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Luke’s Gospel Posts

  • June 24, 2011 by Jason Hood

    Jesus-Paul Parallels: The Jesus Mirrors (Part Three)

    In this series (part one; part two) we’re taking a look at the ways in which Luke-Acts portrays the disciples as “like their master” (Lk 6:40) and as God’s agents in mission (Acts 1:1; 14:10, the latter verse is ironic). Here are some–not all–of the Jesus-Paul parallels.
    • Jesus and Paul both receive the Holy Spirit at baptism (Lk 3:21-22, Acts 9:17-28) and have their movements governed by the Spirit (Luke 4:1, 14; Acts 19:6, 7; 19:21).
    • Both Jesus and Paul are depicted as law-observant, participating in Jewish festivals and firmly ensconced in Jewish heritage (Lk 2:21-24, 41-42; 22:1-8; Acts 16:3-4; 18:18, 21; 20:6, 16; 22:3, 23:6, 26:4-5; 27:9; 28:). Neither violates the Law or Customs (ta ethe; Luke 16:17, Acts 6:14 for Jesus; 21:21-24, 28:17), although they are falsely accused of having done so.
    • Paul and Jesus both put the Pharisees’ doctrine of the resurrection to use (Luke 14:14; 20:27-40; Acts 17:18, 32, 23:6-8) and affirm that all life is lived “in God” (Lk 20:38, Acts 17:28).
    • Both Jesus and Paul are recognized by demons (Luke 4:34-35, 41; 8:28; Acts 16:17, 19:15), and the link between the two is made by a demon (Acts 19:15).
    • Both make a “custom” of synagogue attendance/preaching (Luke 4:16, Acts 17:1-2; two of the four NT uses of the word for “custom” are employed here; compare Luke 6:6, 13:10; Acts 13:14-15; 14:1; 17:1, 17).
    • Their ministry is first revealed/publicly announced by a man who has the Holy Spirit who lays his hands on Jesus/Paul (Acts 9:17, Luke 2:25-26, 28) and mentions mission to the Gentiles(Luke 2:30-32; Acts 9:15-16).
    • Like Jesus, Paul escapes arrest and death at the hands of Jewish opponents at the beginning of his ministry (Acts 9:23-25; Luke 4:29-30).
    • Like Jesus, Paul willingly goes to Jerusalem to be arrested and (really in Jesus’ case, only apparently in Paul’s) to be put to death, despite resistance from their friends (see Luke 13:33). Jews lie in wait for both (Lk 11:54, Acts 23:21; the verb only appears those verses in the NT).
    • Angels minister both to Paul and to Jesus during intense trial (Luke 22:43, Acts 27:23). And just as Jesus promised his disciples that “not a hair of your head will perish” (Lk 21:18, and the whole of that paragraph is literally fulfilled in Acts; cf 22:7), so Paul in one instance extends that promise to others (Acts 27:34). Jesus promises that serpents will not harm the disciples (Luke 10:19), and Paul is unharmed by a viper bite (Acts 28:3-6).
    • Paul and Jesus are charged with four offences: (1) leading the people astray (Luke 23:1, Acts 24:5), (2) opposing Caesar (Luke 23:2 Acts 17:7), (3) stirring up sedition (Luke 23:5, Acts 24:5), and (4) claiming sovereignty for Christ against Caesar (Luke 23;2; Acts 17:7).
    • Like Jesus, Paul has four trials (Luke 22-23; Acts 23-26) and is seized by a mob after going to the Temple and being welcomed by the people (Luke 19:37-48, 22:54; Acts 21). Both are exonerated—but not released—by Roman authorities (Luke 23:4, Acts 13:28; Acts 23:29); Pilate and Agrippa both try to release them (Luke 23:16, 20; Acts 26:32); Roman governors note that neither is worthy of death (Pilate in Luke 23:15; Festus in Acts 25:25).

    Categories: Biblical Theology | General | Jason Hood | Luke's Gospel | biblical studies

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  • June 21, 2011 by Jason Hood

    The Jesus Mirrors (Part Two)

    (See Part One) In this series we’re taking a look at how Luke portrays the disciples as “like their master” (Lk 6:40) and as God’s agents in mission (Acts 1:1; 14:10, the latter verse is ironic).

    Luke carves out two complex patterns of imitation and participation in the work of Jesus in the power of the Spirit. (1) Jesus’ disciples do or experience things after the pattern of Jesus, and Luke makes no effort to hide the parallels. (2) The disciples in Acts obey commands given by Jesus in Luke, thus serving as models of obedience for later readers. The first pattern includes the following events:

    • Like Jesus, Stephen is accused by false witnesses; like Jesus, he is accused of threatening the Temple and Law.
    • Like Jesus, Stephen cites Daniel 7 (Luke 22:69; Acts 7:55-56), the only difference being that Acts has Jesus standing as if to welcome Stephen, rather than Luke sitting as if in judgment.
    • Like Jesus, Stephen asks God to take his spirit and forgives those who are unjustly killing them (Luke 23:34, 46; Acts 7:59-60).
    • Stephen’s unstoppable wisdom (Acts 6:10) is proof that by his Spirit, Jesus is fulfilling his promise: “I will give you a mouth and a wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict” (Luke 21:15).
    • After prayer, Jesus is empowered by the Holy Spirit for his life of ministry (repeatedly mentioned in 3:16-4:19; esp 3:21; Acts 10:38). After prayer, his disciples are empowered in the same way (Luke 24:45-49; Acts 1:8; Acts 2).
    • Jesus launches his ministry with a sermon on his fulfillment of Scripture and the rejection of Jesus; the church’s ministry begins in the same way (Luke 4:16-30; Acts 2:14-40).
    • Like Jesus, the apostles have a healing ministry. Especially striking are the involuntarily healings that take place because of the power of God present in Jesus and his disciples (Luke 8:44-48; Acts 19:12); the fact that Samaritans experience healing (Luke 17:11-16; Acts 8); and the fact that those who are healed turn around and serve Jesus and Paul (Luke 4:38-39, 8:2-3; Acts 28:10)
    • Like Jesus, the disciples resuscitate the dead (in particular those needed by the community, Acts 9:36-41; Luke 7:11-16) after affirming that the one being healed is not really dead (Luke 8:52, Acts 20:9-10).
    • Like Jesus, the disciples proclaim the “gospel of the kingdom” (Luke 4:43; 9:2) and “forgiveness” (Luke 5:20, 24; Acts 2:38, 10:43, 13:38-39) and “the word of grace” (Luke 4:22, Acts 14:3, 20:32).
    • Jesus and the apostles receive a response of awe (Luke 5:26; Acts 2:43) and—when the inclusion of the Gentiles is announced—wrath (Luke 4:27-28; Acts 13:47-50, 22:21-22).
    • Both Jesus and the apostles are “chosen” by God for their task (Luke 9:35, 23:35, Acts 9:15). When rejected by humans, both cite Isaiah 6:9, 10 to describe this aspect of their ministry (Luke 8:10; Acts 28:26-27).
    • Jesus and the apostles are regularly cast as prophets (Luke 4:24, 13:33; Acts 3:22-23, 7:37; 11:27, 13:1; 15:32; 19:6; 21:9).

    In Part Three, we’ll look at the parallels between Paul and Jesus.

    Categories: Biblical Theology | General | Jason Hood | Luke's Gospel | biblical studies

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  • June 20, 2011 by Jason Hood

    God came down in men: The Jesus Mirrors (Part 1)

    When he starts writing Acts, Luke tells us that his first volume (the Gospel of Luke) he “wrote about all that Jesus began to do and preach…” In other words, Jesus is not finished working. Some suggest that we should call the book commonly known as “the Acts of the Apostles,” “the Acts of Jesus.”

    Perhaps Luke would prefer us to combine the two: “The Acts of Jesus through the Apostles”.

    Luke underscores his desire to connect Jesus and his people in many ways. In addition to Acts 1:1, and the obvious emphasis on the Spirit, there are three other verses that bring this theme home to roost:

    Jesus asks Saul the persecuting Pharisee “Why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4, 22:7, 26:14).

    Luke 6:40: A disciple is not above his teacher; but when fully trained he will be like his teacher.

    Acts 14:11: “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!”

    Luke 6:40 foreshadows the host of fully trained men and women in Acts, especially the apostles, who do a great many things that Jesus does. The rest of Acts, with its emphasis on God’s Spirit on and in his people, suggests that the Lystrans are not totally wrong. Paul and Barnabas are not gods, but men. But–ironically–the living God is certainly visiting Lystra in them.

    (Of course, there is a negative way in which God works through humans. The apostles make the astonishing claim that God and humans are both responsible for the death of Jesus [Acts 2:23; 4:27-28]. It is not either God or humans at work in planning the execution of Jesus: God planned what humans schemed and accomplished, and their work accomplished God’s purposes. Humans can be held responsible for what they do even if they are working out God’s purpose. This perspective adds fresh—if confounding—layers of meaning to Paul’s citation of Epimenides: “in him we live and move and have our being” [Acts 17].)

    In the next post, I will post a list of connections between Luke and Acts, Jesus and disciples, which suggest that passages like Luke 6:40, Acts 1:1, 14:11 contribute to a framework for understanding Luke-Acts as a literary and theological unified work.

    Categories: Biblical Theology | General | Jason Hood | Luke's Gospel | biblical studies

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  • February 24, 2011 by Matthew Mason

    Tenants, Vineyard, Jesus, Israel, Adam

    In the Parable of the Tenants in the Vineyard (Luke 20:9-18), Jesus retells the story of Israel as it climaxes in his own rejection at the hands of Israel’s leaders.  But, in the immediate context, and in the context of Luke as a whole, he does so in a way that shows how Israel’s history, but also Jesus’ own history, recapitulates the history of Adam in contrasting ways.

    The parable tells Israel’s history using the OT trope of Israel as a vineyard (Isa 5; Ps 80).  It’s a story of sin and rebellion, the story of the tenants’ rejection of God’s servants, the prophets, climaxing in the looming murder of God’s beloved Son and heir.  It’s obviously the history of Israel, but in its context it also echoes Genesis 1-3.

    First echo (noting the horticultural parallels): in the vineyard, the leaders of Israel (‘tenants’), recapitulate the sin of Adam in the garden.  Desiring to claim the inheritance for themselves, without reference to the heir, they seek to become like God, to usurp his rights as owner.  Adam in the garden was son and heir, but he too played the usurper, desiring to achieve his inheritance of wise kingly rule and authority (knowledge of good and evil, cf. 1 Ki. 3:9) without reference to his Father, rather than receiving it as a gift.

    Second echo: Jesus’ description of himself as beloved Son (v.13) takes us back to his baptism (3:22).  This also seems to be the point of his question concerning John’s baptism, which immediately precedes this parable (20:3).  By what authority does Jesus cleanse the Temple, and begin to teach in it (19:45-48; 20:1-2)?  By the authority of his Father, whose house it is (2:49—“my Father’s house”), and whose Son he is, as his baptism at the hands of John proclaims.  But as Son of God, Jesus is, among other things (the true Israel—Exod. 4:22; the true Davidic King—Ps. 2) the True Adam (3:23, 38).   If Israel is like Adam in sin, Jesus is the true, righteous Adam.

    Third echo: in the very next pericope, when those sent by the scribes seek to trap Jesus with the question about giving taxes to Caesar, Jesus’ response centers round the question of image-bearing.  A denarius bore Caesar’s image (eikwn, cf. Gen 1:26f LXX) and so was rightly given to Caesar.  What should be given to God is what is God’s (v. 25), that is to say, the thing that bears his image and likeness.  But, like Adam, the scribes bear the image of the self-giving God falsely, stealing and seeking their own honor rather than his (20:45-47).  And this in comparison to the widow, who bore God’s image rightly, giving all her money to God, her very muchness (cf. Deut. 6:5), her very self (21:1-4).

    But (fourth echo) not only are they sons of Adam in his sin, the spies of the scribes and chief priests are seeds of the serpent (Gen. 3:15).  They come to Jesus, the true Adam, the true Son, and seek to destroy him, bringing him down to death, through craftiness (20:23; cf. Gen. 3:1).   However, faced with the serpent, Jesus, unlike Adam, is a wise and perceptive Son.  Like Solomon, this Son of David (cf. vv. 41-44—which means he’s the Son of God (Ps. 2:7) and Son of Adam, cf. Ps 80:17; Ps. 8:4) demonstrates kingly knowledge of good and evil.  Therefore, unlike the first Adam, he knows how to answer the crafty tempter.  And so, even though he will be killed, he will be raised to inherit the fullness of Adam’s kingly authority and role, he will reign at God’s right hand until all his enemies are made his footstool (v. 42, quoting Ps. 110:1; cf., again, Ps 8).  The deceitful seed of the serpent will bruise his heal, the serpentine tenants will kill the beloved Son.  But the seed of the woman will be raised as the Stone who will stone his enemies, crushing their heads (vv. 17-18) under his feet, the Stone who will break down every noble stone on the corrupt temple until not one stands on another (21:5-6), becoming the Cornerstone of a New Temple, a new Edenic sanctuary, restoring the sons and daughters of Adam to their fellowship with God.

    Categories: Biblical Theology | Christology | General | Luke's Gospel

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