Now we come to the passion, and I feel tempted, like a great many Christian writers before me, to start talking about atonement theories, spilling ink, or in this case bytes, over that cosmic something that happened when Jesus died on the cross. But my intent with this blog has been to present Luke’s gospel … Continue reading Luke 23:26-43 The Sudden Enlightenment of St. Dismas
I wonder if Jesus was really afraid, and if he really suffered. I know that there’s some danger in saying this, because we take such comfort from his suffering. It explains and dignifies our own. But I’m led to this question by my beloved Teresa of Avila, who wrote After the rapture has passed, the … Continue reading Luke 22:47-71 The Mind of the Martyr
As Jesus teaches in the temple, many of Luke’s themes of power and control, and the way that these things contrast with the dream of the transformation of the world, come to the fore. It’s no accident that John the Baptist’s name comes back into the narrative. As you’ll remember from the beginning of Chapter … Continue reading Luke 20:1-47 Beware the Scribes
There’s a very real way in which Jesus’ actions as he enters Jerusalem are political theater. He stages an entrance that is very similar to a Roman triumph, when a returning general would parade his troops through the streets and show off his captured enemies. And the people of Jerusalem were used to these triumphs, … Continue reading Luke 19:28-48 Oppression and Transformation
I was sitting with other clergy in a Bible Study, and we were arguing about this passage. After awhile I became indifferent to the argument, and began to think about the dishonest wealth that I had received in my life. I took out a sketch book and wrote this poem for my wife: Eternal Habitations … Continue reading Luke 16:1-18 Eternal Habitations
KPB Stevens 