by Arnold Troeger | Nov 24, 2024 | Bible
Luke’s Gospel ‘plus’ Acts is a two-volume work that continues the biblical history of God’s dealings with humanity found in the Old Testament, showing how God’s promises to Israel have been fulfilled in Jesus, and how the salvation promised to Israel and accomplished through Jesus has been extended to the Gentiles. The purpose of the two volumes is to provide certainty about the Christian instruction received. To accomplish this, Luke shows that the preaching and teaching of the early Church are grounded in the preaching and teaching of Jesus, who, during his historical ministry, prepared his chosen followers and commissioned them to be witnesses to his life, death and resurrection. This continuity between the historical ministry of Jesus and the ministry of the Apostles is Luke’s way of guaranteeing the fidelity of the Church’s teaching to the teaching of Jesus.
Luke’s story of Jesus and the Church is dominated by a historical perspective. This history is first of all salvation history. God’s divine plan for human salvation was accomplished during the period of Jesus, who, through the events of his life, fulfilled the Old Testament. This salvation is now extended to all humanity in the period of the Church. This salvation history is firmly placed in human history.
Luke presents Christianity as a legitimate form of worship in the Roman world, being a religion that meets the spiritual needs of a world empire. At the same time, he argues that Christianity is the logical development and proper fulfillment of Judaism.
By presenting the time of the Church as a distinct phase of salvation history, Luke accordingly shifts the early Christian emphasis away from the expectation of an imminent Parousia – the Second Coming – to the day-to-day concerns of the Christian community in the world. Luke is concerned with presenting the words and deeds of Jesus as a guide for Christian disciples in the period – between the Ascension and Jesus’ Second Coming – and with presenting Jesus himself as the model of Christian life.
Luke calls upon the Christian disciple to identify with Jesus, who is caring and tender toward the poor and lowly, the outcast, the sinner, and the afflicted – and toward all those who recognise their dependence on God – but who is critical of the proud and self-righteous, and particularly toward those who place their material wealth before the service of God and his people. No Gospel writer is more concerned with the mercy and compassion of Jesus, and with the role of the Spirit in the life of Jesus and the Christian disciple; with the importance of prayer, or with Jesus’ concern for women. While Jesus calls all humanity to repent, he is particularly demanding of those who would be his disciples.
Luke is identified as a Syrian from Antioch. He is not of the first generation of Christian disciples, being dependent upon what he received from those who were eyewitnesses of Jesus.
by Arnold Troeger | Jan 1, 2024 | Bible
As the early church spread and realized that the end time was no time soon, a need arose to start writing on its faith in Jesus, the Risen Christ, the Son of God and Mary. Paul was the first to write his letters on faith in the Risen Lord, to the wider Church, beyond Jewish Christians. Mark was the first of the four gospels, being written around the year 70AD.
Mark designed his faith story into two halves.
Mark 1:1-8:30 – The Mystery of Jesus as the Christ.
Mark 8:31-16:8 – The Mystery of Jesus, Son of Man and Son of God.
Mark begins by telling the reader who Jesus is and what he will do. Through various episodes, in the first half of the Gospel, involving interactions between Jesus and characters who have not read the prologue (1:1-13), a single question emerges: Who is Jesus?
The questioning ceases after Jesus asks his disciples, at Caesarea Philippi: Who do people say that I am? Peter responds: You are the Messiah.
The second half of the Gospel opens with an immediate explanation of who Jesus is: the Son of Man must go up to Jerusalem to suffer, to die and to be raised on the third day. As the crucified and risen Son of Man, Jesus is both Messiah and Son of God. As Jesus dies his agonizing death on the cross, the Roman centurion, a non-disciple, confesses the crux of the faith: Truly, this man was the Son of God. The Christ was the humble, obedient Jesus, the Son of God.
The way of obedience unto death so that God might enter his story and raise him from death must be the measure of the life of all who claim to be his followers. The disciple is called to follow the crucified Messiah and Son of God.
The presentation of Jesus in Mark is focused strongly on a suffering Jesus, who dies, asking God why he has forsaken him. This portrait challenges all who follow the Son of God. He responds to his Father through his unconditional self-gift, whatever it may cost him. His followers are asked to do the same.
Mark stands in line with Paul, for we are called to preach Christ crucified, remembering that the foolishness of God is wiser than men and his weakness is stronger than our strength. Our life of discipleship makes sense because we are following the Son of God, the Crucified Jesus whom God raised from death, following him into a life of self-giving and suffering, death and resurrection.
Francis J Moloney sdb- Reading the New Testament in the Church (2015)
by Arnold Troeger | Dec 31, 2023 | Bible
As the early church spread and realized that the end time was no time soon, a need arose to start writing on its faith in Jesus, the Risen Christ, the Son of God and Mary. Paul was the first to write his letters on faith in the Risen Lord, to the wider Church, beyond Jewish Christians. Mark was the first of the four gospels, being written around the year 70AD.
Mark designed his faith story into two halves.
Mark 1:1-8:30 – The Mystery of Jesus as the Christ.
Mark 8:31-16:8 – The Mystery of Jesus, Son of Man and Son of God.
Mark begins by telling the reader who Jesus is and what he will do. Through various episodes, in the first half of the Gospel, involving interactions between Jesus and characters who have not read the prologue (1:1-13), a single question emerges: Who is Jesus?
The questioning ceases after Jesus asks his disciples, at Caesarea Philippi: Who do people say that I am? Peter responds: You are the Messiah.
The second half of the Gospel opens with an immediate explanation of who Jesus is: the Son of Man must go up to Jerusalem to suffer, to die and to be raised on the third day. As the crucified and risen Son of Man, Jesus is both Messiah and Son of God. As Jesus dies his agonizing death on the cross, the Roman centurion, a non-disciple, confesses the crux of the faith: Truly, this man was the Son of God. The Christ was the humble, obedient Jesus, the Son of God.
The way of obedience unto death so that God might enter his story and raise him from death must be the measure of the life of all who claim to be his followers. The disciple is called to follow the crucified Messiah and Son of God.
The presentation of Jesus in Mark is focused strongly on a suffering Jesus, who dies, asking God why he has forsaken him. This portrait challenges all who follow the Son of God. He responds to his Father through his unconditional self-gift, whatever it may cost him. His followers are asked to do the same.
Mark stands in line with Paul, for we are called to preach Christ crucified, remembering that the foolishness of God is wiser than men and his weakness is stronger than our strength. Our life of discipleship makes sense because we are following the Son of God, the Crucified Jesus whom God raised from death, following him into a life of self-giving and suffering, death and resurrection.
Francis J Moloney sdb- Reading the New Testament in the Church (2015)
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