First family
Commentary
Object:
Whenever a new president is elected, tabloids and journals bump sales by profiling the arrival of the next "First Family." Women's clothing choices, children's behavior, couples' tenderness or standoffishness are duly chronicled. Some First Families create idyllic portraits of the closest thing Americans will have to royalty (the Kennedys and "Camelot"). Others bring homespun commonness into the White House (the Carters). A few depict dynasties in the making (the Bushes, first and second), while yet others seem to leap off the silver screen and bring Hollywood to life (the Reagans). A few seem to be political teams (the Clintons, the Obamas), although one always defers publicly to the other as a matter of domestic efficiency and diplomatic focus.
Perhaps it is because our lives are eternally caught up in the drama of naming, claiming, and defaming cultural icons that some families stand above us as types and symbols of greater meaning and significance. It happens in the church too. We are more than a little curious about the First Family of Christianity. We pick up prescient clues today from Isaiah about theology as romantic drama, looking for more details about wedding dresses and royal ceremonies. We hear from the apostle Paul a sound-bite summary of how this drama began and played out and when the marriage is consummated, and we are the first on hand with Luke to view the special days of celebration in the life of the First Family everyone is talking about.
Isaiah 61:10--62:3
When children play "dress up" they are enacting common social rituals. Lovers dress up for special dates. Spouses dress up to go out for an evening. Actors dress up to get on stage. Soldiers dress up for the parade march. Business leaders dress up for the big meeting. Children dress up for the first day of school. Gangs dress up in the right colors of identity. Football fans dress up in team pigments. Choirs dress up for performance. To dress up is to enter a community of kindred spirits or to take up a role of identity.
This is the theme of Isaiah's message in today's lectionary reading. After monitoring the demise of Jerusalem and the degradation of the community of Yahweh through years of repeated military defeats and ignoble siege and exile, the bounce-back is about to happen. Israel is getting a new lease on life. Little Judah will triumph where only loss and pain and suffering had made the news for as long as anyone can remember.
What will be the sign of these things? A "dress up" party! The people of God are going to get new clothes. They will be washed and perfumed for a date. They will wear the garb of a wedding celebration. They will put on the threads of finery and dance the night away. The music will blare, the singers will croon love ballads, and the orchestra will strike up a triumphant march as the Lovers, Yahweh and Israel, head for the altar and every camera will catch a royal pose for the gossip networks of heaven and earth.
Isaiah's portrait of salvation is that of the arrival of a new First Family among the nations of the earth. Rising from the shadows of suffering, standing amid the symbols of salvation, dancing on the floor of forgiveness, God gets friendly with humankind and chooses a Bride to cherish.
On this first day of a new Christmas season, in which we bow to the God who keeps promises and enters our world, we lilt a jig in music of caroling, keeping alive the attention of our world to the big news, the Good News, the dawning of a new age in which Camelot begins all over again and this time will not have within her secret places the specter of her own destruction. For the Bridegroom who adorns his Bride has already found and dealt with the skeletons in every closet.
On this first day of a New Year, the weeping and wailing of another frightful swing around the sun is like the distant voices on the last amusement park ride, and the song of the dawn is hope and joy and expectation. You can see it glowing on the face of the First Family!
Galatians 4:4-7
During a prayer meeting in the church in Antioch, probably in early 48 AD, those petitioning heaven received a very strong divine message that their primary leadership team was supposed to be sent on a missionary journey (Acts 13:1-3). We do not have details about how the plans were laid, but it is reasonable to suppose that they arranged a trip into familiar territory. Cyprus was Barnabas' home turf, and it may well be that after they blitzed across that island they intended to travel back to Antioch along the Pamphylian coast, stopping briefly in Tarsus along the way.
Indeed, they traveled the length of Cyprus, preaching along the way and then boarded boats for the mainland. But at the seaport of Perga, John Mark left them and "returned to Jerusalem" (Acts 13:13). Also, it seems that Paul might have gotten sick at that point in their travels. What the illness was is not certain, but when he later wrote to those he and Barnabas met in the highlands of central Asia Minor, he reminded them that "it as because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you" (Galatians 4:13). A further clue to these events is found in Paul's later cryptic testimony that something was wrong with his eyes (Galatians 4:15). Since the Pamphylian coastline is marshy and mosquito-ridden, it might have been malaria that laid Paul low. That would explain why the team went immediately up into the highlands rather than continuing along the shore.
There are hints that a switch in leadership was taking place during this time. Until the travelers arrived in Pisidian Antioch (not to be confused with Syrian Antioch, from which they had come), Barnabas was always listed first by Luke. He was the one who had met Paul in Jerusalem sometime after Paul's conversion and introduced him around to the skittish apostles who thought this might be a double-agent ploy to have them arrested or killed. It was Barnabas who searched for Paul, asking him to come as a colleague to plant the new international congregation in Antioch. And across the island of Cyprus, it was Barnabas who seemed to have taken the lead on his home turf.
Now, however, in Acts 13:14, the leadership mantle suddenly shifts to Paul. He determines where the group will go and stands to deliver the message of Jesus. In Pisidian Antioch Paul preached a historical review of God's work in the synagogue, leading finally to a message about Jesus being the messiah. A week later "almost the whole city" came out because this new gospel was creating quite a stir. While many believed, jealous Jews incited a riot that forced Paul and Barnabas out of the synagogue. They spent the next days in the marketplace speaking to Gentiles as well as Jews but the animosity was building and soon the travelers were forced from the city (Acts 13:14-31).
Down the road, at a smaller town named Iconium, Paul and Barnabas again preached in the Jewish synagogue to good response. But like before, growing Jewish resentment caused them to turn to the Gentiles. Soon a plot against them was discovered, and they moved on again (Acts 14:1-7).
At Lystra the pair encountered a crippled man just outside of town. He was begging for alms, but Paul raised him up healed. This cause a serious commotion and the entire population turned out to worship Paul and Barnabas as Hermes and Zeus, key leaders among the Greek gods. When Paul convinced them that he and his companions were only human, worship turned to disgust, and enemies who had dogged their heels from Antioch turned the crowds against them. They were stoned and left for dead. Fortunately, some sympathetic care providers nurtured back the almost extinguished sparks of life in them, and after a short while of secretive recovery they moved on again (Acts 14:8-20).
Traveling over to nearby Derbe (Acts 14:21), the team preached about Jesus and then wended their way home. They stopped briefly in each highland community where they had recently spent a few days or weeks, appointing elders in the new Christian congregations (Acts 14:22-25). Returning to Syrian Antioch, they brought a report of their mission journey to their home congregation (Acts 14:26-28).
That's when the trouble started (Acts 15; Galatians 2). Reports of Gentile converts to Christianity sizzled toward Jerusalem. Peter came up to Antioch to celebrate this exciting mission work, but others with less enthusiasm were soon sent by James (the brother of Jesus and leader of the Jerusalem congregation) to ensure that all was happening in an appropriate manner. These representatives announced that Gentiles had to become Jews in belief and practice before they could become part of the Christian church. After all, Jesus was Jewish, and was being acclaimed as the Messiah foretold by Israel's prophets.
These ambassadors of the Jerusalem church instituted separate meal and communion practices, making it clear that only those who were ceremonially pure could take positions of leadership in the community. Much to Paul's surprise, even Peter allied himself with those advocating these discriminating practices. Paul, of course, was anything but timid and accosted Peter publicly, creating even stronger polarization among the congregations on these matters.
The disease of Jewish superiority spread to the churches of Paul's and Barnabas' recent mission journey and threatened to split the infant Christian community before it had even an opportunity to get started. In response, Paul dashed off a letter to the churches of "Galatia," the Roman district through which they had traveled on their mission trek.
In the first part of this passionate letter (Galatians 1-2), Paul reviewed his personal journey to an understanding of freedom in Christ and lamented the recent developments that had seemingly stolen away this freedom from many of them. Next Paul went into a lengthy Jewish rabbinic argument about how Abraham was counted as "righteous" in his relationship with God already before he entered into the rituals of circumcision. Paul concluded that neither circumcision nor any other ceremonial expression was absolutely necessary for a meaningful relationship with God and that Jesus' recent teachings, death, and resurrection only reaffirmed and expanded this truth. In fact, said Paul, the "Law" (that is, the ceremonial dimensions of the Sinai covenant) was like a teacher who was no longer needed after a child became fully mature.
Using a rabbinic allegory, Paul pointed to Hagar and her son Ishmael as representations of Abraham's "slave" side of the family, regulated by the social codes from Mount Sinai. Sarah and her son Isaac, on the other hand, were symbols of Abraham's "free" side of the family, and lived out of the delight which was expressed through ecstatic worship in Jerusalem. In the final portion of his letter (Galatians 5-6), Paul used very strong language to urge the expression of true freedom in Christ. This is found in neither the legalism of ritual religious regimens which bind and burden, nor in licentiousness which turns us evil and ugly. Rather, true Christian freedom is experienced when we no longer consider ourselves under external demands that have no important ends in themselves, but when we voluntarily give ourselves as slaves to God and others out of love. In this context there can be no division between "Jewish Christians" and "Gentile Christians," for the church of Jesus Christ has become the new "Israel of God" (Galatians 6:16).
This is the context for today's lectionary reading. Bigger than the drama of Jew and Gentile in competition, larger than the factionalization of the young church, more important than who will be considered first- or second- or third-tier leaders, of greater significance than worship styles and communion practices, is the drama of salvation. It is a royal love story in which the Bridegroom is the Creator of heaven and earth, and he chooses for himself a lucky girl from the human race. They become the First Family of faith in order that a new clan of citizens might climb to the top of the world.
Luke 2:22-40
If the portrait of Jesus in Mark's gospel is that of the Son of God who arrives with great authority to overcome all other powers that demean, demoralize, demonize, dehumanize, and diminish; and the portrait of Jesus in Matthew's gospel is that of the Messiah King who fulfills Old Testament prophecy, relives the life of Israel, teaches the life of discipleship, and rises to rule over all nations; the gospel of Luke expands these themes for a more specifically Gentile Christian audience. Luke indicates in his introduction (Luke 1:1-4) that he spent time with eyewitnesses of Jesus' life and ministry in order to gain additional knowledge beyond that which was otherwise available through the oral traditions of the apostles and the written proclamations of Mark's gospel.
As with the other gospels, putting Luke's name to it as author is a bit of a detective search, coupled with a reliance on the testimony of early Christian sources. From the gospel itself we become aware that the author is certainly well-educated. He uses excellent literary Greek style and vocabulary, he knows history and current affairs, he is aware of geography and distances in travel, and he understands social customs in various places. He is also curious and pursues investigative research because he believes that knowledge is a source of wisdom and insight. Beyond that, the author of this gospel shows a special interest in the sick and the culturally marginalized. More than any of the other gospels, this one resonates with moments when Jesus sees those who have been turned out by polite society and shows how they matter greatly to God.
The introductions to this gospel (Luke 1:1-4) and the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1:1-2) affirm their common authorship. Moreover, when probing who this writer was and where he came from, there is a revealing testimony in Acts 16:6-12. Besides outlining the actual details of Paul's travel itinerary, this paragraph changes from third to first person as the narrative moves from beginning to end. It starts with a description of what Paul and his companions were doing and how they got to Troas. But when this missionary troupe leaves that city, suddenly the narrative becomes personal: "we" traveled on to Macedonia because God had called "us" to preach there.
This indicates that the author of the book of Acts (and thereby the gospel of Luke) was someone living in Troas who joined Paul's missionary tour from that city. Other notes from Paul's letters and testimony from the early church indicate that this "someone" was Luke, a doctor who may well have been called in to treat Paul for a recurrent malady. In Colossians 4:14, Paul called Luke "our dear friend... the doctor," and in the greetings of Philemon 24-25 he is listed as one of Paul's "fellow workers."
Because many doctors in that world started their professions as slaves who functioned as assistant-apprentices to other doctors, some have speculated that this may also have been Luke's background. It might help explain his constant attention to the oppressed social outcasts encountered by Jesus. Some legends also tell of Luke's painting skills, but like other tidbits of information we might glean, this is at best speculation.
The shape of the gospel according to Luke, however, presents a number of clear ideas about how Luke understood the drama of salvation. For instance:
* In a personal introductory note, Luke speaks to his specific intended audience, a man called Theophilus. While this is likely the official name of an actual individual, it is also possible that the term was a nickname or pseudonym for a person whom Luke wanted to protect because he was in a position of government leadership that could be compromised if he was found to be associating with this suspiciously regarded branch of Judaism. "Theophilus" might also be a generic term used to indicate Christians generally, since it means "God's friend." In any case, this person (or these people) appears to be a recent Gentile convert to Christian beliefs, possibly through Paul's preaching on one of the mission journeys where Luke was a partner. The little designation "most excellent" (Luke 1:3) was often used as a formal manner of address for Roman officials and this may indicate that Theophilus was a local or regional ruler. * As does Matthew, Luke also adds birth stories to Mark's narrative (Luke 1-2). These focus on the preparation that took place to ensure Jesus' appropriate arrival and setting. They also clearly articulate the miraculous nature of Jesus' birth and are accompanied by songs of Zechariah, Mary, and Simeon, all of whom speak of the reversal of fortunes that will be brought about by this wonderful act of God.
* Luke ties the events of Jesus' life directly to historical circumstances in the greater Roman world. He reports that Jesus' birth occurred during the reign of Caesar Augustus and the governorship of Quirinius (Luke 2:1-2). Later he mentions that the beginnings of Jesus' ministry took place in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar's rule (Luke 3:1). The connection with Caesar Augustus is particularly striking, since Augustus was the great ruler who brought about the Pax Romana, the peace of Rome. Luke makes evident, particularly through the song of the angels to the shepherds, that even in those times of relative international calm, the greater gift of divine peace was needed by humankind and could be brought only through Jesus.
* Also unique to Luke's presentation is the strong emphasis on worship and song and prayer. The gospel itself begins and ends in the Temple, where people are gathered for times of public devotion. At the coming of Jesus, a number of songs are sung (by Mary, Zechariah, the angels, and Simeon). Prayer also forms a key element of Jesus' teachings with an even greater emphasis brought to it than noted by Mark (see especially Luke 11:1-13).
* Perhaps the most striking and clearly Lukan focus, in conveying the message about Jesus, is his recognition that God has special care for the poor (noted in Mary's song, identified in the offering brought by Joseph and Mary at Jesus' circumcision, asserted through the record of Jesus' pronouncements of woes on the rich and blessings on the poor, and insinuated in the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man), the sick (notably the number of demon-possessed who are healed by Jesus, and also the lepers who are cleansed, and the paralyzed who are restored to mobility), the marginalized (shepherds, children, tax collectors, prostitutes, Samaritans, and the blind), and women (Mary, Elizabeth, widows, the hemorrhaging woman, Mary and Martha, and the crippled woman).
This last note is particularly important for our understanding of today's gospel reading. It is certainly intended to be a snapshot of the First Family of faith in their first public outing and in the little details of the picture we are told many things. First, they are a God-fearing, law-abiding family, since they present their firstborn for circumcision on the eighth day of life (a practice that had fallen on hard times for many Jews in the first century). Second, they are poor, because Luke takes pains to quote the scripture text (Leviticus 12:8) that states the alternative offering at the time of circumcision granted to very poor families who cannot afford the usual and expected sacrifice of a year-old lamb and a young pigeon or dove. Third, the Holy Spirit of God is at work, for radiations of divine revelation flow out from this First Family so that those in proximity are able to read the signs of the times and understand the unique significance of what is transpiring as the Old Age slips over into the New Age. Fourth, this new age is one in which the method of salvation is changing from an Israelite priority tied to the Promised Land standing at the center of global politics and cultural drama, to a time when all peoples (remember that Luke was a Gentile who had never seen Jesus in person, and a fellow missionary with Paul among other Gentiles) have equal footing in their pull toward the kingdom of God. Fifth, this transition would be a painful one for the remnant of Israel, which had begun equating the redemptive election received through father Abraham with social privilege and was about to find out that such was not the case. Sixth, Christian faith as romantic love emanates from the short scene of Anna, who had been married to her earthly husband for a few years (seven) but for most of her adult life had been married to God in a way that was to become typical of how religion functioned.
Application
Our culture seems gossip-hungry and celebrity-frenzied. Popular actors are identified as "stars," and people's lives are scrutinized by tabloids simply because they have wealth or public notoriety.
Sometimes in the church, especially in the Protestant tradition, the lives and times of the First Family of faith are underplayed. Religion becomes overly spiritual and the incredible reality of God entering the realities of daily lives to create humble human superstars through whom history is changed forever can be lost. Today is a great day to play up the significance of our First Family of faith and how we have been re-energized by knowing they are there. Let the radiance of heaven diffuse a new "Camelot" glow through the admiration God and we can give to this First Family, in which the drama of divine romance with us takes on human form.
An Alternative Application
Luke 2:22-40. What Luke gives us is a small snapshot of the First Family of Christian faith. But it is one of those panoramic portraits in which every little detail is pregnant with meaning. Setting this marvelous painting before the congregation and walking them through the intricacies of its multiple meanings would be a grand way in which to start the New Year of faith and hope and trust.
Perhaps it is because our lives are eternally caught up in the drama of naming, claiming, and defaming cultural icons that some families stand above us as types and symbols of greater meaning and significance. It happens in the church too. We are more than a little curious about the First Family of Christianity. We pick up prescient clues today from Isaiah about theology as romantic drama, looking for more details about wedding dresses and royal ceremonies. We hear from the apostle Paul a sound-bite summary of how this drama began and played out and when the marriage is consummated, and we are the first on hand with Luke to view the special days of celebration in the life of the First Family everyone is talking about.
Isaiah 61:10--62:3
When children play "dress up" they are enacting common social rituals. Lovers dress up for special dates. Spouses dress up to go out for an evening. Actors dress up to get on stage. Soldiers dress up for the parade march. Business leaders dress up for the big meeting. Children dress up for the first day of school. Gangs dress up in the right colors of identity. Football fans dress up in team pigments. Choirs dress up for performance. To dress up is to enter a community of kindred spirits or to take up a role of identity.
This is the theme of Isaiah's message in today's lectionary reading. After monitoring the demise of Jerusalem and the degradation of the community of Yahweh through years of repeated military defeats and ignoble siege and exile, the bounce-back is about to happen. Israel is getting a new lease on life. Little Judah will triumph where only loss and pain and suffering had made the news for as long as anyone can remember.
What will be the sign of these things? A "dress up" party! The people of God are going to get new clothes. They will be washed and perfumed for a date. They will wear the garb of a wedding celebration. They will put on the threads of finery and dance the night away. The music will blare, the singers will croon love ballads, and the orchestra will strike up a triumphant march as the Lovers, Yahweh and Israel, head for the altar and every camera will catch a royal pose for the gossip networks of heaven and earth.
Isaiah's portrait of salvation is that of the arrival of a new First Family among the nations of the earth. Rising from the shadows of suffering, standing amid the symbols of salvation, dancing on the floor of forgiveness, God gets friendly with humankind and chooses a Bride to cherish.
On this first day of a new Christmas season, in which we bow to the God who keeps promises and enters our world, we lilt a jig in music of caroling, keeping alive the attention of our world to the big news, the Good News, the dawning of a new age in which Camelot begins all over again and this time will not have within her secret places the specter of her own destruction. For the Bridegroom who adorns his Bride has already found and dealt with the skeletons in every closet.
On this first day of a New Year, the weeping and wailing of another frightful swing around the sun is like the distant voices on the last amusement park ride, and the song of the dawn is hope and joy and expectation. You can see it glowing on the face of the First Family!
Galatians 4:4-7
During a prayer meeting in the church in Antioch, probably in early 48 AD, those petitioning heaven received a very strong divine message that their primary leadership team was supposed to be sent on a missionary journey (Acts 13:1-3). We do not have details about how the plans were laid, but it is reasonable to suppose that they arranged a trip into familiar territory. Cyprus was Barnabas' home turf, and it may well be that after they blitzed across that island they intended to travel back to Antioch along the Pamphylian coast, stopping briefly in Tarsus along the way.
Indeed, they traveled the length of Cyprus, preaching along the way and then boarded boats for the mainland. But at the seaport of Perga, John Mark left them and "returned to Jerusalem" (Acts 13:13). Also, it seems that Paul might have gotten sick at that point in their travels. What the illness was is not certain, but when he later wrote to those he and Barnabas met in the highlands of central Asia Minor, he reminded them that "it as because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you" (Galatians 4:13). A further clue to these events is found in Paul's later cryptic testimony that something was wrong with his eyes (Galatians 4:15). Since the Pamphylian coastline is marshy and mosquito-ridden, it might have been malaria that laid Paul low. That would explain why the team went immediately up into the highlands rather than continuing along the shore.
There are hints that a switch in leadership was taking place during this time. Until the travelers arrived in Pisidian Antioch (not to be confused with Syrian Antioch, from which they had come), Barnabas was always listed first by Luke. He was the one who had met Paul in Jerusalem sometime after Paul's conversion and introduced him around to the skittish apostles who thought this might be a double-agent ploy to have them arrested or killed. It was Barnabas who searched for Paul, asking him to come as a colleague to plant the new international congregation in Antioch. And across the island of Cyprus, it was Barnabas who seemed to have taken the lead on his home turf.
Now, however, in Acts 13:14, the leadership mantle suddenly shifts to Paul. He determines where the group will go and stands to deliver the message of Jesus. In Pisidian Antioch Paul preached a historical review of God's work in the synagogue, leading finally to a message about Jesus being the messiah. A week later "almost the whole city" came out because this new gospel was creating quite a stir. While many believed, jealous Jews incited a riot that forced Paul and Barnabas out of the synagogue. They spent the next days in the marketplace speaking to Gentiles as well as Jews but the animosity was building and soon the travelers were forced from the city (Acts 13:14-31).
Down the road, at a smaller town named Iconium, Paul and Barnabas again preached in the Jewish synagogue to good response. But like before, growing Jewish resentment caused them to turn to the Gentiles. Soon a plot against them was discovered, and they moved on again (Acts 14:1-7).
At Lystra the pair encountered a crippled man just outside of town. He was begging for alms, but Paul raised him up healed. This cause a serious commotion and the entire population turned out to worship Paul and Barnabas as Hermes and Zeus, key leaders among the Greek gods. When Paul convinced them that he and his companions were only human, worship turned to disgust, and enemies who had dogged their heels from Antioch turned the crowds against them. They were stoned and left for dead. Fortunately, some sympathetic care providers nurtured back the almost extinguished sparks of life in them, and after a short while of secretive recovery they moved on again (Acts 14:8-20).
Traveling over to nearby Derbe (Acts 14:21), the team preached about Jesus and then wended their way home. They stopped briefly in each highland community where they had recently spent a few days or weeks, appointing elders in the new Christian congregations (Acts 14:22-25). Returning to Syrian Antioch, they brought a report of their mission journey to their home congregation (Acts 14:26-28).
That's when the trouble started (Acts 15; Galatians 2). Reports of Gentile converts to Christianity sizzled toward Jerusalem. Peter came up to Antioch to celebrate this exciting mission work, but others with less enthusiasm were soon sent by James (the brother of Jesus and leader of the Jerusalem congregation) to ensure that all was happening in an appropriate manner. These representatives announced that Gentiles had to become Jews in belief and practice before they could become part of the Christian church. After all, Jesus was Jewish, and was being acclaimed as the Messiah foretold by Israel's prophets.
These ambassadors of the Jerusalem church instituted separate meal and communion practices, making it clear that only those who were ceremonially pure could take positions of leadership in the community. Much to Paul's surprise, even Peter allied himself with those advocating these discriminating practices. Paul, of course, was anything but timid and accosted Peter publicly, creating even stronger polarization among the congregations on these matters.
The disease of Jewish superiority spread to the churches of Paul's and Barnabas' recent mission journey and threatened to split the infant Christian community before it had even an opportunity to get started. In response, Paul dashed off a letter to the churches of "Galatia," the Roman district through which they had traveled on their mission trek.
In the first part of this passionate letter (Galatians 1-2), Paul reviewed his personal journey to an understanding of freedom in Christ and lamented the recent developments that had seemingly stolen away this freedom from many of them. Next Paul went into a lengthy Jewish rabbinic argument about how Abraham was counted as "righteous" in his relationship with God already before he entered into the rituals of circumcision. Paul concluded that neither circumcision nor any other ceremonial expression was absolutely necessary for a meaningful relationship with God and that Jesus' recent teachings, death, and resurrection only reaffirmed and expanded this truth. In fact, said Paul, the "Law" (that is, the ceremonial dimensions of the Sinai covenant) was like a teacher who was no longer needed after a child became fully mature.
Using a rabbinic allegory, Paul pointed to Hagar and her son Ishmael as representations of Abraham's "slave" side of the family, regulated by the social codes from Mount Sinai. Sarah and her son Isaac, on the other hand, were symbols of Abraham's "free" side of the family, and lived out of the delight which was expressed through ecstatic worship in Jerusalem. In the final portion of his letter (Galatians 5-6), Paul used very strong language to urge the expression of true freedom in Christ. This is found in neither the legalism of ritual religious regimens which bind and burden, nor in licentiousness which turns us evil and ugly. Rather, true Christian freedom is experienced when we no longer consider ourselves under external demands that have no important ends in themselves, but when we voluntarily give ourselves as slaves to God and others out of love. In this context there can be no division between "Jewish Christians" and "Gentile Christians," for the church of Jesus Christ has become the new "Israel of God" (Galatians 6:16).
This is the context for today's lectionary reading. Bigger than the drama of Jew and Gentile in competition, larger than the factionalization of the young church, more important than who will be considered first- or second- or third-tier leaders, of greater significance than worship styles and communion practices, is the drama of salvation. It is a royal love story in which the Bridegroom is the Creator of heaven and earth, and he chooses for himself a lucky girl from the human race. They become the First Family of faith in order that a new clan of citizens might climb to the top of the world.
Luke 2:22-40
If the portrait of Jesus in Mark's gospel is that of the Son of God who arrives with great authority to overcome all other powers that demean, demoralize, demonize, dehumanize, and diminish; and the portrait of Jesus in Matthew's gospel is that of the Messiah King who fulfills Old Testament prophecy, relives the life of Israel, teaches the life of discipleship, and rises to rule over all nations; the gospel of Luke expands these themes for a more specifically Gentile Christian audience. Luke indicates in his introduction (Luke 1:1-4) that he spent time with eyewitnesses of Jesus' life and ministry in order to gain additional knowledge beyond that which was otherwise available through the oral traditions of the apostles and the written proclamations of Mark's gospel.
As with the other gospels, putting Luke's name to it as author is a bit of a detective search, coupled with a reliance on the testimony of early Christian sources. From the gospel itself we become aware that the author is certainly well-educated. He uses excellent literary Greek style and vocabulary, he knows history and current affairs, he is aware of geography and distances in travel, and he understands social customs in various places. He is also curious and pursues investigative research because he believes that knowledge is a source of wisdom and insight. Beyond that, the author of this gospel shows a special interest in the sick and the culturally marginalized. More than any of the other gospels, this one resonates with moments when Jesus sees those who have been turned out by polite society and shows how they matter greatly to God.
The introductions to this gospel (Luke 1:1-4) and the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1:1-2) affirm their common authorship. Moreover, when probing who this writer was and where he came from, there is a revealing testimony in Acts 16:6-12. Besides outlining the actual details of Paul's travel itinerary, this paragraph changes from third to first person as the narrative moves from beginning to end. It starts with a description of what Paul and his companions were doing and how they got to Troas. But when this missionary troupe leaves that city, suddenly the narrative becomes personal: "we" traveled on to Macedonia because God had called "us" to preach there.
This indicates that the author of the book of Acts (and thereby the gospel of Luke) was someone living in Troas who joined Paul's missionary tour from that city. Other notes from Paul's letters and testimony from the early church indicate that this "someone" was Luke, a doctor who may well have been called in to treat Paul for a recurrent malady. In Colossians 4:14, Paul called Luke "our dear friend... the doctor," and in the greetings of Philemon 24-25 he is listed as one of Paul's "fellow workers."
Because many doctors in that world started their professions as slaves who functioned as assistant-apprentices to other doctors, some have speculated that this may also have been Luke's background. It might help explain his constant attention to the oppressed social outcasts encountered by Jesus. Some legends also tell of Luke's painting skills, but like other tidbits of information we might glean, this is at best speculation.
The shape of the gospel according to Luke, however, presents a number of clear ideas about how Luke understood the drama of salvation. For instance:
* In a personal introductory note, Luke speaks to his specific intended audience, a man called Theophilus. While this is likely the official name of an actual individual, it is also possible that the term was a nickname or pseudonym for a person whom Luke wanted to protect because he was in a position of government leadership that could be compromised if he was found to be associating with this suspiciously regarded branch of Judaism. "Theophilus" might also be a generic term used to indicate Christians generally, since it means "God's friend." In any case, this person (or these people) appears to be a recent Gentile convert to Christian beliefs, possibly through Paul's preaching on one of the mission journeys where Luke was a partner. The little designation "most excellent" (Luke 1:3) was often used as a formal manner of address for Roman officials and this may indicate that Theophilus was a local or regional ruler. * As does Matthew, Luke also adds birth stories to Mark's narrative (Luke 1-2). These focus on the preparation that took place to ensure Jesus' appropriate arrival and setting. They also clearly articulate the miraculous nature of Jesus' birth and are accompanied by songs of Zechariah, Mary, and Simeon, all of whom speak of the reversal of fortunes that will be brought about by this wonderful act of God.
* Luke ties the events of Jesus' life directly to historical circumstances in the greater Roman world. He reports that Jesus' birth occurred during the reign of Caesar Augustus and the governorship of Quirinius (Luke 2:1-2). Later he mentions that the beginnings of Jesus' ministry took place in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar's rule (Luke 3:1). The connection with Caesar Augustus is particularly striking, since Augustus was the great ruler who brought about the Pax Romana, the peace of Rome. Luke makes evident, particularly through the song of the angels to the shepherds, that even in those times of relative international calm, the greater gift of divine peace was needed by humankind and could be brought only through Jesus.
* Also unique to Luke's presentation is the strong emphasis on worship and song and prayer. The gospel itself begins and ends in the Temple, where people are gathered for times of public devotion. At the coming of Jesus, a number of songs are sung (by Mary, Zechariah, the angels, and Simeon). Prayer also forms a key element of Jesus' teachings with an even greater emphasis brought to it than noted by Mark (see especially Luke 11:1-13).
* Perhaps the most striking and clearly Lukan focus, in conveying the message about Jesus, is his recognition that God has special care for the poor (noted in Mary's song, identified in the offering brought by Joseph and Mary at Jesus' circumcision, asserted through the record of Jesus' pronouncements of woes on the rich and blessings on the poor, and insinuated in the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man), the sick (notably the number of demon-possessed who are healed by Jesus, and also the lepers who are cleansed, and the paralyzed who are restored to mobility), the marginalized (shepherds, children, tax collectors, prostitutes, Samaritans, and the blind), and women (Mary, Elizabeth, widows, the hemorrhaging woman, Mary and Martha, and the crippled woman).
This last note is particularly important for our understanding of today's gospel reading. It is certainly intended to be a snapshot of the First Family of faith in their first public outing and in the little details of the picture we are told many things. First, they are a God-fearing, law-abiding family, since they present their firstborn for circumcision on the eighth day of life (a practice that had fallen on hard times for many Jews in the first century). Second, they are poor, because Luke takes pains to quote the scripture text (Leviticus 12:8) that states the alternative offering at the time of circumcision granted to very poor families who cannot afford the usual and expected sacrifice of a year-old lamb and a young pigeon or dove. Third, the Holy Spirit of God is at work, for radiations of divine revelation flow out from this First Family so that those in proximity are able to read the signs of the times and understand the unique significance of what is transpiring as the Old Age slips over into the New Age. Fourth, this new age is one in which the method of salvation is changing from an Israelite priority tied to the Promised Land standing at the center of global politics and cultural drama, to a time when all peoples (remember that Luke was a Gentile who had never seen Jesus in person, and a fellow missionary with Paul among other Gentiles) have equal footing in their pull toward the kingdom of God. Fifth, this transition would be a painful one for the remnant of Israel, which had begun equating the redemptive election received through father Abraham with social privilege and was about to find out that such was not the case. Sixth, Christian faith as romantic love emanates from the short scene of Anna, who had been married to her earthly husband for a few years (seven) but for most of her adult life had been married to God in a way that was to become typical of how religion functioned.
Application
Our culture seems gossip-hungry and celebrity-frenzied. Popular actors are identified as "stars," and people's lives are scrutinized by tabloids simply because they have wealth or public notoriety.
Sometimes in the church, especially in the Protestant tradition, the lives and times of the First Family of faith are underplayed. Religion becomes overly spiritual and the incredible reality of God entering the realities of daily lives to create humble human superstars through whom history is changed forever can be lost. Today is a great day to play up the significance of our First Family of faith and how we have been re-energized by knowing they are there. Let the radiance of heaven diffuse a new "Camelot" glow through the admiration God and we can give to this First Family, in which the drama of divine romance with us takes on human form.
An Alternative Application
Luke 2:22-40. What Luke gives us is a small snapshot of the First Family of Christian faith. But it is one of those panoramic portraits in which every little detail is pregnant with meaning. Setting this marvelous painting before the congregation and walking them through the intricacies of its multiple meanings would be a grand way in which to start the New Year of faith and hope and trust.
