Sermon Bible Study for May 20, 2012

As the final verses of Luke's gospel, this unit of scripture reiterates many of the themes present in the gospel itself as well as points forward to Luke's subsequent work, the book of Acts. The pericope exists in the middle of a narrative of Jesus' appearance to the disciples who, while discussing the astonishing events that have occurred following Jesus' death, see Jesus himself in their midst proclaiming peace to them (v. 36). Yet, Jesus not only proclaims peace, allows them to see his hands and feet, and eats with them, but also reminds them of his former words (v. 44). He reminds the disciples that the events that have taken place have occurred according to everything written in the law of Moses, and the prophets and the psalms. The author of Luke uses similar language to describe Jesus' interaction with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus: "Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures" (24:27 NRSV). Jesus' instruction to the two disciples on the way to Emmaus is repeated to the larger group of disciples, suggesting the importance of understanding the continuity between Israel's Scripture and the new event God has enacted in Jesus' death and resurrection.

Moreover, the theme of prophecy and fulfillment highlighted in these verses appears in several places in the very beginning of the gospel. For example, in Mary's song of praise, she recalls the promises God made to the ancestors, to Abraham and to all of his descendants (1:55) and announces God's faithfulness to this promise. Moreover, Zechariah in his prophecy in 1:70-73 proclaims that God has shown the mercy he promised long ago and has remembered his covenant. The Savior he promised through the holy prophets has been raised up. One of the pivotal moments of the prophecy and fulfillment theme in the gospel occurs in 4:18-21 when Jesus takes the scroll of Isaiah, reads it aloud in the synagogue and announces, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing" (4:21 NRSV). Thus, Jesus' declaration to the disciples in 24:44 continues the motif of God at work fulfilling OT prophecies and expectations. Consequently, Jesus' words in verse 44 not only cause the disciples to remember what he has revealed while he was with them but also what the prophets have testified concerning him long ago.

Furthermore, Luke has documented several places in the gospel in which the disciples did not understand Jesus' words. In 9:44 Jesus announces to the disciples that he will be betrayed, yet they fail to understand the meaning of his prediction and are afraid to ask for an explanation (9:45). Interestingly, Luke writes that the meaning "was hidden" from them. The verb parakluptw is a perfect passive participle and its passive voice may indicate a divine passive in which God conceals the meaning of Jesus' words from the disciples. Also, in 18:31-33, Jesus again predicts his death and resurrection and once again the disciples do not understand (18:34). Once more, Luke uses the passive voice -- another perfect passive participle -- to describe the disciples' inability to grasp Jesus' sayings. Although he uses a different verb, kruptw, the connotation is the same: what Jesus meant was hidden from them suggesting another divine passive. Additionally significant is the occurrence of the verb sunihmi "understand" in 18:34 because the same verb reappears in 24:45: "Then he opened their mind to understand "sunihmi" the scriptures" (my translation). While the disciples do not understand in chapter 18, Jesus now opens their mind so that they can now understand. Most notably, this act of opening their mind occurs only after Jesus' death and resurrection, suggesting that only after the Christ event can their minds be opened. The reality of Jesus' death and resurrection is the event and the lens through which Israel's Scriptures can be understood. The Christ event continues God's faithfulness to Israel and at the same time enacts a new understanding of what that faithfulness entails. Moreover, if the passives in the previous passages are in fact divine passives, then God's act of concealment gives way to revelation after Jesus' death and resurrection, indicating that only after the Christ event can the disciples fully grasp God's word. The disciples' understanding in verse 45 is foreshadowed in the previous Emmaus episode. Although the passive voice is not used in 24:16, a similar concept occurs in which the two disciples are prevented from recognizing Jesus. Only when Jesus breaks, blesses and shares the bread are the eyes of the two disciples opened. Here again, concealment gives way to revelation at the divinely appointed time.

What is more, while the NRSV translates the word nouV as minds (v. 45), in the Greek it is actually singular: "He opened their mind to understand the scriptures" (my translation). This occurrence of the singular noun here along with the plural pronoun corresponds and anticipates Luke's theme of unity in the book of Acts in which the disciples are constantly depicted as being with one mind and unified (2:1, 46; 4:32). The beginning of this unity takes place here as Jesus expounds the word of God to them.

The phrase paqein ton criston occurs in verse 46 but also appears in 24:26, underscoring Jesus as the suffering Messiah. In both passages, the phrase occurs along with a form of dei "it is necessary" highlighting the necessity of Jesus' suffering and death. This suffering, predicted by Simeon in 2:34-35 and foretold by Jesus himself to his disciples, demonstrates the fulfillment of God's prophecies and the way by which God's reign will be realized in the cosmos -- a suffering Messiah brings salvation to the world (24:47), a dead Messiah grants new life (23:43; 24:26), and a resurrected Messiah bestows power (24:49).

That Jesus' suffering brings salvation to the entire world and that this is to be proclaimed to all nations coheres with the rest of the gospel in which Jesus is declared "a light for revelation to the Gentiles" (2:32 NRSV), a centurion has more faith than Israel (7:9), and a Samaritan stands out as the hero in a parable related in 10:30-35. Moreover, this language overturns the disciples' understanding that Jesus' advent was only about redeeming Israel (24:21) as well as presages Acts' emphasis on all nations receiving the gospel (e.g. Acts 1:8; 13:46-48). Important to note, however, is that the gospel proclamation begins in Jerusalem (v. 47), indicating that while the gospel goes out to all nations, it remains tied to Jerusalem, God's holy city and holy people; the nations do not replace Israel.

The promise that Jesus sends upon the disciples is the Holy Spirit, another prominent theme in the gospel. The Spirit's presence and activity is emphasized in several places in the Lukan narrative, such as in 1:67, where Zechariah is filled with the Spirit and prophesies, and in 2:25-27, in which the Holy Spirit rests upon Simeon and reveals to him the Lord's Messiah (cf. 3:16, 22; 4:1,18). Thus, not only does Luke begin his gospel with the Holy Spirit overshadowing Mary (1:35), but also ends his gospel with a continued emphasis on the Spirit's work, portending the fulfillment of the promised expectation and the Spirit's significant role in Acts (Acts 1:4-5, 8; 2:4, 17-18; 2:38). Interestingly, Luke juxtaposes Jesus' proclamation of scriptural fulfillment to the disciples in verse 44 and the yet unfulfilled promise of the Spirit in verse 49. This juxtaposition indicates that while many of the promises have been realized, some still remain to be fulfilled. Yet, because God has already begun to fulfill promises as evident by Jesus' death and resurrection, the disciples are assured that God will complete what he has begun. Thus, the command to remain in the city to wait for the promise (v. 49) is not an empty directive; God's faithfulness can be trusted.

The writer of this gospel begins and ends with the temple and with the theme of rejoicing. As the story commences, the readers encounter Zechariah offering incense in the temple, and they hear along with him the amazing pronouncement of his son John's birth (1:8-23). In addition, in the opening chapter, Mary's song of praise echoes aloud with joy in the God who "has done great things" (1:49). Similarly, Luke relates in 24:52-53 that the disciples "returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God" (NRSV). Luke, therefore, shows continuity with Israel's Scriptures in that while God has inaugurated a new age through Christ, the disciples continue to go to the temple and they return to Jerusalem. Moreover, Luke provides his readers with the assurance that the God who met Zechariah in the temple and caused Mary's rapturous melody is the same God who raised Jesus from the dead and now calls all nations to repent (v. 47). This God of Israel, who conceals, reveals, promises and fulfills, has now become the God of all nations. This new reality evokes "great joy" for indeed God "has done great things!"