The Israelites ate manna forty years until they came to a habitable land; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

—Ex. 16:35

Hunger in the Wilderness

While he was there, Jesus fasted from eating, and at the end of the 40 days, he’s very hungry. His ancestors were also hungry when they were in the wilderness. Each morning they relied on God for their bread. Jesus empathizes, he symbolically aligns himself with his people, and he experiences the kind of temptations they experienced.

When the people of Israel left Egypt and entered the wilderness, the first major crisis revolved around what they would eat. Some grumbled and wished they were still in Egypt because they believed they would die from starvation. Moses brought their concerns to God and God met their needs with manna. This manna appeared every morning and there was just enough for each family. They had to rely on God daily for their food. Here we see Jesus hungry in the wilderness and he had the power to fulfill his own food needs. Instead of making bread for himself, he set aside that power and he stated his intention to rely on God. He walked in the footsteps of his ancestors and trusted God to sustain him. 

Worship in the Wilderness

In the second temptation, the tempter offered him the whole world if Jesus would just worship him. If true, this offer suggested there’s an easy shortcut to redemption. Whether the tempter had the power to offer that kind of dominion or not, it would destroy the integrity of God’s very place in the order of the universe. Jesus as a human knew this, but also experienced the lived reality of human frailty, emotions, and having to untangle the wordsmith temptations of the devil.

The Israelites also dealt with temptations around worship. When Moses went up the mountain to receive the law, he was gone longer than they expected. Assuming their leader was dead, the people panicked and turned to the gods they were raised with. It may not seem logical to us, but the golden calf probably brought comfort and a feeling of stability during that time of confusion. Jesus placed himself in a state of weakness and allowed himself to be tempted when he was susceptible to confusion. In that way, he walked the hard path of physically empathizing with his people. 

Faith in the Wilderness

At first look, this third temptation doesn’t seem to correspond with anything from the people of Israel wandering in the wilderness. The key here is in the response Jesus gave, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” This is a quote from Deuteronomy where Joshua instructed the Israelites before they entered Canaan. In this instruction, he told them not to put the Lord your God to the test, as your forefathers did at Massah. What happened at Massah?

This was where the people rose up against Moses because they wanted water. In this uprising, the people accused Moses of bringing them out of Egypt simply to let them die. This seemed reasonable since we all need water to survive, but this was considered a test of God’s power and provision. God had already provided water miraculously, and at this point, manna had also been provided miraculously. Not to mention the Exodus itself. This reversion to accusing Moses of letting them die is a way of expressing a lack of belief and demanding miracle after miracle to prove God’s provision.

This is where the temptation of Jesus ties in. The tempter is telling Jesus to demand proof of God’s love and protection by throwing himself off the cliff. It’s a different scenario, but Jesus was being tempted to trust God, only after receiving a miraculous sign. He’s being challenged to “test” God’s faithfulness and Jesus resisted that temptation to have his faith confirmed with miracles. 

Empathy in the Wilderness

Jesus walked a mile in the footsteps of his ancestors and in so doing, he empathized with them. He also gained an understanding of what they experienced in their humanity, in their hunger and thirst, in their frailty. This encounter in the wilderness was at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. It added the kind of compassion that is only learned through experience. 

God’s love is thorough. Jesus not only offered grace and mercy, he made it his business to personally understand what we deal with. In this text, we see one specific example of this, and this intentionality shows us these temptations weren’t incidental, but exercises in trustworthiness. 

Jesus knows the difficult seasons you have experienced as well. Bring those to him in prayer, knowing he doesn’t just love you in the “mountaintop experiences”, but also in the wilderness.

Photo of stones credit: by Deniz Altindas on Unsplash

Photo of desert by Artem Kniaz on Unsplash

We don’t know what ‘behind the scenes’ injustices Jesus may have been addressing. This may be in response to the injustices that surface in every era. In this crowd, it’s likely that both classes of people are present. The rich and the poor are mingling and are a part of the same society. This means that there are people going hungry right in front of those who have more than enough. There is judgment for the callousness toward the neighbor, the hoarding of wealth, the apathy. 

The Future is Now

Both the passage in Matthew and in Luke can be mistaken for a pie-in-the-sky view of Christianity. Are we only looking forward to some future reward? This idea isn’t fully consistent with how the Gospels present the kingdom of heaven. The refrain we find is that the kingdom of heaven is among you, or is near. Jesus was ushering in the kingdom of heaven. So we should re-read passages like Luke 6  and Matthew 5  with a perspective of the “now and not yet”. The kingdom of heaven is near, even though it’s not yet complete. 

This text offers hope for the marginalized, not just for a distant future time, but also in the present. God sees you, loves you, and is giving honor to you. God is with you as you walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Everyone is invited to be still and to rest in God’s presence. The marginalized are closer to that rest because so much has already been stripped from them. The rich, on the other hand, may not even be looking for God’s rest, and so deprive themselves. The influential person who oppresses those beneath them, will need to deal with that before true peace is even possible. 

A Wake-up Call for the Influential 

This sermon is blunt and has an air of finality. However, we should remember that Luke also wrote about rich oppressors who found redemption. This Sermon on the Plain shines a light on oppression. Inequity was so rampant, it had become mundane. This isn’t a condemnation—it’s a wake-up call. Some who were complicit heard that wake-up call and followed.

Look around your context. What inequity or oppression has become commonplace and unquestioned? As you follow Jesus, ask yourself what needs your attention today. 

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It’s tempting to focus on the fact that Jesus is rejected by his hometown. These people knew him growing up and they’re having trouble seeing him as anything other than the carpenter’s son. This is a relatable experience. Many of us surpassed the expectations people had for us. Focusing on this part of the story is valid, but it’s low-hanging fruit. Surpassed expectations don’t cause a whole group of people to suddenly become so enraged that they try to throw one of their own off a cliff. There’s more to it than that. 

Jesus edits out vengeance

Jesus challenges their understanding of how God will deal with their enemies. We can see this in the text he chose and where he stops reading. The text he read continues on to say, “and the day of vengeance of our God.” Jesus, who was led by the Holy Spirit, stops reading mid-sentence before the text talks about God’s vengeance. This edit is an interesting commentary by itself. Not only were the scriptures full of vengeance against enemies, but the crowd Jesus was speaking to also had real enemies who were causing pain and suffering. People likely consoled themselves with the parts of Scripture that talk about vengeance. The way Jesus intentionally left this part out probably felt like a personal correction.

As people start to murmur and the conversation heats up, Jesus cuts to the point. He talks about events in their history when God helped people of other nations over their own. He mentions the healing of Naaman, a military official who had invaded Israel and took one of their women as his wife. Elisha healed this man instead of one of the many lepers in Israel. The underlying idea here is that God responds to everyone and is welcoming of everyone who calls out to God. People of all times and places have tried to gatekeep God’s acceptance, who can speak about God, or what those messages are supposed to say. Jesus uses their own history to illustrate the fact that God does not obey gatekeeping. God will do what God will do. 

Jesus and the gatekeepers

Jesus tells them his mission through his choice of Scripture. He reads a description of the messiah and what the messiah will do—prioritize the marginalized people. Marginalized people were not part of the hierarchical structure and they were not important. Some saw their marginalization as an indicator of sin–meaning their situation was their own fault. 

This crowd, probably every religious person at this time, had beliefs about who the messiah would be and what he would do. They probably assumed they knew who would be rewarded for their faith (them). Jesus claims to be the messiah and tells them who he is called to minister to (the poor and marginalized). Jesus is crushing beliefs that this crowd held dear. This is where the energy to throw him off a cliff is coming from. 

The gatekeepers have the power and influence to decide who’s in or out. You don’t need much power. Jesus isn’t talking to members of the Roman government here, this is just a group of men in his hometown. In that context, they were the people with power. The poor and the marginalized don’t have the power to change their place in society. They’re at the mercy of those in power. Jesus is called to minister to the marginalized, to the outsider, this is his priority. Structural power is diluted without helpless and voiceless people. 

Led by the Holy Spirit

This passage tells us that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit. We have access to this same leading, guiding, counseling spirit as we go about our life and ministry. We don’t know if Jesus in his incarnational humanity needed the Spirit to connect him to God’s guidance, or whether he chose to do this to model it for us. Either way, we see hope and instruction here. Hope because there were gatekeepers trying to keep Jesus confined to their expectations. There’s instruction for us here as well. Jesus received his call to ministry when he received the Holy Spirit. We also need to maintain our relationship to God and the Spirit so that we have ears to hear God’s call in our lives, whether or not that call is within a paid ministry job. 

We also see here that God didn’t consult or abide by the gatekeeper’s rules. There might be gatekeepers who tell you your ministry isn’t valid even though you’re sure God has called you. Keep on cultivating that relationship with God and don’t let the gatekeepers deter you.

Who are the gatekeepers in your life? 
How do they wield their power and how does this affect you? 

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A Problem With the Analogy

The problem with turning this comment into theology is that it has been used poorly. I think this happens in part because of the way we fish today as compared to the way they fished then. I have fished using a lure, which looks like a bug or a smaller fish. I’ve also fished using bait–anything a fish would identify as food to cover up a hook. Modern fishing uses bait and trickery to snag a fish against its will to get it into our cooler. Much the same way, modern evangelism has used lure and often trickery to get people to come to a location where they will then be subjected to hearing a message they probably wouldn’t have opted in to attend if they had known.

In Peter’s day, fishing involved going to where the fish were and lowering a net. The idea was to pull the nets when a school was passing over them. The end result was the same, fish in a cooler, but rather than trickery, it involved paying attention to the fish and waiting. That’s still not how I want to interact with people and I’m glad this isn’t actually the point of this text. This is still just a comment to a fisherman as he’s asked to leave his job for a very different kind of life.

Intended For Peter

This was a message for Peter and it’s deeper than what we’ve turned it into. Peter was a skilled fisherman. When Jesus asked him for a lift in his boat onto the water so he could talk to the crowds of people, Peter had already been working all night. He’s cleaning his nets, and he’s tired.

After Jesus talks to the people, he tells Peter to let the nets down again. This is the last thing anyone would want to hear. It’s the end of his workday. Jesus isn’t a fisherman and doesn’t know what he’s talking about. It’s probably a little bit insulting or just ridiculous. Peter explains why this won’t work, but then humbly does what Jesus asks and is overwhelmed by the catch. It’s in this context that Jesus tells Peter that from now on Peter will catch people. It was a clever way to say, follow me.

Let’s follow Peter into this new call a bit to see how this plays out. The gospel features many interactions between Jesus and Peter. Many of Peter’s comments and actions are misguided and receive anything from a gentle to a sharp correction from Jesus. Preachers everywhere have a field day with Peter, he becomes the bumbling sitcom sidekick—the comic relief of many sermons because hindsight is 20 /20.

Peter was experienced in fishing, but now he’s talking to people, praying for people, answering trick questions from people who don’t like Jesus, witnessing miracles, not understanding the cryptic things Jesus is saying. He wants to save Jesus from execution as any follower would, he cuts off a soldier’s ear to prevent the arrest of Jesus. Later that night he denies Jesus. Either Peter is really out of his element, or there isn’t a person in all of history who would have looked competent standing next to Jesus.

Fishers of Men

Peter doesn’t suddenly get it after the resurrection either. In one gospel he doesn’t believe Mary’s account. In another gospel, he returns to fishing. He has lost whatever faith he had. Then he re-encounters the resurrected Jesus who hangs out for a few weeks teaching them before returning to heaven. At this point, the followers of Jesus gather and pray because they don’t know what else to do. Suddenly, the Holy Spirit rushes into their prayer meeting. Everyone leaves the meeting and rushes outdoors. After such a bad track record for saying everything wrong, Peter, full of the Spirit, preaches to a crowd, telling them everything Jesus has done. Four thousand people believe at that moment, even though many of them don’t even speak the same language.

This miracle on the day of Pentecost is a mirror image of the overwhelming catch of fish. Not only were Peter’s best efforts not good enough, he failed completely. When Peter is ready to pack it in, Jesus says, try it again. As Peter humbly responds to that call, listening to Jesus, listening to the Holy Spirit, responding to what God is doing in that moment, allowing himself to be a part of God’s work, he sees the result of that work, God’s results, God moving in the hearts and minds of the people present. He was a fisher of men, but not through trickery or coercion. Most of the people here are excited to hear what he has to say.

Your Call is Different

We are not Peter. Our work is different. The results may not even look impressive. Many faithful people didn’t see a massive response to their message. I don’t think we should have preconceived ideas of our role and our results, based on someone else’s role and results. What we should do is stay in communication with God. Honestly pray about your disappointment. We should live humbly and be thankful when our work produces good results.

Have you felt like your best efforts haven’t produced much? Have you ever experienced God working in your life when you felt depleted?

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Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.” When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.

Luke 3:15-17 , 21-22

So much can be said about this, especially recognizing that baptism is one of the sacraments of the church. What I want to look at here is the relationship between John and Jesus.

Last of the Prophets

John is the last in a long line of prophets for the people of Israel. The prophets lived into the role of God speaking to humanity through a chosen person. John’s enacting that role exactly as the prophets of old did. His parents were instructed by the angel to raise him in the way of the Levitical priesthood. As a man, he lived in the wild eating bugs and wearing animal skins. I imagine the sight of him recalled memories of the ancient prophets such as Ezekiel and Elijah. He was the last because this role in their society was coming to an end.

Jesus, in his incarnation, is living into the role of humanity’s response to God. Jesus was human and God, but his purpose was to live in a way that no other human could. So in this encounter, he humbly takes his place in line with the other people coming to obey and be baptized. He’s not self-deprecating, he’s decisively following God’s will.

Baptism as Redemption

Historically the kings and religious leaders of Israel would come into conflict with the prophets of old. There are stories retold of controversy, attempts at coercion, and even the slaughter of all the prophets during the time of Elijah. Here we see Jesus as teacher and king, receiving John’s word, obeying John’s instructions, and repenting through the act of baptism. Jesus didn’t have anything for which to repent. This act of following John in this moment is also an incarnation act of receiving God’s word and God’s instructions as a human, as a teacher, and a king. It’s a redemption of past wrongs.

The redemption God offers us is thorough. This isn’t just a thumbing of the nose to the leaders of Israel’s past. This is redemption. We are all broken to varying degrees in our ability to hear and follow God. Jesus enacts this perfect obedience. When we follow Jesus we are given his spirit that transforms us and leads us in how to follow Jesus.

Where is the Spirit transforming your life? In what way is God calling you into humble obedience?

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His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Luke 2:41-52

Luke is characteristically the gospel to the gentiles. In this gospel we find the most detail surrounding the birth of Jesus. We find the most interactions with gentiles, and Luke addresses this writing to Theophilus. Theophilus means lover of God, and could be a person’s name or could be any Greek reader. This backdrop of direction toward the non-Jewish reader is what makes these parallels so interesting to me. I find it interesting because a parallel to Samuel would be recognized more readily by a Jewish reader, so we see that Luke has both cultures in mind as he writes.

Messianic Parallels

In my last post, Rejoice in Answered Prayer, I wrote about the similarities between Mary’s song and Hannah’s song. Mary also included some prophetic phrases in her song from Isaiah. The phrase at the end of this passage (Luke 2:52 ) seems like it’s placed there to grab the attention of those who would be familiar with Samuel.

Hannah brought Samuel to live at the temple as a young boy where he was trained by Eli to be a priest. At some point, Samuel was called to serve God and he received that call. We don’t know much about the childhood of Jesus, so this text is an interesting window into this part of his life. There’s a lot of ordinary life going on here…travel, family, irritation. At the end of this story, I see a nod to Samuel’s call.

Jesus is asking questions of the priests and he’s contributing to the conversation. He has a sense of call to be at the temple. In the Jewish culture, thirteen would be the age when boys would start their apprenticeship for their vocation. For Samuel it was direct—he was dedicated at a young age to learn from Eli. At some point that calling became his own. Jesus also had this calling, but it seems as though this slipped Mary’s mind. Maybe she didn’t fully understand how the angel’s prophecy about Jesus would play out. By the end of this interaction, the oft-repeated phrase that she treasured these things in her heart, shows us that she’s learning what all these things mean. Jesus, like Samuel, is aware of his call and responds.

Send Me

Both Samuel and Jesus were initiated into their new sense of call with uncomfortable conversations. Samuel’s call included dire information about Eli’s sons. They had abused their power and they would die premature deaths. Eli senses something is up and insists Samuel tell him everything. What an intimidating start to Samuel’s call as he tells Eli this dark truth. Jesus responds to his call and is then accused of dishonoring his parents—a serious accusation in an honor / shame culture.

Often the right thing isn’t the easy thing. Sometimes it’s the thing that the people closest to us won’t understand. Reflect on the impact you want to have on the world. Pursue God, think about what moves you, and what disturbs you.

What gives you life? Where do you already make an impact within your community? Where do you instinctively respond, “send me”?

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When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant.
    Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name;
indeed, his mercy is for those who fear him
    from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
    he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones
    and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things
    and sent the rich away empty.
He has come to the aid of his child Israel,
    in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
    to Abraham and to his descendants forever.

Luke 1:41-55

Perhaps this was an answered prayer for Elizabeth, whereas for Mary it was more of a surprise. God saw them both. They were given the great responsibility–to raise a child who would make a difference.

Answered Prayers

It’s hard to know how much they perceived about what their children were chosen to accomplish. The angelic visitation, which Elizabeth didn’t get firsthand, would indicate that this was more than just a blessing of a child (during an era when having children was a measure of a woman’s worth). Mary received more information in her visitation, and Luke tells us she pondered these things in her heart.

What seems clear to me in this passage, is that Mary recognizes that the experience she and Elizabeth are having, recalls the experience of Hannah. Hannah, like Elizabeth, couldn’t have children. She begged God for a child because in her society, not being able to conceive was perceived as God’s judgment. As part of her request, Hannah vows to dedicate her child to service in the temple. God answers Hannah’s prayer. On the day she brings her son Samuel to the temple she sings a prayer, which is similar to Mary’s.

Hannah’s Prayer

It’s possible that Hannah’s prayer (1 Samuel 2 ) was passed down through the generations as a song. There are also similarities in Mary’s song with the prophetic writings of Isaiah 40 and 61. The similarities in her song are likely intentional on Mary’s part. This would mean that Mary was a student of Scripture. She was able to create a song using multiple passages relevant to her and Elizabeth’s situation. This would have been unusual for a woman in this society. This speaks to the kind of woman that God chose to be a mother to Jesus.

What are the overlapping themes in Mary’s song and Hannah’s prayer? Hannah starts out exclaiming, my heart exults in the Lord. She talks about how the powerful and arrogant don’t need God, but that God provides for the weak. The rich have food but God feeds the hungry. Hannah sings about God’s power to exalt people or bring people low. Isaiah 40  repeats this theme poetically by saying the valleys will be brought up and the mountains made low. This text references the strength of God’s arm in verse 10 and goes on to compare the powerful and the weak in verses 23-24. Isaiah 61:8-10  also repeats these themes using language very similar to the language Mary uses in her song.

Preparing Their Hearts

So the songs are similar, why is this important? Mary and Elizabeth are sharing this moment of joy. Later in their lives they will both share the grief of losing a son. They were aware of the prophetic role their sons would live—John as prophet and Jesus, who fulfilled the roles of prophet, priest, and king. Historically the prophets weren’t received well. This awareness gives Mary and Elizabeth context and the ability to prepare their heart for the events to come.

God saw and chose Mary and Elizabeth. Mary knows that she is humble and recognizes the truth of the Scriptures that speak of God defending the weak.

Life can get discouraging when rulers wield their power in a domineering way. Are you weak and in need? Do you have power? How can you recognize the humble people around you and be an answer to someone’s prayer?

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