02162022 – Luke 6. 17-26
The world was pretty clear cut, either you were “Jewish” or you were “Gentile.”
That was it.
That’s all there was.
The world was OBVIOUSLY mostly gentile, non-believers, foreigners, non-Jews, gentile dogs.
“Jews” were but a small little tiny teeny miniscule minority, but an important one, because they were THE “CHOSEN,” the hand-picked ones by God, to be his people, out of all the peoples of the then, known world.
Mark’s gospel was written for “Gentile converts” a small Christian community living most likely in the city of Rome.
Matthew taking great offense at that, wrote his gospel for “Jewish Christians.”
Jesus was after all A JEW.
Luke, himself, appears to be a “GENTILE” and is writing his gospel “to or for another gentile,” thus having a unique “gentile perspective” to it.
Theophilus appears to be a “Gentile man” of some high position and degree or standing…he is addressed as “Most Excellent, Theophilus.”
The name “Theophilus,” means, “friend of God.” This is the one, Luke is writing his orderly account for…perhaps he is his patron, his backer, his financier, his underwriter, his sponsor.
The genealogy in Luke’s gospel traces Jesus’ lineage back to Adam or the first human being.
It is not traced back to King David as does Matthew…
Luke stands out as a gospel written for “LOST PEOPLE” everywhere, more specifically, “gentiles.”
Luke’s gospel stands out as “UNIQUE among the CANONICAL gospels” in various ways.
For one thing, it is the LONGEST of the gospels, STARTING EARLIER in Jesus’ life than the others and ENDING LATER, with Jesus’ ascension into heaven.
Luke is “clearly LOOKING” for the “LARGER-more-world-wide-audience.”
He includes a lot of passages affirming the “UNIVERSAL SCOPE OF SALVATION.”
It is for ALL PEOPLES.
SALVATION is for GENTILES, as well as, for the Jews.
It is ASSUMED: that at the time of Luke’s writing…Gentile believers were under fire, under siege, from those challenging “THE LEGITIMACY OF THEIR FAITH.”
Luke’s gospel is a RESPONSE to that challenge of legitimacy.
That’s why the FIRST SENTENCE in tonight’s gospel text should FLY off the page at us.
“Jesus came down with the twelve and stood on a “level place,” with a great crowd of his disciples and “a great multitude of people” from all Judea, Jerusalem, AND “the coast of TYRE and SIDON.”
This is HUGE.
This is STARTLING.
But you have to understand WHAT is being said.
Tyre and Sidon are two ANCIENT PHOENICIAN cities.
Sidon means FISHERY, Tyre means ROCK. Both of them are located in present-day LEBANON.
As a matter of fact, Sidon is about 25 miles south of BEIRUT.
This is the area overthrown by Alexander the Great in the fourth century BCE.
In the early Christian writings we are told that Jesus TRAVELED to the areas of Tyre and Sidon.
Clearly gentile areas. He had a following there.
The home of the first glass production and of purple dyes.
A wealthy gentile region, in its day.
Luke writes, “They had COME TO HEAR HIM and to BE HEALED of their diseases and those who were troubled with unclean spirits WERE cured.”
So obviously, his fame and honor and reputation had spread to the area of Sidon and Tyre and perhaps even beyond.
They came to HEAR him. They came to be HEALED by him.
They had FAITH in him. They tried to get close enough, to TOUCH HIM.
They TRUSTED in him. They BELIEVED in him. They believed he WOULD heal them. And Luke says clearly, he healed ALL OF THEM.
And of course, if you listen to what he says…with “GENTILE EARS…”
He speaks TO them. He INCLUDES them.
It is a universal message. Salvation for ALL peoples, gentiles included.
Blessed are you who are poor, or hungry, or are weeping, or are HATED, EXCLUDED, REVILED, and DEFAMED.
He is singing their song. He is talking to the choir. He is being totally and completely INCLUSIVE.
And the people are eating up his words, hanging on to his every word, including the people from Tyre and Sidon.
Luke wants YOU TO KNOW this Jesus came for all people, including YOU.
Amen.