This past Sunday morning’s “Dwelling in the Word” activity at church focused on Luke 9:23-36. The selection reflects two different aspects of Jesus’ reality: what he taught and his contextualization by his followers.
In the first section, Jesus presents a message central to his Gospel: Your own good is tied up with the good of everyone. From the NIV,
23Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? 26If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”
These verses could go anywhere: Was “taking up his cross daily” a metaphor later added to Jesus’ speech, after the crucifixion? Who was the lucky one not to “taste death before they see the kingdom of God”? And anyway, if the kingdom came before the person died, would he or she have still died?
The second passage differs drastically. While in the first passage Jesus is teaching, proclaiming part of his message of sacrifice for the greater good, the second passage reflects not what he taught or preached or even did (aside from the ever-important getting away from the crowds for quiet prayer). Instead, the historical/religious framework in which Jesus’ disciples understand him is revealed through what the men with him see and experience:
28About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30Two men, Moses and Elijah, 31appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. 32Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)
34While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” 36When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen.
Again, the verses could go anywhere: Were the disciples too sleepy to think straight? Under the influence of something? How did they know the two men with Jesus were Moses and Elijah?
These are valid questions, I think, but what jumped out at me Sunday is that this story is more about the disciples’ perspectives than Jesus’ mission. They saw before them not so much the leader in verses 23-27, a prophet messiah whose ethical concerns were tied to no ethnicity or nation, as a Jesus who at least in their minds may as well have been a member of the Moses and Elijah Hall of Fame.
In fact, much of Luke 9 shows the tension between people fitting Jesus to the messianic bill and Jesus’ own down-to-earth message of miracle-laced redemption.
Hubbub surrounded Jesus; I imagine vigorous discussion about who he really was. At the same time, he preached a quiet command for sacrifice, a message so difficult to accept and act on that instead of starting the journey of selfless living, we, like Jesus’ contemporaries who apparently so craved a ruling king, often debate the messenger’s divinity.
