Transcript The Gospel According to Luke

The Gospel According to Luke
See Revelation 4.68.
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Introduction:
- See Textbook, “Luke’s Gospel” pp. 392-408;
- 80-90 C.E.: the Gospel according to Luke is
written (see Table 11.2, p. 349);
- see Figure 11.2: “… the two-document theory” (p.
351);
- see Box 11.3: “From Oral Kerygma to Written
Gospel …” (p. 352);
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Introduction:
- the first part of a two-volume work (Luke-Acts);
- written for a Greco-Roman audience;
- the emphasize: Jesus and his disciples, working under
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, are innocent of any
crime against Rome;
- moreover, the author insists that the religion is a
universal faith.
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Outline of the Gospel according to Luke:
- Chs. 1 and 2: formal preface and an extended nativity
account;
- Chs. 3-9: Jesus’ Galilean ministry;
- Chs. 9.51-18.30: the “greater interpolation”;
- Chs. 18.31-23.56: the Jerusalem ministry and Passion
story;
- Ch. 24: post-resurrection appearances in or near
Jerusalem.
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Luke’s Historical Vision:
- Luke seeks to trace the course of a new religious
movement from its inception in a stable in Bethlehem
to its hoped-for status as a legitimate faith of the
Roman Empire;
- Luke’s two-volume work places Jesus at the centre of
history.
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Luke’s Historical Vision:
- John the Baptist - the last of Israel’s prophets and the
forerunner of the Messiah (16.16);
- Jesus’ life is the central act of a three-part drama:
1) Israel (the period of the Old Testament);
2) Jesus (the Gospel accounts); and
3) the Christian church (the Acts of the Apostles).
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Luke’s Historical Vision:
- For Luke, Jesus’ ministry represents a new beginning;
- Luke ties Jesus’ resurrection to the disciples’ job of
evangelizing the world (24.44-53; Acts 1.1-8);
- he focuses on the future work of the church;
- Luke’s Acts of the Apostles portrays the disciples as
entering a new historical epoch, the age of the church;
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Luke’s Historical Vision:
-Acts concludes:
- not by drawing attention to the Parousia;
- but, by expressing Paul’s resolve to
concentrate on ministry to the Gentiles (28.2728).
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The Author and his Sources:
- Luke was not an eyewitness to the events he describes
(see Luke 1.1-4);
- he is identified in the Muratorian list of NT book
(from the 4th century [?]) as “the beloved” physician
who accompanied Paul on some of Paul’s missionary
journeys; (see G-31)
- Iranaeus (ca. 140-ca. 202 A.D.), a bishop of Gaul,
refers to the author as a companion of Paul (see Col
4.14; Philem 24; 2 Tim 4.11);
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The Author and his Sources:
- however, he does not seem to be aware of Paul’s letters;
- furthermore, he never refers to Paul’s writing;
- he refers to Paul only twice as an “apostle”;
- for convenience sake, the author is called “Luke”;
- he is fluent in Greek and has the most polished style of
any of the Evangelists;
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The Author and his Sources:
- was he a Gentile?
- written after Titus’ destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE;
- reveals detailed knowledge of the Roman siege of the
city (21.20-24; see also 19.43-44);
- thus, Luke-Acts was probably written after the Jewish
revolts of A.D. 66-73;
- many scholars place the writings in the mid-to-late 80s
(see Textbook, Table 11.2, p. 349 – “Gospel of Luke and
Acts are written: A.D. 80-90);
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The Author and his Sources:
- Ephesus is favoured as the place of composition;
- this city had a large Christian population.
- Luke introduces his account of the Gospel (1.1-4);
- he refers to his method and dedicates the work to
Theophilus (1.1; see also the dedication to the same
person in Acts [1.1]);
- Who was Theophilus (“lover of God”)?
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Ephesus: general plan of the ancient city.
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The Author and his Sources:
- the author depends on eyewitnesses;
- he also employs later missionary accounts;
- but he does his own research (1.1-4).
- he is aware of the accounts produced by others (1.1);
- he uses Mark as his primary source;
- but he edits extensively Mark’s account;
- he rearranges Mark’s material to suit his aims;
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The Author and his Sources:
- See Box 12.9 “Luke’s Editing and Restructuring of
Mark” (pp. 396-97);
- Luke frames Mark’s account of Jesus’ adult life with his
own stories of Jesus’ infancy (Chs. 1 and 2) and
resurrection (Ch. 24);
- he adds to Mark two large sections of teaching material:
1) the “lesser interpolation” (6.20-8.3); and
2) the “greater interpolation” (9.51-18.14);
- a great deal of this material comes from Quelle (=Q)
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and L (=Luke’s special source);
The Author and his Sources:
- he uses themes and images from the Hebrew Bible;
- e.g., he uses Elijah and Elisha (1 Kings 17-19; 2 Kings
1-6) as prototypes of the Messiah;
- he uses many of Jesus’ words that occur only in his
account (thus, the L source);
- e.g., the parable of the prodigal son (15.11-32), the lost
coin (15.8-10), the persistent woman (18.1-8), the good
Samaritan (10.29-32), and Lazarus and the rich man
(16.19-31).
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The Author and his Sources:
- Luke’s special material tends to depict Jesus as gentle
and loving;
- Jesus ... is the Good Shepherd;
- He is concerned for the oppressed, namely, the poor,
the socially outcast, and women.
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Jesus raises a young girl (Luke 8.40-56).
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Typical Lukan Themes:
-Luke emphasizes:
- prayer;
- forgiveness;
- compassion;
- interest in the poor;
- concern for women;
- the active role of the Holy Spirit;
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Typical Lukan Themes:
- God’s direction in human history;
- the universality of Jesus’ messiahship; and
- the new religion’s positive relationship with the
Greco-Roman world;
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The Holy Spirit:
- for Luke, the career of Jesus and the growth of
Christianity are the direct result of God’s will, expressed
through the Holy Spirit;
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The Holy Spirit in Luke’s Works:
-Luke uses the term Holy Spirit 14 times:
- For example:
- at Jesus’ conception (1.35);
- the Spirit anoints Jesus after his baptism (3.22);
- the Spirit leads Jesus to the wilderness (4.1);
- the Spirit empowers Jesus for his Galilean ministry
(4.14);
- the Spirit is conferred through prayer (11.13);
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Jesus: baptized by John in the
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The Holy Spirit:
- the Spirit also appears in Acts (2, with power; 11.15-18, and the
Gentiles; the Spirit and the church’s expansion; the Christian
community is led and blessed by the Spirit).
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Typical Lukan Themes:
- for Luke, Christianity is a saving faith that God offers to all;
- Christianity is, thus, a universal religion ...;
- Luke presents Jesus in a manner that Roman and Greek readers
will understand:
- he is aware that his Gentile audience is not primarily
interested in a Jewish Messiah;
- he presents Jesus as “Saviour” - soter (1.69; 2.11; Acts 3.13-15).
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Infancy Narrative in Luke:
- only Luke presents Zechariah and Elizabeth (1.5-25, 39-45, 5780);
- for Luke, John is the culmination of Israel’s purpose (16.16);
- Jesus’ birth begins a new stage in God’s plan for salvation;
- Gabriel announces to Mary … (1.26-28);
- Mary’s response - the Magnificat (1.46-53) (see 1 Sam 2.1-31);
- Luke’s depiction of the birth of Jesus ... (2.1-40);
- how Luke’s account differs from Matthew’s account (2.1-23).
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Infancy Narrative in Luke:
- Jesus’ presentation in the temple in Jerusalem and Simeon’s
prophecy - the Nunc Dimittis hymn - “good news” to “all people”
(2.29-32);
- Luke is the only evangelist who tells an incident from Jesus’
boyhood days (2.41-52);
- the comparison here with young Samuel (compare Lk 2.52 with 1
Sam 2.26).
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The Importance of Women in Luke:
- Luke alone narrates the conversations between Mary and
her cousin Elizabeth (1.29-56);
- also the words of the prophetess Anna (2.36-38);
- Jesus restores to life the son of the widow of Nain (7.1117);
- he shows compassion to a prostitute (7.36-50);
- Luke alone narrates the parable of the woman who has
lost a coin (15.8-10);
- and the parable of the persistent woman (18.1-8);
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The Importance of Women in Luke (contd.):
- female disciples support Jesus and his male followers
“out of their own resources” (8.1-3);
- the sisters Mary and Martha are numbered among Jesus’
closest friends (10.38-42).
- Mary Magdalene and Joanna are present at Jesus’
crucifixion (23.49, 55; 24.10);
- they are among the women who find Jesus’ tomb empty
(23.55-24.12);
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The Galilean Ministry (chs. 3-9):
- Luke reproduces much of what is in Mark;
- however, he rearranges and modifies this material;
- he introduces special themes:
- Jesus reads (4.18-19) from Isaiah (61.1-2 and 58.6);
- he refers to Elijah (4.25-26) and Elisha (4.27) performing
miracles among non-Jewish peoples.
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The Galilean Ministry (chs. 3-9):
- Luke’s Sermon on the Plain (6.20-49):
- this introduces the “lesser interpolation”/”insertion”;
- comparison with Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount;
- Jesus is the model of compassionate service;
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Sea of Galilee: view from hills to the west.
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Jesus’ Teaching on the Journey to Jerusalem:
- the “Greater Interpolation”/”Insertion” (9.51-18.14):
- this part of Luke’s account is mainly a collection of brief
anecdotes, sayings, and parables;
- here Luke mixes Q with L;
- Jesus passes through Samaria (9.52; 17.11):
- the number 72 and the number of non-Jewish
nations;
- the 12 disciples and the 12 tribes of Israel;
- the Parable of the Good Samaritan (10.29-35);
- Parable about Wealth and Poverty (12.13-31);
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Jesus’ Teaching on the Journey to Jerusalem:
- The Prodigal Son (15.11-32).
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Samaria town and region.
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The Jerusalem Ministry: Jesus’ Conflict with Rome:
- Luke draws upon Mark here but emphasizes that Jesus is
innocent of plotting treason against Rome (23.4);
- the imminence of the kingdom and the kingdom already being
present in Jesus’ miraculous deeds and teaching (see 11.20 and
17.20-21);
- Predictions of Jerusalem’s fall (19.41-44; 21.20-28):
- Luke uses Mark 13 here;
- however, he edits it extensively;
- Luke and the delayed Parousia (Ch. 21);
- he sees a long earthly history for the Christian
community.
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The Jerusalem Ministry: Jesus’ Conflict with Rome:
- Jesus as Servant:
- Luke’s narrative of Jesus’ final days (19.28ff) parallels
Mark’s account (14.1-16.8);
- however, he introduces variations to emphasize his
theological point-of-view;
- for Luke, Jesus appears as a “servant” for others to
imitate;
- Luke’s version of the Last Supper (22.14-20) .
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Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper.”
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The Last Supper – Salvadora Dali.
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The Garden of Gethsemane.
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Luke’s Passion Story:
- according to Luke, Jesus has done nothing illegal against Roman
rule (23.1-5, 13-15);
- the members of the Sanhedrin bring Jesus to Pilate strictly on
political grounds;
- Luke has the Roman governor pronounce Jesus innocent (23.15;
23.22);
- a fellow victim with Jesus asserts that “this man has done nothing
wrong” (23.41);
- the Roman centurion proclaims that Jesus is innocent (23.47);
- Luke has Jesus pray for his executioners (23.34);
- they have acted in “ignorance” (23.34);
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Luke’s Passion Story:
- Jesus’ actions illustrate the principle of all-encompassing love
that freely pardons sinners and ends the cycle of retaliation that
perpetuates evil in this world;
- Jesus’ final words are to his Father to whom he commits his
spirit (23.46);
- Luke’s Jesus is an example of compassion and forgiveness for
all who receive the Spirit.
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Second Temple - Reconstruction.
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Herodian Temple: Model.
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Stones from the
Herodian
Temple Mount.
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Jerusalem:
Temple Mount.
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Kedron Valley – immediately to the east of the Walled City. 58
Church of All Nations – in Kedron Valley on Palm Sunday.
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The Pieta - Michaelangelo.
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Jesus is laid in
the Tomb.
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The women
and the angel
at the empty
tomb.
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Post-Resurrection Appearances:
- Luke places all experiences of the risen Jesus in or near
Jerusalem (Luke 24):
- Jesus’ appearance on the road to Emmaus (24.13);
- Jesus appears in Jerusalem in the midst of a large group,
including the Eleven (24.36);
- Luke ends his account with Jesus’ promise to send the
disciples his “Father’s gift,” the Holy Spirit (24.44-53)
(see this fulfilled in Acts 2).
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Roman Empire at the time the Gospel accounts written.
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See Revelation 4.68.
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Questions for Review (Numbers 1-4 on p. 407 in Textbook).
Questions for Discussion and Reflection (Numbers 1 and 2 on
pp. 407 in Textbook).
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