Luke 9:51 provides a profound narrative shift in the Gospel According to Luke: “As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” But Jesus’ resolute direction is not the only change. From this point on, Jesus invites everyone he encounters to experience a narrative shift of their own.
Up until those words, Luke’s writing focuses on establishing God’s purpose and Jesus’ identity.
The World Jesus Comes To
Luke makes it clear that Jesus is coming into a world not unlike our own. It is one where people gain power through family heritage, landownership, esteemed jobs, ethnicity, and gender. Education also held sway in that world, and in some ways, still does in ours. Perhaps the biggest difference is that the ancient world had a more powerful class of priests and saw age as a blessing rather than a curse. In other words, at the risk of sounding cliche, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
But God did not approve of that world’s order. For hundreds of years the divine voice challenged the dominant culture and now, in a final act of subversion, planned to step into our world. The pregnant Mary cuts to the chase of God’s activity when she sings, “He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble” (Luke 1:52). These lyrics continue to echo through the readers’ ears as Mary and Joseph arrive in Bethlehem, honoring the decree of Caesar even as they prepare to welcome a new king into the world. Flowing from Mary’s song, Luke uses the Christmas narrative to establish Jesus’ solidarity with the lonely and downtrodden.
God’s Narrative Shift
Springing forward thirty years, through Luke’s temptation narrative, Jesus reveals himself as a New Adam, one who will remain in alignment with God’s purposes. In his opening message, Jesus reworks the words of Isaiah to reveal his mission as one of liberation and human wholeness. He declares:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.
These words too are a direct assault on the social structure of the day.
Then, in case there was any doubt, in the Transfiguration, Jesus reveals himself to be one with God. Jesus’ agenda of liberation and human wholeness is God’s agenda for all creation. From this place, where God’s purpose and Jesus’ identity are clear, Jesus resolutely turns towards Israel’s seat of power, Jerusalem, home of both the temple and the Roman magistrate.
How Will Our Narrative Shift?
You could say that Jesus sets out to pick a fight with power because it is only after power lands its fiercest punch that love can truly prevail.
In the weeks to come, we will move through the journey to Jerusalem, and ask what kind of narrative shift it invites in us.