E il Signore si voltò. Un tratto lucano dell’agire itinerante di Gesù

The article explores the meaning of a gesture of Jesus mentioned many times in Luke’s gospel: the act of “turning” of the Lord toward various persons who accompany him in the journey. It is mentioned seven times (Luke 7:9, 44; 9:55; 10:23; 14:25; 22:61; 23:28) and is always in the same verbal form (the aorist participle στραφείς). On the level of composition, the term is inserted in short introductory narratives and generally has the aim of emphasizing a saying or instruction of Jesus. Apparently of little relevance, such a gesture renders lively the description. But it is not a simple literary device. Evidently if the author wanted to include (redaction) or preserve (tradition) this detail in his account, he did it for introspective reasons. The gesture of Jesus is an element of his itinerant lifestyle and as such is linked to the Lukan theme of discipleship. The third evangelist, by portraying Jesus in that action, seems to want to fix as a model the relationship between him and his followers: the effort required in discipleship and the care of the teacher for them. Jesus is the guide of the disciples, he opens the way forward in the right direction but sometimes he turns toward his followers who need to be encouraged, sustained and corrected in their journey of faith.