Epiphany 8
Preaching
Preaching Luke's Gospel
A Narrative Approach
We note first of all that this week's text is doubly appointed for the Lukan year. When there is an Eighth Sunday after the Epiphany in the Church's Year, Proper 3 will be omitted. In the Revised Common Lectionary the first several Sundays after Pentecost may or may not be used depending upon the date of Pentecost. Older lectionaries typically omitted selections from the last Sundays of the Church Year.
This week's text is the third text appointed from the Sermon on the Plain in which Jesus teaches a kind of ethic of the kingdom of God. Verses 43-49 do form many narrative connections with what follows in Luke. These verses are concerned with the heart of the matter in relation to ethical living. Jesus distinguishes be-tween roots and fruits. Ethics for Jesus is a matter of roots, a matter of the heart. The good person does outwardly good deeds (fruits) because the heart (root) is pure. The evil person, likewise, is evil because of his heart (root). Christian ethics is a root matter, not a fruit matter!
This root/fruit analogy speaks to the issue of "good works." Good works are the fruits our life produces. Good works flow forth from a pure heart. The heart is the key to the matter of good works. Our good works cannot make our heart good. But our heart can make our works good. And what is it that makes our heart good? Making our hearts good is beyond human capacity. The One who created human hearts is the only One who can re-create human hearts. It is God's Word that makes hearts pure!
The analogy shifts to foundations: verses 46-49. This section of the material parallels that in verses 43-45. The good person who produces good from the heart (v. 45) is like the person who hears God's word and does it (v. 47). Hearing God's word is the foundation of good life. The one who hears and does has built the house of life on a firm foundation. The evil person, on the other hand, is one who produces evil from the heart (v. 45). This one builds without a firm foundation. The evil one hears but does not do the word of God that is heard (v. 49). We note again that the firm foundation of our life in the world comes from God's word. Ethical living begins in our ears. Ethical living begins in listening to words that transform our hearts and set our lives on a firm foundation.
The creative power of God's word is a theme in Luke's Gospel. We saw it in Jesus' first deed of ministry in 4:31-37. "For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and out they come!" (4:36). We saw it again in the synagogue when Jesus healed a withered hand with the power of his word. "Stretch out your hand," Jesus said and the man was healed (6:6-11, 10). The very next story in Luke (7:1-10) is the story of the centurion who under-stood very clearly the power of the word. He had people under his command. When he spoke, they obeyed. The centurion clearly believed that Jesus' word had the same kind of power. Jesus com-mended the centurion. "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith" (7:9). Faith believes what it hears! Jesus calls upon us to be doers of the word. Jesus calls upon us to hear the word of God and keep it. His word creates new hearts. His word is the sure foundation of ethical living.
The theme of God's creative word is touched upon in 7:18-23. John the Baptist has sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was the One who was to come or whether they should wait for another. Are you the Christ? That's what John wanted to know. Jesus answered: "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard" (v. 22). Jesus' word has been heard and as a result of such hearing the blind can see, the lame can walk, lepers are cleansed, the dead are raised, and the poor have heard the good news. God's word does something!
The story of the Sower in Luke 8:4-15 also picks up the theme of hearing and doing God's word. (This text is not appointed for the Lukan year.) Jesus tells the story of a sower who sows prod-igally. In his prodigality some seed falls on the path, some on the rocks, some among the thorns and some on good soil. "Let anyone who has ears listen!" (8: 8). That's Jesus' conclusion. Ears and listening. That's how humans receive God's word from the Sower named Jesus.
But, of course, not everyone hears and does! Verses 11-14 tell us that the seed the Sower sows is the word of God (8:11). But not everyone does what he hears! Often the devil, or a time of testing, or the cares, riches, and pleasures of life rip up that which has been sown. Luke is probably most concerned here with the dis-ciples who wilted in time of testing and who were always tempted by the abundance of life's possessions.
Finally, in Luke 8:19-20, Jesus defines the family of God. "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."
Homiletical Directions
The topic of this week's sermon should probably have some-thing to do with the lifestyle of the members of God's kingdom. We can begin with the text, especially verses 43-49. Draw out the parallels between the good person, the treasure of the heart, and the one who does the word thus building life on a firm foundation. The other parallel is between the evil person, the evil treasure of the heart, and the ones who do not do what they have heard, thus building life on a shaky foundation. The key reality here is that the power of the kingdom in our lives comes through God's word. We become God's kind of people through listening and receptivity. Only God through the power of God's word can transform our human hearts so that we become doers of the word.
We have listed a number of stories that can be told that demonstrate the power of God's word: 4:31-37; 6:6-11; 7:1-10. The first two of these stories do not occur in this lectionary year, so they may be the best stories to tell at this point. The centurion's story in 7:1-10 should probably not be totally neglected because of its wonderfully clear description of the power of the word and its definition of faith. On the nature of faith remember also Mary's classic response to God's word of promise: "... let it be with me according to your word" (Luke 1:38). The faith of the centurion and the faith of Mary are described in very similar ways. Each of them comes to faith as a result of a word that is spoken to them. God's word creates the very possibility of human faith.
Not everyone believes what has been heard. Not all are doers of the word. The Parable of the Sower who sows "the word of God" can be told to bring this reality to life (Luke 8:4-15). The Parable of the Sower is about receptivity. "Let anyone with ears listen." It is about God's incredible prodigality in sowing the word on every kind of soil. But not everyone hears and does! There are challenges to our hearing. There are challenges to becoming doers of the word. Perhaps a prayer to the Holy Spirit is in order inviting the Spirit to open our ears to the hearing of the word in order that it may take deep root in our hearts.
Proclamation at the end of these stories might go something like this. Jesus' word for us today through these stories is: "I call on you to hear my word. I have sown God's word on the soil of every person's heart. Listen. Receive. Believe. My word has the power to transform your heart. My word has the power to make you doers of the word and not hearers only. Remember, life in my kingdom always begins in your ears. You keep on listening to my word. I'll keep on transforming your heart that you might be doers of my word and not hearers only." Amen.
This week's text is the third text appointed from the Sermon on the Plain in which Jesus teaches a kind of ethic of the kingdom of God. Verses 43-49 do form many narrative connections with what follows in Luke. These verses are concerned with the heart of the matter in relation to ethical living. Jesus distinguishes be-tween roots and fruits. Ethics for Jesus is a matter of roots, a matter of the heart. The good person does outwardly good deeds (fruits) because the heart (root) is pure. The evil person, likewise, is evil because of his heart (root). Christian ethics is a root matter, not a fruit matter!
This root/fruit analogy speaks to the issue of "good works." Good works are the fruits our life produces. Good works flow forth from a pure heart. The heart is the key to the matter of good works. Our good works cannot make our heart good. But our heart can make our works good. And what is it that makes our heart good? Making our hearts good is beyond human capacity. The One who created human hearts is the only One who can re-create human hearts. It is God's Word that makes hearts pure!
The analogy shifts to foundations: verses 46-49. This section of the material parallels that in verses 43-45. The good person who produces good from the heart (v. 45) is like the person who hears God's word and does it (v. 47). Hearing God's word is the foundation of good life. The one who hears and does has built the house of life on a firm foundation. The evil person, on the other hand, is one who produces evil from the heart (v. 45). This one builds without a firm foundation. The evil one hears but does not do the word of God that is heard (v. 49). We note again that the firm foundation of our life in the world comes from God's word. Ethical living begins in our ears. Ethical living begins in listening to words that transform our hearts and set our lives on a firm foundation.
The creative power of God's word is a theme in Luke's Gospel. We saw it in Jesus' first deed of ministry in 4:31-37. "For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and out they come!" (4:36). We saw it again in the synagogue when Jesus healed a withered hand with the power of his word. "Stretch out your hand," Jesus said and the man was healed (6:6-11, 10). The very next story in Luke (7:1-10) is the story of the centurion who under-stood very clearly the power of the word. He had people under his command. When he spoke, they obeyed. The centurion clearly believed that Jesus' word had the same kind of power. Jesus com-mended the centurion. "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith" (7:9). Faith believes what it hears! Jesus calls upon us to be doers of the word. Jesus calls upon us to hear the word of God and keep it. His word creates new hearts. His word is the sure foundation of ethical living.
The theme of God's creative word is touched upon in 7:18-23. John the Baptist has sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was the One who was to come or whether they should wait for another. Are you the Christ? That's what John wanted to know. Jesus answered: "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard" (v. 22). Jesus' word has been heard and as a result of such hearing the blind can see, the lame can walk, lepers are cleansed, the dead are raised, and the poor have heard the good news. God's word does something!
The story of the Sower in Luke 8:4-15 also picks up the theme of hearing and doing God's word. (This text is not appointed for the Lukan year.) Jesus tells the story of a sower who sows prod-igally. In his prodigality some seed falls on the path, some on the rocks, some among the thorns and some on good soil. "Let anyone who has ears listen!" (8: 8). That's Jesus' conclusion. Ears and listening. That's how humans receive God's word from the Sower named Jesus.
But, of course, not everyone hears and does! Verses 11-14 tell us that the seed the Sower sows is the word of God (8:11). But not everyone does what he hears! Often the devil, or a time of testing, or the cares, riches, and pleasures of life rip up that which has been sown. Luke is probably most concerned here with the dis-ciples who wilted in time of testing and who were always tempted by the abundance of life's possessions.
Finally, in Luke 8:19-20, Jesus defines the family of God. "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."
Homiletical Directions
The topic of this week's sermon should probably have some-thing to do with the lifestyle of the members of God's kingdom. We can begin with the text, especially verses 43-49. Draw out the parallels between the good person, the treasure of the heart, and the one who does the word thus building life on a firm foundation. The other parallel is between the evil person, the evil treasure of the heart, and the ones who do not do what they have heard, thus building life on a shaky foundation. The key reality here is that the power of the kingdom in our lives comes through God's word. We become God's kind of people through listening and receptivity. Only God through the power of God's word can transform our human hearts so that we become doers of the word.
We have listed a number of stories that can be told that demonstrate the power of God's word: 4:31-37; 6:6-11; 7:1-10. The first two of these stories do not occur in this lectionary year, so they may be the best stories to tell at this point. The centurion's story in 7:1-10 should probably not be totally neglected because of its wonderfully clear description of the power of the word and its definition of faith. On the nature of faith remember also Mary's classic response to God's word of promise: "... let it be with me according to your word" (Luke 1:38). The faith of the centurion and the faith of Mary are described in very similar ways. Each of them comes to faith as a result of a word that is spoken to them. God's word creates the very possibility of human faith.
Not everyone believes what has been heard. Not all are doers of the word. The Parable of the Sower who sows "the word of God" can be told to bring this reality to life (Luke 8:4-15). The Parable of the Sower is about receptivity. "Let anyone with ears listen." It is about God's incredible prodigality in sowing the word on every kind of soil. But not everyone hears and does! There are challenges to our hearing. There are challenges to becoming doers of the word. Perhaps a prayer to the Holy Spirit is in order inviting the Spirit to open our ears to the hearing of the word in order that it may take deep root in our hearts.
Proclamation at the end of these stories might go something like this. Jesus' word for us today through these stories is: "I call on you to hear my word. I have sown God's word on the soil of every person's heart. Listen. Receive. Believe. My word has the power to transform your heart. My word has the power to make you doers of the word and not hearers only. Remember, life in my kingdom always begins in your ears. You keep on listening to my word. I'll keep on transforming your heart that you might be doers of my word and not hearers only." Amen.
