Epiphany
6 - 15 February 2004 – Bishop Owen Dowling
Readings:
Jeremiah 17:5-10, Luke 6:17-26
We are currently in the
year of Luke – the gospel readings for the Christian year, or at least a large
part of it, are from this beautifully written gospel. Those with an eye for the distinctive character of each of
the four gospels will recognize two of these distinctives in today’s gospel
excerpt. First, that what is called
‘The Sermon on the Mount’ in Matthew’s gospel is the ‘Sermon on the
Plain’ in Luke. According to Luke
Jesus had been up a mountain to pray, praying before he chose the 12 disciples
whom he was to train especially and to call them his apostles. (A disciple is one who is taught, an apostle is one who is
sent out). Then Luke tells us that
Jesus came down from the mountain with the Twelve to a flat place and he began
to teach them in similar words to those we find in the beatitudes in Matthew’s
Sermon on the Mount. ‘Blessed are
you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God ….’ By the way, another distinctive for Luke is the expression
‘kingdom of God’ whereas Matthew always uses the `expression ‘kingdom of
heaven.’
The other distinctive I
want to focus on in this address is Luke’s reference to healing power coming
out from Jesus’ body – ‘All in the crowd there on that flat place were
trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.’
Luke as you probably know
was a physician. Paul refers to him
as the ‘beloved doctor’. He not
only was with Paul on some of his journeys as a fellow worker in the gospel but
quite possibly gave him medical advice and assistance. So we are not surprised by the strong interest in Luke’s
version of the gospel and in the Acts of the Apostles, Luke’s second volume,
in the healing ministry of Jesus and the apostles.
Particularly Luke uses the word ‘power’ (in Greek ‘dunamis’ from
which we get the word ‘dynamic’). ‘Power
came out from him and healed them all.’ When
Luke is describing the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee he says,
‘Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a
report about him spread through all the surrounding country.’
In another place he speaks of ‘the power of the Lord being with Jesus
to heal.’ He uses the word
‘power’ to describe Jesus’ ministry much more than the other gospel
writers. John doesn’t use it at
all. At the end of the gospel Luke
has Jesus telling his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they are ‘clothed
with power from on high’.
Luke’s interest in the
healing ministry of Jesus is quite apparent, and we have some healings like the
woman whose back was straightened or the raising up of a widow’s son from the
funeral bier recorded only by Luke. When
he is describing the scene on the Saturday night when a great crowd of sick
people gathered outside Peter’s house, when the sun was setting and the
Sabbath was over, Luke tells us that ‘Jesus laid his hands on each of them and
healed them.’ He records that
Jesus took time and care over his ministry of healing, giving attention to each
individual.
It is clear that the
ministry of healing and restoration of lives is intertwined in the gospel
accounts with Jesus’ teaching and story telling. When Jesus commissions his disciples and apostles he tells
them to proclaim the kingdom
of God and to heal. Word and deed were to work powerfully together.
I speak then of these two particular distinctives of Luke’s gospel – the sermon on the plain and the power of the Holy Spirit being present in Jesus’ ministry and being promised to his followers.
Why would Luke speak of
Jesus coming down from the mountain to a low and flat place to do his teaching?
Is there a hidden message there? Luke
may be saying that Jesus’ teaching came to the disciple’s and the people’s
level. Rather than going up to
mountain for Jesus’ lofty teaching delivered like Moses’ law from the
mountain as Matthew has it, Luke, the Gospel for the Gentiles, for the people of
all nations, stresses that the law of the love of God – something that can be
followed by anyone of any nation or background is made available at the ordinary
person’s level. ‘Love your
enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for
those who abuse you …. your reward will be great and you will be children of
the Most High.’
Luke’s Sermon on the Plain is considerably shorter than Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount – though essentially carrying the same message of the law of love. Luke, however, includes more parable stories of Jesus in his gospel which make this teaching plain. The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin, The Prodigal Son, The Rich Man and Lazarus the Beggar, The Pharisee and the Tax Collector – all parables about God’s love for the poor and the marginalized, for the sinner as well as the saint.
What about us – the would
be followers of Jesus Christ in the 21st century, the members of his
mystical body, the church?
First we are to be people
of word and action. We are to speak
the words of truth and love, but act in a merciful and caring, but effective,
way towards others. We are all to
be part of the church’s ministry of healing and caring as well as part of the
ministry of teaching and proclamation. No
one can be, nor should they try to be, the super disciple / apostle – whether
they be bishop, priest, deacon, or lay person – but we should all be part of a
balanced ministry of understandable teaching and effective ministry.
It’s helpful to reflect
on the disciple – apostle balance. The
disciples are those being trained – the learners – those grappling with the
basis of the life of faith, no doubt with quite a few ups and downs but always
seeking to understand the gospel in today’s terms. But Jesus also turned disciples into apostles – he sent
them out as his witnesses and as healers in his name.
I like the way the Roman
Catholic Church speaks of ‘the lay apostolate’ or the way the Cursillo
movement encourages its members to look at and discuss and pray over what
apostolic action we are called to, or to be engaged in as members of Christ’s
body. In fact in that movement
there’s a threefold challenge for those who’ve been to a Cursillo (which
means a short course on Christian living).
One is to develop a day by day relationship with God and this is called
‘piety’ (or perhaps a better word is ‘holiness’).
One is to do some study and reflection as a Christian person and the
third is to be involved in some apostolic action.
The church community is
where we are to encourage one another in this balanced development.
Perhaps you need to reflect with your new Rector, whenever he or she is
appointed, on how All Saints Church can have a balanced program enabling the
membership to grow as disciples and apostles of Christ.
It is no mean task, but you and I are called to it, clergy and people
together.