faith of the centurion in Chapter 9. His faith is so much like the faith of Mary. "Only speak the word, and let my servant be healed," says the centurion (7:7). "Let it be with me according to your word," says Mary. (1:38). Faith is created by the power of God's authoritative word. Faith is response to the power of this word!
Another common Lukan theme touched upon in this story is the theme of the power and authority of God's word. We have heard of Jesus' powerful word in many of the earlier Lukan stories. This story puts it so very well as the centurion, who knows the power of his word, also grasps the power of Jesus' word.
Still another common Lukan theme is part of the life of this centurion's story. The centurion is a Gentile!
The barrier which excludes Gentiles is only gradually broken down in Luke-Acts. Jesus is willing to heal the centurion's servant and even willing to come to his house. But the centurion assumes that this is too much to ask and prevents him. In Acts 10 another Gentile centurion appears. Peter does associate with him and stays in his house, behavior which he must defend when he returns to Jerusalem.2
The theme of the "light for the revelation to the Gentiles" (Luke 2:30-32, 32) appears early and often in Luke's Gospel. It is one of the dominant themes of the Lukan material and deserves at least one Sunday of full attention. Simeon's song in Luke 2 makes reference to Isaiah 49:6: "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth." In his commentary David Tiede says that this Isaiah passage might very well be the thematic statement of Luke's entire narrative!
This theme is next touched upon in Luke 3:4-6 where Luke identifies John the Baptist with the quotation from Isaiah 40. This is not new. Both Matthew and Mark also quote Isaiah 40 with reference to John's ministry. Only Luke, however, continues the Isaiah quotation through Isaiah 40:5: "Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." (Emphasis mine.) Luke places the theme of mission to the Gentiles on the lips of John the Baptist. This is of vital importance for Luke.
The next reference to the Gentile theme is the genealogy of Jesus as given by Luke in 3:23-38. Matthew's genealogy (Matthew 1:1-17) traces Jesus' lineage to Abraham, the ancestor of the Israelite people. Luke's genealogy goes back to Adam, the ancestor of all people!
Luke 7:1-10, the text appointed for this week, presents us with our first Gentile person! He is a good person, a model of faithful response to the powerful word of the Savior.
Luke 21:20-24 speaks of the times of fulfillment for the Gentiles.
Luke 24:44-51 contains Jesus' last words to his disciples in Luke's way of telling the story. This is a very important passage because in this passage Luke presents us with a summary of Jesus' mission. Jesus has fulfilled all that is written in the law and the prophets. The Messiah had to suffer in order that repentance and forgiveness should be preached in his name to all nations. The disciples are given this charge to mission and then asked to wait. They are to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father. It will be through the power of the Holy Spirit that the message of Jesus Christ will be preached to all nations.
Luke opens the book of Acts where he has left off. Again we hear Jesus charging the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father, to wait for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit: "... you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Pentecost is coming, and Pentecost is about a mission to all peoples.
Acts 2:1-47 tells of the Pentecost that happened in Jerusalem. That's where Jesus said things would begin. Acts 8:4-24 tells of the "Samaritan Pentecost." The Holy Spirit is at work breaking down the barriers between people. The Holy Spirit is at work fashioning a new kind of "inclusive" community. Acts 10:1„11:18 tells of a "Gentile Pentecost." Here is another Roman centurion who plays a key role in the movement of the Spirit which gathers Gentiles into God's coming kingdom.
The book of Acts ends with a note of mission to the Gentiles (Acts 28:23-31). This closing story is dominated by the ongoing unbelief of the Jewish people. They hear but they do not under-stand. They see but they do not perceive. So Paul announces: "Let it be known to you then that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen" (Acts 28:28). Luke closes his two-volume work with the word that Paul did what he said: he preached the kingdom of God in Rome. He preached openly. He was not hindered.
The book of Acts ends, that is, with the reality of preaching to the Gentiles. Will they listen? Will we? Do we? At this point Luke's writing really ends in our human heart. We are the Gentiles. Do we listen? And, if we have listened, do we join in our own way to keep this preaching going to all the peoples of the earth? Like much of Holy Scripture, Luke-Acts has an open-ended conclusion. It concludes with an existential question for each human heart!
Homiletical Directions
The directions for preaching on this text are manifold. The reality of the centurion's faith could be highlighted along with other stories of faith in Luke. Chapter 9 can give guidance on this pos-sibility.
Another possibility is to deal with the theme of the authority and power of God's word. Earlier chapters have also dealt with this theme.
Chapter 7 of Luke is a kind of Christological drama. It raises the question of the identity of Jesus. The centurion understands Jesus to be a man with a powerful word. The people of Nain see Jesus as a prophet: Luke 7:11-17, 16. (This text is Proper 4 in the Lukan lectionary cycle.) Luke 7:18-35 (none of this material appears in the lectionary year) deals with Jesus' identity in relation to John the Baptist. John asks who Jesus is and Jesus, in turn, speaks of the relationship between the ministry of John and his own ministry.
In Luke 7:36-50 (Proper 6) the question arises again about whether or not Jesus might be a prophet. If so, he reveals himself to be a prophet who associates with sinners and who has the power on earth to forgive sins.
Certainly these stories in Luke 7 could be put together sermonically as a way of addressing the question of Jesus' identity. This sermon could end in a wonderful first person proclamation wherein Jesus announces to us, "My word is powerful; I give life to the dead; I associate with sinners; I announce the forgiveness of sins." Jesus' answer to John's question, "Are you the one who is to come...?" (7:20-22) could also be used in this series of closing proclamations.
Still another very important sermon possibility with this text is the Gentile theme that is raised by the appearance of the faithful centurion. This is a dominant theme in Luke and should really be touched upon on more than one occasion during the Lukan year. We have cited a number of passages that touch the mission to the Gentiles theme in Luke. Put together the stories that best suit the way you wish to narrate this theme.
The direction of the Gentile theme itself can move in a variety of directions. It can certainly be used to lift up the theme of mission. A missionary challenge can be issued to our congregations. A theme of such a sermon might be, "Have you left Jerusalem yet?" See Acts 1:8.
A second possibility with these Gentile stories is to touch the theme of the inclusive character of the gospel message. This theme is of vital importance to Luke! We hear the challenge to be an "in-clusive church" quite often these days. It's probably too bad we have to borrow "politically correct language" to talk about the all-embracing intention of the gospel. It might be better if we chal-lenged each other to be "pentecostal churches." The pentecostal stories in Acts (in Jerusalem, Samaria, and the ends of the earth) are wonderful stories which tell of incredible boundaries being broken down between peoples as the Spirit-empowered message of Jesus Christ enfolds peoples of all nations within its household.
____________
1.aDavid L. Tiede, Luke: Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament (Minne-apolis: Augsburg, 1988), pp. 147-148.
2.aRobert C. Tannehill, The Narrative Unity of Luke-Acts, Volume One (Phila-delphia: Fortress, 1986), p. 115.
... Luke has pulled together the following stories into a "Christological drama" in which the authority of Jesus' messiahship will be revealed, while still hidden in the mystery of the necessity of his rejection and death. "Who Jesus is" will be made evident in a variety of displays, but "why he must die" becomes the motive power of the plot of the narrative ... Luke's "Christology" is ... a per-sistent demonstration that Jesus is truly the anointed one of God, the fulfillment of God's promises and the faithful revelation of God's will and rule. This "Christological drama" is, therefore ... a dynamic demonstration of God's will and greatness, driving finally to the mystery of the necessity of the death of the Messiah.1
Tiede also points out that the material in Luke 7 has to do with Jesus as the prophet of God. We will take up this prophet theme in Chapter 15.
In this particular story we hear about a Gentile, a centurion in the Roman army, who comes to Jesus on behalf of his sick slave. We have discussed the faith of the centurion in Chapter 9. His faith is so much like the faith of Mary. "Only speak the word, and let my servant be healed," says the centurion (7:7). "Let it be with me according to your word," says Mary. (1:38). Faith is created by the power of God's authoritative word. Faith is response to the power of this word!
Another common Lukan theme touched upon in this story is the theme of the power and authority of God's word. We have heard of Jesus' powerful word in many of the earlier Lukan stories. This story puts it so very well as the centurion, who knows the power of his word, also grasps the power of Jesus' word.
Still another common Lukan theme is part of the life of this centurion's story. The centurion is a Gentile!
The barrier which excludes Gentiles is only gradually broken down in Luke-Acts. Jesus is willing to heal the centurion's servant and even willing to come to his house. But the centurion assumes that this is too much to ask and prevents him. In Acts 10 another Gentile centurion appears. Peter does associate with him and stays in his house, behavior which he must defend when he returns to Jerusalem.2
The theme of the "light for the revelation to the Gentiles" (Luke 2:30-32, 32) appears early and often in Luke's Gospel. It is one of the dominant themes of the Lukan material and deserves at least one Sunday of full attention. Simeon's song in Luke 2 makes reference to Isaiah 49:6: "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth." In his commentary David Tiede says that this Isaiah passage might very well be the thematic statement of Luke's entire narrative!
This theme is next touched upon in Luke 3:4-6 where Luke identifies John the Baptist with the quotation from Isaiah 40. This is not new. Both Matthew and Mark also quote Isaiah 40 with reference to John's ministry. Only Luke, however, continues the Isaiah quotation through Isaiah 40:5: "Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." (Emphasis mine.) Luke places the theme of mission to the Gentiles on the lips of John the Baptist. This is of vital importance for Luke.
The next reference to the Gentile theme is the genealogy of Jesus as given by Luke in 3:23-38. Matthew's genealogy (Matthew 1:1-17) traces Jesus' lineage to Abraham, the ancestor of the Israelite people. Luke's genealogy goes back to Adam, the ancestor of all people!
Luke 7:1-10, the text appointed for this week, presents us with our first Gentile person! He is a good person, a model of faithful response to the powerful word of the Savior.
Luke 21:20-24 speaks of the times of fulfillment for the Gentiles.
Luke 24:44-51 contains Jesus' last words to his disciples in Luke's way of telling the story. This is a very important passage because in this passage Luke presents us with a summary of Jesus' mission. Jesus has fulfilled all that is written in the law and the prophets. The Messiah had to suffer in order that repentance and forgiveness should be preached in his name to all nations. The disciples are given this charge to mission and then asked to wait. They are to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father. It will be through the power of the Holy Spirit that the message of Jesus Christ will be preached to all nations.
Luke opens the book of Acts where he has left off. Again we hear Jesus charging the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father, to wait for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit: "... you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Pentecost is coming, and Pentecost is about a mission to all peoples.
Acts 2:1-47 tells of the Pentecost that happened in Jerusalem. That's where Jesus said things would begin. Acts 8:4-24 tells of the "Samaritan Pentecost." The Holy Spirit is at work breaking down the barriers between people. The Holy Spirit is at work fashioning a new kind of "inclusive" community. Acts 10:1„11:18 tells of a "Gentile Pentecost." Here is another Roman centurion who plays a key role in the movement of the Spirit which gathers Gentiles into God's coming kingdom.
The book of Acts ends with a note of mission to the Gentiles (Acts 28:23-31). This closing story is dominated by the ongoing unbelief of the Jewish people. They hear but they do not under-stand. They see but they do not perceive. So Paul announces: "Let it be known to you then that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen" (Acts 28:28). Luke closes his two-volume work with the word that Paul did what he said: he preached the kingdom of God in Rome. He preached openly. He was not hindered.
The book of Acts ends, that is, with the reality of preaching to the Gentiles. Will they listen? Will we? Do we? At this point Luke's writing really ends in our human heart. We are the Gentiles. Do we listen? And, if we have listened, do we join in our own way to keep this preaching going to all the peoples of the earth? Like much of Holy Scripture, Luke-Acts has an open-ended conclusion. It concludes with an existential question for each human heart!
Homiletical Directions
The directions for preaching on this text are manifold. The reality of the centurion's faith could be highlighted along with other stories of faith in Luke. Chapter 9 can give guidance on this pos-sibility.
Another possibility is to deal with the theme of the authority and power of God's word. Earlier chapters have also dealt with this theme.
Chapter 7 of Luke is a kind of Christological drama. It raises the question of the identity of Jesus. The centurion understands Jesus to be a man with a powerful word. The people of Nain see Jesus as a prophet: Luke 7:11-17, 16. (This text is Proper 4 in the Lukan lectionary cycle.) Luke 7:18-35 (none of this material appears in the lectionary year) deals with Jesus' identity in relation to John the Baptist. John asks who Jesus is and Jesus, in turn, speaks of the relationship between the ministry of John and his own ministry.
In Luke 7:36-50 (Proper 6) the question arises again about whether or not Jesus might be a prophet. If so, he reveals himself to be a prophet who associates with sinners and who has the power on earth to forgive sins.
Certainly these stories in Luke 7 could be put together sermonically as a way of addressing the question of Jesus' identity. This sermon could end in a wonderful first person proclamation wherein Jesus announces to us, "My word is powerful; I give life to the dead; I associate with sinners; I announce the forgiveness of sins." Jesus' answer to John's question, "Are you the one who is to come...?" (7:20-22) could also be used in this series of closing proclamations.
Still another very important sermon possibility with this text is the Gentile theme that is raised by the appearance of the faithful centurion. This is a dominant theme in Luke and should really be touched upon on more than one occasion during the Lukan year. We have cited a number of passages that touch the mission to the Gentiles theme in Luke. Put together the stories that best suit the way you wish to narrate this theme.
The direction of the Gentile theme itself can move in a variety of directions. It can certainly be used to lift up the theme of mission. A missionary challenge can be issued to our congregations. A theme of such a sermon might be, "Have you left Jerusalem yet?" See Acts 1:8.
A second possibility with these Gentile stories is to touch the theme of the inclusive character of the gospel message. This theme is of vital importance to Luke! We hear the challenge to be an "in-clusive church" quite often these days. It's probably too bad we have to borrow "politically correct language" to talk about the all-embracing intention of the gospel. It might be better if we chal-lenged each other to be "pentecostal churches." The pentecostal stories in Acts (in Jerusalem, Samaria, and the ends of the earth) are wonderful stories which tell of incredible boundaries being broken down between peoples as the Spirit-empowered message of Jesus Christ enfolds peoples of all nations within its household.
____________
1.aDavid L. Tiede, Luke: Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament (Minne-apolis: Augsburg, 1988), pp. 147-148.
2.aRobert C. Tannehill, The Narrative Unity of Luke-Acts, Volume One (Phila-delphia: Fortress, 1986), p. 115.
