A Light to the Nations

From the very beginning, the Gospel of Luke proclaims that it is the Lord, the God of Israel, who has visited and redeemed his people, just as he spoke by the mouths of his prophets. These words, uttered by Zechariah the priest in chapter 1, set the tone for the narrative that will unfold throughout Luke’s gospel. In chapter 4, Jesus is rejected as a prophet by the people in Nazareth, who expect one of their own to do their bidding; Jesus reminds them how the Prophets Elijah and Elisha were bound to do only the will of God, even to the exclusion of the people of Israel. In chapter 6, Jesus delivers his messianic law in the hearing of people from all over Judea and Jerusalem and even from the far off coastal areas of Tyre and Sidon. And immediately following the giving of the law, at the start of chapter 7, we hear two healing stories back to back in which grace is extended to the outsider. In the gospel of Luke, it is God who defines his people, God who calls them, God who instructs them in his laws and statues, and God who visits them with gracious acts of healing through the work of his prophets. Join me in a discussion of Luke 7:1-10.

The story of Elijah and the Widow from Sidon (1 Kings 17:8-24).
The story of Elisha and Naaman the Syrian (2 King 5:1-27).

“Rainbow Children” performed by Prince.