Luke – second lecture

1. Luke – second lecture Women in Luke Rome and Hellenistic world in Luke Luke’s parables

2. Women in Luke • Women in infancy, childhood narratives: Elizabeth, Mary, Anna. • Jesus and John encounter in utero. • Thematic overture of gospel in Mary’s poetic speech of 1:47-55. Reversal of social, political roles of powerful, lowly. • Pericopé of 7:36ff. A version of Mark’s 14:3ff. But now the woman “a sinner.” • Tradition has identified her with Mary Magdalene, but the text does not say this. • Not so much a feminist point as one of overturning of expectations: woman valued above Simon. • Women among the disciples: 8:2 • And names given: Mary “called Magdalene” (of Magdala), Joanna, “wife of Herod’s steward Chuza,” and Susanna. • Mary Magdalene mentioned in all four gospels. (And not to be identified with prostitute!) • Clearly a significant figure in first-century church.

3. Women in Luke cont. • Martha and Mary in 10: 38ff. • Unfair to Martha? – of course! • Reversal of women’s roles – like parables. • Story could easily have been told of two men – but isn’t. • “The better part” – to listen, become disciple. • 23: 49: women who had followed him from Galilee. • 23: 27: “among them were women,” addressed as “Daughters of Jerusalem.” • Poor widow of 21: 1-3: another reversal of understanding.

4. Luke the feminist? • Need to historicize this. • Greater agency of women in gentile world. • Remember Paul’s discomfort with Corinthian situation. • Luke must be reflecting realities in first-century communities. • But the names, esp. Mary of Magdala, go back to historical situation of Jesus’ teaching. • Clearly there were women among earliest disciples.

5. Luke and Hellenistic world • As we saw, Luke locates events in Roman as well as Jewish time: 2: 1-2, 3: 1-2. • Luke’s genealogy (3:23-38) and its difference from Matthew’s: • Not just to Abraham, but to “Adam, son of God.” • Tax collectors and soldiers come to John’s baptism; the gospel’s ethical character. • The “opening to the gentiles” happens only gradually in Luke’s sense of things. • Note the differences between Luke 7: 1-10 and Matthew 8: 5-13. • In Luke the Centurion (a Roman) does not speak directly to Jesus, but sends Jewish emissaries. They mention his love of Israel, that he built their synagogue. • A proleptic sense of the relation of gentiles to Israel? • Note that Matthew turns the narrative against Israel, the “heirs of the kingdom.”

6. But a gradual, measured opening to Hellenistic world • 1. In Luke Jesus never preaches directly to gentiles. • 2. He heals the Gerasene demoniac (in Mark this was clearly a foray into gentile territory). • 3. But there’s no feeding of the 4,000, as was included in Mark, doubling the account of the feeding of the 5,000. • 4. Eliminates Mark’s story of the Syro-Phoenician woman. • 5. At end, there’s no command, as in Matthew, to preach the gospel to the whole world. • 6. Rather, the disciples are to return to the temple.

7. Luke’s parables I • Nine parables that are not in any other gospel. • Their historicity may be indicated by the fact that Luke doesn’t always know what to make of them: e.g., Crafty Servant (16:1-9) and, perhaps, the Unscrupulous Judge (18:1-8). • Crafty Servant is simply baffling in its moral or spiritual meaning. • Unscrupulous Judge is directed toward the recommendation of unceasing prayer, but the oddity lies in its comparison of judge to God. • Neither parable is obviously about themes that are thematically central to Luke. • This strongly suggests Luke’s belief in their historicity. • Fig tree (13:6-9) looks like a transformation of the fig tree episode in Mark.

8. Parables that express Luke’s themes • Rich man who built bigger barns (12:16-21). • Counters the accumulation of wealth, a strong Lukan theme. • The Rich Man and Lazarus (16:19-31). • Similar conviction of wealth in relation to poverty. • The Pharisee and the tax collector (18:9-14). • Reversal of expectations: leads into the saying on exaltation of humble, humbling of those who exalt themselves.

9. The good Samaritan -- 10: 29-37 • Told in response to a question. • Samaritans were despised by good Jews for their status as heretics to Judaism. • Priest appears to be going toward Jerusalem – and can’t risk ritual uncleanness (man might be dead). • Ditto the Levite. • Samaritan becomes, most paradoxically, a neighbor. • The ethical direction of the ending: Go and do likewise.

10. The Prodigal Son -- 15:11-32 • The greatest of Luke’s parables? • Notice the context: the last of three parables about loosing and finding. • Each of which has a counter-intuitive meaning, suggesting extravagance. • The father’s extravagance in forgiving. • As it seems to end, it begins again with the older brother. • Does this divide the reader’s sympathies? • Extravagance is recommended to the older son as well. • Seems to set aside all normal categories of moral judgment.

11. The episode with Zachaeus, 19: 1-10 • Episode seems to function like a Lucan parable. • Again the sense of extravagance of response. • Overturning of expectations for righteousness. • Character of Luke’s parables? – seldom “the kingdom of God is like . . . “ • Hiddenness or disclosure? • How compared with Mark’s parable of sower?