Andrew Robb - November 5, 2023
Centralising Justice
From Series: "Snapshots from the Gospel of Luke E"
Snapshots from the Gospel of Luke
A message from the series "Snapshots from the Gospel of Luke E." Reading: Luke 1:46-56 As we begin to move closer to Christmas we are returning to the opening accounts of the Gospel of Luke. Luke is one of the Gospels that tells a number of stories around the birth of Jesus. One of these is the prophetic song of Mary as she celebrates the generosity and grace of God in sending the unborn Jesus into the world. Mary recognises here that God has ‘exalted the humble’. This ins not simply an account of God’s work in this young girl, but also a way of pointing to themes in the Gospel of Luke. Mercy, the blessing of ‘generations’, the scattering of the ‘round and haughty’, and the filling of the ‘hungry’.
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CloseReading: Luke 11:33-54 Our passage begins by alluding to the possibility that the very ‘light’ we choose to live by can actually be ‘darkness’. It is a disturbing image pointing to the blindness that religion can inspire. This saying of Jesus precedes an encounter with a Pharisee over a meal. Here Jesus is judged to have fallen short of the religious requirements surrounding food consumption. Jesus fails to wash his hands prior to eating. Jesus is aware of this unspoken criticism and sparks a wave of anti-beatitudes against the gathered religious leaders. Jesus repeatedly uses the phrase ‘What sorrow awaits you…’ Central to all this is the cutting phrase ‘you ignore justice and the love of God.’ Strangely, part of Jesus criticism is that they align themselves with a religious history that executes the very messengers of God. Strangely, they prove to be so blind - read lit by darkness - that they leave with plans to murder again.
Related Topics: Justice, Luke | More Messages from Andrew Robb | Download Audio
Snapshots from the Gospel of Luke
Introducing the Gospel | Andrew Robb | October 15, 2023 | Listen | ||
The Baptism of Jesus | Phil Waugh | October 22, 2023 | Listen | ||
Centralising Justice | Andrew Robb | November 5, 2023 | Listen | ||
Jesus and Politics | Phil Waugh | November 19, 2023 | Listen | ||
Mary Sings | Andrew Robb | November 26, 2023 | Listen |