Luke’s gospel is long and so the Lectionary has omitted much of the gospel
for the Sunday readings. That’s a shame since Luke writes so carefully and
structures the sequence of the story in such a way that one narrative flows into
the next. With such omissions it is hard for the preacher, who preaches
regularly, to build one preaching on another from Sunday to Sunday.
As we prepare our preaching we must reflect on the context of a story so that we
capture Luke’s intention and the development of his message. Jean La Verdiere
(“Preaching 86: the Gospel of Luke,” CHURCH, Winter 1985, pgs. 3-7) points to
another difficulty with the Lectionary’s omissions. When a Sunday reading has a
discourse by Jesus, the Lectionary often omits the introduction and we lose the
context and reason that prompted Jesus’ words. So, the preacher must note these
introductions in the work of interpretation. Luke’s narrative isn’t meant to be
a history. Rather, it is a theological interpretation of Jesus’s life. He wants
to show how, through the story of Jesus’ life and ministry, the biblical
promises are being fulfilled. When the preacher approaches these Sunday readings
we will want to study each in the context in which they appear. Avoid trying to
blend them with their parallels in the other gospels, except perhaps to compare
similar texts to learn what makes a Lucan passage unique.
La Verdiere also recommends the need to be aware of Luke’s major themes and how
they color each passage. We should also note how a particular passage
contributes to the development of the theme in the full gospel. He says that
once Luke has introduced a theme, he does not let it drop away, but develops it
throughout his whole gospel. While more than one of these themes appears in
individual passages, we need not feel obliged to preach on all of them, lest we
produce “biblical indigestion” in our hearers. Rather, while being aware of the
flow of Luke’s gospel, the preacher should focus on one theme as it appears in a
passage, paying special attention to how the passage develops and nuances the
theme.
Each gospel writer has a unique way of presenting the Good News, each a unique
style and different purpose or goal. It is obvious that Luke wrote for a rather
sophisticated Greek-speaking community. His readers were familiar with Greek and
Roman literary styles, as well as with the Hebrew scriptures. Luke starts
immediately by spelling out his intentions (1:1-4). He says he has “carefully
traced the whole sequence of events from the beginning” and intends to write it
out.
Speaking to one he addresses as “Your Excellency,” Luke says he wants his reader
to see “how reliable the instruction was that you received.” Then he sets out
his narrative. Luke’s gospel is just the first of a two volume work and so what
he writes in his gospel anticipates what will later appear in Acts and some
details in the gospel become clearer when seen in the light of Acts. While both
the Gospel and Acts are addressed to the unknown Theophilus (Lk 1:3; Acts 1:1),
it is clear from the beginning that Luke is writing for a wider audience, since
the name means “beloved of God.” He intends the gospel to be a guide to
believers and a consolation that will encourage their faith journey. As the
church grows in numbers and expands into diverse regions of the world, this
gospel is intended to help the community face new challenges and address
questions about the faith that will inevitably arise.
Luke shows the hand of an educated and cultured writer. He writes for a church
needing to adapt to the delay of the Lord’s return. His introduction shows he
wants to provide a defense for the Christian faith. With few exceptions,
Christians were meant to live in the world and Luke is sensitive to the
Hellenistic world the church was encountering as it spread. He also has an
appreciation for the roots of the faith in Judaism. His Jewish readers would
notice in the gospel evidence of their liturgical celebrations; while his
Hellenistic readers would appreciate the gospel’s journey narrative, a literary
device found in classic Greek narratives such as the Odyssey. Believers needed
to be conscious of this larger world into which the faith had grown.
As the Sundays proceed the preacher will detect Luke’s artistic gifts and
characteristics. For example, in the beginning he builds a sense of dramatic
expectancy that is satisfied with the birth of Christ. Jesus will draw followers
as he travels, preaches and performs miracles. As the initial stories occur in
the Sunday cycles the preacher can emphasize the way these followers receive the
mystery of God in their presence. The evangelist shows Jesus praying at key
moments in his ministry. From the beginning, Jesus’ journey is made in prayer.
For example, Luke tells us that at his baptism the Spirit of God descended on
Jesus while he was at prayer. Luke teaches us a lot about prayer, but not just
in the specific prayer sections. The narratives call believers to reverence and
awe for what God is doing in Jesus. Thus, the preacher has an opportunity to
preach to modern believers about prayer in a hectic world; not just how to pray,
but about the spirit of prayer for people, who like Jesus and his disciples, are
“on the move.”
The gospel was written in a time of transition, as the church looked outward
to expansion into the wider world. Initially the early believers were filled
with the creativity and enthusiasm of a new faith community. But by the time
Luke wrote, the danger for the believers was compromise and comfort. There were
problems in the community as well as discouragement and a loss of the earlier
missionary zeal and fire that characterized the first generation of believers.
The first Christians expected a speedy return of the Lord. Mark, an earlier
gospel, stirred up Christian anticipation of the Second Coming. But Luke admits
we do not know when the end will come (19:11). So he has to deal with the delay
and the issue of Christians who are tiring and being distracted by the world
around them. This gospel is for us while we wait, share in our church life, and
strive to respond to the needs of the world around us.
Luke was a second or third generation Christian. He had not seen Jesus or
witnessed the marvels about which he writes. Like us he had to make a decision
to follow Christ and to be faithful to a community of prayer and service. In
this gospel disciples are asked to live totally dedicated lives. When stories of
the demands of discipleship appear in the Sunday sequence of readings, the
preacher, while enumerating what following Christ in our modern world requires,
will be sure to emphasize God’s presence with us in our struggles and our need
to express our dependance on God through trusting prayer. It is in praying at
these difficult moments that we are reminded what Luke stresses – that we are
not left alone as we wait for the Lord’s return.
Luke’s parables stir up a particular kind of prayer. Many are about losing and
finding (the coins, sheep, prodigal son, etc.); they announce God’s mercy. These
parables encourage prayers of contrition for they assure forgiveness. With this
assurance of mercy the penitent responds with joy and gratitude, two strong
themes that are woven throughout this gospel. Such prayer is appropriately on
the lips of those who are outcast and on the fringes of society, for they are
assured in this gospel that they are important – women, the poor, gentiles and
the sick. (One response Luke stresses is an appreciation and acceptance of
minorities and the poor. His gospel calls for justice for all people.) While
society may treat them as less, Luke’s Jesus includes them and assures them that
before God they are noticed, even esteemed and that their prayers are heard.
This Lucan message of God’s embrace of the outcast is a good summary of Luke’s
gospel and one that preachers should stress in this “Year of Luke.”
Jude Siciliano, OP,
Preacher
Dominican Friars of Irving, Texas
