Stroll through Scripture for February 9, 2025

Based on Luke 7:1-17

The comedy troupe Monty Python had a famous skit in which some English townspeople were gathered, and one says “I didn’t expect a kind of Spanish Inquisition in response to a woman’s non-stop questioning.  Suddenly, a group of men dressed in Spanish Catholic robes would storm into the house and proclaim, “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!”  

Our Gospel reading is kind of like this week.  There’s a Roman Centurion who has a beloved slave is “close to death” we are told.  There is plenty of debate about the nature of their relationship.  Regardless, this person, although a slave, was close to the Centurion and the Centurion was concerned for his health.  We are told the Centurion cared about the people he over saw.  Take that in for a moment.  This is no usual Centurion.  The Jewish elders, when they find Jesus, tell him that the Centurion is worthy of a miracle, that he loves the people he oversees and that he built the synagogue in town.  That’s amazing.  No one expects that kind of relationship between someone who represents an empire who occupies land and a people.  No one expects this unusual love of the person who symbolizes oppression with the people who are oppressed.  No one expects the oppressed to speak highly of this person.  No one expected the Centurion to have such faith in Jesus – apparently including Jesus.  In verse 9 we are told that Jesus was “amazed at him.”  The result: the slave is healed in well.  

Jesus moves on and comes to a town called Nain.  He is moved with compassion for a mother who lost her only son to death.  No one expects a miracle in this moment.  They are too taken by grief.  They didn’t even ask Jesus for a miracle.  They didn’t even know he was there.  He was just passing through.  And yet, Jesus is moved and acts – restoring life to this unnamed young man.  

We are told that “fear seized all of them” when this happened.  No one expected it.  They didn’t know what to do, except praise God for the miracle.  

Isn’t it ironic how no one expects Jesus.  No one expects that he’ll do what is in his very nature to do – heal and restore.  Yes, back in Luke 4, we hear Jesus’ mission statement, taken from his reading of Isaiah 61 – “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”  When the people in the synagogue heard this, and his explanation that this extended beyond Israel, it enraged them to the point that they wanted to kill him.  They didn’t expect Jesus to say this. 

And now here we are just a few short chapters later, and people still don’t expect Jesus.  They are amazed.  They are seized with fear.  They don’t expect Jesus to do such things.  How little has changed in 2000 years.  

Questions for further reflection:

• What are we expecting of Jesus?  There are many Christians who expect Jesus to say some nice things but not ruffle too many feathers.  Why?  What about the status quo are we valuing so much that we have such low expectations of Jesus?
• How are we shocked, amazed, seized by fear at what Jesus unexpectedly does around us and within us?