The New Testament & the Gospels| February 3rd, 2019

Catie Smith

Please share your name and a quirky fact about yourself Are you watching the Superbowl tonight? Who are you pulling for

and why? If you read Mark this week, what “plan” did you use? What is something you learned about Jesus that you will remember

for years to come?

NEW TESTAMENT FACT

TODAY IS ALL ABOUT TRUST

HOW CAN WE TRUST THE NEW

TESTAMENT?

Number of witnesses:

There are ~6,000 manuscripts of the Greek New Testament in existence today, the earliest dating to within 40 years of the writing of the NT

Homer’s Iliad, 643 copies Julius Caesar’s Gallic Wars, 10 copies of it,

the earliest of which was made 1,000 years after it was written

Livy wrote 142 books of Roman history, of

which a mere 35 survive in only 20 manuscripts

Tacitus Histories and Annals, 2 copies (9th &

11th cent ).

The History of Thucydides, 8 copies (10th)

The History of Herodotus 1,600 years

later than the original. The writings of Plato survive in 7

copies. Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, 80 copies. Beowulf, 1 copy

BECAUSE LUKE HAS SOMETHING DIFFERENT

TO OFFER

For evidence in the form of Eyewitness stories Prophecies fulfilled Proof from miracles

PURPOSE STATEMENT

STRAIGHT AWAY

“So that you [we] may know the exact truth

about the things you[we] have been taught.”

– Luke 1:4

BUT IS LUKE A TRUSTWORTHY DETECTIVE? CAN WE REALLY TRUST HIM?

was a medical doctor (Colossians 4:14)

was a historian was a Gentile interviewed eye-witnesses to get his information included Jesus’ sayings, which make up 50% of his book included quotations and allusions from OT: 25 and 42 had 59% of unique material also wrote Acts (these two books account for over 1/3 of NT) Was friends with Paul

SO, LET’S BE DETECTIVES OURSELVES… 1. What can point in every direction but can't reach the destination by

itself?

2. What goes up when the rain comes down?

3. I’m not clothes but I cover your body; The more I'm used, the thinner I grow. What am I?

4. Never resting, never still. Moving silently from hill to hill. It does not walk, run or trot, All is cool where it is not. What is it?

5. A horse was tied to a rope 5 meters long and the horses food was 15 meters away from the horse. How did the horse reach the food?

6. I love to dance and twist and prance, I shake my tail, as away I sail, wingless I fly into the sky. What am I?

Parables, Parables, Parables

24 parables 18 unique to Luke

What exactly is a parable??? A parable is a story that conveys a moral truth. Historicity is not

important in a parable, since the moral truth is the important point. In scripture, a parable is “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning” – a story or commentary about a normal event that illustrates a spiritual

lesson. Parables go by many names. For example, Aesop's Fables are

parables. Lawyers use parables all the time in court -- they are referred to as analogies or "hypotheticals."

They seemed more like riddles

Parable of two debtors (7:40–43) Parable of the good Samaritan

(10:29–37). Parable of the friend at midnight

(11:5–8) Parable of the rich fool (12:13–21) Parable of punishment (12:47–48) Parable of the barren tree (13:1–9) Two parables for guests and hosts

(14:7-14)

Counting the cost (14:28-33) (two parables) Parable of the lost coin (15:8–10) Parable of the prodigal son (15:11–32) Parable of the shrewd manager (16:1–12) Parable of the rich man and Lazarus (16:19–31) Parable of the persistent widow (18:1–8) Parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (18:9–14)

AND THAT’S NOT ALL! LUKE IS ALSO KNOWN FOR HI-LIGHTING…

The Good Samaritan (10:253)

10 Lepers

Women

Poor

Unclean

Oppressors

Racial Enemies

Prostitutes

The birth narratives are told from a women’s perspective: Mary and Elizabeth (1-2)

Women received special attention

Women were monetarily supporting Christ’s ministry. (8:1-3)

Women follow Jesus from the court to the cross (23:49).

Jesus’s first appearance post resurrection was to women (24:1-10)

Jesus’ teachings humanized the poor

Shows he cares about wellbeing

Luke 14:13-14: When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous”

Luke 4:16-20: Proclaim good news to the poor

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY “POOR”?

“And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood

up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good

news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are

oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them,

“Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Well…Proclaim in the Greek is actually a speaking verb, which means we are to tell about the gospel to the poor, primarily.

Poor “ptochos” in verse 18 Material poverty AND Spiritual status Emotional poverty (lumped with broken-hearted and all

who mourn) If poor is taken literally, then “the captives” and “the

oppressed” should be taken literally as well

Two types of people who experienced the Lord’s favor in the OT: Good news for the poor:

Widow of Zarephath: materially poor VS. Naaman, the important Syrian general dipped in the Jordan River seven times.

The poor, weak, crippled, and overlooked by their families, friends, and society.

The kingdom is full of forgiven sinners – outcasts, unclean, and poor (materially and spiritually) all in community (key aspect)

Luke’s book is known for hi-lighting

Parables Showing God’s

concern for the outcasts of society

John the Baptist and parents filled with the HS (1:15, 41, 67)

Simeon is a man of the Spirit

Jesus and Spirit take a prominent role Conceived by the Spirit (1:35) Empowered by the Spirit (3:22; 4:1,

14, 18) He baptizes with the Spirit (3:16) His Father gives the Spirit (11:13) He warns of the blasphemy of the

Spirit (12:10) The Spirit will instruct the disciples

(12:12) He promised the Spirit after the

resurrection (24:49)

THE HOLY SPIRIT

Abundance of food

19 references to food or meals and 13 of them are exclusive to this gospel .

Meal time Jesus used to communicate something very important – he is the only source of both spiritual and physical life.

NOW LET’S GET TO THE POINT OF IT ALL

Luke is setting up evidence through Jesus’ parables, inclusion of the outcast, the Holy Spirit, and food to show us that Jesus is about seeking and saving the lost!!!

THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL

LUKE 19:10

SEEK

From Bethlehem to Judea (Jericho)

Chapters 1-19 give us all the parables, outreach, and food scenes.

SALVATIONThe word “Salvation” is

NEVER used in Matthew or Mark God and Jesus are the Savior The verb “To Save” is used

in a spiritual sense often (7:50; 8:12; 13:23; 19:10)

Universal Salvation (Jew AND Gentile)

(Luke 2:31; 3:6; Acts 2:21) Gentiles, Samaritans and the outcast are in the spotlight Genealogy traced to Adam

1) Jesus commends the widow of Zarephath and Naaman (4:25–27).

2) Jesus responds to a Gentile centurion seeking healing (7:2, 10).

3) Jesus’ teaching hints at the inclusion of Gentiles.

4) The disciples are sent to all nations (24:46ff).

5) Jesus goes to a Samaritan village (9:52).

6) Jesus makes a Samaritan the hero in a parable (10:30–37).

Soter (savior) soteria(salvation) Soterion(salvation) sozein (to save)

Present (Luke 11:20; 17:21) and future (Acts 22:18, 29-30) reality Thus, present and future dimensions. emphasizes the present over the future. Repeats “today” in significant passages (Luke 2:11;

3:22; 4:21; 5:26; 19:5, 9; 23:43)

When defined as “participation in the reign of God” – salvation means living life, even now, as God intends it to be lived.

Now, this participation in God’s reign may also involve the intro of positive features (peace, blessing, eternal life) or the removal of negative ones (disease, demons, sin).

The Jewish world associated Salvation with deliverance from enemies

Greco-Roman society thought of Salvation more as the bestowal of various blessings.

Luke presents Jesus as BOTH Messiah and Lord.

“In presenting salvation as participation in the reign of God, Luke makes distinction between what we might

describe as physical, spiritual, or social aspects of salvation (cf. Luke 5:23). God is concerned with all

aspects of human life and relationships, and, so, salvation may involve the putting right of any aspect that

is not as it should be. In Luke 18:24-26, “entering the reign of God” and “being saved” are treated as

synonyms. Participation in the reign of God is a present possibility, that involves liberation from anything that prevents one from living life as God intends (cf. Luke

4:18-19).” – Mark Allan Powell

Luke doesn’t link salvation to Jesus’ death on the cross (except maybe in Acts 20:28)

Luke never gives reference to Jesus giving “his life as a ransom” (Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45) or shedding his blood “for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt. 26:28)

Manifest in Jesus’ life and in his resurrection/ exaltation (The events in Jerusalem, Ch.20-24) takes us from his lived life to ultimately his resurrection

Is born a Savior (Luke 2:11)

Whole reason for living on earth is to “seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10)

Lived his life so that God’s reign could be inaugurated and made manifest on earth (Luke 4:43; 8:1; 9:11; 10:9-11; 11:20; 17:21).

Encountered people and then set them free so they could participate in God’s reign.

SO DOES JESUS “SAVE US”? “Luke knows that salvation is “of God,” and he believes it is God’s

prerogative to give salvation if and when God wishes to do so (Acts 2:39; 11:18). This belief is based on the Scriptures, where God may

simply choose, for instance, to forgive sins, without offering any rationale for the decision to do this (Jer 31:34). But Luke also believes that this divine prerogative has now been transferred to Jesus, who is able to grant people admission to God’s reign (Luke 23:42-43). Jesus

is Messiah and Lord on earth during his life (Luke 2:11), and he is officially installed as Messiah and Lord in heaven by virtue of his

resurrection and exaltation (Acts 2:36). As such, he has the right to bestow salvation on whomever he chooses” – Mark Allan Powell

Word & World 12/1 (1992) Copyright © 1992 by Word & World, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN. All rights reserved. Salvation in Luke-Acts, Mark Allan Powell, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio

Acts answers this…we will get to Acts in two weeks!

But to wet your appetite…Acts shows us that Jesus is really not absent at all!

The book has sacrificial connotations and oxen were used in temple sacrifices.

The book of Luke opens with Zechariah offering a sacrifice in the temple.

The book of Luke also includes the parable of the prodigal son, in which a fattened calf is offered.

To the early church, the ox represented the priestly character of our Lord and His sacrifice on our behalf

I. Preface: Statement of purpose: 1:1-4 That you may know the truth…1.4

II. Birth and Infancy Narrative: 1:5-2:52 Today a Savior born for you…2.11

III. Preparation for Ministry: 3:1-4:13 All flesh shall see God's Salvation…3.6

John / Baptism/ Genealogy/ Temptation

IV. Ministry in Galilee: 4:14-9:50 Anointed to bring good news…4.18

V. Journey to Jerusalem - "Lukan Travel His face set for Jerusalem…9.51

Narrative": 9:51-19:48

VI. Ministry in Jerusalem before The kingdom of God is near…21.31

Passion: 20-21

VII. Passion and Death. 22-23 Truly, this man was righteous…23:47

VIII..Resurrection Narrative: 24 Forgiveness for all nations…24.47

SO, WHERE HAVE WE BEEN?

Luke is unique because he uses parables

Talks about Jesus’ love for the outcasts

Talks about food a lot

Introduces the Holy Spirit

Is all about showing how Jesus is about Seeking and Saving the Lost, Gentile and Jew alike

BASICALLY…

“Luke-Acts highlights God’s plan. It explains how Jew and

Gentile could end up as equals in a community planted by

God, even though that community’s roots were originally grounded in a

promise to Israel.”

–Darrell L. Block, BECNT, 1.

Reading Plan 1 5 chapters a day x 4 days

4 chapters x 1 day

Reading Plan 2 Read the unique parables in Luke

(found on Slide 19 or in your)

See how Jesus seeks and saves Pray that you would see how to live into the present reality of your salvation Pray that your heart would be softened to love whoever God puts in your path, sharing the good news of Jesus with them.