Isn't This Joseph's Son? | Jesus Begins 10

In which John and David consider the response to Jesus' sermon in Nazareth. The reaction to Jesus' use of Isaiah 61 is stronger than expected for most modern readers. What can we learn from Luke 4 that might help us understand this story better.

Episode 51 of the Two Texts Podcast | Jesus Begins 10

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Transcript

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[00:00:00] David: So John, we left it on the cliffhanger of everybody looking at Jesus in our previous episode. But what we want to do to jump in now to the follow-up as to what actually goes on in this Nazareth, synagogue It all, all rotates around how Jesus has presented Isaiah 61 to them. 

[00:00:20] Doesn't it. So what we're kind of thinking to do to sort of start this episode off is before we look at the response to Jesus, his sermon on Isaiah 61 is to maybe just jump to, to the relevant portion of Isaiah 61 quickly. So we can have all of that in our mind because Luke has told us that Jesus has quoted it. 

[00:00:42] But as how Jesus quotes it is of interest to us. Isn't  

[00:00:46] John: Yeah, for sure. Absolutely. For sure. And, and of course our, our listeners may knew that Isaiah 61 and our Bible has a roundabout 11 verses. But, but it's the first few verses in terms of where Jesus stops, that really are of interest. So Isaiah 61 verse one says the spirit of the sovereign Lord is on me because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the. 

[00:01:09] He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness, for the prisoners to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. And now that's sort of where Jesus stops. But then Isaiah goes on to say on the day of vengeance of our God, Jesus literally stops mid-sentence to comfort all who mourn to provide for those who grievance Zion to bestow on them. 

[00:01:31] A crown of beauty, instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning. And a garment of Prius instead of the spirit of despair, they will be called the Oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. And that magnificent passage continues on and sort of similar vein. 

[00:01:51] And so you have this, if you were comparing. Luke and what Jesus says in the synagogue on what Isaiah says, Jesus has this dramatic sort of halfway through a sentence stopping. And he stops at proclaim the year of the Lord's feet. With, with a nut. So, so there is this, Ooh, what's that about? And then of course as he begins to teach it all goes, it all gets very interesting.  

[00:02:20] David: I think it's worth just reiterating. This is a very literate in turf literate, not in terms of a reading congregation, but it literate in terms of an awareness of scripture congregation. So this is what you do. You go to synagogue, you learn and memorize this. So, I kind of wonder, if you were a Christian listener, if I was to see, amazing grace, how sweet the sound that CS. 

[00:02:48] Uh, Wretch and then walked off and started to talk about something else. There's almost that slight discomfort that you've not finished this properly. There's a, there's a there's this story that the Mozart, when he was little and it sounds like Mozart was quite often quite a horrible person, but he, his father had taught him music and Mozart apparently used to when his dad had gone to bed, he would play a tune. 

[00:03:14] But not play the final note. Right? So you'd play the student and then stop. And apparently his dad would have to get off and come downstairs and play the final note on the piano because otherwise it just, it just greatly done that. It hadn't been finished properly. It feels weird for somebody to stop mid-sentence through a famous him. 

[00:03:34] Congregation are gathered in the synagogue and Jesus, these words are so familiar. We know them release from darkness to the prisoners proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of the vengeance of our God. And Jesus says to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and it sort of hangs there. 

[00:03:51] And I think that's why everybody's looking at him. Like, did you really just stop there? 

[00:03:57] John: Yeah, exactly. I w we alluded to this last time Isaiah 61, this passage is a very, very dynamic passage in terms of understanding the year of God's favor, this Jubilee, this idea of the Lord, unknown senior Jubilee of freedom over his people, delivering them from their oppressors. And so the, if you read the whole of the chapter, Intermingling with the idea of deliverance, that's absolutely there, but also with engines. 

[00:04:29] So you get this 

[00:04:30] unusual combination that God will bring deliverance by raking also vengeance on the enemies of God's people. And so like, if you, if you look at, in verse four of Isaiah six, one, they'll rebuild the ancient ruins that's God's people and restore the places long devastated. And then it goes on to say, verse five, strangers will shepherd your flux. 

[00:04:52] Foreigners will work your fields and your vineyards, and you will be called the. All the large, you will feed on the wealth of nations and end or riches. You will. Boast goes on to say, instead of your shame, you will receive double portion. And instead of disgrace, you will rejoice in your inheritance so that you will inherit a double portion in your land. 

[00:05:14] And everlasting joy will be yours. So you get this, this sense of a juxtaposition taking place. Remember Isaiah originally rates. And this language is towards post exilic. This is this idea of deliverance. This idea of rescuing God's people. Not only is the Lord going to rescue them, but the foreigners and the strangers actually are going to end up serving. 

[00:05:38] And the wealth of the nations will become the possession of the people of God. So it isn't just a comforting, God will deliver you, but it is a dynamic God will deliver you by also wreaking vengeance on your oppressors. Who of course happened to be Gentiles. And that is where we are a to head literally literally towards the edge of a cliff, because Jesus is about to set something up, which is absolutely off the scale in terms of controversy under far, listeners can understand that the Isaiah 61 backdrop is one of not only deliverance, but vengeance and the focus of that vengeance is gently. Fast forward that to the first century world. And you've got a Jewish community who are exiled in our own country. They're under the oppression of Rome. And when they read Isaiah 61, they're thinking of the Romans and get rid of the Romans. Remember Galilee was Jewish enclave, surrounded by Gentiles, just across the gallery. 

[00:06:43] You've got the 10 cities almost entirely in. By Gentiles. So you've got a sense of a nation under siege and Isaiah 61 was one of those passages of comfort that they would say, God is going into the ROS and he's not just going to deliver us. He's going to judge our oppressors and he's going to drive the Gentiles out of our lives. If you can get that, then, then understand the first century context of oppression and exile and their own nation. Then come to Jesus, very different interpretation of this passage. We have an explosion waiting to go here. This is absolutely off the scale in terms of controversy, and that will help our listeners to understand why we go from. People thought well of him at the beginning of this discourse too, they tried to kill him. Something happens between the end of the reading and the explanation of the reading that causes the, the synagogue inhabitants to try and kill a member of their own community, which points to a blasphemous idea. 

[00:07:54] They're pointing to something so extreme that they're prepared to kill in order to obliterate that. I suppose it's pretty spectacular. Really.  

[00:08:07] David: So Jesus reads this passage from Isaiah 61 ends halfway through the sentence proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and he rolls up the scroll. So he's, he's hit. 

[00:08:18] So it's like, oh, we're not coming back to this. It's like, it's not, it's not like, well, I'm just going to pause mid-sentence here and explain something to you. No, no, I'm done with that now. And he sits. So, so everyone's like, oh my goodness. Did he just do that? Cause it's not just that he finished, as you say, in the middle of a sentence, it's the S is the sentence that he finished in the middle of, which is quite, quite controversial. 

[00:08:39] So all the eyes of the synagogue were fixed on him and Luke picks it up in verse 21. And then he began to say to them today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. Now I think that's a beautifully, fascinating comment, John, that exactly. What scripture is he talking about? Well, what he's doing. 

[00:08:54] Which is, which is interesting. And then this is all. And I, I wonder if some of the translations here, and I'm not a translation expert, John, but, but I wonder if this might be better referenced all witnessed of him, right. Or all bore testimony about him. I sometimes wonder if the language of everyone speaking well of him just pushes it a little, a little too far, but. 

[00:09:18] John: Yeah.  

[00:09:18] David: But, but you know, we, we can come back to that and, and you might read that Greek a little differently from me, but, but, but all, all bore witness to, and were amazed at the gracious words, words of grace, not what words of, of vengeance that came out of his mouth, but then notice this in verse 22, then they. 

[00:09:38] Is, this is not this Joseph's son. Well, that's a, that's an interesting little addition that we, we, we need to kind of spin back and reflect on just just shortly. Jesus said to them, surely you will quote this proverb to me, physician heal yourself, and you will tell me do here in your hometown and what we've heard that you did in COVID. 

[00:10:00] Truly, I tell you, he continued, no prophet is accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time when the sky was shut for three and a half years. And there was a severe famine throughout the land yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zara fifth in the region of south. 

[00:10:23] And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elijah, the prophet yet not one of them was cleansed only naming the Syrian. All of the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this, they got up, drove him out of the town and took him to the brow of a hill in which the town was built in order to throw him off the cliff. 

[00:10:43] But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way. And I love the fact, if you read just a little further, he went down to Capernaum, the very place that they just, just criticized him for.  

[00:10:58] John: Yeah. Yep.  

[00:10:58] David: And an interesting, actually, just as a point, he went down to Capernaum a town in Galilee and on the Sabbath, he taught the people and they were amazed at his teaching because his words had authority. 

[00:11:10] So he's, you really do see this prophet is not accepted at all. what a text, John, what a text. 

[00:11:18] John: Well, it's, it's, it's incredibly powerful. Because I, I think the idea is that you've alluded to him rolling up the scroll, the sense of, I I'm done with the reading. And I want to say something from that, which is clearly the tone nation of his words are clearly picked up because they talk about the graciousness of his words. 

[00:11:41] There's a, there's a, a tenderness, there's a softness, there's a generosity to his words because I, as I suspect this, this would have been a bit of a firebrand passage really, and against the Gentiles And then of course, Jesus is, I think he's setting up here, the idea where he is, he is anticipating the reaction he is about to get. And it doesn't make sense until he tells us why until he gets to the heart of his explanation. And of course the heart of the explanation, he he's telling us two hero stories involving Gentile. So you've got the widow of sacrifice. So a poor marginalized woman, but a Gentile woman, the less, and Jesus is essentially sort of almost tongue in cheek. 

[00:12:33] Weren't there, weren't there lots of widows in Israel. So why, why does he go there? What, why is, why is that a widow? Who's Gentile looking after the amount of God. And of course you, the Elijah illusion there to the Messiah I think is on. For that first century world. And then the second example is Alaysha a Niermann and of course there's this own comfortable correlation potentially between Niermann who was an an army captain. Seeking to oppress the people of Israel at the time an enemy of Israel. And of course, the fact that Israel is still under military occupation. There's this? Oh, that's an awkward example, but, but what's striking is that Nierman is the only Lapar healed officially on the record under the ministry of Alaysia and on Jesus is holding up to. 

[00:13:31] Gentile examples with two of the greatest prophet heroes into nark. And what he's saying, there is an unmissable message, which ultimately gets the sort of reaction that he gets. It. Actually, I haven't come to judge the Gentiles. I'm not going to drive the Romans. But I'm going to include the men. I'm not going to drive away the Gentiles from this, this message I'm actually going to include them in. 

[00:14:05] And of course, in the gospel of Luke, especially you, you get a lot of on the book of acts. You get, you get a number of Centurion repeats. You literally get sincerely and source. Referenced in the, in the, in the, and taxed on is there, is that another illusion to this, this controversial sermon and Gentiles, including Gentiles is one thing, but the illusion of a military occupation force also being included in this message is probably too much for the audience and sends them over the edge. 

[00:14:38] And they, of course, they tried to send him over the edge as well.  

[00:14:41] David: quite, Quite literally. But it's interesting for me how he is. How the whole story is sort of working its way together here, John isn't that we are seeing quite literally the, the Lord's favor extending. And then Jesus is sort of saying, well, that's not new. That's the one side of it that can have less insulting side of it is that's not new, but there's definitely also this. 

[00:15:09] This realization that perhaps what the listeners are valuing isn't as valuable as they thought it was. So it's very interesting how Jesus pieces this together. And I think, I mean, John, for me, this passage to make sort of sense of it. Again, you have to zoom out almost to this whole season that we've done about the beginning of Jesus's ministry, because there's a lot of stuff going on here in the city. 

[00:15:38] That we've seen, alluded to and happened throughout the passages of the season. Isn't there. And I think that was just like, have a look at some of these things together. Jesus has come from a testing in the desert with the devil, and now he comes back to his home. I don't don't don't dismiss that. And Jesus is going to draw direct attention to this. 

[00:15:59] Listen, trying to get some respect in your hometown. That's kind of difficult. Right? So, so actually, is there a way of reading Luke four, that this is another level of testing that's going on? So God has opened the chapter with with this is my son. This is the opening sort of concept is that Jesus is, is about, this is my son and. 

[00:16:19] He's, he's, he's, he's full of, well, not at the chapter opening the passage really that we're dealing with. Right. So, so the holy spirit descends a voice, you are my son who I love and wealth pleased. Right? So we've talked throughout this season about. This is almost this framing idea that makes sense of the temptations, but don't notice this is my son in whom I'm well-pleased. 

[00:16:39] Then you get this genealogy. And we talked about how this is a story of almost an honor. Challenge is, is Jesus who Luke is claiming Jesus to be. Well, just notice when we get back here, he gets through the devil. If you are the son of God, if you are the son of God, well, that's dealt with. Well, here we are in Luke two, Luke 4 22. 

[00:17:01] And notice what the people say, oh, isn't this Joseph's son. And I just think it's worth spotting that the devil's question is back on the table, again in a slightly different way. Are you the son of God? It's there. Isn't it. 

[00:17:16] John: Oh, totally out. Of course, if you've been following the bread crumbs, he was the son. So it was thought of Joseph. So that preempts the genealogy. Then you get a direct, it's almost a, another little Lukin cemetery moment. So you've got the words of the father, the words of the adversary, the devil, there's a symmetry in that. 

[00:17:38] You are my son. If you are the son. And then another little moment, the cemetery around his honor and his. He was on sort with sort of Joseph under the middle of a known, seen his, the beginning of his ministry. Isn't this, isn't this Joseph's son. There's a lovely little dobble cemetery, I think around the identity of Jesus in that. 

[00:17:59] And again, it reinforces this thread and I think you're absolutely correct. This is another massive test Jesus. And of course we know from the gospels that Jesus relocate. The, the hub of his Galilean ministry. I mean, he, he, he probably it's probably Peter's house probably is the headquarters in a sense, forgive that language, but he does relocate and there's, I think there's lots of other reasons for that, but on DOE diddly, one of the reasons is if there is such antagonism against them, and mark also picks up this idea and mark six, if there's such an antagonism against them and his hometown, he could not function effect. In that, in that place. And so he relocates to Capernum and that becomes his sort of launchpad for the, for the Galilean stage of his ministry. So you're absolutely right. I do think it's another layer of test.  

[00:18:55] David: And, and if you read it in this particular way as an honor challenge, and we've talked about that, throughout this, this, I don't need, I don't want to jump too far into that, but if it is an honor challenge, Jesus, Jesus's quite sharp response makes more sense. If, if you miss, how much is hanging on this? 

[00:19:13] What isn't this Joseph son? Because if you miss that, This kind of really inspiring moment gets out of hand really quickly. Like Jesus seems to just launch straight into an insult. Right. But of course, actually it's a respond to an insult level that him, that is not just simply, we don't know who your dad is, or you don't know who your dad is, or it Luke's. 

[00:19:38] We don't think your dad is who your dad actually is. Right. So there's all that. But, but what this is also doing is saying to Jesus, we don't think you get to talk like this because you don't get to redefine how we read this text. You don't get to speak in at this level. And I think, but maybe we can. 

[00:19:58] Right. And we, so w if you can't read it like, that is another way of saying no, we get to keep reading it. Like we do, which I think is why Jesus then comes back with his response to the honor challenge, which is to, which is to not to question. It's a very clever response in Jesus actually. Cause it's not to question, it doesn't say, well, you're not Israelites either. 

[00:20:19] He doesn't say you're not true followers of God. He doesn't say any of that. He just raises the question. Maybe what you think is valuable. Isn't as valuable as you think is, so you're you think you're more special to God than everybody else. And I just want to point out that that might not hold water. 

[00:20:38] If you consider the scriptures. Each each quite a sharp challenge. 

[00:20:44] John: Oh completely. And, and I think if we can see it like that, it explains then the trajectory of the sermon and the trajectory of, of Jesus's words, because, physician hate yourself do here in your hometown. What we heard you did it. 

[00:20:59] compare them truly? I tell you no. Prophet is accepted in his own tone and end. 

[00:21:03] He talks about two of the greatest prophets of Israel. One who has undated, messianic, overtones in terms of preparation Elijah, and both of them are experienced one of their grades. Miracles in the context of Gentiles, recognizing them not, not yet.  

[00:21:25] David: Yes. Yes. It's  

[00:21:27] John: So, so the way, I mean, if you read the original story, the Elijah and whether it was our five, there's a bit of pulling and pushing on that story. 

[00:21:33] But ultimately the woman like accepts the word of the prophet and goes, okay, then I'll, I'll make you this final meal and we'll see what happens. And she goes with it when she had every right to say, who are you? Take yourself off, get lost, go back to your home country. Why are you here? But she opens up her heart. And she accepts sorts of Gentile, widow accepts a Jewish prophet, and then it is a Gentile commander that recognizes the authority of Alaysia, even though he tries to push back on the dirty Jordan. Right. And so, but, but you've got a widow Gentile accepting the prophet, a, a Gentile military commander accepting the. And what Jesus is really leaning into here is I think this is the Barb benefit, which gets the reaction. He's saying you're about to reject me, but, but there's going to be widows Gentiles, Romans. People on the fringes of your world who are going to see who I am. They're going to see that I am the prophet and their underlie. 

[00:22:45] I'm the son of God. And that I am who I say I am, and they are going to respond to that. So, so Jesus is not just, I think there's a double edge to this sermon, David, which gets the reaction he gets. He's not just saying, Hey, there's going to be no vengeance here. Right. So, so the vengeance may eventually come, but I'm not sure. 

[00:23:05] I am bringing favorite. That's the first controversial aspect where he rolled up the scroll. And then secondly, he explicitly then says, and the way that the widow Gentile accepted Elijah, the prophet and the way that the military Gentile commander accepted Alaysia, the Gentiles are going to accept me. 

[00:23:25] And the danger is that those who should have known who I was, will miss who I am. And I think that's where it goes. Ballistic.  

[00:23:35] David: Yeah, I think that's exactly how I would, see it as well. It's it's quite, something how the whole story can I kicks around and, and, and it's almost the sense that Jesus is, is raising questions. If, if we hold on to this, this honor theme, he's almost asking the, the Nazareth crowd, whether they understand. 

[00:23:59] Any of this sort of stuff, like, like when they say, isn't this Joseph's son and Jesus says, well, truly I tell you no profits, except in his hometown. It's almost as if he's saying, you all got no shame, you don't understand any of it. And almost you don't understand any of this story from the baptism sort of onwards. 

[00:24:15] And I think the fact that it isn't insult that Jesus throws at them, it's not simply a history history lesson is the fact that the people are furious when they hear what he said. Like, this is like this, you have pushed us too far here. Jesus. Like, because now the, they need to be they need to take a bit of humble pie because in the ancient world, insulting somebody, heritage is about. 

[00:24:37] As bad as it gets. So the, so there is some, some real questions going on there, but it's also worth reading. I think if you're reading this alert to the kind of narratives of honor shame in ancient culture, the w when, when somebody is. It's overly quick to violence in a, in an argument that's often a symbol that they've lost the fight, right. 

[00:25:02] And that's still true in our world. If two people are arguing and then one of them punches the other invariably the point at which somebody punches the other and forgive the violent story. But invariably that's when you can't think of anything else to say. So, so you've been. Bestie to rhetorically. 

[00:25:19] So now you're going to resort to violence. And even if you managed to kill the person and throw them over the edge of the cliff, everybody's going. Yeah. But like he did you and you did it because you were embarrassed at some level. So, so there's a weird sense that the crowd. Giving into violence. And let me try and draw some parallels here, but the crowd giving into violence to you, the reader is a message that, that Jesus has again, cornered them in with an inability to respond. 

[00:25:50] Now, what I would say, John, at that point then is. Where have we seen that before?  

[00:25:56] John: Yeah.  

[00:25:56] David: And we saw it in exactly the previous story in the temptations, in the wilderness. Didn't we, Satan fires a challenge at Jesus. Jesus meets the challenge with a piece of scripture. It means, and I can't help, but again, Notice that they got up and they took him to a high place and the devil kept taking Jesus to high places. 

[00:26:18] And, and, and so his own hometown, I'm not drawing comparisons here, sorry, between his own town, people in the devil to see that they were, I'm not saying that demonic happening here, but we're seeing another level of the testing of Jesus following suit. And there is some beautiful irony. Right. And again, I'm just saying. 

[00:26:36] Teaching things together. John, I'm curious as to your thoughts on it, think about the last temptation that the devil threw as at Jesus. You, is it high place? Throw yourself down because God will command his angels concerning you and the people take him to a high place to throw him down. And he walks right through the crowd and goes on his way. 

[00:26:57] I mean, I mean, it, it, it's not something I've heard many people joined together, but I'm kind of seeing it and curious as to what you think. 

[00:27:05] John: All of it. I love it. I, it made, it may be we, it may be, we are accused of stretchiness bought again. If you are reading the flue of this story without the chapter divisions, you couldn't miss that. And you could not miss that. So, so again, is that, is that just one of those weird, gorgeous. 

[00:27:26] Incidental moments or is this a deliberate piece of genius here? That's, that's recorded for us? That, that actually Jesus refuses to throw himself off because he declares in that temptation. No, I, I trust in the presence of the father. The father is with me. I am with him. And of course here's Jesus right in the center of the will of God. 

[00:27:47] They're trying to destroy him. And he experienced. Super natural deliverance. He, no, it's not. There's no, there's no reference to angels here catching them, but there is a super natural response. Eh, I mean, he, we don't quite know what this means, but he walked right through the crowd night. It's either at a purely human level, such confusion in the group that he sort of capitalizes on the confusion and gets away, or there's some sort of. 

[00:28:19] Did anyone see him leave? Like where is he? That somehow their eyes or their senses were dulled, but whatever it is, it's a fairly spectacular escape. Regarding, how small the place is and the fury of the crowed. So, so the illusion to the angels catching him, or at least to God delivering him because he has remained faithful to the purpose of the Lord, I think is a beautiful, I don't think that's a stretch at all. 

[00:28:47] I think that's a gorgeous little.  

[00:28:48] David: well, and it just this idea, isn't it. That essentially Jesus now faces a range of challenges, supernatural, evil challenges of the devil, just everyday life of just not being taken seriously at home. You know what I mean? I mean, I think most of us would go, I can relate to at least one, one of those one of those. 

[00:29:11] One of those sort of spots and one of those places that, you know, and yet both of them, the opposition taken to Jesus is unable to gets its claws into him there, in the physical level, they physically just like, where did he go? But from, from the temptations in the desert, the devil basically has to give up. 

[00:29:30] And, and so I think Luke has, and this would be where, maybe we've been building this over a few months to get to this point, Luke has set up from the start where we picked up this story at Jesus's baptism. Jesus is the son of God. And you can bring genealogies to that. You can bring the temptations of the devil. 

[00:29:53] You can bring the people that he grew up around to that. And Luke now presents you to the ancient. I think Jesus has passed all these tests. So, so now you can be relatively confident uh, him having navigated these tests that he's now going to head off, out into his ministry and he is approved and tested. 

[00:30:15] He has the CD. On him. And, and it's interesting then that what you get is Jesus leaves, he goes to Capernum involve is casting out demons. He's raising Peter's mother-in-law from IL. All kinds of people are coming to be healed. It just, it, all of a sudden accelerates really fast. It'll end. 

[00:30:32] The next thing within a couple of verses he's calling disciples to follow him and be trained in this way. It's it is almost Luke presenting Jesus, his letter of recommendation to the ancient world. 

[00:30:44] John: And of course cause I just thought you were going to allude to it there, but, but w when Jesus goes down to compare them it says verse 41 straight after this war over demons, Kim out of many people showed him. You are.  

[00:30:56] David: Yes. I know. 

[00:30:59] John: and you're going, boom. I mean, it's, it's like, that's almost like a little follow on here. 

[00:31:06] So, and following that thread of, of this honor and test and approval and affirmation here we have in the words, the most of demons themselves. The Oprah, that affirmation actually, you are who you say you are, you are the son of God. And and I love that. I think that's a lovely little again, if we stop, if we stop, but the headings, we miss that. 

[00:31:33] But if we carry on reading from verse 30 at rate down to the end of the chapter, then it's, it's absolutely beautiful. And, and, and we, we see that you are the son of God proclamation.  

[00:31:46] David: Yeah. And and it's interesting actually, that if we could just, as we sort of roll towards the end of this series or the season, just jump then in Luke, To to chapter 23 and, and notice how the people are watching Jesus being crucified and notice just this return of these questions. 

[00:32:14] They said, they sneered at him and said he saved others. Let him save him. If he is God's Messiah the chosen one, the soldiers come up and mark him and they offer him wine vinegar and said, if you are the king of the Jews, save yourself. One of the criminals who hung there, hurled, insults at him, aren't you the Messiah, and so, so there's this. There's this question, almost sort of hanging out there that, that doesn't go away, does it, that people are constantly wanting to pick at the temptation that Jesus faced and it, and it's interesting how that question goes silent until you get to the end and Jesus is in a place of weakness. 

[00:32:54] And that question comes back again and again, just remember, and I'm just trying. Pencil lanes, John, not lanes in pen, re look at how the temptations ended and this and the Satan left Jesus until an opportune time. And it just strikes me at Jesus in his moment of weakness and dying on the cross. 

[00:33:15] Those same if temptations are now rolled back onto the table again, I don't know. I mean, what, what do you think. 

[00:33:22] John: Oh, it's beautiful. And of course, just the only again, I thought you were gonna affect, you were going to land on this the only other little at cause that was magnificent connection. Beautiful. Is, is Luke 23 again, verse 47 in the mouth of the Gentile.  

[00:33:37] David: Yes.  
 

[00:33:38] John: That final statement, sir. Certainly the Mon. was righteous he was a righteous man. 

[00:33:46] So you get the, again, if you want to connect it back to even, even what we've talked about in, in the early stages of Luke, You're getting Jesus being questioned by his own people questioned by the Gentiles, which you would expect, but it is a Gentile affirmation here.  

[00:34:05] David: Yes. 
 

[00:34:06] John: He's a righteous man that there's something going on here. 

[00:34:09] And, and that is beautiful. I think that's beautifully Lukin. And of course, ironically, if we connect it back to Luke four, it just happens to be a soldier. So you've had, you've had, and the prof, the Nierman the soldier at recognizing Alesha, the prophet, you get, you get an Luke seven, the Centurion recognizing authority. 

[00:34:31] And here, here is another century and another Lukin Centurion popping up and saying, actually, he was a righteous man. There's this beautiful, almost completion of the story that, that, that there will be those who recognize him as gospel.  

[00:34:48] David: Hmm. 
 

[00:34:49] John: Who who had no right to recognize them, but they do and alluded to a Jesus grit sermon, which almost gotten killed.  

[00:34:58] David: So yeah, it's lovely how Luke tells us that story. And maybe, you know, my hope is just, even as we've tried to thread these pieces together throughout. This season and, which is perhaps different from our first two seasons, which were kind of standing alone. Although we were trying to tie them together from time to time, this one is a real sense of the whole thing stitching together in terms of what Luke is doing and, and hopefully, applicable to us as we navigate our own devotional life, to see some of these patterns and thought processes and and, and reflect. 

[00:35:31] And reflect on them, but I just couldn't leave this series without just jumping towards those points at the end, just to just despite how that question is, the key, the, the kind of, it's just a constant refrain in the testing of Jesus.  

[00:35:46] John: Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. It's been a joy. I've loved this series. I hope our listeners have enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed participating in it. And again, I hope that we are both inspired. And encouraged by the person of Jesus. We believe he is the son of God. We believe he is God's Messiah. 

[00:36:09] And we believe that actually his power and his word can live in us in a 21st century world and carry on the work that he.  

[00:36:19] David: Yeah. Yeah. And that's, and that's what I, I think there's huge model for us. Isn't there in that John, and even, even I should have mentioned earlier as well, but you know, just notice Jesus, his response, all of these, if statements, and his crucifixion, if you're the Messiah, if you see you are, but just your verse, 46 of Luke, 23, Jesus called out with a loud voice father. 

[00:36:40] Into your hands. I commit my spirit. So there's even, there's that, there's that little piece of teaching there from Luke of just reminding us that if you're Jesus, if you're the son of God, if you're the son of God, but Jesus still confesses, what's true in the face of, of doubters and, and surrounded by people who would question that. 

[00:36:57] And, and, and that anything that's a model. Our own identity as followers of Jesus is so fragile feelings sometimes. And notice how Jesus in his fragility, just keep speaking what he knows to be true. This is my son in whom I'm well pleased. 

[00:37:12] John: It's so good. And in fact, one, one other little connector to that, David, is that it, the, the words of Jesus on the cross from Luke both the beginning words on the end words, our father.  

[00:37:26] David: Yes.  
 

[00:37:26] John: So father forgive them is the opening words. In fact, chronologically that's the opening. And then he ends with father and son, which then the middle, our words to a criminal  

[00:37:37] David: Yeah.  

[00:37:37] John: today you'll be with him. 

[00:37:38] And you just, you just go, okay. So again, bring it back to where we are. You have this incredible security that Jesus has in and with his relationship with his father. And the purpose of that relationship is to redeem the margins and bring them into the paradise of God. And, and those three statements on the cross seem to summarize in Luke's world.  

[00:38:01] David: Yeah, 
 

[00:38:01] John: I seem to summarize those dynamic and beautiful and glorious tangents.  

[00:38:06] David: no, I love it. I love it, John. So, so we, we will round this series out here. We're back in two weeks time with a couple of interesting bonus episodes. We're not going to tell you about them just yet, but your. The back with us for a couple of bonus episodes before we jump into our next season. So, we bring this, Jesus begins you he's to an end. 

[00:38:27] But there's so much more still to say.