CONCORDIA THEOLOGICAL QUARTERLY Volume 56: Number 4 - - -- OCTOBER 1992 Private Confession and Absolution in the Lutheran Church: A Doctrinal, Historical, and Critical Study ......................................................................... P. H. D. Lang 24 1 The Peace of the Risen Lord: Celebrating Easter in China Henry Rowold ........................................................................... 263 Luke the Preacher: Preparing Sermons for the Gospels of Series C Arthur A. Just, Jr. ..................................................................... 275 Theological Observer .................................................................. 291 ........................................................................... Books Received 296 ............................................................................ Book Reviews 297 Luke the Preacher: Preparing Sermons for the Gospels of Series C Arthur A. Just, Jr. The advent of the, three-year lectionary series has given each evangelist a significaht place in the church's liturgical life. Luke the evangelist is a preacher and theologian who records the words of Jesus and organizes them to proclaim the gospel. As the third of the synoptics, Luke gives the church a different perspective on the life of Jesus than do Matthew or Mark. He is the most thematic of the evangelists, utilizing the best literary techniques of his day to proclaim the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. He structures his gospel around specific themes that "will be developed, dropped, then presented again,"' and brought to completion at the end of the gospel. The historical-grammatical method of exegesis encourages this thematic view of Luke, building on a syntactical and linguistical analysis by observing how the structure of the language is patterned to aid the reader in seeing the author's intentions. Tracing Lukan motifs through the gospel assists us in word studies by letting Scripture interpret Scripture through the use of parallel passages. A thematic approach to the gospel is historical, discovering the original context of meaning and addressing the specific historical and cultural context of Luke's gospel. The first concern of the interpret- er is to consider carefully the first century reader's understanding of Lukan themes, that is, how the original audience would have understood Luke's words. Early Christian readers traced the themes of Luke's gospel to discern the purpose of God as it is reflected in Luke's narrative. By perceiving Luke's gospel as literature, today's preacher may use structural and thematic analysis of the gospel to assist hi in the formation of a sermon theme or structure. Thus, the preacher is able to see the value of the gospel for preaching and catechesi~.~ The goal in any interpretation of the New Testament for preaching is first to assess the theological significance of the text for the original audience, and then from there to see the appropriate applica- tion for today's world. But the application must correspond to the theological significance so that one may both preserve the original intention of the words and apply that original intention to congrega- tions today.3 As Luke preaches to his congregation by relating to them the preaching of Jesus, so we today as preachers of the gospel 276 CONCORDIA THEOLOGICAL QUARTERLY proclaim to people the words of Jesus by means of the preaching of Luke. Thus, the more we know about the evangelist and his literary, structural, and thematic intentions, the more we shall be able to discover accurately the theological significance of his text for the original audience and apply that significance to congregations today. In preparation for preaching on the gospels of Series C, this overview of Luke will focus on the theological significance of Lukan structure and themes. The Prologue (Luke 1:l-4) Luke is the only gospel with a literary prologue that begins as the Hellenistic world begins good literature. In one brilliant periodic sentence, using some of the best Greek prose in the New Testament, Luke tells the reader what the gospel is about, what his research methods are, and what the goal of his work is. This gospel is an apostolic work, received from eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, proclaiming the fulfilment of God's plan of salvation in the events of Jesus' life. Luke writes this work to Theophilus as catechesis (K~TT~x~@T~s), confirming for him what he has already been taught, so that he might have assurance concerning this word about Jesus. (The prologue is part of the gospel for St. Luke's Day, October 18.) The Infancy Narratives (Luke 15-252) Immediately following the prologue, Luke shifts from brilliant Hellenistic Greek to archaic Septuagintal Greek. Something is communicated by this drastic shift in literary style that Luke wants the reader to note. This is no ordinary narrative about any ordinary man. It sounds like the Old Testament Scriptures because it is a continuation and fulfilment of those Scriptures in the person of Jesus Christ. The story of Jesus is ancient history with a long pedigree, tapping into Israel's history and completing it. As Luke's genealogy will relate, the seed of Jesus goes back to the first man, Adam. The Hellenistic world would have been impressed by this point. One of the reasons that people tolerated the Jews was their ancient roots. Luke appeals to this history apologetically so that the reader may give this life of Christ a serious reading. Even the language will Luke the Preacher 277 suggest this appeal. Luke begins and ends his gospel in Jerusalem in the temple to indicate that Jesus' Jewish roots are important. The infancy narratives show in the fashion of step-parallelism4 that John and Jesus are the two great figures of biblical history, and their relation- ship shows how the old gives way to the new. This theme will be carried out throughout the gospel (Luke 3, 5, and 7 in particular). The identity of Jesus is firmly established in the first two chapters. He is called Jesus (1 :3 1) and given the strongest characteristics: "He will be called great (peps) and Son of the Most High (olb~ tqlozou), and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of His kingdom there will be no end" (1:32-33). The angel goes on to tell Mary that the child conceived in her womb will be called holy, the Son of God (uibg Beol)). At Jesus' birth the angels announce to the shepherds that Jesus is the Savior (omp) who is Christ the Lord (~ptozbs ~Optoc,). Simeon says that he will not die until he sees the Lord's Anointed One (zbv ~ptozbv mptou). The entire infancy narrative is filled with themes of the gospel that proclaim that now, in John and Jesus, God's final end- time salvation is breaking in. The infancy narratives are also filled with superb representatives of the Old Testament remnant. Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph, Simeon and Anna are all witnesses to the faith of those who wait in expectation for the coming of God's Anointed One to be the suffering righteous fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecies. The canticles in Luke's first two chapters, which announce themes that will be carried through the rest of the gospel, build upon the canticles of the Old Testament. Since the Magnificat, Benedictus, Gloria in Excelsis, and Nunc Dimittis now serve as liturigical songs, the church transcends time when it uses in its divine liturgy and prayer offices Old Testament hymns found in a New Testament context. The church is a church of both the Old and New Testa- ments. During the Advent and Christmas cycle, Luke's infancy narrative dominates all three series, for Luke is the Christmas gospel. 278 CONCORDIA THEOLOGICAL QUARTERLY The Preparation of Jesus (Luke 3:l-4:13) Luke has a brief but significant transition from the infancy narratives to the ministry of Jesus. From 3: 1 to 4: 13, John and Jesus take center stage once again, but this time they are featured as actively engaged in their biblical roles. John prepares the way for the Christ by "preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins" (3:3, qp6ooov Pannopa p~zavota~ &IS U$wtv &papnQv). The step-parallelism between John and Jesus is highlighted in Jesus' baptism, where only Jesus is mentioned (3:21-22). Jesus now stands alone as Savior, for John, who is "great before the Lord" (1: 15), has prepared for this moment and now gives way to the "Great" One (1:32) who stands in the Jordan anointed by the Spirit and declared as the beloved Son by the Father. It is here that Luke places the genealogy of Jesus so that the reader sees that the ancestral heritage of Jesus has significance for both Jewish (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David) and world (Adam and Noah) history. The movement from the genealogy to the temptation is clear to the reader: the Son of Adam, son of God (3:38), is now tempted to doubt His sonship ("if you are the Son of God," 4:3,9). But Jesus' defeat of Satan sets the tone of His entire ministry, a foreshadowing of the "opportune time" (4:13) when Jesus will meet Satan once and for all in Jerusalem and achieve His ultimate victory. In the lectionary Luke 3 occurs in Advent I1 and I11 and in Epiphany I, the Baptism of our Lord; and Luke 4:l-13 is the Gospel for Lent I, the Temptation of our Lord. The Galilean Ministry (Luke 4:14-950) The Galilean ministry of Jesus begins with a simple introduction in 4:14-15. The same Spirit who anointed Jesus in His baptism filled Him up and led Him into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan; now Jesus returns in the power of that Spirit to Galilee to begin His ministry of teaching and miracle-working. His first sermon in the synagogue of Nazareth in Luke 4: 16-30 is foundation- al for the rest of Jesus' teaching (Epiphany I11 and IV). Based on the Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah 61, where the messianic ministry is described as proclamation, it outlines what He would preach throughout His ministry. Three of the four infinitives in Luke the Preacher 279 Luke 4:18-19 deal with preaching: proclamation of good news to the poor (eOayy&toaoeat mqot~), proclamation of release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind (qpG5at at~pakchot$ Ck@eotv ~al zu@koE~ OIV&PhEynv), and proclamation of the acceptable year of the Lord (qpdcat &tauzOv mplov ~EKZOV). The fourth infinitive speaks of setting free those who are oppressed oozetha that ze8pauo- pvouq tv &@on). "Today," Jesus says, "this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." Isaiah 61 and Luke emphasize the notion of release, or what we often translate as forgiveness (&@tqpt). The essence of Jesus' proclamation was release-release from the bondage of sin, sickness, and Satan. The good news is that this release is present in Him who was to be crucified to accomplish that release and raised from the dead to proclaim that in Him all of creation would be freed from the bondage of its fallenness. Jesus,' ministry is a continuous expression of this release to those who are captive. After the episode in Nazareth, Jesus continues teaching and healing, making no distinction between physical sickness and demonic possession. In 4:35 He rebukes the man possessed with demons, and in 4:39 He rebukes the fever of Peter's mother-in-law. Jesus will rebuke both fevers and devils and say, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God (&ayy&t- oao8at pe 6d mv Paotktav zoo 0~00) to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose" (4:43). The kingdom comes with the proclamation that in Him all things are to be released from bondage and that a new era of salvation is now present. "Which is easier," Jesus asks the Pharisees, "to say, 'your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'rise and walk'?" (5:23). Jesus tells them that the Son of Man has authority both to forgive sins and heal paraly- tics; both demonstrate that the Creator has come to His creation to release it from its fallenness. In His sermon in Nazareth Jesus announces through His use of Isaiah that He is now present to complete the prophetic pattem of teaching and miracle-working. His Galilean ministry is a demonstra- tion of this pattem. But there is another element to the pattern that is also marked here in Nazareth and will continue until He arrives 280 CONCORDIA THEOLOGICAL QUARTERLY in Jerusalem. Part of the prophetic pattern is rejection, seen here in Nazareth's rejection of Jesus, the only time before the cross when Jesus is physically assaulted with the intention of death. In Moses, of course, one already finds the pattern of those prophetic character- istics that mark the Messiah as well: He was a great teacher and miracle-worker who was rejected by the Israelites for His prophetic proclamations. But Jesus chooses Elijah and Elisha to illustrate this pattern in His sermon in Nazareth, two prophets known for their teaching and miracles; but as His illustration points out, two prophets who were rejected by Israel and sent to Gentiles-Elijah to the widow of Zarephath, Elisha to the leprous Syrian Naaman. This same pattern may be seen in Abraham, David, John the Baptist, and the apostles in Acts. Jesus fits the pattern of the prophets in His life and death and completes it (cf. Deuteronomy 18: 15- 18). Jesus, therefore, is the teacher who completes the teaching of the prophets; He is the miracle-worker who demonstrates the presence in the world of the new era of salvation; He is the rejected One who fulfills His own prophecy that "a prophet should not perish away from Jerusalem" (13:33) and makes atonement in Jerusalem for all the people. During the Galilean ministry, Jesus demonstrates that the kingdom of God is present in Him by His teaching and miracles, but there is yet no explicit mention of His death and resurrection. The evange- list alludes to the death of Jesus by his numerous references to His rejection by Israel, particularly by the religious establishment (such as the Pharisees in 5:17-26 and 7:29-30). Jesus' controversy with the Pharisees foreshadows the complete rejection of Israel at the time of His crucifixion. As the gospel moves towards its climax, this rejection becomes more obvious as the Pharisees, Sadducees, and elders (the Sanhedrin) plot His death, a plot which the people join in Jerusalem. But it is not until Luke 9 that Jesus explicitly ties the freedom He proclaimed in His teaching and demonstrated in His miracles to His suffering, death, and resurrection; the shock of the means of accomplishing this release was too much even for His most intrepid disciples. Luke 9 is the watershed chapter because of the juxtaposi- tion of pericopes that lead to a climax. The theme of proclamation Luke the Preacher 281 and healing is carried over from Jesus' Galilean ministry into the commission of the twelve to accomplish the same things which Jesus did. With the gospd now spreading everywhere (9:6), the identity of Jesus is becoming 'an issue, even for Herod the tetrarch. Jesus is considered by Herod and the people to be a prophetic figure. Thus, He is placed in the same category as John the Baptist, Elijah, and the prophets of old (9:7-8). Is Jesus a great prophet or is He something more? This question is answered in the very next pericope. The feeding of the five thousand is the great messianic miracle that helps identify Jesus as the Christ. Here the differences prophesied in Deuteronomy 18:15 come to light. In Jesus God has raised up a prophet like Moses but greater than Moses. In the days of Moses the people were fed with manna, sufficient for the day, with all leftovers turning to rot. But Jesus the Creator comes to His creation, feeds His people, and there is abundance, leftovers, twelve baskets full. The people are satisfied (&opz&o&.loav). (The same word occurs in the beatitude, "Blessed are you that hunger now, for you shall be satisfied [6:2l, ~opzao~o~oe~]). It is this great miracle that elicits Peter's confession in 9:18-21. But the confession that Jesus is "the Christ of God" comes only when the prophetic categories are reiterated at the prompting of Jesus. Here comparing Luke to Mark is worthwhile; after the feeding of the five thousand, there is the so-called "great omission" of Mark 6:45-8:26. Luke 9 connects the feeding of the five thousand, the confession of Peter, and the passion prediction in one seamless narrative (cf. the grammatical link between 9:21 and 22 in Nestle's twenty-fifth edition). With the passion prediction (9:22) the rejection of Jesus as Messiah is now given historical dimensions; the religious establishment will reject Him through suffering and death, and on the third day He will be raised. This announcement of the Messiah's suffering carries over to the disciples; just as they follow in His pattern of preaching and healing, so they too will follow the pattern of His suffering by taking up His cross daily. They will suffer rejection for proclaiming Jesus as the Christ who must suffer and rise (9: 18-24, Pentecost V). Luke makes clear that there is an order to the kingdom, suffering before glory, demonstrat- 282 CONCORDIA THEOLOGICAL QUARTERLY ed by the juxtaposition of the passion prediction (Jesus' suffering), the call to discipleship (disciples' suffering), and the transfiguration (Jesus' glory). Even within the manifestation of glory at the transfiguration the passion inserts itself as the way to that glory, for Moses and Elijah, representing the law and the prophets, converse in glory about Jesus' "departure, which He was to accomplish at Jerusalem" (9:31, TQv EE,o6ov aGzoO, qv Qp~lhv xhq- poav tv 'I~pouoahqy, the "exodus" referring to His death, resurrection, and ascension, with a reminiscence of the greatest event in Israel's history). The words of Deuteronomy echo in the command of the Father: "Listen to Him!" (9:35) The Galilean ministry occupies the attention of five Sundays in Epiphany (V, Luke 5:l-11; VI, Luke 6:17-26; VII, Luke 6:27-38; VIII, Luke 6:39-49; and Transfiguration, Luke 9:28-36) and four Sundays in Pentecost (11, Luke 7: 1-10; 111, Luke 7:ll-17; IV, Luke 7:36-50; V, Luke 9: 18-24). Thematically, this section includes the calling of the disciples (Luke 5), the sermon on the plain (Luke 6), the discourse on John and Jesus (Luke 7), and the transfiguration (Luke 9). The Journey to Jerusalem (Luke 951-19:27) Most scholars distinguish between the Galilean ministry of Jesus (4:14-9:50), the journey to Jerusalem (9:51-19:27), the ministry in Jerusalem (19:28-2 1 :38), the passion narrative (22: 1-23:56a), and the resurrection narrative (23:56b-24:53).' The big turning point is in 951 where Jesus turns His face to go to Jerusalem (Pentecost VI, using Luke 9:51-62, being a turning point in the lectionary as well). Jesus' journey to Jerusalem extends until His entrance into the temple in 19:45. When Luke uses the expression tv T~Q oupxhq- poOoea~ zhq QpCpac,, he describes the inexorable destiny of Jesus in Jerusalem. Between 9:51 and 19:45 Jesus' journey is marked by notices in 13:22 and 17:11, two structural breaks within the narrative. Jesus' being "received up" (Qq Clvahqpymq aOzo0) refers to the passion, resurrection, and ascension in Jerusa- lem, an expression similar to one used at the transfiguration in 9:31 to describe Jesus' departure (TQv 5060~ aGzoO). Luke graphically describes Jesus turning His face to Jerusalem (afxb~ Luke the Preacher 283 zb 1tp6oo1tov kom'qto~v), the place of destiny, and journey- ing (zoo It~p&f)&oeat) towards His goal of death and resurrec- tion. From this point Jesus moves towards Jerusalem. But in the opinion of many scholars His movement is haphazard and without purpose. They do not perceive the inner thematic unity of Jesus as He teaches and prepares His disciples for the events in Jerusalem. Throughout this journey Jesus develops the themes of His Galilean ministry, showing how the rejection of His Messiahship and its content intensifies. The lines are being drawn in Israel between those who accept by faith the presence of God's kingdom in Jesus and those who reject it. Those who accept His messianic ministry and violent destiny are the outcasts in society who see in Jesus God's humble solution and have humbled themselves before God. The so-called "roles of reversal" dominate this journey-the first will be last and the last first (13:30); the exalted will be humbled and the humble exalted (14:ll; 18:14). Tax collectors represent this group of sinners, and Luke frames Jesus' ministry with two significant pericopes on tax collectors, namely, Levi (5:27-39) and Zacchaeus (19: 1-10), the "chief tax collector" (dlp~t~~ld~vq~, a hapax in the New Testament and all of Greek literature). The prophetic words of Luke 7:29-30 are illustrated repeatedly in the teaching of Jesus: "When they heard this all the people and the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John, but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for them- selves, not having been baptized by him." The hostility of the religious establishment heats up as Jesus' own teaching becomes more and more directed against it. During the Galilean ministry the negative response was rather mild: in 5:17-26 the Pharisees and teachers act in a confused way about His claim to forgive sins and accuse Him of blasphemies; in 6: 11 they are filled with fury and plot against Him after a miracle on the Sabbath; and in 7:36-50 the same confusion exists about His forgiving sins. It is not until Luke 9:22 that this rejection is given substance in Jesus' prediction of the passion; the members of the Sanhedrin are declared to be the ones who will put Jesus to death. From this point on the conflict between Jesus and the religious establishment intensifies. 284 CONCORDIA THEOLOGICAL QUARTERLY But Luke makes clear that there is a division in locale within the Sanhedrin itself-the Pharisees (including the lawyers and the scribes, who were "leaders" among the Pharisees) representing Jesus' opposition outside Jerusalem, the Sadducees His opposition in Jerusalem. As He journeys to Jerusalem, Jesus comes up against the opposition in chapter after chapter (e.g., 10:25 and 11:37). Some significant texts summarize this opposition in a vivid way. Jesus' most poignant words occur in Luke 13-15. His eschatological discourse in 13:22-35 shows Israel that those to be included in the future feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are Gentiles and that there is no guarantee that the Jews and their leaders will be present. In l4:ll-24 Jesus gives a lesson in humility to the Pharisees while dining in a Pharisee's house, concluding with a parable that shows the rejection of God's messianic banquet by Israel and the entrance to the feast by Gentiles. Luke summarizes all these things in 15: 1-2: "Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear Him. And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, 'This man receives sinners and eats with them."' The parable of the prodigal son demonstrates that repentance and joy mark the essence of the kingdom and those who are members of that kingdom. The older son represents the Pharisees and their cohorts, the prodigal all sinners who repent and believe in Jesus. Other stories that are uniquely Lukan illustrate a similar theme, such as the rich man and Lazarus in 16:19-31 and the Pharisee and tax collector in 18:9-14. Jesus' presence at Zacchaeus' home in 19:l-10 summarizes all of Jesus' teaching about sinners and the self-righteous with the telling proclamation of Jesus that "the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost" (19:lO). The Ministry in Jerusalem (Luke 1928-21:38) The ministry in Jerusalem is the climax of Jesus' teaching, coming to an end in Luke 19:44, where Jesus, having drawn near to Jerusalem, weeps over the city "because you did not know the time of your visitation." The last word from the Pharisees in Luke's gospel is heard in 19:39: "Teacher, rebuke your disciples." This is in response to "the whole multitude of disciples" who praise God in 19:38 for the "mighty works" (6uv&pewv) they had seen in Jesus Luke the Preacher 285 by saying: "Blessed is the King who comes (EQhompCvo~ 6 @~6pevo<, 6 paothrO<) in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" This final opposition by the Pharisees to Jesus results from the people assigning to Jesus the messianic title 6 tp~6p~vo~ and designating Him as 6 pact- ?LEO<. The Pharisees reject the fulfilment in Jesus of the messianic promises of the Old Testament, the very type of rejection Jesus experienced at the beginning of His Galilean ministry in His hometown of Nazareth in Luke 4:16-30. When Jesus finally enters Jerusalem in 19:45, He immediately goes to the temple to take possession of it as the place of His final teachings (Luke 20-21). These teachings will be the basis for His rejection by the Sanhedrin. Only Luke among the synoptics makes this point explicit by stating twice in three verses that Jesus was teaching in the temple. In 19:47-48 the daily teaching of Jesus in the temple at fiv 6t6&o~ov zb ~a8' Qpkpav tv zQ kp@) prompted the chief priests, scribes, and principal men (Sanhedrin) to plot "to destroy Him" (tcfpouv aQzbv bo- Uoat), but they were handcuffed because "all the people hung upon His words" (6 ha6~ y%p &na< @~ppazo aQzoO &~oOov). In 20:l (the very next verse) Luke describes Jesus as "teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel" at k$vao tv zQv QpepQv 6tS&o~ovzo< a6zoa zbv habv tv zQ i&pQ Kat ~QayyAt