Scripture scholars point out two things in
Sunday's Gospel that set Luke apart from the other three evangelists.
First, only Luke posits a good thief in his
crucifixion narrative (Lk 23: 35-43). Mark, Matthew and John mention two
others who were put to death with Jesus, but there's not even a hint that
one of them noticed a contrast between themselves and Jesus. Matthew even
contradicts Luke by mentioning, "The revolutionaries who were crucified
with Him kept abusing Him in the same way [as the crowd]."
If just one of the four Gospel writers included
the good thief scene, it must be Luke. More than any other evangelist, he
emphasizes Jesus' innocence. The criminal's statement - "We have
been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our
crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal" - fits perfectly into
his theology.
Forgiveness
So does Jesus' implicit forgiveness of the
man: "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
Jesus "forgives" more in Luke than in any other Gospel. Only Luke,
for instance, includes the parable of the prodigal son and the Zaccheus
narrative; and he alone has Jesus heal the high priest's servant in the
garden. (The other three Gospels presume the man walks home that night
carrying his severed ear.)
The second point unique to Luke is also in the
quote above. "Today, you will be with me in Paradise." In our
earliest Chris-tian writing - I Thessalonians - Jesus' followers
presume the dead simply stay in their graves until Jesus returns. We find a
remnant of that belief in the prayer said over the grave at Catholic
funerals: "Grant that our brother/sister may sleep here in peace until
you awaken him/her to glory."
Luke, presuming Jesus' Second Coming wasn't
going to take place in the lifetime of anyone in his community, seems to
have introduced the idea that Jesus' disciples instantly come into His
presence at the moment of death. That's why his Jesus says
"today." Had Jesus made the same promise in Mark or Matthew's
Gospel, He would have promised, "After a short stay in the grave, you
will be with me in Paradise."
Luke's two unique concepts also give us an
insight into how our sacred authors look at leadership in the community.
Like Luke's theology, it must respond to the changing needs of the
community.
Leadership
The idea of someone's being appointed
directly by God as leader or king is belied in the first reading (II Sam 5:
1-3). David, the greatest king in Jewish history, became leader of the
united Jewish state only "when all the elders of Israel came to David
in Hebron, [and he] made an agreement with them there before Yahweh, and
they anointed him King of Israel."
Yahweh didn't impose David on the Israelites.
Before Jesse's son can rule, the people must acknowledge that God has
blessed him with those gifts that would help them live more fulfilled lives.
Paul provides a parallel in the second reading,
a well-known hymn to Jesus (Col 1: 12-20). No matter His superhuman
attributes, the gift in Jesus that most helps us is God's determination to
"reconcile all things through Him,...making peace by the blood of His
cross through Him, whether those on earth or those in heaven."
As a good leader, Jesus can never be looked at
independent of the people He leads. If His people need forgiveness or
instant life after death, Luke tells us He provides it, even if He must
contradict "prior traditions" to give it. If we need to be one
with God or one another, Paul assures us Jesus will do what's necessary to
bring it about.
Flexibility in response to people's needs is
key to understanding the biblical concepts of theology and leadership.
(11/18/04)