Jesus and Jerusalem

As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.
Luke 9v51

I've skimmed over this verse many, many times. I never really thought about how significant this piece of info was to the story Luke is crafting. For those that have carefully read and reread and reread again (using a good commentary really, really helps), you'll notice some patterns and developments in the story. And this verse is an important hinge.

From this point in the gospel, Jesus will be journeying to Jerusalem - and he will finally arrive there in 19v45. What does Jesus do when he finally arrives in Jerusalem? He goes to the temple and causes trouble. Everything in between is done while on the journey. If you didn't already notice, while on the road to the temple, Jesus does a lot of teaching, a lot of parables, a lot of confrontation, but not as much healing or miracles. There is a definite shift in the development of the story.

We talk a lot about context - putting the stories and teachings of Jesus in their original setting - first century Palestine, second temple Judaism, east Mediterranean Roman Empire, etc. The more we learn through the sciences about past cultures, the better we understand the original contexts of the gospels. But something that is also often overlooked is what we call cotext - locating the story and teaching of Jesus within it's part in the overall gospel. When we look at this verse about Jesus setting out for Jerusalem - how does the surrounding verses and chapters influence it? Does it matter that most of the healings and proclamations of the kingdom of God happen in Galilee? Does it matter that most of the parables and ethical teachings happen in Samaria and Judea? Does one story connect to the next, does one parable connect to the next, or do they all stand alone?

Maybe you are yawning at this part of the post, so I'll end it. But let me say this: what you read in Luke is part of a carefully crafted story that is meant to convey layers of info. It's not a mysterious code to be deciphered, but the work of a brilliant author who meant to communicate a rich and powerful story. He's not writing to children, he's not writing for a brochure or a glossy magazine. He's not writing a fun summertime novel. So read carefully, ask lots of questions, try to connect dots, look for patterns and themes, go for the big picture and notice small subplots. Notice the characters, attitudes, developments, etc. Luke worked hard to write a story for the ages, one that would challenge your mind and engage your heart. Let it.