Tradition tells us that Luke the evangelist was a physician. He could have done well as a political publicist – in both his gospel and its sequel, the Acts of the Apostles, he offers summaries that tell us how Jesus just won the latest debate, and how enthralled the populace is:
“When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.”
Jesus was not out to shame his opponents, though gospel accounts of his life reveal quite a few “gotcha” moments. And we know that the “entire crowd” didn’t stay rejoicing for long – soon enough, many were calling for his blood. Neither was he out to win popularity contests, then or now. Jesus was about proclaiming the Life of God released in and among humankind, and about demonstrating that Life in healing, forgiving, challenging corruption and injustice, and setting people free from evil, wherever it is manifest.
That’s exactly what he invites his followers, then and now, to join him in. What if the statement read, “And the entire crowd joined him in all the wonderful things he was doing?” Rejoicing is only a start. Following Christ is not a spectator sport or an academic pursuit – it’s an invitation to full-on engagement in heart, body, mind, spirit. We don’t have to argue against opponents of the Way of Christ; we just have to live out that Way in fullness, and let others see for themselves why we choose this God who has chosen us.
Mahatma Gandhi is famously quoted, when asked why he “rejected Christ,” as saying: “Oh, I don’t reject Christ. I love Christ. It’s just that so many of you Christians are so unlike Christ. If Christians would really live according to the teachings of Christ, as found in the Bible, all of India would be Christian today.”
Following Christ is about more than merely following his teaching – it includes becoming conscious of his Spirit in ours in relationship. Yet I do not argue with the premise of that statement. We are called to demonstrate this Love we have received, and to share it liberally in the world. Tomorrow a team from my church will offer healing prayer to passersby at a street fair; Sunday, we will pray for one another during the service. That’s one way to spread the Life of God throughout the world. That is how many can rejoice in all the wonderful things Christ is doing even now, through us.
In what is your spirit rejoicing today? What joy is burbling up from deep inside you?
To what longtime sufferer are you being invited to offer a touch of healing grace? Ponder a moment and see what names come up in your mind. Bring them to Jesus in your imagination. That’s a start. If you’re supposed to pray with them in person, the Holy Spirit will give you that nudge.
Keep looking for signs of God-Life around you this weekend. The more we look, the more we see. The more we see, the more we rejoice!
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