Today’s Scripture Reading (September 7,
2017): Luke 1
The colloquial
phrase “The Devil is in the details” was
originally phrased as “God is in the details.” I am not sure why a shift
in supernatural personality was made, but
both phrases indicate that the details of whatever it is that we are studying,
are important. It is a fact that mystery
writers and readers know well. As we read the story, we may not understand why
the author has included certain salient facts, but as the story progresses, the
importance of every fact becomes apparent. Sometimes when I am reading a well-written novel, I will stick a bookmark in
the place where I am reading and go back
in search of facts that I am afraid I might have missed. Sometimes I find them,
and sometimes the meaning of the story’s components remain hidden until the
author wraps up the tale in the final chapter.
The idea
that “God is in the details” is important as we begin to read through Luke’s
story of Jesus. Luke is a well-educated, Greek physician trying to tell the
story of Jesus to a man who is likely some kind
of Government official. Luke’s document begins in elegant and precise Greek
phrasing. But the language quickly changes and becomes more drenched in Hebrew traditions
and psychological attitudes. Some have argued that Luke was likely using some
other document as he wrote these words. But there is another solution. This well-educated
Greek had taken the time to interview the people involved and has had heard the
stories first hand. The story teller was not just writing down the rumors of
the day.
So as Luke
describes Zechariah’s encounter with the angel, the details are more than just
that Zechariah saw an angel and this is what the angel said to him. God is in
the details. Luke notes that the angel did not saunter into Zechariah’s
presence, he simply appeared. And Zechariah looked and saw that the angel was
standing on the right side (north side) of the altar of incense. It is these
details that give us a sense that Luke knew the facts that he was declaring to
Theophilus. Maybe he had sat down with Zechariah and listened intently as Zechariah told his story or, since
we know that Zechariah was significantly older at the time that his story took
place, Luke sat down with someone who was intimately acquainted with the story
of Zechariah. Later, we are convinced
that Luke sat down and talked with Mary as she remembered the days of Jesus
birth. But the details argue that Luke had spoken with those involved in the
tale that he was attempting to tell and
that he allowed himself to be emotionally involved in the story.
God is in
the details that Luke tells. And Luke wouldn’t have it any other way.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Matthew
1
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