Luke 7:11-17

Pentecost +3 - Year C

Luke 7:11-17

Prophets see life where others see no life. Sometimes a lack of vision is some form of complicity with the status quo and all the privilege and entitlement that carries with it. Sometimes it is not having a sufficient lens through which to see new shoots poking their heads out of a drought.

Prophets do more than see and point. They are engaged with that which is beyond the boundaries of the current community. Here the disciples and large crowd were all looking for what they could get from Jesus. Jesus, prophet that he was, looked both at and beyond them.

Unfortunately, disciples and crowds often have a wrong take-away from a prophetic moment. They get all excited about Jesus, rather than for the mother whose hope for livelihood has been restored to her. They might have had their eyes opened to the standard difficulties of widows and children in their community/culture.

Where was the larger question from this localized situation? Did the Bible get it right that every laud and honor is to go to Jesus, with no learning about paticipating in his Way?

News about Jesus spread. His prophetic vision and actions went unheeded. From this time and distance, we might put this story back together in a new and more helpful way (do note this story is a wooden reprise of Elijah/Elisha resuscitations, but doesn’t help the gathered disciples and crowd grow past adulation of Jesus and continued dereliction of their covenantal duty to love their Neighb*r).