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<DIV><FONT size=4>...he makes it clear that he will just keep moving on, and he
also makes it clear that in doing so, he is following God's lead from the old
days. I once heard a speaker talk about how Luke does not use verbs that have to
do with status or with being established in favorable contexts. Rather,
being "on the way" is Luke's metaphor for the Christian life. Of course, not
every impulse toward restlessness is an impulse to be a better Christian. For
this reason, parts of the Christian tradition have put a high value on
stability. Yet Jesus doesn't. Jesus "the same yesterday, today and forever?" I
don't know how the writer of Hebrews meant it, but if we're talking about Jesus,
we have to say, "For Jesus to 'stay the same' is to say that he will stay on the
move. To stay with him will mean joining him on the road rather than coming back
to a place where he has established himself, or a place where he will establish
us, "setting us up" in a manner to which we could become accustomed.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><A
href="http://maryhinkle.typepad.com/pilgrim_preaching/2004/01/on_staying_put_.html">http://maryhinkle.typepad.com/pilgrim_preaching/2004/01/on_staying_put_.html</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Mary Hinkle, 2004</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Jesus’ execution, prefigured here by the attempt to stone him
(i.e. the common method of throwing people over a precipice and then dropping
large rocks on them). In Acts we find a similar pattern. An initially positive
response among the Jews leads to anger and hatred when the mission opens up to
the Gentiles.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Luke is using the opening scene of Jesus’ ministry as the key
to all that follows in both books, the Gospel and Acts. It is a reading of
history which is by no means incontrovertible. A simple key is likely to lead to
oversimplification and do injustice in the process. Luke’s church will have
faced fierce competition from resurgent Judaism of the 80’s and had to grapple
with the pain of its relative failure among Jews. One of the sub themes of both
books is the attempt to help people to come to terms with this situation.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><A
href="http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/~loader/LkEpiphany4.htm">http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/~loader/LkEpiphany4.htm</A></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>William Loader</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV><FONT size=4>
<DIV align=justify>Does the church exist to serve its own members or outsiders?
Is the church governed by "in-group loyalties" or by outsiders' needs or by the
"purposes of God"?</DIV></FONT>
<DIV><FONT size=4><></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>One of the songs that will be sung is: "I'm so glad, Jesus
lifted me." Why sing just about what Jesus has done for me? Should we have even
more joy because Jesus has lifted others, e.g., "I'm so glad, Jesus lifted
you"?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.crossmarks.com/brian/luke4x21.htm"><FONT
size=4>http://www.crossmarks.com/brian/luke4x21.htm</FONT></A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Brian Stoffregen<BR>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Many of us would love to be able to control God, to have God
save those we think should be saved, love just the loveable, and forgive only
the forgivable. Yet God is sovereign and God’s ways are not ours. Those people
who are least worthy of being saved are included in those God came to save.
Those who are least loveable because of how they behave or what they have done,
remain precious children in God’s sight, worthy of redemption. Christ died not
just for what is forgivable, but for what is seemingly unforgivable.<BR>It is
easy for us to be like the people of Nazareth, offended that the grace of God
might extend to some we might consider as unworthy. Still, we need to remember
that at one time we were the unworthy, and the word came to us and abides in and
with us.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><A
href="http://www.goodpreacher.com/shareit/readreviews.php?cat=28">http://www.goodpreacher.com/shareit/readreviews.php?cat=28</A></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Paul Scott Wilson</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV><FONT size=4>
<DIV>The primary source for this story appears to be Mark (6:1-5). The
placement is, of course, different. For Luke, this whole episode
(4:14-30) marks the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. In Mark,
Jesus had been at it for awhile. </DIV>
<DIV>The tone is different too. Mark's story seems oppositional and
negative--the people "took offense" and Jesus "could do no mighty work."
True, in Luke, the people did try to throw Jesus off a cliff, but Jesus
strides confidently and courageously through their midst and they don't touch
him. Luke heightens some of the tension by adding a threat of
assassination, but uses this as a device so that Jesus emerges even more
triumphal. </DIV></FONT>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><A
href="http://www.progressiveinvolvement.com/progressive_involvement/2010/01/lectionary-blogging-luke-4-2130.html">http://www.progressiveinvolvement.com/progressive_involvement/2010/01/lectionary-blogging-luke-4-2130.html</A></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4>John Petty, 2010 </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4>- - - -
-</FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Bruce Malina (page 243, <SPAN id=btAsinTitle>Social-Science
Commentary on the Letters of Paul, 2006</SPAN>) helps correct the possible
interpretations:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr>
<P><FONT size=4>In asking if Jesus is Joseph's son, the synagogue participants
are cutting him down to size. They are questioning how such honorable teaching
could come from one born to a lowly artisan. This exchange has often puzzled
Western commentators who fail to understand the magnitude of the insult
implied by the question.</FONT></P></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><SPAN id=btAsinTitle><A
href="http://www.holytextures.com/2010/01/luke-4-21-30-year-c-epiphany-4-january-28-february-3-sermon.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+typepad/davidewart/textures+(Holy+Textures">http://www.holytextures.com/2010/01/luke-4-21-30-year-c-epiphany-4-january-28-february-3-sermon.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+typepad/davidewart/textures+(Holy+Textures</A>)</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><SPAN></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><SPAN>David Ewart, www.holytextures.com</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
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