The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown (66 page)

The trial emphasized Jesus' innocence and the guilt of those who condemned him. At the trial before the Sanhedrin (22:63–71), the charge against Jesus was blasphemy for claiming to be the Son of God. Yet since the Sanhedrin lacked the power of capital punishment, they sent him to Pilate (23:1–7). Pilate found no guilt in Jesus, declaring him to be innocent three times. Neither did Herod (23:15), but Pilate succumbed to the demands of the bloodthirsty mob. Hence a triangle of enemies—Pilate, Herod, and the Jewish leaders—have come together to execute this plot.

Table 6.1: Phases of Jesus' Trial

The rest of chapter 23 records the events surrounding the crucifixion. Jesus was crucified and mocked repeatedly (23:24—33). He was mocked by the soldiers who crucified him, the thieves on either side of him, and the scribes and Pharisees. But it is apparent that something more than a criminal execution was taking place as the sun darkened and the veil of the temple was torn (23:44—46). Thus the mood changed: a soldier declared Jesus' righteousness, and the crowds left beating their breasts (23:47—48).

The resurrection appearances serve to reinforce and explain the meaning of the cross. An angel confronted the women at the (startlingly) empty tomb and reminded them of Jesus' claim that he would rise again (24:1—8). The apostles' response to the report is not laudatory, but Peter did examine the empty tomb. The most prominent event is Jesus' appearance to two disciples on the road to Emmaus (24:13—33). The fact that this was God's plan is pointedly reinforced (esp. at 24:26). Jesus then appeared to the Eleven in Jerusalem and established that he was really resurrected and not a ghost (24:34—49). For the second time Jesus interpreted the Scriptures to his disciples. Finally, the fulfillment of 9:51 occurs at 24:50—51: Jesus ascended into heaven from Bethany near Jerusalem.

Table 6.2: Jesus' Resurrection Appearances

Epilogue: The Disciples Return to Jerusalem (24:52–53)
The final two verses form an epilogue to the book. The disciples returned to Jerusalem rejoicing. When they arrived, they went to the temple, continually blessing God. This ending prepares the reader for the second treatise, the book of Acts, which continues the Gospel's emphasis on God's plan of salvation in history and its fulfillment in Jesus.

THEOLOGY

Theological Themes

Salvation and Salvation History
Many of the major themes in Luke are related to the fulfillment of God's purposes in Jesus as the culmination of salvation history. God is the architect of all human history, which is driven by his purposes and will. H. Conzelmann contended that Luke viewed salvation history in three stages: (1) Israel; (2) Jesus' ministry; and (3) the
ecclesia pressa
(“the church under pressure”).
⁷⁹
Indeed, Luke's apologetic purpose centers on the demonstration that, in Jesus, God fulfilled his salvation promises to his people.
⁸⁰
Perhaps more accurately, however, Luke's conception of salvation history may be described along the lines of “promise and fulfillment,” with John the Baptist marking the end of the period of promise (16:16: “The Law and the Prophets were until John”) and the following stages denoting the fulfillment of that promise (Jesus and the church).
⁸¹

The beginning of the Gospel implies that, through Jesus, God was fulfilling his previously planned purpose of salvation (“fulfilled among us”; 1:1). It is not long until the reader is told that what God has fulfilled by sending Jesus is the provision of a Savior (1:31–33; see 1: 68–71). Indeed, salvation is one of the most prominent themes in this Gospel. The word “salvation”
(sōtēria)
is used four times in Luke; it is not used in Matthew or Mark and only once in John. The first three of these references occur in Zechariah's song, where the ministry of the coming Messiah is described (1:69, 71, 77; the fourth reference is 19:9). The word “salvation” also occurs six times in the book of Acts (4:12; 7:25; 13:26,47; 16:17; 27:34).

Other words in the same semantic range are prominent in Luke as well. Both God and Jesus are called “Savior”
(sōtēr;
1:47; 2:11; again, the word is not used in Matthew and Mark and only once in John). The verb “to save”
(sōzō)
is often used as a synonym for conversion (see 7:50; 8:12; 13:23; also frequent in Matthew and Mark). A particularly prominent and memorable instance of the word “to save” in Luke's Gospel is found in 19:10, where Jesus defined his mission as follows: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.” Importantly, as shown below, the salvation provided by Jesus encompasses all people, and in particular those of low status in society, bringing about a “great reversal” in and through Jesus' ministry.

Jesus' Fulfillment of Prophecy
Closely related to the theme of salvation in Luke's Gospel is the motif of the fulfillment of scriptural prophecy in and through Jesus. In 1:1, the events of the ensuing narrative are said to have been “fulfilled among us.” And in 24:44–49, the disciples are told that “everything written about Me in the Law of Moses,
the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Thus both the beginning and the end of Luke's Gospel frame the narrative by focusing on the theme of fulfillment.

The fulfillment of prophecy also figures prominently throughout the book as part of Luke's emphasis on the fulfillment of God's plan.
⁸²
While Luke's OT quotations are not extensive, the reference to Isa 61:1–2 regarding Jesus' inaugural sermon at the synagogue of Nazareth is highly significant in that it presents Jesus as Isaiah's Servant of the Lord (4:18–19). Also, when John the Baptist questioned Jesus, Jesus pointed to his activities as fulfilling OT messianic expectations (7:20; see Isa 29:18; 35:5; 61:1).

There is also an interest in what Johnson called “literary prophecy,” that is, the fulfillment of prophecies made by characters in the narrative itself.
⁸³
Both Simeon and Anna prophesied regarding Jesus without otherwise having been told of the nature of his birth. A large number of Jesus' own prophecies are fulfilled as well. This includes the fulfillment of Jesus' predictions regarding his suffering, death, and resurrection (9:22); his rejection by Israel (9:22,44); his death at the hands of Gentiles (18:31–33); the destruction of Jerusalem (21:24); and the Spirit's coming (24:49). These fulfillments constitute a “proof from prophecy” that served Luke's apologetic purpose of showing Christianity to be true.

In both Luke's Gospel and the book of Acts, God is shown to be in absolute control of the events in the story as his plan continued to unfold. In the infancy narratives all proceeded at God's direction. Jesus' death occurred by the will of God. In 7:30, the Pharisees are shown to reject the plan of God for themselves. Equally striking is the use of the “divine must” in Luke's Gospel. Jesus described his earthly ministry in terms of divine compulsion: he must be in his Father's house (2:49); he must preach the gospel of the kingdom in many cities (4: 43); he must die on the cross (9:22; 17:25; 22:37; 24:7); he must heal the woman with an issue of blood (13:16); he must be killed in Jerusalem (13:33); and he must eat at Zacchaeus's house (19:5). Jesus' entire earthly ministry was driven by divine necessity (24:44).

Jesus' description of his death occurs using the word “must”
(dei)
as well, indicating that the crucifixion proceeded in keeping with God's plan. The first occurrence is found in 9:22: “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day” (see 9: 44).
⁸⁴
In 18:31–33, the reader is told that everything written through the prophets regarding Jesus' death and resurrection will be accomplished. The Crucifixion is not the regrettable death of a good man, or a mere instance of the plight of all prophets, but a fulfillment of God's long-standing plan of salvation.

Related to this is the portrayal of Israel and the Jewish people in Luke's Gospel. Some have claimed that the Jews are presented in a negative light by Luke, but this conclusion is unnecessary.
⁸⁵
Although Israel is depicted as a nation that has, by and large, strayed from their God and is comprised of sinners,
⁸⁶
Jesus remains the one who “fulfills the hopes and aspirations of Israel.”
⁸⁷
The ultimate goal of God's plan for Israel is the restoration, not destruction, of Israel (Acts 1:6).

Both Mary and Zechariah understood Jesus to be the fulfillment of God's promises to Israel (1:54,68). Simeon was also looking for “Israel's consolation” (2:25). When he saw the infant Jesus, he blessed God for letting him see God's salvation (2:30). Jesus was going to be a revelation to the Gentiles but also a glory to Israel. Yet not all Israel was in view, for Jesus was “destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed” (2:34). Thus Jesus' coming is seen at the outset as a sign of both hope and warning for Israel.

But Jesus' coming also brings about a further development in God's plan of salvation. This point is driven home by the parable of the new wineskins (5:33–39), and later a similar note of advance is struck (16:16). The Law and the Prophets were in effect until John; then the good news of the kingdom of God was preached in and through Jesus. Consequently, the dividing line between the world and the people of God is faith in Christ, not ethnic identity or adherence to the law. For Jerusalem, the embodiment of the Jewish nation, rejecting Jesus brings destruction rather than peace, “because you did not recognize the time of your visitation” (19:44). Salvation in Luke is a matter of faith, repentance, and following after Jesus.

Jesus' Concern for the Lowly
Among the evangelists, it is especially Luke who emphasized Jesus' concern for those of lowly status in society—Gentiles, the poor, tax collectors and “sinners,” the sick and disabled, women and children. This is part of Luke's understanding of the salvation brought by Jesus, a salvation that is inclusive of all people. In this Luke echoed Paul's statement in Gal 3:28 that in Christ “there is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female.” Rather, God's offer of salvation in Christ extends to all of humanity.

In order to indicate the universal scope of Jesus' salvation, Jesus' genealogy is traced back not just to Abraham, as in Matthew, but all the way to Adam (4:1–13). In the infancy narrative, the angel announced, “I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for
all the people
” (2:10, emphasis added). “All the people” means that the salvation brought by Jesus is not only for God's people, the Jews, but also for
the Gentiles
. Thus even Simeon, upon seeing the infant Jesus, prophesied that he would be “a light for revelation to the Gentiles” as well (2:32).

Something to Think About: Jesus' Concern for the Lowly

I
n his wisdom God gave us not one but four inspired accounts of Jesus' life and ministry. Without contradicting one another, each of the evangelists captured unique aspects of Jesus' heart and mission. Matthew showed how Jesus fulfilled the scriptural predictions regarding the long-awaited Jewish Messiah. Mark presented Jesus as the powerful, miracle-working Son of God, recognized even by the Gentile world. John extolled Jesus as the preexistent Word who was made flesh in Jesus and revealed God's glory through an escalating series of messianic signs.