A look at the gaps in the lectionary.
This week: the gap between
The text: Luke 4:31-44
The gospel we attribute to Luke is unique. In Matthew and Mark, after the baptism and the time in the wilderness, Jesus starts looking for disciples before he does anything else. In John, he does this right after the baptism. This is one thing that makes Luke’s attesting to the life, ministry, and meaning of Jesus as the Messiah quite distinct.
What we have, then, is a fascinating birth story, an accounting of his presentation and presence at the temple, then later: a baptism by John, the time in the wilderness, and a trip home, where he reads and preaches in a synagogue and is almost killed.
In the aftermath of this disastrous trip home, Jesus gets back up on the proverbial horse and continues to preach and teach in synagogues in the ensuing verses that finish off chapter four. And what we see are three distinct events that help set the stage for what is to come next:
- He exorcizes a demon in a synagogue on the Sabbath.
- He visit’s Simon’s house to heal his mother, and then heals bunches of people.
- He continues preaching in synagogues and word of his grace and ability grows.
What is notable is how this establishes some specific credentials for Jesus: he is a rabbi worth listening to, a healer of epic proportions, an exorcist of note, and a prophet with change in his heart. Luke’s narrative establishes this before he gets his disciples behind him.
Is this terribly significant? I’m not sure. At least not in the grand metaphysical, make-or-break sense we often attribute the concept of “significance” to scripture. But in the story this evangelist is telling, it is quite significant. Much as we see the way Jesus is born and receives homage from shepherds, is presented at the temple as a Hebrew son only to have Simeon treat him like a king. There is a setting up of the nature of Jesus’s relationship with the people and the whole Messiah thing that is richer in the telling here because of what the evangelist is naming.
I suspect this evangelist doesn’t intend for us to jump to Jesus as teacher without first establishing his priorities and notoriety. This seems sensible, not just for the sake of the narrative, but for its purpose. Jesus isn’t a famous rabbi at the point of his baptism — it seems to grow and follow him.
Perhaps it is as simple as demonstrating the would-be disciples have a reason to believe this random rabbi is worth following. But I suspect it is more for us — and has little to do with the disciples specifically. Perhaps it is about showing exactly where Jesus’s true values lie. In healing and preaching, not just collecting followers who talk well of him.