Chapter 4
Ministry Into Galilee
The three synoptic writers in this
section are telling the story of Jesus through his ministry. Throughout the dialogue,
there will be miracles, healings and teaching that will occur at different
times. Why? Maybe the writer is creating a narrative to lead a person to the
conclusion that Jesus is who He says He is. Maybe to set the stage for the
conclusion of the story. Whatever the reason, the narratives flow and stories
that were likely oral traditions handed down are placed in strategic points in
the story. For example, the rejection of Nazareth story. Matthew and Mark
appear to tell the story late in the ministry of Galilee. Luke puts it up
front. To what purpose? Matthew and Mark may have been working to present Jesus
in a positive light and felt the story of His rejection by His own people would
have caused harm to the authenticity of whom He is. Remember that both are
likely writing to people in Israel and neighboring countries. Luke on the other
hand wants to discount it early and get on with Jesus ministry. When did it
happen? Wrong question? What does it tell us? How our own may be the first to
believe we are someone different than who they believe we are.
So what are the narratives that are
shared? All three share the beginning of Jesus ministry into Galilee. Jesus
preaching at Nazareth is in all three accounts but in very different places
within the story. Again, the right question is who is correct but rather what
story are they trying to tell and where does this account fit within that
story. The preaching at Nazareth is a rejection story. Jesus own family and
friends reject his preaching because they believe they know Him. But do they?
The right question might be that this is a metaphor for the fact that Jesus
people, the Jews reject Him and the writers hide it in the account this way.
But by doing so they can tell the rejection story. All three writers share the
story of the calling of the disciples but Luke places it with a miracle. Again,
what is that Luke is trying to say that the others did not feel the need to
include a miracle story. We find the woman with ointment story again in all
three but Matthew and Mark include it as part of the passion. Why? Maybe they
feel that there should be a story about the worth of Jesus. All three share the
collusion story with Satan. Each at different times and Matthew includes it
twice. Is the significance that Jesus discounts His detractors or that the
collusion story was a way to discount Jesus and to tell it is necessary for the
greater story? Finally we see that the Pharisee’s need a sign to believe. Is
this story simply about the Pharisees’ or is it about all of us?
All three writers move Jesus onto
Galilee following the Temptation story and the arrest of John the Baptist. It
might well be that John has served his purpose in the narrative and his arrest
has spurred Jesus into the limelight now. Matthew spends time placing the exact
location for the Jewish people he is reaching out to. Mark and Luke simply say
he moves into Galilee, though Luke makes a point to tell us that Jesus is full
of the spirit. Matthew and Mark begin to tell us that the Kingdom is near.
Matthew is speaking to the Jew and their understanding of the Kingdom is
Heaven. Mark is speaking to the Roman and they are more likely to connect with God’s
having a kingdom.
The calling of the Disciples follows a
similar thread in all three though Luke actually calls them later in the story
than Matthew and Mark. Luke adds a miracle maybe to explain to the Greeks, his
audience, why they would leave everything they own and follow Jesus. The
commissioning of the twelve and all disciples follows a similar story line.
That the work will be hard, that those who follow will be few. That they have a
task ahead of them to feed the hungry, take care of the poor and heal the sick.
Further, that they are to live lives trusting God for provision and not rely on
personal wealth.
The woman with the ointment story is
interesting if not important in many ways. Matthew and Mark place the story
later than Luke does. Why? Maybe Luke felt that the story makes us think about
what we are to give up for Jesus as more important than it being included in
the passion narrative. Maybe Matthew and Mark want us to sense the loss of
Jesus and what His worth to us is. What we do know is that the story itself is
important to the message of what Jesus thinks is important, loving one another
over worldly possessions.
Throughout Jesus ministry, there were
those who attempted to discount who He was. Mark very early in the story
addresses one of the rumors or stories that was widely circulated that being
that Jesus was actually in collusion with Satan and that is where His power
came from. Mark brings this story early to discount it. Matthew and Luke wait
until they have shared miracles, healings and teachings to discount it.
Finally, in this chapter we find the
need for signs. The Pharisee’s keep asking Jesus to perform a sign so that they
might know whom He is. But true faith requires no signs and in fact, Jesus
points to the Old Testament story of Jonah as a sign that they have completely
missed. Is this a prophetic voice in Matthew that Jesus will be in the tomb
three days? For Matthew it would have been important to tell it this way so
that the reader might realize that Jesus pointed to what would happen and then
fulfilled it.
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