Faithful on Fridays Blog

Scene Eight

I delight to find hidden treasures in Dr. Luke’s gospel; join me in our search from Chapter 10. Jesus was gathering His reconnaissance team, 72 men whom He sent out as apostles (that’s the Greek word for ‘sent ones’), to check the spiritual temperature of the communities He’d be visiting. They were given the ability as ‘sent ones’ to heal, deliver, and preach that the Kingdom of God had arrived: His name is Jesus. The Kingdom of God, remember Luke’s a Gentile, is the ultimate rule and reign of the Messiah not only in heaven but also on earth. What was going through Luke’s mind? Jesus was a King, like the (lower story) emperor Hadrian? Only the Holy Spirit can give one the upper story of an invisible kingdom, ruled by an invisible God, who loves and cares about us. That remains true today.

When the 72 returned they cried out in surprise that it worked! Even the demons obeyed their voice of freedom for the people and many were delivered. However wonderful that authority was, Jesus cautioned them with the most important point; their names are written in heaven. Physical healings and deliverances are wonderful benefits, but the upper story of salvation, eternal life with God, trumps the lower story.

Another treasure I read as I compared all four gospels is Luke’s record of Jesus ‘rejoicing in the Holy Spirit’ (vs. 21) at that conversation. Since Jesus is the Son of Man, a physical person who temporarily gave up His heavenly position and come to earth, He relied on the Spirit, and delighted in His empowerment. I also love listening to people describe their encounters with God; it makes my heart rejoice in the Spirit as well. 

Finally, the last treasure from Chapter 10 is the Good Samaritan story. You probably know it well, it’s unique to Luke, but did you realize it was Jesus’ response to a question asked to disqualify Him as the promised Messiah? An expert in the Torah, the Mosaic Law, asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life and Jesus asked him about the Law, “How do you read it?” In other words, what’s your take on it, how do you interpret ‘eternal Inheritance’, what do you think? I love that about Jesus, He always aims at the heart. 

This lawyer knew what God expected from His people: love Him first and others second. However, he also knew he missed that mark and needed to self-justify. That’s why the parable is so important and why Luke alone included it. He didn’t know the Law, but he understood loving God, showing mercy, and walking humbly: that’s the sum-total of the Law and the lawyer missed it. Jesus didn’t leave him in that guilt though, He simply told him to go and act like the Samaritan or Gentile, as ridiculous as that seemed, and show mercy to people. It’s that simple and remains the way you inherit eternal life even today.