St Luke
On 18 October, that is Wednesday this week, we remember one of our four gospel writers: St Luke.
I am particularly fond of Luke’s writings which are not only his gospel but also the whole of the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. By writing both these works he demonstrated a special concern to preserve continuity between the time of Jesus and the time of the earliest church. He, unlike the other gospel writers, had a special interest in wealth, and how the wealthy need to be sensitive to the needs of the whole community.
There are two little words that Luke uses more in his gospel than any other gospel writer. And these two little words will help us to understand more deeply the person and the teaching of Jesus.
The first word is both simple and strange; it’s the word ‘daily’. Luke remembers it in the saying about the taking up of the cross: “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let them take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9,23). Or again in the Lord’s Prayer: “Give us each day our ‘daily’ bread” (Luke 11,3). Luke remembers Jesus’ teaching to be relevant for our every day life; we can live our Christian life on a daily basis. There are bits we can do every day of our life, as we are drawn closer and closer into the Kingdom of God!
The other small word is ‘prayer’. Luke’s gospel stories about Jesus invariably begin with the phrase “Jesus was praying with his disciples” or “Jesus got up from his prayers and he…” Luke remembers Jesus as someone who did everything preceded by prayer. Jesus’ relationship with God his father was totally alive. It seems that his whole life was bathed in this special energy.
Do we follow Jesus in the direction of our own lives?
Bernhard Schünemann
15 October 2017
