March 8th, 2026
Sunday, March 8
My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
~Luke 1:46 & 51-52
My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
~Luke 1:46 & 51-52
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Luke’s story sets Jesus up as the one who rewrites what it means to be human. In Luke Jesus’ lineage goes back to Adam, not to Abraham like Matthew’s gospel. The point is that the life of Jesus is the fulfillment of humanity. When you think of the ultimate human purpose for life, and what that might look like, what way of life comes to your mind?
The Greek and Roman cultures of Jesus’ day both had their own ideas about what the fulfillment of humanity looked like. And it looked like what you’d think: comfort, pleasure, self-fulfillment. It left a lot of people on the margins, however. Pursue your own fulfillment and agendas first. Why should I care about others? I need to be worried about myself first, right?
Luke’s gospel also takes readers on a journey with Jesus. It’s a journey on the road to the cross. This is ultimately where Jesus is headed; it’s his ultimate destination. Other stories of great figures in Greek and Roman history had as their destination self-preservation, making a name for themselves through great actions. Not Jesus. His way focused on the marginalized and lifting up the lowly. And not as a nice effect of the gospel. It is the way of the cross.
Along the journey in Luke, Jesus will tell stories and do things that illustrate what this way of the cross as the fulfillment of humanity. The Good Samaritan, the rich man and Lazarus, the Prodigal Son are all classic stories of Jesus. But they’re not disconnected stories with nice morals. These are radical stories that are part of the journey to the cross. They are each important pieces of the puzzle that, once put in place, give a picture of Jesus on the way to the cross, AND the way of life for those who follow him.
The Good Samaritan in Luke 10 is a great example. It emphasizes the concern for the wounded and needy. The way to life is to “go and do likewise” and identify with the suffering and abandoned as the Samaritan did. This is what God has done for humanity, rescuing and restoring a humanity broken and damaged by its own greed and selfishness, leaving others to struggle on the side of the road in the journey of life.
In contrast to the Roman ways of being human, the way of the cross is all about undoing the upwardly mobile ways of the world. Instead life on the way of the cross seeks to restore life and dignity to the ones beat down and with nothing. This is the way of the other side, a life defined differently. The song “The Other Side” captures the idea well:
Luke’s story sets Jesus up as the one who rewrites what it means to be human. In Luke Jesus’ lineage goes back to Adam, not to Abraham like Matthew’s gospel. The point is that the life of Jesus is the fulfillment of humanity. When you think of the ultimate human purpose for life, and what that might look like, what way of life comes to your mind?
The Greek and Roman cultures of Jesus’ day both had their own ideas about what the fulfillment of humanity looked like. And it looked like what you’d think: comfort, pleasure, self-fulfillment. It left a lot of people on the margins, however. Pursue your own fulfillment and agendas first. Why should I care about others? I need to be worried about myself first, right?
Luke’s gospel also takes readers on a journey with Jesus. It’s a journey on the road to the cross. This is ultimately where Jesus is headed; it’s his ultimate destination. Other stories of great figures in Greek and Roman history had as their destination self-preservation, making a name for themselves through great actions. Not Jesus. His way focused on the marginalized and lifting up the lowly. And not as a nice effect of the gospel. It is the way of the cross.
Along the journey in Luke, Jesus will tell stories and do things that illustrate what this way of the cross as the fulfillment of humanity. The Good Samaritan, the rich man and Lazarus, the Prodigal Son are all classic stories of Jesus. But they’re not disconnected stories with nice morals. These are radical stories that are part of the journey to the cross. They are each important pieces of the puzzle that, once put in place, give a picture of Jesus on the way to the cross, AND the way of life for those who follow him.
The Good Samaritan in Luke 10 is a great example. It emphasizes the concern for the wounded and needy. The way to life is to “go and do likewise” and identify with the suffering and abandoned as the Samaritan did. This is what God has done for humanity, rescuing and restoring a humanity broken and damaged by its own greed and selfishness, leaving others to struggle on the side of the road in the journey of life.
In contrast to the Roman ways of being human, the way of the cross is all about undoing the upwardly mobile ways of the world. Instead life on the way of the cross seeks to restore life and dignity to the ones beat down and with nothing. This is the way of the other side, a life defined differently. The song “The Other Side” captures the idea well:
I can cut you free
Out of the drudgery and walls you keep in
So trade that typical for something colorful
And if it's crazy, live a little crazy
You can play it sensible, a king of conventional
Or you can risk it all and see…
Don't you wanna get away from the same old part you gotta play
'Cause I got what you need, so come with me and take the ride
It'll take you to the other side
Out of the drudgery and walls you keep in
So trade that typical for something colorful
And if it's crazy, live a little crazy
You can play it sensible, a king of conventional
Or you can risk it all and see…
Don't you wanna get away from the same old part you gotta play
'Cause I got what you need, so come with me and take the ride
It'll take you to the other side
The way of the cross is the other side. It breaks through the little walls we’ve made to keep our lives safe. It makes no sense, looking at it from the side of the old, worn down ways of American culture. It’s not conventional. But it is the way to be human.
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For reflection:
Prayer: God of life, you created us in your image. Yet, we have forgotten what it means to be truly human. We’ve taken over the idea with our own ways. We repent, Lord. Teach us to be human, and teach us to seek the good life for our neighbor, who is also made in your image. Amen.
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For reflection:
- What ways of being human are “normal” today, but are not of the way of the cross?
- Read the stories of the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son, and the Rich Man and Lazarus. How do they unsettle our comforts and call us out to those on the margins?
- For those with kids: Read the stories above with the kids. Let the kids share what they think is happening in the stories and how Jesus is teaching us to live in a new and better way.
Prayer: God of life, you created us in your image. Yet, we have forgotten what it means to be truly human. We’ve taken over the idea with our own ways. We repent, Lord. Teach us to be human, and teach us to seek the good life for our neighbor, who is also made in your image. Amen.
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