A look at the gaps in the lectionary.
This week: the gap between Epiphany 2C + 3C
The text: Luke 3:23-4:13
After a detour in week two into John, the lectionary returns us to Luke, shortly after we left off at the baptism of Jesus. Astute readers will remember that the synoptic gospels (Mark, Matthew, and Luke) share a common two-step move: Jesus’s baptism, which begins his ministry, is followed immediately by the infamous “temptation in the wilderness.”
Luke’s take on this event, however, comes after a brief recap of Jesus’s geneology.
The Genealogy
Luke’s genealogy is far less interesting than Matthew’s—which remarkably includes notable women.
I’m not going to dig into the genealogy itself, save to name the twist at the end that I would more associate with Matthew than with Luke.
Luke’s genealogy is different from Matthew’s, and absent the women, feels more “traditional”. And in this way, more inherently Jewish.
What is important about this version, however, is that Luke traces the Davidic ancestry through Joseph (rather than Mary). Which makes Jesus, not a blood relation to David, but an adopted son.
This is both a source of generosity, and in a way, feels reminiscent of Moses’s adoption into the Egyptian world.
The Temptation
Jesus is then driven out into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. I personally find this language a bit misleading, because the question of whether or not Jesus actually was tempted is neither supposed nor addressed in the passage. The story is actually about Satan’s attempt to tempt Jesus in a particular way. So it isn’t about temptation as much as it is persuasion or trickery. Our front-loading the methodology rather than the theology has us drastically underestimating the purpose of the passage.
In Luke’s version of the temptation, Satan uses three arguments to convince Jesus to first utilize the power he has, then accept the power Satan offers, and then finally, to make God utilize God’s power.
These three “temptations” also function to highlight different places people routinely demand control in their own lives. First over the consistency and regulation of their food, then over the armies and nations of the world, and lastly, over the very nature and influence of God.
In this way, the “temptations” operate on multiple levels of critique about our relationship to power and authority — that they ultimately reveal a need to control things. Our environment, other people, and even God.
We’ll explore this further in Lent, but for now, I’ll offer two thoughts before moving on:
- What does this tell you about your own relationship to power, authority, and control in your own life?
- Jesus’s rejection of power here sets up a consistent relationship with power throughout the gospel. One that invites us to see a relationship with each other rather than over each other.