Recovering Our Inner Ability to See. Luke 6:39-49

Have you ever lost your ability to see? For example it may have been on a dark night when you were staying in someone else's house - as I was once when I was young. It would have been 70 years ago but I can still visualize the moment when I awoke and found the room was totally dark. I needed to go to the bathroom but became hopeless lost. It was frightening, and ever since I make sure I always have a Flash-light (Torch) beside my bed.

It was much later that I discovered most children go through a 'scared of the dark' phase, and perhaps that is why as adults we may still find something about darkness that disturbs us. Such a response to darkness is apparently a natural evolutionary trait that still lingers within us. Such innate fears can also become our friends – once we appreciate that it is one way our body seeks to look after us and keep us safe.

A close neighbour to fear of the dark, is the fear of the unknown. In my understanding of this week's Gospel reading (Luke 6:39-49) it seems to me that Jesus was talking about the things we fear, and our ability to see clearly. He was also referring to how we so easily take our gift of sight and independence for granted. While he was reminding his listeners that physical sight and physical blindness is one thing – he was also reminding us that there is another form of blindness that is psychological. We may be oblivious of if its impact, but it still affects our daily lives in a way we might never have imagine! The result is that we remain blissfully unaware of our attitudes and the way we behave in certain situations – and this is not new.

In Jesus' day the leading elite of the Jewish Temple also struggled unknowingly with a similar problem. Their sacred Scriptures gave instructions for them to care for the poor and to be compassionate towards them. They lived and worked in a community where an estimated 9 out of 10 people lived near or below the basic standard of living ^l. little wonder Jesus spent so much time and energy with the poor as he showed his compassion in healing the sick, touching and restoring the leper, and giving sight to the blind – both physically and emotionally; giving food to the hungry and spending time with the poor. Many of those who came to him were living on or near subsistence level. Some were homeless, others were vulnerable, physically afflicted and politically powerless. And yet, Jesus refers to them a 'Blessed”! While those who were well fed and wealthy Jesus calls, 'Unfortunate'. A total reverse of our standards! Yet Jesus was referring to something that is so often true – we can become very dependent on our wealth; on our technology; on our independence; and on our freedom and comforts. While these of themselves are not necessarily good or bad, Jesus was referring to the things that have the potential to draw us away from our faith and dependence on God. That is why the rich man who came to Jesus and asked him: 'What must I do to be “Saved”? Jesus suggested he should “Sell everything you have and give it to he poor, and come and follow me (as a homeless beggar!) It wasn't that wealth was wrong or bad – rather Jesus could see the man's wealth and possessions and independence had taken over his life and values. It can happen so easily as we slowly succumb to the values and customs of the age and culture in which we live.

While there is not necessary anything wrong with wealth, Jesus was encouraging those who wished to become his followers that they are to go beyond the localized values. To do more than following the Golden Rule of treating others as one would want to be treated. Jesus was inviting us to become grounded in the attitudes and actions of the One who created us because that is the imprint we all carry hidden within us.

Our souls and the essence of God are one and the same thing! The challenge for the people in Jesus' day – and also for us – is how we bring both our body and our mind into alignment with that deep inner truth of our being.

Kia mau te rongo me te pai ki a koe i to haerenga

May you find peace and goodwill on your journey.

Phil

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1. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26551184

 

Hopes & Plans Part 2

In my last Blog (Hopes & Plans for 2025) we explored some of the implications of Jesus' radical teaching as recorded in Mark's Gospel. We also explored some of the implications of Jesus' teaching for his listeners, both in his day, as well for us in our daily life.

However, daily life with all it's demands and activities, is not always straight forward, nor easy. We are often faced with the need for patience and the willingness to help others; to understand their needs and struggles. And while seeking to practice gratitude and empathy it does take time and it is also not always easy!

I recently came across an example of this online. The author suggested that having a 'Me-First' attitude wasn't selfish because it involved self-preservation. But the article went on to recommend if we are not looking after ourselves: mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally, it will be hard, if not impossible for us to meet the demands made upon us, during the course of our daily life.

After my initial uncertainty, I realized there is a reality in what was being suggested – and I suspect you also know that only too well – because the need to 'look after ourselves first' attitude is not new. The people living in Jesus' day also struggled with similar challenges. For example, Luke in his Gospel mentioned several situations where Jesus invited a person to 'Come and follow him'¹. However, as much as they would have like to have accepted his invitation, they realized they needed to deal with some significant family issues first. One person, for example, needed to arrange the funeral for his father. Another person wanted to inform his family before accepting Jesus' invitation! Both reasonable requests I thought! However, Jesus had different ideas and was far more emphatic! If they didn't accept his invitation right then, they were not fit to become his follower!

What Jesus was suggesting, in Luke's Gospel (chapter 6), is that while the realities of life will inevitably vary for people, we all face the challenge of complacency. It makes no difference whether we are wealthy and can have whatever want – or if we poor and often go without even the basic necessaries of life. What I understand as the subtext here, is when we make excuses, are we aware of what we are saying and not saying?

A little like the comment made by Shakespeare:

There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures. ²

In Jesus day, poverty, hardship, health issues, and family commitments, were all part of his listeners daily life – and maybe it is the same for you?

Jesus wasn't denying the reality of this, rather as I read it, he was reminding us to choose carefully before we commit ourselves to someone's invitation, wants or needs. This is not being ungracious or selfish. It is so we avoid becoming the passive victim to other people's demands. Jesus actually goes further. He sought to encourage his listeners to reflect upon what do they really want out of life?' 'What were their hopes?' 'What longing burnt in their hearts and minds?' They are also good questions for us to consider as well because while God knows and understands our thoughts and needs. And while economic poverty does have its challenges – so does wealth. Yet Jesus takes us one step further.

God was and is on the side of those who struggle with the realities of life... and Jesus invites his listeners (and us as well) to 'To lift our vision above the reality of the life we live'. To go beyond – to do more than love those who love us – and to ground our hopes and actions on a firm foundation

        that is inclusive

            and life-giving

                to those we live with and meet.

Kia mau te rongo me te pai ki a koe i to haerenga

May you find peace and good will on your journey.

Phil

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¹Luke 9:57-62 “Would Be Followers of Jesus

²Julius Caesar Act 4, Scene 3, Line 249

 

Hopes & Plans for 2025

Recently I was looking at some of the Hopes, Plans and Priorities Governments have had in New Zealand over the years. One example I came across included the following:

To grow a strong economy that supports everyone.

To reducing costs and put more money in people’s pockets.

To make housing more affordable for both renters and first-home buyers.

To tackle climate changes.

To rebuild the economy.

To ensure every community is a safe place to live, work and raise a family.

To have a world-class Healthcare system that every person can access.

To ensure an education system that provides every student the best chance to succeed.

To build a country where all people are able to work in partnership.

They are big and important hopes! But as we are well know, there is always a challenging balance between individual responsibility and Governmental provision. This is not a new phenomenon because it was also present in the time that Jesus lived.

Take, for example, Luke's Gospel. Luke was a far more radical author and disciple of Jesus than any of the other New Testament writers except for the author of the Epistle of James¹. I suggest that because Luke included more social justice sayings of Jesus than any other author in the time he lived.

Luke also emphasised how Jesus' life and ministry was totally inclusive – it was open to all people, regardless of gender or national identity – whereas the other three Gospels focused more on the spiritual sayings of Jesus that inspired personal hope and redemption as they faced a rapidly changing world.

This difference in emphasis and inclusiveness is important to remember when we come to Luke's version of the Beatitudes, because Luke's version is quite different to the more familiar list recorded in Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 5:1-11). Once we are alerted to the differences in our Gospels – we will note other differences, for example, Luke emphasises how:

1. Jesus takes time for prayer – as a way to remind us that prayer and action go together – they are two sides of the 'same coin'.

2. Jesus did not act alone – he began his public ministry by inviting a community of people to share his life, and to actively support his ministry, and ultimately, to continue and develop his work.

3. In contrast to the Religious leaders of his day, Jesus actively sought out the poor, the lost, and the lonely, as a central focus for his ministry.

4. Jesus also affirmed that we are already 'Blessed'! The challenge for us is to learn to see, and expect to see and appreciate, the implications of this in our daily life. This is important, because the call of Jesus for all of us is to continue his work and his life in the places where we live. Knowing that we are blessed by God will also help us to understand that the Kingdom of God is already within us. Waiting for us to open our own spiritual eyes and ears so we might live and share that graced awareness and knowledge. Jesus spells out this awareness a little more later in Luke's Gospel. when addressing the crowds and why he so often painted word pictures – or parables – to help people remember and grasp the depth of insight and truth he was sharing from his own experience – in the hope that we also may have the openness of heart and mind lest we continually miss the point of why he came:

‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;

you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.

For this people’s heart has become calloused;

they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

hear with their ears, understand with their hearts

and turn, and I would heal them.’

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear' (Mark 4;10-13).

We see this also in Luke's Gospel after his Resurrection. Luke is the only one of the four gospel writers to include the story of the walk to Emmaus. It is a story that reveals to us not only something about who we are, but also about how Jesus seeks to open our eyes so we might to see and understand Him for who He is, and also how we may come to know Him.

We also live in changing times. As we begin to move further into our New Year I wonder what dreams, Goals and Visions you have for 2025? What will you do differently? How will you turn those dreams into reality?

Often it is by quiet, and consistent effort that our hopes and plans can be fulfilled. We see this in the way Jesus would often find a quiet time and place, where he could shut out the world and spend time with the God who created him and continually supported him. He also no doubt reflected upon his hopes and his mission.

Richard Rohr in his memorable book “A Spring Within Us” mentions that:

God is creating Real Presence all the time and inviting us into Mutual Presence.

The good news is that we don't have to work it all out – we don't have to be perfect. But we are invited to stay connected to the Source by Jesus:

“If you remain in me and I remain in you –for I am the vine and you are the branches... if you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish and it will be done for you”. (John 15:v1,7).

So what dreams are tugging at your heart? It usually takes us one step at a time to understand these dreams and which ones are realistic and those that are not. But similar to Jesus, it is the small steps we make today that will lead us forward, step by step – and Jesus still walks beside us!

Jesus did believe in himself – as revealed in the many “I Am” statements he made. They remind us, I believe, that we too should not underestimate the power of believing in one's self: because:

We can do all things through him who strengthens us”

Philippians 4:13

Kia mau te rongo me te pai ki a koe i to haerenga

May you find peace and good will on your journey.

Phil.

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Footnote:

¹ ANGELO LOPEZ BLOG (https://angelolopez.wordpress.com/2015/01/06/the-gospel-of-luke-and-social-justice/