Have you read Luke chapter 8 recently? What a record of Jesus' ministry! We begin with a reminder of those women who accepted and believed in Jesus, who had found in Him deliverance, healing, and a glimpse of God, followed Him, and provided resources to Him, supporting His ministry. (Because of the targeted mission Jesus was sent to earth to fulfill, his adulthood did not follow the regular path of Jewish males, even though he was the firstborn son. He did not even have his own dwelling - which by age 30 would have been the norm (unless family responsibility required otherwise, of course. see Matthew 8:20.)
Then Luke's record tells us that Jesus taught the crowds in parables - the one instant being the parable of the sower. This would have been a story that the people of that time didn't have to look up or ask about what it means to sow seeds. Planting, gardening, farming were a common routine and in generations past had found its rhythm and architecture in the Mosaic Law. Luke's account records Jesus' story parable this way: "A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell on the path and was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered for lack of moisture. Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. Some fell into good soil, and when it grew, it produced a hundredfold.” As Jesus said this, he calls out, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” This went a little deeper than the common planting experience; I can imagine that some of those hearing Jesus' words were wrinkling their brows, squinting, or whispering the first century expression of "what is he talking about?" So when they were all together the twelve disciples asked for an explanation and Jesus explains that the seed in the story represents the Word of God and how it is received or not received by those hearing it and the consequences of each.
Jesus is next indicating that those things that are hidden will come to light - a universal law. He follows that by a statement of 'holy' economy: "Then pay attention to how you listen; for to those who have, more will be given; and from those who do not have, even what they seem to have will be taken away."
As we travel along with Jesus compliments of Luke, Jesus' biological family tries to get His attention and draw Him away from His mission. As noted above, the modern day reader will want to take into context the norms of that day so that you can properly understand this account: Jesus is the eldest son. Joseph, His earthly father, has died. As the eldest son in Jewish culture one is to take on the role of head of household. Therefore, His family is concerned because Jesus does not follow that 'norm' in the way they think He should. His perspective is priestly and divine, but His family does not grasp why Jesus is different - even after all these years. As faithful as Jesus was to the things of the law, Jesus has a higher calling; I can imagine the inner wrestlings of Mary's spirit about this God-man firstborn son.
Her encounter with the angel Gabriel about 30 years prior rendered a response of joy and gratefulness (Luke 1:26-56). And, perhaps, like us, three decades later after birthing several children, and still feeling the sting of her beloved husband's death, and attempting to negotiate an uneasy and uncertain existence under a burdensome authority of both the religious leadership and Rome, her memory of that amazing day could have become dampened, and the prospect of what she thought her firstborn was and why has become dim. No doubt, like so many others, she was expecting her adult Jesus to rally an army of strong Jewish men and call down the heavenly hosts for the most amazing battle to secure the land from Rome and break their oppression. But look at the men Jesus was collecting around Himself - they did not look like warriors! Her Jesus led a band of fishermen, a tax collector and businessmen, hardly the stuff of soldiers! Her Jesus performed miracles like the prophets of old, yet did not call down fire on the enemies! Her Jesus, whose life was transferred to her womb those many years ago with the promise that He would save His people is going around from town to town bringing up things from the scrolls about the Messiah and His teachings were stirring up the religious authorities! I personally think, too, that the family was ashamed of their son and sibling, and very embarrassed out of ignorance. (Do we, too, lumber under our own vision of Jesus, seeing a Jesus whose role is to bring material blessings and make our lives better by taking away all our difficulties - to defeat our enemies as it were? To listen to His words for inspiration and to feel emotionally elated, to float us with a little sunshine in our miseries, and then go back to the same struggles, weighed down by our sins and cares of this world?)
As He would often say, Jesus must do the salvific work that His Father has given Him to do, which will require Him to lay aside some of the expectations of His family. Could not the Son of God, creator and sustainer, have provided for his family's needs when it was necessary? He was indeed their Head, but they did not understand how just yet.
So the family arrives at the place where He is teaching and healing and they summon Him to those earthly tasks of the eldest son: "He was told, 'Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.' But He said to them, 'My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.'” In my mind's eye I can see the mixture of emotions of Jesus' family members upon hearing his statement: the siblings would have been nonplussed by Jesus' answer, and perhaps angered, or just thrown up their hands over their brother's reply; Mary possibly dismayed by her son's reply. It is worth noting at this point that Luke's accounts are often punctuated by statements of Jesus, the context of which would have been contemporary for first century observers who witnessed them first hand, and perhaps a little differently contextualized by our western minds two thousand years later. Jesus, knowing His time was limited, was teaching about the kingdom of God in the words of the prophets and by the Spirit. He was implicating Himself as the Chosen, the Anointed One foretold by the prophets who would deliver people free from their sins and would usher in a restored kingdom over which He would be king. Jesus was not dismissing His family disrespectfully but rather was sharing the good promise that because of His kingdom work, His biological family and all who accepted Him would become a part of that restored eternal kingdom and experience the true fulfillment of the prophecies concerning Him. And, that they would come to realize with a different set of emotions that they had been dwelling with the Son of the Living God and did not even know it. They had not yet received the gift of faith to understand.
The next event is crossing the lake in a boat. The Sea of Galiliee and its lakes were known for sudden storms and rough waters. Such a 'sudden' storm occurs while they crossed to get to the other side of Lake Gennesaret in the mid-to-upper part of the Sea of Galilee. A tired Jesus is asleep while the disciples man the boat during the crossing; the winds are so strong that they are tossing the boat and causing water to enter into it. The disciples panic and try to wake up Jesus during this crisis, telling Him don't you see what is going on - we're about to lose our lives! Jesus roused from sleep simply commands the winds and the raging waters to stop. Just as suddenly as they came, they left at Jesus' words and all is calm. Then Jesus asks the apostles, "Where is your faith?"
[Reader, if you have not already figured it out, this chapter in Luke is all about faith in Christ and being enabled by God to step in faith into the unknown. To continue, go to Part 2]
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