Luke 13:18-19

     Now Jesus tells a parable. He compared the kingdom of God to a mustard seed. A mustard seed could be sown in the garden until it grew into a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.
     A mustard seed has become the familiar image of something that begins small and grows into large. Even more familiar is probably Jesus’ comment that faith, even the size of a mustard seed, can move mountains.
     But in this particular case, Jesus is talking about the kingdom of God. Now, the kingdom is difficult to strictly define. At various times it appears to be something small, other times large, sometime it appears future related and still other time something that is present. The kingdom of God is within and among us.
     Scholars have devoted extensive studies to what it means to define the kingdom of God. Yet Jesus didn’t define it, just accepted it as a dynamic reality that is both present and becoming; it is under the authority of God, yet humans, creations of God, are granted responsibilities in helping build up the kingdom; it is alive in the midst of creation, yet also beyond the life known by humanity.
     Jesus didn’t define and therefore limit the understanding of God’s kingdom. And the parable of the mustard seed seems to contain a wry humor that is often lost on people today. Scholars point out that the description of mustard as becoming a tree is an exaggeration. It can grow into a mighty plant, some eight to nine feet high, but it is highly unlikely that birds would ever nest in a mustard plant. They do grow large, but are not trees and will die back after a season, though casting their seeds to grow into new plants. Mustard grows wild and in some cases is regarded as pest rather than a desirable plant.

     Some Mustard Seed Extras: 

 The mustard seed and its aroma and flavor has been popular for thousands of years. The condiment is made from the crushed seeds of the plant. At first they were mixed with vinegar, but in the Middle Ages it was replaced with something called grape must, which is where it got the name we know today of mustard. Grape must was simply the juice from the grape.  (Mustard – native to Europe and South-eastern Asia; grown in temperate regions. Well known since days of ancient Greece as a condiment and for medicinal uses; frequently referred to in the New Testament and Greek and Roman writings;. (Collins, Mary, Spices of the World Cookbook by McCormick, U.S.A.: produced for McCormick by Penguin Books, 1964), p. 36. As the Greek and Roman Colonizers spread their civilizations throughout Europe, they took their knowledge of spices with them. It is on record, for example, that the first mustard seed were brought to England by Roman soldiers in 50 b.c.

      The parable of the mustard seed was likely intended by Jesus to have echoes in the scriptures of his people. Nebuchadnezzar dreams of being a great tree with the birds of the air nesting in its branches. Ezekiel’s oracle (17:22-23) is an even more specific reference. Yet these older images refer to the kingdom as a great cedar, while Jesus describes it as a mustard. One scholar says that the mustard seed is a parable of the kingdom’s beginnings, but not of its final manifestation. The ministry of Jesus, although with amazing events, was more like a mustard seed, though people expected a full grown cedar.
     Scholars tend to downplay the final result, taking literally what grows from a mustard seed. But is it possible that Jesus was including a little humor here? The mustard seed is small, an inauspicious beginning, but Jesus pictures it growing into something entirely unexpected - a great tree that can give refuge in its branches. In other words, the kingdom of God will grow into something quite surprising by human standards, understanding or expectations.
     The coming of the birds to next in the branches has been interpreted by some to be a reference to the Gentiles who would be welcomed into the church. If Jesus is echoing the images of Hebrew scriptures, this would seem unlikely. The older references are about peace, security and refuge. Yet the Gentiles also found this in the church, just as many who were Israelites did. Luke did have a strong interest in the Gentiles (he may have been one himself) coming into the church. And a later parable (Luke 13:29) will refer to the fact that “people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God.” Double meanings were popular in the ancient Near East, so it is not impossible that Jesus saw a vision of the gentiles being among those who would come to nest in the kingdom of God. Given the fact that he was speaking to an orthodox Israelite audience, this could even be one of the extremely unexpected things that would grow from the mustard seed.
     Again, from human expectations, something grows, or should grow, by increments. Therefore, if Jesus announced the small beginnings of the kingdom as a mustard seed, then two thousand years later, it must surely be larger. But that would ignore the fact that Jesus announced the kingdom for individuals, groups, for creation itself. It is always in the process of becoming. Its growth may or may not be visible to the human perception. Its manifestation may not be what human standards expect.
     
Do you use or think of the imagery of the kingdom of God?
What does it mean to you?
Do you have expectations about God’s kingdom?
Are your expectations limiting your perception of the kingdom’s presence?

Luke 13:6-17

     It is probably only the hellfire and brimstone Christians who are fond of the image Jesus uses here. He tells a story of a man with a fig tree that doesn’t bear fruit. He tells the man taking care of things, the vine dresser, to cut it down. After all, the tree is drawing nutrients from the soil without giving anything back. Here we would ignore the modern understanding that a plant of any kind, even without fruit, is adding oxygen to the air. The fig tree, like any fruit tree, is planted for the purpose of bearing fruit. But the vinedresser disagreed with the man who wanted to cut down the tree. At least give it another year while the vinedresser digs around it and gives it fertilizer. If that doesn’t help, then it could be cut down.
      For some, the image will inevitably be ominous. The ax is waiting. If things don’t change in a hurry, the axe will fall. But the story is also about hope. True, no fruit is in evidence, but give the tree another chance. Give it help and support, don’t just discard it.
      As with all parables, the different parts of the story should not be turned into metaphors and symbols. For example, we should resist trying to invest identity in the land owner or the vinedresser, such as trying to make one into a judging God and the other into Christ. God and Jesus are one in a way that defies human imagination. And God wants God’s children to succeed and bear spiritual fruit. God has given not one but many new opportunities. God has much more in common with vinedresser, or the father in the parable of the prodigal son than with the landowner who wants to cut the tree down.
      Nonetheless, the story can serve as a reminder that humans are called to a purpose and we are missing out on the best of life when we fail to live up to that calling.
      Luke follows this parable with an account about one day when Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues. A woman was there who was crippled, bent over so severely that she couldn’t stand straight. With no other explanation, it was described as a spirit that had crippled her. From a modern point of view it sound like severe arthritis or some other degenerative condition such as multiple sclerosis. When Jesus saw her, he called her over, laid hands on her and proclaimed her free of her disease. Right off she straightened up and began praising God.
      On the side, this woman exemplifies faith in the midst of disease. In the first place, she remained faithful (she was at the synagogue) despite her years of pain and disablement. When she is healed, no matter what the means, she praises God. God must have smiled joyfully when he looked at this spiritual woman who was now healed.
     But there were others there that day, others who thought the rules were more important than people. The Sabbath was a day for rest, and the orthodox understanding of that could be quite rigid. Jesus had violated this by actually healing on the Sabbath. The leader of the synagogue was indignant with Jesus. He may have been also fearful that the day would turn into a madhouse of people seeking healing. So he told the congregation that there were six working days to come. They should come and be healed on one of them, not on the Sabbath.
      Imagine what the poor woman felt at that point. Though she hadn’t even initiated the healing, it must have seemed as if the leader of the synagogue was pointing a finger of judgment at here as much or more than at Jesus.
      Jesus was obviously frustrated and angry. Here this faithful woman had been healed and was doing nothing except praising God...what more appropriate thing could take place on a Sabbath? But the leaders couldn’t rejoice with her. There was obviously more than the one who was objecting because Jesus’ response was about ‘you hypocrites.’ Those pious men would give their ox or donkey water on the Sabbath, but resented the healing of this daughter of Abraham.
      The opponents of the healing were put to shame (other translations say confused or humiliated). But the rest of the crowd was delighted at his words.
      To us, it may seem a no-brainer- the woman was crippled, Jesus had the ability to heal her, so why shouldn’t he do so at the earliest opportunity? But this shouldn’t be taken to think Jesus didn’t respect the rules and customs of the Jewish people. He would even say that he hadn’t come to change the smallest part of them. But it was a time when the rules had been codified, inflated, and expanded to such an extent that no one without ample time and money could observe them all. It was understandable. When people feel under siege, they take control in whatever way they can. With the Romans occupying their country and security and life being uncertain, for some people, the rules may have operated as one of the few things under their control and authority. Although Jesus may have understood their motives, he himself never forgot that the rules God wanted humans to follow were for their benefit. It was good and important to have a day of rest, a day to think about God and order one’s life in the right direction. But the rule wasn’t meant to be kept for its own sake. The woman had been ill for eighteen years, what better time to heal her than the Sabbath?

Do we have our own rules or customs (individually or as the church)? Are we offended when someone else breaks them?
What fruit are we bearing?
Where do we need second chances?

Luke 13:1-5

     Then some people came who told Jesus about some Galileans who had been killed by Pilate while they had been offering sacrifices to God.
     This is the only place in the gospels where this story is told about Pilate and the murdered Galileans. And this event is not recorded in Roman or any other historical records. That doesn’t mean that it did or didn’t occur, only that no one else wrote it down. Pilate himself is not found in roman historical records, only in the histories of the Jewish people. Historians do tell us that it was not an unlikely occurrence. Pilate was not known to be a lover of the Jewish people and could well have found a reason to have ordered a killing. One commentator on the passage, however, points out that this is the kind of story that oppressed people often told, sometimes growing each time it was repeated and passed on.
     It is hard to say what were the motives of the people who told the story to Jesus. They might have hoped Jesus was a Zealot (he did number them among his followers) who wanted to fight and over throw the Romans. They may have simply wanted to share the grievance of oppression.
      Jesus did an interesting thing with this story. He asked if they thought the Galileans had been more guilty or worse sinners than other Galileans. He answered his own question.  No, if they didn’t turn from their own sins, they would die also.
     In a general sense, as the Cambridge Bible Commentary discusses on this passage, it is easy for some to believe that misfortune comes to others because they somehow deserve it, that others are more sinful than we are. Jesus didn’t seem to think that misfortune was a punishment. In fact, he said that the rain falls on the just and the unjust, which seems to contradict the concept of worldly problems being directed by God to punish us for our misdeeds. He further recognized that people could actually be persecuted because of their righteousness or their faith. In responding as he did, Jesus may also have been contemplating the coming violence and fall of Jerusalem. It wouldn’t happen for decades, but Jesus clearly understood the path his people were taking, and the power of Rome which they would not be able to defeat.
     Beyond all this is another truth. When people are oppressed, it is tempting to consider the enemy as the sinful one and the oppressed as righteous. Too often, “blessed are the poor” has been taken that way, as though poverty by its very nature and the suffering it inflicts makes the poor into the good side, with the rich as the sinful evil side. Yet the poor can be as obsessed with money as the rich, and the poor can be just as sinful while the rich can uphold goodness.
      The people of Israel weren’t automatically good simply because Rome was oppressing them. Israel wasn’t righteous simply because it was suffering. Another thing to consider--of the oppressed don’t look to their own faults and sins, when they get power they often turn out to be as bad or worse than the original set of oppressors. A study of history tells us this. Victims often become victimizers.
      As one scholar points out, Jesus was taking the hard road of calling the oppressed and downtrodden to recognize and repent of their own sinfulness.
     Jesus further drove his point home by referring to an architectural disaster, when the tower of Siloam fell and a large number were killed. The first story was one of a tyrant killing people by choice. The second was the story of an accident. Were those 18 people being punished for their sins? Jesus says clearly that they were no more sinful than others who were not killed. Everyone is in need of repentance.
     Repentance may not be the favorite topic of the modern world. Yet even psychiatry has been described as helping to free people from the tyranny of their past. Repentance means being sorry for wrong doing, and changing direction so that the individual seeks to live in such a way that the mistakes are not repeated. It means accepting forgiveness so that the individual is free for an improved life.
      Another aspect of the story is that the people who carried that story to Jesus may have been wanting confirmation of their goodness and therefore of their safety. One of the things when misfortune occurs is that people sometimes start looking for “why.” Interestingly enough, one path this takes is to try and assign blame to the victim. They made an error driving and therefore had an accident. They didn’t take care of their health, that’s why they’re sick. While this can be the explanation, it can be very disturbing to some people when they learn that something happened without the fault of the victim. What that means is that life isn’t in the control of humans; it means that we can’t be smart enough, good enough or skillful enough to avoid all problems. That sense of powerlessness can be terrifying. So some who suffer misfortune are further afflicted by well-meaning “friends” who try to assign blame.
    
How tempting is it to emphasize the mistakes or sins of others, but find reasons to accept our own?
What tyranny of the past do you struggle with?
What would you say to someone who wonders if they can be free?

Luke 12:49-59

     Turn the other cheek
     Peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you.
     Forgive.
     Judge not.
     Love your neighbor.
     Love your enemy.
     He who lives by the sword will de by the sword.
     All these teachings of Jesus and the Judeo-Christian scriptures seem oddly incongruous with the words he speaks in this portion of chapter twelve, that he has come to bring not peace but a sword. That he had come to bring division. That his coming would set even families against each other.
      These words are especially troubling in an era when the extremists of most world religions have practiced terrible violence.
      Was Jesus condoning such violence? Or was he making an observation upon reality?
     Christians early found that their belief was sometimes a source of outer conflict even while it brought them peace and joy of the spirit. Becoming a Christian could break up a marriage. It could lead to persecution. Jesus surely knew this would happen. Was he referring to this when he spoke of bringing a sword? Could the sword sometimes be metaphorical?
     Yet, a few sentences later, in verses 57-9, he speaks of making peace with an opponent before he drags you to court and perhaps lands you in jail. One scholars suggests that the goal is tHaso encourage people to reconcile with God--i.e. if you are clever enough to reconcile before a worse fate with humans, surely people are wise enough to do it in regard to their faith. People are able to interpret signs of the weather, so it is ironic that they can’t interpret the signs of God’s actions.
     Some traditions may not find these words of Jesus troubling. Others will. Though the suggestion of violence is difficult to understand for some, it is undeniable that Jesus came to create change. And change is often difficult. Jesus is not the lord of passivity, or apathy. Christians are called to wholehearted commitment and passionate faith. A question to be raised, then, is how to be passionate, without becoming like one of the extremists who lose all the positive aspects of their faith teachings.
 

If the “sword” could be a metaphor, what would it represent in your life?
What would passionate faith mean to you?
Has your faith ever caused some form of disruption in your life and relationships?

Luke 12:32-48

     The discussion of worldly goods, anxiety and faith concludes with Jesus telling his disciples to have no fear, sell possessions so they can give to the poor, to provide for themselves spiritual purses, whose wealth is in heaven, for no moths can chew that up and no thieves can steal it. For, Jesus said, where our treasure is, so will our hearts be.
     Few Christians have been as radical as to sell all their possessions, yet many Christians have learned the joy of denying themselves and giving generously. Jesus here masterfully points meaning back at the story which he had used earlier, that of the man who had built a bigger barn thinking that was what he needed, only to learn that earthly belongings are temporary--he should have been paying more attention to matters of the soul.
     The climax of what Jesus says is his comment that where our treasure is, that is where our hearts will be found. Jesus understood human nature extremely well. If what we treasure is earthly, our souls will be earthbound. If what we treasure is spiritual, our souls will gain wings.
     Jesus then shifts to another matter, the subject of readiness. He images a servant waiting for the master to return home from a wedding party. Such a party could conclude at any time, short or long. The master might leave the party at any time. The servant doesn’t have any idea. Does the wise servant head for sleep and figure there’s plenty of time?
      Forget modern concepts of fair employment and eight-hour workdays--those don’t apply here. In the day and time of Jesus, the servant paid attention to the needs and wants of the master. If the master returned home and found things out-of-place, not prepared, there would be reprisals. Jesus was pointing out that the wise servant stays ready.
     Then Jesus shifts to a situation anyone might face, even the poor. No one expects a burglar. No one knows the time someone might break in a steal something. Even if it has never happened, the wise householder does not lull themselves into a state of security. It could happen, without warning.
     Using these images of wisdom and preparedness, Jesus reminds them to be ready, because they never know when the Son of Man is be among them.
      Peter, ever the literal man who wants detailed instructions, wants to know if this applies to everyone, or just to the disciples.
     Jesus, ever one to ask people to think, doesn’t give a simple yes or no. Instead he returns to the image of the wise and trusty servant. Who is this servant? Who is the one appointed as the steward (a powerful and honorable position)? It won’t be the one who slacks off and abuses the other servants. It will be the one who was faithful and ready.
      Jesus concludes with the comment that to those who have been given much, much will be expected. This is reminiscent of his parable of the talents.

Where would you say your treasure is?
Is readiness important for you?
What are you waiting for?
What is your readiness as a steward?

Luke 12:22-31

     After telling a story about a man who had a great crop and built a bigger barn to put it in, Jesus directed some words to the disciples. He told them not to worry about what they needed for food and clothing. Life is more important than food and the body more than clothing. The birds don’t plant seeds or harvest, they don’t need barns, but God still feeds them. And “you” are worth so much more than birds.
     Taken literally and to the extreme, these words seem completely contrary to the responsible work ethic that many of us hold. If the birds don’t sow and reap, why should we?
     It isn’t enough to say, ‘well, he was talking to his disciples and not to the rest of us.’ Most of what he said to his first followers is definitely applicable in some way to the chain of disciples down the line 2,000 years later. Did he intend the disciples and succeeding followers to forget about earning a living and expect it to fall from heaven?
      It is hard to believe that Jesus was advising people to do nothing in life or to expect other people to take care of them. He certainly wanted people to use their resources wisely and charitably, and that assumes people will have some resources to manage. The question may boil down to how “excessive” is defined. Jesus was talking that day to a group of extremely practical men, literal, largely unimaginative, and with a tendency to put excess worry into the wrong things.
     This is further emphasized by his next words as he asks his disciples whether they can add even a day to their lives by worrying about it? If not, then why worry about all the other matters? And he continues with the example of the wayside flower, noting that even wealthy King Solomon was not clothed as beautifully as the bloom in the field, though the flower neither spins nor sews. Won’t God clothe the disciples as well?
      As the modern reader of health articles know, “worry” or “stress” is the bugaboo for blood pressure and other health problems. The proliferation of acidic stomach, tension headaches, etc. can attest to it. Yet since the first attempt to turn “stress” into a wholly negative aspect of life, others have pointed out that stress is natural to life and some of it is vital for survival. Balance is often the recommended approach. But could Jesus have talked to these worrying, obsessed disciples about “balance” and have them understand? There was a cultural tendency toward hyperbole, which should never be underestimated, even while we take the teaching seriously.
     Jesus concludes by commenting to the disciples on how small their store of faith is.
     We may all have known people who sat back and declared that “we should act on faith.” Members of churches or other Christian organizations have sometimes made decisions on the belief that they should act on faith and that God will provide. Sometimes that calm belief has proven itself in spectacular ways. In other cases, those who acted on faith ended with a lost mortgage or other problem on their hands. It is possible to say that perhaps what they originally wanted was wrong and that is why God didn’t “provide.” But that backs the question up to the original statement of faith and whether people should be cautious about leaping off the roof and simply expecting God to catch them.
       Of course, it is extremely unlikely that the disciples would ever choose to be non-workers, living off the efforts of other people. They were generally a hard-working responsible group who took a huge leap of faith in leaving their nets and other tasks behind to follow Jesus. Now that they were in the middle of it, they were obviously stewing over what was going to happen next. Was Jesus trying to remind them of the leap they’d already taken and encourage them to hold fast?
      Jesus contrasts the lack of worry he is advising them to have with the pagans who are always concerned about what they will eat and drink. Comparing them with pagans may have been a shock statement. Instead, he tells them, your Father knows that you need these things.
       Once again, the “but” could be asked. There are people of deep and sincere faith who have starved to death, have gone unclothed or watched their children die. We must be honest enough with our faith and its ideals to confront reality. But would Jesus want us to use that as an excuse for scrambling after worldly “security?” Or would he use it as a call to manage any resources we have so we can share with others?
     One thing is certain, excessive anxiety and grasping after worldly goods can exclude God from consideration. It can trap us in our own concerns and close off our compassion for other people.
     Whatever it meant to the first disciples, Jesus’ words challenge us today.
     What does it mean to be people of faith?
      How much planning and work and caution is stewardship, and when does the excess become foolish and counterproductive worry?
     Have you ever taken a leap of faith? Enough of them?

Luke 12:13-21

     Jesus is by now a known and respected speaker. A man in the crowd spoke up and asked Jesus to require his brother to divide with him the property their father had left for them. It has been speculated that this would have been the younger brother. The larger share of property always went to the eldest son in the family. Although this seems unfair to most people today, it was the accepted practice in many cultures throughout history. Scholars say that it was to ensure the maintenance of larger estates for social stability.
     This isn’t to say that the younger brothers enjoyed the situation...as this story and the tale of the prodigal son both illustrate. In this particular situation, the elder brother has apparently refused to give the younger sibling his allotted share and this defrauded man looks to Jesus to remedy the situation.
      From a certain perspective, this may have seemed right. Jesus was respected. He clearly had an air of authority that impressed the crows and made his opponent nervous. Perhaps the brother had even come and joined the crowd, thereby acknowledging some sense of respect for Jesus’ opinion. Yet, from the perspective of time, we might look at this man and wonder why he was bothering with physical property when he had the lord of life in front of him.
     The response of Jesus doesn’t appear to be scornful, but more sad when he asks who had given him the right to judge the matter. Then he used the moment to pass on a teaching to the entire crowd when he warned them to beware of greed, for their true and genuine life was not summed up in what they owned.
      Jesus proceeded to tell the parable of the man with the bigger and better barn. He’d had a great harvest and decided to tear down his barn and build one good enough for his harvest. Once it was done he congratulated himself and decided he could be at ease. But God tells him he’s a fool, for he would die that night and what good would his barns or harvest be?
     This is how it was, Jesus said, with those who pile up earthly riches, but are not rich with God and spirit.
     Jesus had a clear sense of priorities. A person grasping after wealth was missing out on eternal riches. Most spiritual paths have tended to raise concern over those who emphasize the physical over the spiritual. A Hindu fable ends with the comment that those who live only for bread will do anything to attain it.
     One wonders if the man wanting his share of the his father’s property understood, or rejected the teaching. Certainly, Christians have not always had a comfortable relationship with the physical world. Responses range from ascetics who reject all physical pleasure or comfort, to those who have convinced themselves that being a Christians is a path and justification for affluence.
     It is true that Jesus’ words can be taken in more than one way. He doesn’t necessarily say that wealth and spiritual riches are necessarily exclusive. That is, perhaps someone can be rich in both ways. The dangers of it are clear--the temptation to forget priorities in the pursuit of worldly gain. On the other extreme, few Christians have gone the path of someone like Mother Teresa, and many feel a sense of spiritual angst in observing that sort of consecration.
      It is not a subject that is or should be easily resolved.

What is your relationship with money?
If you were brutally honest with yourself, how important is physical wealth to you?
Would your attitude toward worldly security lead you to be blind to the treasure of Jesus standing in front of you?