Luke: Journeying with Jesus to Jerusalem
Luke: Journeying with Jesus to Jerusalem
By Fr Tom O'Reilly SSC
Lk 9:51 is a major turning point in Luke’s story. At a time when it is becoming increasingly clear to Jesus that his prophetic ministry is putting him on a collision course with the authorities in Jerusalem, he resolutely determines to bring his message to their centre of power and face certain death (cf. 18:31-34). From 9:51 to 19:28, Luke consciously highlights Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem and carefully eliminates from his sources anything that would distract us from Jesus’ single-mindedness movement in that direction.
At the end of the Jesus’ Galilean ministry, his disciples are coming more into the picture (cf. 9:1-50). Now Jesus invites them to accompany him on the journey to Jerusalem, reminding them that this calls for sacrifice, detachment and single-mindedness (9:57-62). In one respect, the journey is a period of preparation for disciples who will continue the mission of Jesus in the wider world. They are told to listen to Jesus (cf. 9:35). We highlight here a few of the lessons Jesus gives them on the way.
Jesus speaks of the compassion of God, particularly in Lk 15. In three memorable parables he compares God to a shepherd, a woman and a father, all of whom act in an unexpected and extravagant way in seeking or welcoming what is lost. The God of the Lukan Jesus, moved by compassion, reaches out to every person and all levels of society – especially the poor, the outcasts and excluded, and sinners understood to be beyond the pale of God’s forgiveness. Disciples are asked to enter with joy into the compassionate embrace of God and imitate God’s way of acting. ‘Be compassionate as your heavenly Father is compassionate’ (6:36).
Prayer is the means of opening oneself to the compassion of God and thus be energised to imitate God. Luke places his catechism on prayer in the context of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem (11:1-13). Jesus gives his disciples the model prayer (11:2-4) and goes on to stress the need for confidence and persistence in prayer (11:5-12). The fruit of prayer is the gift of the Holy Spirit (11:13). In the parable of the widow and the unjust judge (18:1-8) Jesus reinforces the need for persistent prayer and then in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax-collector (18:9-14) insists that in prayer we must keep the focus on the compassion of God, rather than on our own accomplishments or failures. Luke’s Gospel is permeated with an atmosphere of prayer. At every important turning point in his life and mission we find Jesus at prayer (e.g., 3:21; 6:12; 9:28; 11:1; 22:41; 23:46). Through prayer Jesus deepened his consciousness of being God’s beloved Son and discerned the direction of his Spirit-empowered mission.
While on the way to Jerusalem, the Lukan Jesus has a lot to say about our use of wealth. Luke alone gives us the story of Zacchaeus (19:1-10) and the parables of the rich man and Lazarus (16:19-31), the unjust steward (16:1-14) and the rich fool (12:13-21), all of which address our attitude to possessions. At times Jesus asks people to give up all wealth in following him (cf. 14:33). At other times he advocates storing up heavenly capital by giving alms and remitting debts (cf. 12:33; 16:9; 6:27-36). We cannot meet the Lukan Jesus without being reminded that attachment to possessions can pose a problem for discipleship and without being challenged to reflect on our use of wealth in a world where many people lack the basic necessities of life.
In reading Luke’s Gospel, we are reminded that mission is about the outreach of a compassionate God to all. We are urged to be people of prayer, so that we can be channels of God’s love and compassion and discern directions for our mission today. And we hear the call to simplicity of life and the use of our resources to bring about a better world were all have access to God’s blessings.
[Gospel of St Luke - Reflections by Fr Tom O'Reilly SSC]