Christmas 1
Preaching
Preaching Luke's Gospel
A Narrative Approach
This is the only story that Luke tells from Jesus' childhood. As we have it here it is quite stylized and similar to the stories of Moses and Samuel. (See especially 1 Samuel 1-3. Cf. 1 Samuel 2:21, 26 with Luke 2:52.)
There are at least two strong themes that appear in this child-hood story which have narrative connections to Luke's larger story. The first of these themes is that of the temple. When Joseph and Mary finally found the disobedient lad he was in the temple disputing with Israel's teachers. Amazement and astonishment were the order of the day as the boy taught the teachers a thing or two. His own parents were amazed. "Look," said his mother, "your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety" (2:48). Even when Jesus explained why he must be in the temple his parents still didn't get it (2:50). Mary pondered these things. As we shall see below, Jesus' word that he must be in his Father's house hints at the suffering he is to endure. Who among us under-stands this suffering of the Son of God? Mary was puzzled. Joseph didn't understand. How do we grasp the irony of a Son of God who must suffer for us?
The theme of the temple is very important to Luke's Gospel. He begins his story with Zechariah in the temple (1:8ff). There Zechariah experienced the presence of God. The temple was for Israel the place of God's presence.
After the story of Jesus' birth the first thing we hear is that Joseph and Mary brought him to the temple to present him to the Lord (2:22-24). While in the temple they met a man named Simeon who was inspired by the Holy Spirit to sing praise to God that the salvation he had longed for had at last come to pass (2:25-32). There was also a woman named Anna who lived in the temple (2:36-38). When she saw this baby she gave thanks to God and became the first evangelist as she told of the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. The temple had much significance for Jesus even before he came to debate the elders when he was twelve.
Most students of Luke's Gospel identify chapters 9:51„19:27, material mostly unique to Luke, as the "Travel Narrative" or some such name. It begins with Jesus setting his face to go to Jerusalem (9:51). For the next ten chapters Jesus journeys in a rather zig-zag fashion through the land and on toward Jerusalem. Some scholars suggest that a traveling story was a common literary convention of Jesus' time. It was a convenient way to organize material! Trav-eling was the thread with which many disparate stories could be stitched together.
The "travel" chapters do bring us finally to Jerusalem but, more importantly, to the temple in Jerusalem. After his Palm Sunday entrance into the city and his weeping over the faithlessness of Jerusalem, Jesus goes directly to the temple (19:45). Every day that he was in Jerusalem he was teaching in the temple (19:47). (See other references to his presence in the temple: 20:1; 21:5; 21:37-38.) In the sixth hour of the day of crucifixion, the sky turned black at midday, and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. The presence of God would no longer be confined to the temple. With the death and resurrection of God's Son, the presence of God would find a new expression in the form of a people, a church.
Luke's Gospel ends as it began: in the temple (24:53). The temple was also the very first meeting place of the disciples of Jesus in the light of Pentecost (Acts 2:43-47). The first miracle performed by Peter in the name of Jesus Christ also occurred in the temple: Acts 3:1-10.
The story of Jesus in the temple, therefore, is not an isolated incident in Luke's story. The temple is an integral part of Luke's narrative. The temple was the place of God's presence for the people of Israel. The events of Pentecost, however, bring an end to the temple as the central place of God's presence among God's people. We call Pentecost the "birthday of the Christian Church." Pentecost was an event in which Jesus Christ was preached and the Spirit was poured out in order to bring the Jesus story alive in the hearts and lives of those who heard the story. In this sense Jesus replaces the temple. The Church replaces the temple. The Church exists wherever two or three people gather around the story of Jesus. Whenever and wherever the story of Jesus is told, there the Holy Spirit is at work. The church is the workshop of the Holy Spirit!
The theme of the temple is, therefore, a strong theme throughout Luke's Gospel. There is a second theme that arises in this story which is also an integral part of Luke's broader narrative. This is the theme of Jesus as Son of God. The Son of God theme is first raised in Luke by the angel Gabriel who tells Mary that the child born to her will be "Son of God" (1:32, 35). The angels' announce-ment to the shepherds also contains this message: "... to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord" (2:11).
In the temple story Jesus' identity as Son of God comes forth from his own lips. "Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" (2:49). These are the first words Jesus speaks in Luke's Gospel. First words are always important words. The first words of Jesus tell us that he is the Son of the Father whose temple this is!
"I must be...." This divine must occurs in many passages in Luke's Gospel: 4:43; 9:22; 13:33; 17:25; 22:37; 24:7; 26:44. God has a plan and a purpose that must be carried out in Jesus' life and ministry. That plan and purpose, the "divine must," almost always has reference to the suffering that the Son of God must undergo. In taking up the cup of suffering Jesus carries out God's plan for us. Life is not capricious. That would seem to be Luke's point. Life has a purpose. For all those who believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, life has a purpose and a destiny! This may be the central way that Luke talks about the salvific work of Jesus.
The Son of God theme is a very important one in Luke's Gospel. For a more extensive treatment of this theme see the material on Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 appointed for "The Baptism Of Our Lord" Sunday.
Homiletical Directions
We have looked at two themes in this week's passage that are connected to many other narratives in Luke's writings. The Son of God theme is triggered by the very first words that Jesus speaks in this Gospel. His words are certainly Christological words! "Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" We have seen the nature of his suffering that this divine must sets in motion. These must passages certainly do set forth the nature of God's plan according to Luke.
Many scholars note that Luke does not talk about Jesus' life and death in the more traditional categories. What is clear in Luke's Gospel is that God has a plan for human life that is carried out in Jesus. Life has a meaning, a purpose, a destiny as we live in the One who must suffer and on the third day be raised from the dead.
One possibility for preaching on this text would be to follow these musts that underscore the nature of God's plan in Jesus. (See references above.) Speaking for God out of this narrative flow would lead to a proclamation something like this: "The boy Jesus stands at the beginning of my plan. This Son of mine must suffer. But suffering is not my last word through my Son. Resurrection is my last word. Hope is my last word. Destiny is my last word. So it shall be in your lives that are often marked by suffering. Trust my plan and realize that suffering is not to be endured in vain. Your life with me has a purpose. Your life with me has a destiny. Your life with me will one day blossom into life eternal as my plan of the ages is fulfilled." Amen.
The second dominant theme in this assigned text is the theme of the temple. A narrative sermon could relate the role of the temple in Luke's Gospel. The sermon would begin with Zechariah and Simeon and Anna in the temple of God. It would tell how the journey which Jesus embarks upon in 9:51 „ as he sets his face to go to Jerusalem „ ends really in the temple! (9:51„19:27 is the "Travel Narrative.") Upon arrival at Jerusalem Jesus goes to the temple day in and day out. At the hour of his death the temple curtain is ripped in two. The presence of God is set loose from the temple. It is loosed on Pentecost as the Holy Spirit begins the work of church creation. The Christian Church is the "temple of God's presence" in our time. God is present, that is, the Holy Spirit is at work, when two or three gather in the name of Jesus. The Church is people gathering around the story of Jesus.
You, my readers, come from many different denominations of the Christian Church. This story of Jesus in the temple which does move us finally to Pentecost affords us an opportunity to talk about the nature of the Church, the nature of God's presence for us in the world. The conclusion to the temple theme, therefore, might be a bit of teaching in the tradition of your denomination on the nature of the church. The Christian community replaces the temple in Luke's story. There is good news for us all in the new community of God's people who gather around the story of Jesus and expe-rience the work of the Holy Spirit in our individual lives and in the life of our community.
There are at least two strong themes that appear in this child-hood story which have narrative connections to Luke's larger story. The first of these themes is that of the temple. When Joseph and Mary finally found the disobedient lad he was in the temple disputing with Israel's teachers. Amazement and astonishment were the order of the day as the boy taught the teachers a thing or two. His own parents were amazed. "Look," said his mother, "your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety" (2:48). Even when Jesus explained why he must be in the temple his parents still didn't get it (2:50). Mary pondered these things. As we shall see below, Jesus' word that he must be in his Father's house hints at the suffering he is to endure. Who among us under-stands this suffering of the Son of God? Mary was puzzled. Joseph didn't understand. How do we grasp the irony of a Son of God who must suffer for us?
The theme of the temple is very important to Luke's Gospel. He begins his story with Zechariah in the temple (1:8ff). There Zechariah experienced the presence of God. The temple was for Israel the place of God's presence.
After the story of Jesus' birth the first thing we hear is that Joseph and Mary brought him to the temple to present him to the Lord (2:22-24). While in the temple they met a man named Simeon who was inspired by the Holy Spirit to sing praise to God that the salvation he had longed for had at last come to pass (2:25-32). There was also a woman named Anna who lived in the temple (2:36-38). When she saw this baby she gave thanks to God and became the first evangelist as she told of the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. The temple had much significance for Jesus even before he came to debate the elders when he was twelve.
Most students of Luke's Gospel identify chapters 9:51„19:27, material mostly unique to Luke, as the "Travel Narrative" or some such name. It begins with Jesus setting his face to go to Jerusalem (9:51). For the next ten chapters Jesus journeys in a rather zig-zag fashion through the land and on toward Jerusalem. Some scholars suggest that a traveling story was a common literary convention of Jesus' time. It was a convenient way to organize material! Trav-eling was the thread with which many disparate stories could be stitched together.
The "travel" chapters do bring us finally to Jerusalem but, more importantly, to the temple in Jerusalem. After his Palm Sunday entrance into the city and his weeping over the faithlessness of Jerusalem, Jesus goes directly to the temple (19:45). Every day that he was in Jerusalem he was teaching in the temple (19:47). (See other references to his presence in the temple: 20:1; 21:5; 21:37-38.) In the sixth hour of the day of crucifixion, the sky turned black at midday, and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. The presence of God would no longer be confined to the temple. With the death and resurrection of God's Son, the presence of God would find a new expression in the form of a people, a church.
Luke's Gospel ends as it began: in the temple (24:53). The temple was also the very first meeting place of the disciples of Jesus in the light of Pentecost (Acts 2:43-47). The first miracle performed by Peter in the name of Jesus Christ also occurred in the temple: Acts 3:1-10.
The story of Jesus in the temple, therefore, is not an isolated incident in Luke's story. The temple is an integral part of Luke's narrative. The temple was the place of God's presence for the people of Israel. The events of Pentecost, however, bring an end to the temple as the central place of God's presence among God's people. We call Pentecost the "birthday of the Christian Church." Pentecost was an event in which Jesus Christ was preached and the Spirit was poured out in order to bring the Jesus story alive in the hearts and lives of those who heard the story. In this sense Jesus replaces the temple. The Church replaces the temple. The Church exists wherever two or three people gather around the story of Jesus. Whenever and wherever the story of Jesus is told, there the Holy Spirit is at work. The church is the workshop of the Holy Spirit!
The theme of the temple is, therefore, a strong theme throughout Luke's Gospel. There is a second theme that arises in this story which is also an integral part of Luke's broader narrative. This is the theme of Jesus as Son of God. The Son of God theme is first raised in Luke by the angel Gabriel who tells Mary that the child born to her will be "Son of God" (1:32, 35). The angels' announce-ment to the shepherds also contains this message: "... to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord" (2:11).
In the temple story Jesus' identity as Son of God comes forth from his own lips. "Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" (2:49). These are the first words Jesus speaks in Luke's Gospel. First words are always important words. The first words of Jesus tell us that he is the Son of the Father whose temple this is!
"I must be...." This divine must occurs in many passages in Luke's Gospel: 4:43; 9:22; 13:33; 17:25; 22:37; 24:7; 26:44. God has a plan and a purpose that must be carried out in Jesus' life and ministry. That plan and purpose, the "divine must," almost always has reference to the suffering that the Son of God must undergo. In taking up the cup of suffering Jesus carries out God's plan for us. Life is not capricious. That would seem to be Luke's point. Life has a purpose. For all those who believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, life has a purpose and a destiny! This may be the central way that Luke talks about the salvific work of Jesus.
The Son of God theme is a very important one in Luke's Gospel. For a more extensive treatment of this theme see the material on Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 appointed for "The Baptism Of Our Lord" Sunday.
Homiletical Directions
We have looked at two themes in this week's passage that are connected to many other narratives in Luke's writings. The Son of God theme is triggered by the very first words that Jesus speaks in this Gospel. His words are certainly Christological words! "Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" We have seen the nature of his suffering that this divine must sets in motion. These must passages certainly do set forth the nature of God's plan according to Luke.
Many scholars note that Luke does not talk about Jesus' life and death in the more traditional categories. What is clear in Luke's Gospel is that God has a plan for human life that is carried out in Jesus. Life has a meaning, a purpose, a destiny as we live in the One who must suffer and on the third day be raised from the dead.
One possibility for preaching on this text would be to follow these musts that underscore the nature of God's plan in Jesus. (See references above.) Speaking for God out of this narrative flow would lead to a proclamation something like this: "The boy Jesus stands at the beginning of my plan. This Son of mine must suffer. But suffering is not my last word through my Son. Resurrection is my last word. Hope is my last word. Destiny is my last word. So it shall be in your lives that are often marked by suffering. Trust my plan and realize that suffering is not to be endured in vain. Your life with me has a purpose. Your life with me has a destiny. Your life with me will one day blossom into life eternal as my plan of the ages is fulfilled." Amen.
The second dominant theme in this assigned text is the theme of the temple. A narrative sermon could relate the role of the temple in Luke's Gospel. The sermon would begin with Zechariah and Simeon and Anna in the temple of God. It would tell how the journey which Jesus embarks upon in 9:51 „ as he sets his face to go to Jerusalem „ ends really in the temple! (9:51„19:27 is the "Travel Narrative.") Upon arrival at Jerusalem Jesus goes to the temple day in and day out. At the hour of his death the temple curtain is ripped in two. The presence of God is set loose from the temple. It is loosed on Pentecost as the Holy Spirit begins the work of church creation. The Christian Church is the "temple of God's presence" in our time. God is present, that is, the Holy Spirit is at work, when two or three gather in the name of Jesus. The Church is people gathering around the story of Jesus.
You, my readers, come from many different denominations of the Christian Church. This story of Jesus in the temple which does move us finally to Pentecost affords us an opportunity to talk about the nature of the Church, the nature of God's presence for us in the world. The conclusion to the temple theme, therefore, might be a bit of teaching in the tradition of your denomination on the nature of the church. The Christian community replaces the temple in Luke's story. There is good news for us all in the new community of God's people who gather around the story of Jesus and expe-rience the work of the Holy Spirit in our individual lives and in the life of our community.
