Luke

Take-Aways

Luke 4 is Jesus’ mission statement; as he prepares to begin his ministry on this earth, these are the words he chooses to define his work. What does it mean to preach good news to the poor? Consider the relationship between climate change and poverty: The poor are triply burdened by climate change in that they have contributed to it the least, they are the most impacted by its effects, and they are the least able to protect themselves. The poor are 20 times more likely to be impacted by natural disasters (which have quadrupled in the last 20 years due to climate change), than populations above the poverty line. When natural disasters do strike, second and third world countries lack the infrastructure necessary to respond and rebuild. Poorer populations are also the most dependent on subsistence farming and local water supplies that are especially vulnerable to being disrupted by the effects of climate change. Jesus’ ministry was to proclaim the kingdom of God. It was not an ethereal, distant kingdom that he proclaimed, however, but one that was at hand, breaking in to our historical context and confronting the injustices in our society.

Pay attention to the final phrase of Jesus’ mission statement, “to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” That is a reference to the year of Jubilee (see Leviticus 25: 8-24). Jubilee was a time of rest, regeneration, and renewal. Injustices are bred and become systemic when there are no checks on human nature. Jubilee served as such a check. Every 50 years, property was to be returned to those who had been forced to sell it in times of hardship. Indentured servants, who had been forced to sell themselves to pay off debts, were to be released. The land, that had been sold and resold, used and reused, was to be given “redemption.” Note that while Israel follows these commands, God promised to provide for the people. “The land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and live on it securely. Should you ask, “What shall we eat in the seventh year, if we may not sow or gather in our crop” (vv. 19-20)? Our job is to strive for justice in our world, for the people and for the land, and to trust that God will provide for us as we do so.

New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary

Significantly, Jesus’ work will be good news to the poor. The Magnificat praises the Lord for lifting up the lowly and sending the rich away empty (1:52-53). Later, Jesus announces God’s blessing on the poor (6:20) and then refers to the fulfillment of the charge to bring good news to the poor in his response to John (7:22). The poor also figure more prominently in Jesus’ teachings in Luke than in any other Gospel (14:13, 21; 16:20, 22; 18:22, 21:3).

The term used here for “captives” (Greek aichmalotoi) does not appear elsewhere in the Nt, and elsewhere Luke uses the term “release” (Greek aphesis) only for forgiveness of sins, but various events later in Jesus’ ministry can be understood as illustrating the fulfillment of this aspect of his commission. The word for “release” recurs in the line from Isa 58:6, inserted here by Luke: release for the oppressed. Jesus released persons from various forms of bondage and oppression: economic (the poor), physical (the lame, the crippled), political (the condemned), and demonic. Forgiveness of sin, therefore, can also be seen as a form of relase from bondage to iniquity (Acts 8:22-23).
. . .
The proclamation of the “year of the Lord’s favor” in Isaiah 61 is connected with the Jubilee year legislation in Leviticus 25. Following a series of seven sevens, the fiftieth year was to be a time when “you shall proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants” (Lev 25:10). It has occasionally been suggested that Jesus was actually proclaiming the observance of the Jubilee year through his reading of Isaiah 61, but this is far from certain. More likely is the interpretation that Jesus related the figure of “the year of the Lord’s favor” to the kingdom of God (cf. Luke 4:43). Jesus’ ministry singled that the time for the liberation of the impoverished and oppressed had come, and in that respect at least his work would fulfill the ideal and the social concern of the Jubilee year.

The importance of the reading of Isaiah in this scene can scarcely be exaggerated. For Luke it proclaimed the fulfillment of Scripture and the hopes of Israel through Jesus’ ministry as the Son of God. It stated the social concern that guided Jesus’ work and allowed the reader to understand all that Jesus did as the fulfillment of his anointing by the Spirit (Vol. 8, pg 105-106).

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary

This text consists of Isa 61:1a,b,d; 58:6d; 61:2a. In quoting from Isa 61, which was also used by Qumranites about themselves in 11QMelch, Luke omits those elements which would spiritualize the text or narrow its focus on “true” Israel. Thus, he omits Isa 61:1c: “to heal the broken-hearted” and Isa 61: 2b-3a: “(to announce) a day of vindication, to console those who mourn, to give those of Zion who mourn glory instead of ashes.” He adds Isa 58:6, which occurs in a passage describing the true fast Yahweh desires and which refers to releasing those who are burdened by indebtedness. See R. Albertz, ZNW 74 (1983) 182-206. Spirit of the Lord: From 1:35 and 3:22 the reader knows that Jesus has the Spirit. Now the goal of that gift of the Spirit is underlined: it is for the benefit of those who are economically, physically, and socially unfortunate. Good news to the poor: By his modifications of Isaiah 61, esp. through the introduction of Isa 58:6, Luke shows that “the poor” is not to be interpreted metaphorically as “Israel in need,” the object of God’s favor as the “new restoration” occurs. Luke will reinforce this message of universalism in vv 25-27. As analyses of 6:20-26; 7:22; and 14:13, 21 will make manifest, “the poor” is to be interpreted by context. Release to those in prison: At times this aspect of Jesus’ ministry is seen fulfilled in 13:10-17 and 23: 39-43, but it may be better to see this as a reference to those who may be imprisoned because of debts. Jesus will address words to those who may be responsible for such imprisonment in 6:35, 37. The image of the biblical jubilee also rises to the surface in this phrase. The jubilee year was held every 50 years. During it fields lay fallow, persons returned to their homes, debts were canceled, and slaves were set free. The image derived from it underscored restoration, beginning, faith in the sovereignty of God, and conviction that the structures of social and economic life must reflect God’s reign. See S. H. Ringe, Jesus, Liberation, and the Biblical Jubilee (OBT; Phl, 1985); R. B. Sloan, The Favorable Year of the Lord (Austin, 1977). The [Greek] word for “release” is aphesis. The LXX of Lev 25:10 uses aphesis to translate the Hebrew for jubilee; in Deut 15:1-11 the Sabbath year is described by aphesis in the LXX (see also Exod 23:10-11). That such jubilee reflections were contemporary to Luke is evident at Qumran. In their reflections upon the end-time, the Qumranites associated Isa 61:1 with Lev 25:10-13 and Deut 15:2 (see 11QMelch) and identified the “release” as that of debtors during jubilee year. Although this socioeconomic background of jubilee is very much present in this passage, one should also recall that aphesis is the word used by Luke for “forgiveness” (of sins), e.g., 24:47. Release for those downtrodden: This phrase from Isa 58:6 also contains the word aphesis. The [Greek] thrauo, behind “downtrodden,” literally means “to break in pieces” (as a rock). In a figurative sense it means “to break,” “oppress in spirit.” See BAGD 363. It is plausible from Neh 5:1-10 that the “downtrodden,” are those oppressed by debts and imprisonment. to proclaim the Lord’s acceptable year: Luke has changed the LXX’s [verb] in Isa 61:2a from kalesai, “call,” to keryxai, “proclaim.” For Luke the proclamation is that, in Jesus, God has fulfilled ancient promises. Again jubilee imagery seems present. The [Greed] word for “acceptable” is dektos, and it will recur in v 24, concerning the “acceptable” prophet. Jesus’ ministry is only acceptable to God provided he does not limit his words and deeds to his own people, who because of his limitless mission will not find him or his words acceptable (p 689-690).

Take-Aways

It would be naïve and dishonest to ignore the economic realities at work in climate change. The U.S. has roughly 4 percent of the world’s population, but consumes 25 percent of its oil. It is the emissions of wealthy, industrialized countries that have the most significant impact on climate change. In order to maintain our standard of living, we deplete the earth of her non-renewable resources and then burn them in irresponsible ways that harm the planet. In short, climate change is fueled by our excessive consumption. Given this reality, Jesus’ warning should be a wakeup call. We have chosen to pursue wealth at the expense of caring for God’s creation.

God’s gifts, including the gift of creation, are meant for our enjoyment and our benefit. The problem comes when we abuse those gifts and indulge in excess. God is the proper object of our desire and the gifts that we receive are meant to draw us into closer relationship with God. But instead, we set our desire on the gifts themselves, setting our own wisdom above God’s and believing that the plans we make for ourselves are better than God’s plans for us (for more see Augustine’s concept of uti and frui in De Doctrina Christiana). Instead of drawing closer to God by caring for creation, we abuse God’s gifts to meet our own ends.

This truth that it is better for us to set God as the proper object of our desire is demonstrated by the fact that serving God by caring for creation will actually strengthen our economy. Investing in renewable energy will create good green jobs that cannot be outsourced and break our dependence on foreign oil. The United States also spends enormous amounts of money responding to natural disasters and intervening in regions of the world threatened with political destabilization, both of which are exacerbated by climate change.

Obeying God does not guarantee wealth; the rain falls on the just and unjust alike. That is why humanity must choose which master to serve. But the Bible does reveal that it is when we are first faithful to God and to God’s creation that the land yields its blessings and we can reap of its bounty (see Lev. 26: 3-13 in “God Cares for and Sustains Creation”).

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Bible

The Parable of the Unjust Steward

Whatever we have, the property of it is God’s; we have only the use of it, according to the direction of our great Lord, and for his honour. This steward wasted his lord’s goods. And we are all liable to the same charge; we have not made due improvement of what God has trusted us with. The steward cannot deny it; he must make up his accounts, and be gone. This may teach us that death will come, and deprive us of the opportunities we now have. The steward will make friends of his lord’s debtors or tenants, by striking off a considerable part of their debt to his lord. The lord referred to in this parable commended not the fraud, but the policy of the steward. In that respect alone is it so noticed. Worldly men, in the choice of their object, are foolish; but in their activity, and perseverance, they are often wiser than believers. The unjust steward is not set before us as an example in cheating his master, or to justify any dishonesty, but to point out the careful ways of worldly men. It would be well if the children of light would learn wisdom from the men of the world, and would as earnestly pursue their better object. The true riches signify spiritual blessings; and if a man spends upon himself, or hoards up what God has trusted to him, as to outward things, what evidence can he have, that he is an heir of God through Christ? The riches of this world are deceitful and uncertain. Let us be convinced that those are truly rich, and very rich, who are rich in faith, and rich toward God, rich in Christ, in the promises; let us then lay up our treasure in heaven, and expect our portion from thence.

New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary

This [verse] forms a conclusion to this unit of parables and related sayings. The verse is a compact unit, formed by (1) an opening assertion; (2) two supporting observations, chiastically arranged; and (3) the conclusion that follows from the argument.
(1) No slave can serve two masters
(2) For a slave will either hate (a) the one and love (b) the other, or be devoted (be) to the one and despise (a) the other.
(3) You cannot serve God and wealth.

Wealth, which can serve as a means and opportunity for securing one’s place in the kingdom if used shrewdly for the sake for others, can also become a master. Materialism enslaves us, but God requires exclusive loyalty. The Shema reminded Israel, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart” (Deut 6:5). Since one cannot serve two masters, one cannot be devoted both to acquiring wealth and to serving God. Moreover, the way we use what we have reveals who we serve. The choice of having no master is not an option; we can only choose the Lord we will serve.

Christians are to be faithful whether we deal in little things or vast resources. Whether we are as shrewd as a dishonest steward depends on whether we use our material goods, great or small, to help those in need. Then, when we worship God rather than our wealth, we will find that we truly have “friends in high places” (Vol. 9, pg 309).