Bible Study: Luke 9:51-62
The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.
When the days drew near for him to be received up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.
And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him;
but the people would not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.
And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to bid fire come down from heaven and consume them?”
But he turned and rebuked them.
And they went on to another village.
As they were going along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.”
To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
But he said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.”
Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Photo: Andrew Shiva, Wikipedia
Context: This excerpt is the turning point in Jesus’ life. After Jesus “sets his face toward Jerusalem,” every story in Luke’s gospel must be read through the lens of His Passion and Resurrection. The rejection of the Samaritans reveals that the Israelites were fighting over the identity of the chosen people of God. Jesus will be rejected in Jerusalem as well. In their zeal for the Messiah’s honor, the disciples show the Messianic expectations that fueled the infighting. The Kingdom would be very different than the disciples or the Israelites expected.
Translation: Although the original prophetic literature was recorded in Hebrew, Jews in Luke’s day heard the Greek Septuagint read aloud. Luke’s word choices allude to the Old Testament prophets Elijah and Elisha, (see I Kings 19:19-21), as well as the apocalyptic prophet, Ezekiel, who was told specifically to “set his face AGAINST Jerusalem,” and to prophesy against the land. (Ezekiel 21:7-8) Luke sounds severe, but he is proposing that Jesus came precisely to fulfill these prophecies in a new and radical way, through poverty.
Vocabulary:
for him to be received up: The word analempsis is used once in the entire New Testament— right here. Compare this to II Kings 2:1, where Elijah was about to be taken up by the Lord in the whirlwind.
deliberately set his face to: Luke renders this passage in the Greek sterizo, with the word prosopon, literally “he hardened his face to go,” a combination which mimics numerous passages in the book of Ezekiel. The apocalyptic character of Jesus’ action is thus heightened. This is not just a journey to Jerusalem, but one that extends all the way to Jesus’ resurrection and ascension.
“farewell to those in my home”: The Greek apotassomai (to say farewell) is used elsewhere to refer also to possessions. Literally, it means saying goodbye to everything contained in one’s house.
Meditation: For Francis and Clare, this passage was foundational. Not only was Jesus poor materially, but his poverty included obedience to the Father oriented toward Jerusalem, toward the cross.
The Blessed Mother is their “Lady Poverty.” She gave birth in a stable, and sought refuge in Egypt. Hot showers and fine linen weren’t part of her package deal. After Jesus began his earthly ministry, he gave her the time of day exactly once, at Cana. The radical gospel supercedes even family ties. Lady Poverty received the Messiah so that she could give Him to us.
In a world obsessed with control, we sometimes forget that life is a gift of God. We receive a beating heart and the breath of life; we do not control them entirely. As Christians, our lives are joined to the person of Christ, and thus we become the gift of Jesus to the world, a gift for others.
So, when the disciples around you are scheming to control unruly Samaritans, remember that Jesus came to smash our expectations about the Kingdom. Turn yourself to the business at hand and become the gift. If you journey alongside Jesus to Jerusalem, God will provide.
Discussion Questions
Sometimes when money troubles find us, we later note how the priority challenge was a good corrective. What priorities are competing for your checkbook? Have you juggled them lately?
Mother Teresa said, “Poverty is love before it is obedience.” Instead of focusing on renunciation this Lent, what loves in your life are leading you to Jerusalem?Away from Jerusalem?
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