Who wrote the book of Ephesians? For a brief time at the end of his second missionary journey, and then for more than two years on his third missionary journey, Paul ministered to the church at Ephesus (Acts 18:18–21; 19:1–41). During his time in this city that housed the famous temple to the Greek goddess Artemis, Paul saw many converted to faith in Jesus Christ and many others who opposed his preaching in the synagogues and homes. One prominent silversmith, Demetrius, who made implements for the worship of Artemis, found his business suffering greatly because people were converting to Christianity. The ensuing near-riot led Paul to leave the city, but only after the apostle had done much to stabilize and grow the Christian community there. Where are we? Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians sometime in AD 60–61, around the same time he wrote Colossians and Philemon, as he sent all three letters by the hand of Tychicus, accompanied by Onesimus (Ephesians 6:21; Colossians 4:7–9; Philemon 1:10–12). It was during this time that Paul sat in Rome undergoing his first Roman imprisonment (Ephesians 3:1; 4:1), making Ephesians one of the four epistles commonly known as the Prison Epistles. The others are Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. Why is Ephesians so important? Second Corinthians and Galatians abound with personal touches from Paul, either about his own life or that of the recipients. Ephesians, on the other hand, stands at the opposite end of the spectrum as one of Paul’s most formal letters. While Galatians offers instructions particularly important for those churches overrun with legalism, Ephesians deals with topics at the very core of what it means to be a Christian—both in faith and in practice—regardless of any particular problem in the community. What's the big idea? Paul divided his letter to the Ephesians into two clear segments; applying the truths of the first makes possible the actions and lifestyle of the second. Paul spent the first three chapters of the letter discussing God’s creation of a holy community by His gift of grace in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The members of this community have been chosen by God through the work of Christ, adopted as sons and daughters of God, and brought near to the Father through faith in His Son. All people with this faith—Jews and Gentiles alike—were dead in their transgressions and sins but have been made alive because of the person and work of Jesus Christ.
While Paul was not responding to a particular theological or moral problem, he wanted to protect against future problems by encouraging the Ephesians to mature in their faith. So after laying out profound theological truths in the first half of the book, Paul made his purpose clear: he expected that this community of faith would walk in accordance with its heavenly calling (Ephesians 4:1). As a result of the theological realities Christians accept by their faith in God, several practices should follow in their relationships within the church, in the home, and in the world.
Unfortunately, the false teaching brought to the Galatian churches by the Judaizers has been extremely difficult to root out even today. We must walk a fine line—on one hand, we do not want to fall into the legalism that the Galatians struggled with, but on the other, we cannot just live as if anything goes. The Christian’s commitment to Christ is based on the free gift of grace through faith, but as Paul articulated at the end of Galatians, it also results in a life of walking by the Spirit.
Is the fruit of the Spirit evident in your life, or do you find yourself living according to the flesh or “the compulsions of selfishness” (Galatians 5:16–26 MESSAGE)? Too often we lose ourselves at the extremes, ending in a legalistic attempt to earn our salvation or a devil-may-care attitude about our sin.
Use Paul’s words in Galatians as an encouragement to pursue a life of holiness, not in your own strength but in the knowledge of God’s empowering grace in your life.
Who wrote the book of Galatians? Galatians has always been among those Pauline epistles least challenged on the issue of authorship. Paul wrote to the churches in southern Galatia after having a hand in starting them on his first missionary journey to Asia Minor. Paul’s close relationship to these churches helps to explain the extremely strong tone he took with them from the very beginning of the letter. Galatians exhibits Paul at his angriest, as he risked the good favor of the converts in those churches to make sure they were on the path of truth and not led off into deception. In fact, to emphasize the seriousness of his purpose, he took the pen from his scribe and wrote the end of the letter himself in large letters (Galatians 6:11).
Where are we? Upon arriving back in Antioch from his first missionary journey after eighteen months on the road, Paul received a report that the churches he had started in Galatia had fallen into hard times—specifically, they had fallen into error. A group of Judaizers—those who sought to make living under the Mosaic Law a requirement of the Christian faith—had gained an influence in the Galatians churches. Paul wrote the book a few months before his attendance at the Jerusalem Council in AD 49, a meeting where the apostles would take up this very topic (Acts 15:1–30).
Why is Galatians so important? In advance of the Jerusalem Council, Paul’s letter speaks wisdom and clarity into the first real controversy that plagued the church in its early years—the relationship between Christian Jews and Christian Gentiles. Paul’s aggressive tone shows just how important it was to him that the people embrace unity in Christ, no matter their racial distinctions. For him, this was no minor issue, as he went so far as to call the Galatians deserters of Christ, people turning from the truth toward a gospel contrary to the one they had received from Paul (Galatians 1:6–9).
What's the big idea? When the Galatians fell away so quickly from the gospel of grace Paul had preached to them, they also made clear their disloyalty to Paul’s authority as an apostle. Therefore, Paul began the letter to the Galatians by spending two chapters defending that very issue. Only in chapter 3 did he begin to get to the heart of their error; namely, that these Galatians sought to be justified by the Mosaic Law. In contrast, Paul presented his argument that justification comes to people by faith in Jesus Christ, not by their works under the Law.
Part of the problem that confronted the Galatians came in one of the arguments made by the Judaizes. These false teachers suggested that to live by grace and in freedom meant to live a lawless and therefore degenerate life. And so in the final chapters of the letter, Paul made clear that justification—an act of grace through faith—need not result in a sinful lifestyle. Because Christians have been freed from bondage to the sinful nature, we now have the path of holiness open to us.
Corinth was a large, international metropolis, filled with people from different backgrounds. Idol worship to gods such as Aphrodite was particularly prominent in the city, though Corinth contained numerous temptations far beyond her temples. In this sense, Corinth was very much like a modern urban area, containing unending opportunities to engage in sinful behavior without any apparent consequences.
Such a community clearly had a negative influence on the Corinthian church. But notice that Paul’s instruction to the believers was not to retreat from their city. This was not Paul’s vision for the church then or now. Instead, he directed us to live out our commitment to Christ ever more faithfully in the midst of nonbelievers. Paul expected that we Christians would shine our light into the dark places of their world by worshiping in a unified community that was accountable to one another. He expected that we would settle our problems internally, that we would encourage one another in the pursuit of purity, and that we would strive together by holding tightly to the hope of our bodily resurrection to come.
What can you do within your local church to make this kind of community more of a reality?
How do I apply this? Corinth was a large, international metropolis, filled with people from different backgrounds. Idol worship to gods such as Aphrodite was particularly prominent in the city, though Corinth contained numerous temptations far beyond her temples. In this sense, Corinth was very much like a modern urban area, containing unending opportunities to engage in sinful behavior without any apparent consequences.
Such a community clearly had a negative influence on the Corinthian church. But notice that Paul’s instruction to the believers was not to retreat from their city. This was not Paul’s vision for the church then or now. Instead, he directed us to live out our commitment to Christ ever more faithfully in the midst of nonbelievers. Paul expected that we Christians would shine our light into the dark places of their world by worshiping in a unified community that was accountable to one another. He expected that we would settle our problems internally, that we would encourage one another in the pursuit of purity, and that we would strive together by holding tightly to the hope of our bodily resurrection to come.
What can you do within your local church to make this kind of community more of a reality?
BIBLE STUDY CHART 1 Corinthians Overview Chart 1 Corinthians Bible chart View Chuck Swindoll's chart of 1 Corinthians, which divides the book into major sections and highlights themes and key verses.
Who wrote the book of Corinthians? Paul’s authorship of this epistle is widely accepted in the scholarly community, though it was not the first letter Paul wrote to the Corinthian people (see 1 Corinthians 5:9). We know that the Corinthians misunderstood an earlier letter from Paul (5:10–11), though that letter has not survived. Therefore, it is Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians that we know as 1 Corinthians—the first letter to the Corinthians that God inspired.
Four years prior to writing the letter we know as 1 Corinthians, the apostle had spent eighteen months in Corinth, so he was intimately familiar with the church and many of its congregants. The recipients of the letter must have understood the letter’s significance, not only to their own circumstances but for the church worldwide. In AD 95, Clement, the bishop of Rome, wrote a letter of his own to the Corinthians in which he invoked the authority of Paul’s instruction in 1 Corinthians. Only a few decades after its origin, this letter to the Corinthians had traveled outside of Corinth and was considered authoritative beyond its initial Corinthian context.
Where are we? Paul had been in Ephesus for more than two years on his third missionary journey when he received a disturbing report of quarreling within the Corinthian church, a report he received from people associated with one of its members, Chloe (1 Corinthians 1:11). The church he had founded so recently (Acts 18:1–17) had already developed deep divisions, a situation that required immediate action. Paul penned his letter in AD 55, just as he was planning to leave Ephesus for Macedonia (1 Corinthians 16:5–8). Why is First Corinthians so important? First Corinthians contains a frank discussion of the church and the issues that impacted real people in the first century. The Corinthian church was corroded with sin on a variety of fronts, so Paul provided an important model for how the church should handle the problem of sin in its midst. Rather than turn a blind eye toward relational division and all kinds of immorality, he addressed the problems head on. In his bold call to purity within the Corinthian church, Paul made it clear that he was willing to risk the good opinion of some in order to help cleanse the sin that tainted the church. What's the big idea? First Corinthians addresses reports that Paul received from Chloe’s household, as well as a letter he received from the church itself (1 Corinthians 7:1). In this letter to the church at Corinth, Paul covered a number of different issues related to both life and doctrine: divisions and quarrels, s*xual immorality, lawsuits among believers, marriage and singleness, freedom in Christ, order in worship, the significance of the Lord’s Supper, and the right use of spiritual gifts; he also included a profound teaching on the resurrection.
The line of thought that joins these topics together was Paul’s emphasis on Christian conduct in the local church. The apostle expected that Christian people would live according to Christian ideals, or as he told them, “You have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body” (6:20). How do I apply this?
Who Wrote the Book of 1 Corinthians? This letter to the church at Corinth begins, ‘Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, To the church of God in Corinth’ (1 Cor. 1:1-2). It is agreed among scholars that Paul was indeed the writer of this letter. Sosthenes, who is also mentioned, was the leader of the synagogue in Corinth, who clearly accepted Paul’s message and converted to Christianity. Sosthenes is also mentioned in Acts 18:12-17, where he is again associated with Paul and his ministry in Corinth.
Paul wrote the letter somewhere around A.D. 53-55, and ‘confirmations of Paul’s authorship can be found as early as A.D. 95 when Clement of Rome wrote to the Corinthian church and cited this epistle in regard to their continuing problem of factions among themselves’.
Context and Background of 1 Corinthians Acts 18 gives an account of Paul’s time in Corinth and the intense persecution he faced there. Yet it was here that a church was established, and it is clear that Paul continued to encourage and instruct them through his letters while he traveled. Having spent well over a year in Corinth, he was familiar with the congregation and the problems they faced.
Corinth was strategically located on an isthmus serving as a good stopping point between Rome and the East. Because of this geography, Corinth was a major center of commerce and trade. This vitally important city was intellectually proud, materially affluent, and morally corrupt. Such an environment encouraged people to freely indulge their desires, whatever they may be, without fear of consequence.
The letter can be structured into five distinct sections:
Answer to the Report of Divisions (Chapters 1-4) Paul encourages the believers to join in unity and not divide themselves into factions.
Answer to the Report of s*xual sin among Believers (Chapters 5-7) s*xual sin is within the Church is not acceptable and ruins relationships. Following Jesus can involve no compromise.
Freedom in Christ, and Sacrificing Liberty for Unity (Chapters 8-10) Paul addresses the issue of eating food sacrificed to idols, lists his rights as an Apostle, and encourages believers to keep one another from stumbling.
Order and Love in Worship Gatherings (Chapters 11-14) Paul addresses the use of gifts and keeping order in worship and concludes that the greatest gift is love, using the analogy of the church as a body.
Paul Confirms the Resurrection (Chapter 25) Some in the church denied the resurrection was real or important. Paul confirms that it not only is it historically real but the foundation of our faith.
Main Theme and Purpose of 1 Corinthians How should a Christian in the local church behave? Paul is writing to a young church in a hostile environment that is encountering many problems such as division, quarreling, s*xual immorality, lawsuits, spiritual gifts, the Lord’s Supper and worship order, theological issues such as the resurrection and freedom in Christ, as well as issues married and single members were facing. The unifying element of this letter is instructing the church in what it means to live as Christians in a non-Christian world, ultimately bringing them to the idea that love itself is the primary driver and conclusion of how to live out faith. As believers, our behavior should set us apart to look different from the world around us.
Paul had several purposes for writing this letter to the Corinthians. His first purpose was to deal with moral problems and the divisions that had formed, as people had divided themselves into followers of Paul, Apollos, Peter or Christ (1:10). His second reason was to deal with several questions that had been asked in a letter the Corinthians had sent to him (7:1). A third purpose that appears throughout the book is Paul’s defense of his apostolic authority.
We are the messengers of this Gospel in this present day - Just as Paul was separated in the 1st Century to carry the Gospel to the lost then, we are called to do the same in this day. The message is juts as precious and the need just as great. Our duty is to submit to the Lord's will for our lives and be His ambassadors in the world. How are we doing in getting the Gospel out?
Conc: As I bring this first message from Romans to a close, we haven't covered much territory from the standpoint of verses covered. However, I think you will agree with me that the things that have been said this evening are of immense eternal and practical value. Paul considered him self to be a slave to Jesus, an ambassador of God and a proclaimer of the good news of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. Did you know that God holds the same expectation for you and me? His will is that we go forth into this world with His message, as His representatives in His Name and power and that we tell His Good News to those who are perishing. When we lay ourselves alongside of the great Apostle, how do we measure up? Is there more we can do? Are we surrendered to the level we should be? Are we consumed with a burden for the lost and with the need to get out the Gospel? If the Lord has dealt with your heart through this message, I invite you to come to the altar and do what the Lord would have you to do!
2. The word translated "separated" is the same word from which we get our word "horizon." The sense of this word is literally "off-horizoned". It tells us that Paul's horizons had changed. Before, he was headed toward a religious hell, living a life of legalism and rebellion against Christ. Now, his life has been changed and he is headed towards a new horizon. His is a radically different life.
(Ill. So it is with every child of God who is in the world today. We have been changed forever! We are headed toward a new horizon. Before, our destiny was an eternity in Hell. Now, we have been saved and are headed to Heaven to be with the Lord forever. Before, our lives were filled with sin and rebellion. Now, we have been called out as ambassadors of the kingdom of Heaven. The very representatives of God in the world today.)
3. Paul then tells us that he has been separated to the "Gospel of God." His commission is that of carrying the "good news" of Jesus to a world trapped in sin and lostness. This Gospel is a special message. Notice this:
a. It is the Gospel of God - This message did not originate in the mind of man. It came from the heart of God. The plan that would culminate with Jesus dying on the cross and then rising from the dead was and is God's plan. It was devised long before man ever stood on the earth, Rev. 13:8. Had man developed the plan of salvation, it surely would have included works and religious rituals. People love that sort of thing. Man would have fixed it so that he got a little of the credit. God, on the other hand, fixed it so that lost sinners could come to Him freely, in faith and receive eternal salvation by the grace o God, Eph. 2:8-9.
b. It is a Gospel born in the heart of God - Why would God want to go to such great lengths to save the world and get His message to the world? The answer is that God is love, 1 John 4:8 and that He does not want to see a single sinner die without Him, 2 Pet. 3:9. His love is so great that He will stop at nothing to get the message out. He will even use people like you and me.
(Ill. Just consider for a moment those people that God calls into the ministry!)
(Ill. This kind of love is illustrated by an old story from France. It seems that there was a young Frenchman who was loved very deeply by his mother. However, when this young man reached adulthood, he fell in love with a very wicked young woman who was able to gain his total devotion. When the young man's mother tried to turn her son away from this wicked and ungodly relationship, the young woman became extremely angry. She told her lover that if he really loved her, he would prove it by going to his mother's home, killing her and returning with her heart to prove that he had done the deed. This young man resisted, but his girlfriend continued to pressure him, until one night in a drunken stupor he went to his mother's home, killed her and cut out her heart. As he returned to his girlfriend's home. As he entered the door, he stumbles and fell to the floor. When he did, the heart is said to have cried out, "Son, are you hurt?")
(Isn't that how things are between God and man? He created us, He loves us and yet man rises up in rebellion against God, ultimately participating in God's death at Calvary. Even with all this against us, God still sees our hurt condition and reaches out to make things right between us and Himself. When we have done our best to keep the Lord out of our lives, He still reminds us of His love and calls us to come unto Him. His Gospel certainly is the Good News!)
c. It is the only Gospel that will save the lost - God only knows of one plan that will save the lost soul - Acts 16:3; Acts 4:12; John 3:16.
His Calling - Not only was Paul a slave to a new Master, he was also an apostle. This word means an "ambassador". This word literally means a "sent one." He was a person sent out into another country as a representative of Heaven. Ambassadors usually carried with them all the authority of the country and the king which sent them. Paul was no exception. He was a representative of King Jesus and he operated under His Divine authority. When Paul spoke, he spoke for the Lord. When he acted, he acted as a representative of the throne of Heaven. His authority was the very authority of God Himself.
(Ill. What does all this mean for us?
1. It is worthy of note that Paul was what he was by the will of God. Notice that he had been "Called". Paul did not just decide to go into the ministry, nor did friends and family persuade him that it was what he should do. he was placed in the ministry by the sovereign will of Almighty God, 1 Tim. 1:12-14. Paul became what he did by the grace of God that was operating in his life, 1 Cor. 15:10. Just as God picked and placed Paul, He also does the same for you and me. He places us in His kingdom work when and where it pleases Him, 1 Cor. 12:11,18.
2. If He could take his worst enemy, 1 Tim. 1:15, and make him His greatest messenger, then God can and will use your life for His glory if you will yield to Him. Never let the Devil or any person tell you that God cannot and will not use your life for His glory. He saved you by His grace and He wants to use you to bring others unto Him. He has a place of service for you and He will place you there if you will yield to Him.
3. While we do not hold the office of Apostle, we are the ambassadors of Heaven. God has commissioned us to be His spokespersons to a lost an dying world. In fact, the Bible plainly tells us that we are the very words of God written to speak to the peoples of the world, 2 Cor. 3:2-3. When the world sees you and me, lets ever let them see a people who are sold out and committed to the will of God in the world. They need to see people who are living like they are indeed the representatives of Heaven, Phil. 1:27. Like salt in a bland world, we should flavor our lives with the glory of God and create a thirst in others for the things of God, Matt. 5:13-16.)
C. His Commission - Paul's next statement tells us that he had been "separated" unto the Gospel of God. There are some great blessings contained in this little phrase.
1. Separated - This word has the idea of being "set apart." Paul is telling us that his life has been set apart for the glory of God and for the Lord Jesus Christ. This literally means that nothing else mattered to Paul but the things that mattered to God.
(Ill. People are concerned with being separated from the world. They will tell you that you have to stop doing this thing or the other thing to be perfectly separated. Their whole life revolves around what they can and cannot do. I personally believe that people like this are missing the boat. Our job is not to separate from the world, it is to separate unto Christ. If we are separated unto Jesus, then we are automatically separated from the world. I cannot be in Nebo and want to be separated unto Morganton without first becoming separated from Nebo. Does that make sense? If I am living in one area, then it is impossible for me to dwell in another! So, if I really want to be separate from the world, and I think that is what God wants, 2 Cor. 6:17, then the secret lies in totally devoting my life the Lord Jesus Christ. If I live to please Him, I will have no trouble with the world!)
A. His Condition - As Paul begins his comments to the Roman Christians, he doesn't begin boasting of his office. He begins by proclaiming himself to be a "servant." The word means a "bond slave." This calls to mind the "law of the bond slave" from the Old Testament. According to this law, a slave could refuse his freedom and could choose to remain with his master forever, Ex. 21:1-6. Instead of exalting himself before the Romans, Paul chose to humble himself. This was the secret of Paul's greatness! Paul knew that like a slave, he had no personal rights. His life was dictated to him by the master. He was totally sold out to the will of God. There is no doubt that this is why the Lord used Paul so greatly!
(Ill. This is a lesson that the modern Christian needs to learn. We have so many who feel that they are in control of their lives and that they have the right to do as they please and make their own decisions. We need to remember that when we were saved by Jesus Christ, we became His bond servants! He bought us, and now He owns us completely - 1 Cor. 6:19-20.)
(Ill. This image of slavery was commonplace to Paul's readers. However, we don't understand it so well. Therefore, I would like to take a moment to share a few facts about slaves and slavery with you this evening. As I do, I want you to let the Lord speak to your heart about your relationship with Jesus and about your own level of surrender to Him.
1. The slave was totally owned by the Master. In the spiritual sense, Jesus saw the wretched condition we were in and He bought us unto Himself. He made us His possession, Rev. 5:9.
2. The slave existed for his Master. He had no other reason for his existence. He had no rights of his own. The only rights he had were those of the Master.
3. The slave existed to serve his Master. He had no other purpose in life but to do what the Master wanted him to do. He was to be at the Master's disposal any hour of the day or night. This is how Paul felt. Does that describe your heart this evening? Our lives should be lived for the glory of the Lord. We are to do His will totally, and without question! (Ill. Eph. 6:6)
4. Even the slave's will belonged exclusively to his Master. He was allowed no will or no ambition outside that which his Master allowed him to have. In other words, there was to be a total surrender of every part of the slaves being to the will of the Master, 2 Cor. 10:5.
5. Note that when Paul mentions his Master, that it is none other than the Lord Jesus. A slave's live, whether it was good or evil, depended upon the character of his Master. In the case of the believer, our Master is Jesus! Therefore instead of cringing and cowering in fear before this One we call Lord, we are servants who have been elevated to the status os priests and kings. Our is a position of honor before the Lord. We are perhaps the only slaves in history who are allowed to sit with their Master in His throne, Eph. 2:6.
Rom. 1:1 THE CREDENTIALS OF PAUL THE APOSTLE Part 1
Intro: Tonight, we embark on a study of what is perhaps the greatest Book of the New Testament. I know that is a big statement, however, Romans is, without question, the greatest theological work of the Apostle Paul. This book has been called "The Constitution Of Christianity"; "The Christian Manifesto"; and "The Cathedral Of The Christian Faith". Without a doubt, this book has been responsible for more change in the church than any other.
It was this book that in September 386 AD touched the heart of a North African native who was a professor in the city of Milan, Italy. As Augustine sat weeping in the garden of a friend while contemplating the wickedness of his life, he heard a child singing, "Tolle, lege. Tolle, lege." These words from Latin mean, "Take up and read. Take up and read." Beside of Augustine was an open scroll of the Book of Romans. He picked it up and read the first verses that caught his eyes. They were Rom. 13:13-14. These verse brought about the conversion of Augustine and he became, in the mind of many, one of the greatest theologians and leaders in the history of the church. 1,000 years later, a Roman Catholic monk of the Augustinian Order named Martin Luther, who was a professor at the University of Wittenburg in Germany, was teaching his students the Book of Romans. As he studied the text, his heart was arrested by the theme of justification by faith, Rom. 1:17. The Holy Spirit used this verse to bring Luther to Christ and the Reformation to the world.
A few hundred years later, an ordained minister in the Church of England named John Wesley was repairing to take the Gospel to America as a missionary. However, even though Wesley was a preacher and was going to cross the Atlantic as a missionary, he was confused about the Gospel and was seeking a genuine conversion experience of his own. Then, one Wednesday evening, he attended a Bible Study in London. While there, he heard some of Luther's comments on Romans being read and this brought about his conversion to Christ. Then John, along with his brother Charles, would be the tolls God would use to bring the great Wesleyan revivals to the world.
Over the next several months, as the Lord leads, I intend to preach through this great book verse by verse. As I do, we will find that a great many questions about God and what He has given us in Jesus will be answered. This is a Book that is impossible to exhaust. It will captivate the most brilliant of theological minds and will bring the humblest of God's servants to tears.
Romans was written by Paul the Apostle between 56 and 58 A.D. from the city of Corinth while Paul was on his third missionary journey. The Bible tells us that after Paul was saved, he spent 3 years in Arabia, Gal. 1:17-18. During this time he studies the Old Testament writings and how they speak of Jesus. When he returned to Jerusalem, he came with this great epistle burning in his heart. Let's join Paul tonight in these first 7 verses as he discusses his credentials with the members of the Church in Rome.
As Paul discusses himself and his ministry, he also sheds some light on our mission as we go through life. This is the longest introduction to any of the New Testament epistles. It is also the richest in theological content. Let's spend a few minutes here as we consider The Credentials Of The Apostle Paul.
7 Facts about the Book of Acts You Might Not Know by Kathy | Dec 6, 2021
Over the summer, I spent a lot of time pouring through the Book of Acts. Although I’ve read and studiely learned some “new” things.
Chances are that, like me, you’ll know some of the following facts, but not all. I’d love to hear in the comment, if any of these were new to you! (See also “6 Things You May Not Know about the Apostle Paul.“) 7 Facts about the Book of Acts Only Biblical history of the church – The book of Acts, is unique. Historically, it picks up where the Gospels end. Acts records the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit, the birth of the church on the Day of Pentecost, and the spread of the Gospel all the way to Rome. Covers about 30 years – The events recorded in Acts cover roughly a thirty-year period – from just after the resurrection of Jesus around 30 AD to the early 60’s. When Acts ends, Paul is under house arrest in Rome. But based on Scripture and church tradition, Paul was released (Philemon 22, Philippians 1:19-26, 2:24) and continued his evangelistic work for a few more years (1 Timothy 1:3, Titus 3:12). Then, Paul was arrested a second time in the mid-60’s AD (2 Timothy 4:6-7) and beheaded by order of Emperor Nero. Probably originally one book with Luke – Acts and Luke were written by the same author, to the same recipient, as two halves of one work. Most scholars believe they were originally circulated as one book and intended to be read together. Later, when the Gospels were grouped together, Luke-Acts was separated. Likely written by a Gentile – A first-century Christian named Luke is widely accepted as the author of the two-volume collection of Luke-Acts. In addition to the internal evidence, strong external evidence also exists. For instance, a very early and unwavering church tradition holds to Luke’s authorship. Although we have few details about Luke, we do know he was a traveling companion of the apostle Paul and probably a doctor. In one of his letters, Paul described him as the “beloved physician” (Colossians 1:14). Some scholars believe Luke may have been a Gentile (Colossians 4:11). Acts was written to Theophilus – Although the book of Acts is for all believers of all time, Luke specifically addressed a man named Theophilus (Luke 1:3, Acts 1:1). Luke’s use of “most excellent” to describe him (Luke 1:3) suggests that Theophilus was highly respected and perhaps a high-ranking Roman official. He may have even financially supported Luke’s investigation and writing. Records two resuscitation – Twice Acts reports the exciting miracle of God resuscitating someone from the dead. In the city of Joppa, Peter resuscitated Dorcas, a believer who faithfully served the widows (Acts 9:36-43). In Troas, Paul resuscitated a teenage boy named Eutychus who fell through an upper window to his death during a long sermon (Acts 20:7-16). Purpose of Acts – Luke clearly stated his purpose at the beginning of his two-volume work: “Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write an accurate account for you, most honorable Theophilus,so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught”(Luke 1:3-4 NLT). Luke wanted Theophilus (and other readers) to be certain of God’s truth. So he acted as an investigative journalist. He checked all the facts and closely interviewed eyewitnesses to prepare a thorough, detailed, and reliable account. Some scholars believe Luke may have even interviewed Jesus’ mother Mary.
Dear Mr. God I'm sorry for keepin' ya up late. But, I wanna know If'n you're too busy, I can wait.
You see grandma's been forgettin' A lot of things. Mamma says so. She forgot my name, today, Mr. God, And she's a walkin' kinda slow.
Yesterday, she jest left Without even sayin' bye. Daddy brought her back and He had a tear in his eye.
So, I was wonderin', can you fix her? She has somthun' called 'all tizers', daddy said. She forgets who we are sometimes, And she forgot that grandpa's dead.
Mr. God, you give her a new brememberer 'Cause I miss her playin', and stuff, with me And the cookies she used to bake. And, she was so smart, wasn't she?
She used to talk 'bout you a lot. Now, she jest talks to herself and, Mr. God, she don't know herself From the pictures on the shelf.
Sometimes, she calls me 'little boy' And pats my cheek or hair. And she don't seem to care.
Please, Mr. God, Will ya fix her, all new again, A'fore she gets lost and Can't bremember where she's been?
She ain't sang a Jesus song Like I like to hear her to do. Daddy says 'cause she is getting old. But, she's not as old as you.
Daddy says you never forget and You are older than anyone, anywhere. Mamma says, "All we can do is Bremember her in prayer.
So, Mr. God, I'm jest askin' 'Cause I don't know how to pray. 'Cause you un'erstand what I try to say.
Does Jesus have a grandma And does she forget people, too? I guess she would be your mommy And wouldn't she be older than you?
Well, I gotta go to bed. Would ya keep grandma safe, O please, So as she won't wander off and get lost? She forgets her hat and coat, and she could freeze.
I love her lots and I wish she bremember I'm her little Andy And bake some good cookies for me, And even share my candy.
Tell my friend, Jesus, I was here and Give Him a hug from grandma and me. She used to know Him and I heard her say, "Thank you, Jesus, for little Andy."
Good night, Mr. God. Are ya tired? You work, so hard, all day. I'll be back a'morrow, to visit, Before I go out to play.........Andy
The central theme of this work is ascent/descent. Jesus is presented as one who travels freely between the dual realms of heaven and earth. As Wayne Meek's has written, he is "the Stranger from Heaven." He -- and he alone -- knows the Father; belief in him is the only way to reach the Father, the only way to salvation. The believers of John's community can see into this spiritual and redeeming cosmos; their opponents cannot.
The opponents of Jesus are "the Jews", who cannot or will not recognize who he is. The author of John deliberately creates a story that may be interpreted on two levels. That is, the story that John tells of Jesus' encounter with the Jews consciously parallels the tensions between John's community and its contemporary Jewish opponents. His community is being expelled from the synagogues, because they believe in Jesus as the Messiah; the Jews in John's gospel simply cannot grasp his true identity. They constantly ask "Where are you from?" and "Where are you going?" Jesus responds by saying where he is going they cannot go; they think that he intends to travel abroad. "Does he intend to go to the Diaspora among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?" In this gospel, the Jews cannot know because they are from the darkness; Jesus and his followers are from the light: "You are from below, I am from above; you are of this cosmos, I am not of this cosmos." (8:23)
These themes of light and dark, knowing and unknowing, converge in the crucifixion of Jesus. John makes a deliberate pun on the Greek word "to be crucified", which also means "to be lifted."
As in the other gospels, the end is not the end. John describes the scene of the empty tomb and Jesus' appearance among the disciples. Thomas still doubts that the figure before him is really Jesus. Jesus instructs him to feel the wound at his side, whereupon Thomas is convinced. Jesus, in a telling reference to those who accept him, says: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."
Just as Jesus addresses his disciples, the author of John addresses his community. And he offers them reassurance: "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God and that through believing you may have life in his name." (JN 20:30-31).
Paula Fredriksen has written, "They could thus see themselves as they saw their Savior: alone in the darkness, yet the light of the world."
The Gospel of John The so-called "spiritual gospel" which presents Jesus as the "Stranger from Heaven," stands apart from the other three. by Marilyn Mellowes
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God, and through him were all things made." These words of the opening prologue of the fourth gospel provide a clue to the nature of this work: it stands apart from the three synoptic gospels. It has often been called the "spiritual gospel" because of the way that it portrays Jesus.
If Matthew's Jesus resembles Moses and Luke's Jesus resembles a Greek philosopher or a semi-divine hero, John's Jesus resembles the Jewish ideal of heavenly Wisdom. Some Jewish works written several hundred years before John's gospel portrayed Wisdom as God's heavenly consort. This Wisdom, pictured as a beautiful woman, lived with God and participated in creation. Another part of the myth regarding her was that she descended to earth to impart divine knowledge to human beings. But she was rejected and so returned to God.
Another interesting feature of John's gospel is that Jesus speaks in long monologues, rather than pithy statements or parables. He openly proclaims his divinity and insists that the only way to the Father is through him. Motifs of light and darkness are woven throughout the gospel: these are not simply literary motifs, but devices that give clues about the community for which John was written.
It was a community under stress. The gospel itself suggests that its members were in conflict with the followers of John the Baptist and were undergoing a painful separation from Judaism. The group itself was probably undergoing desertion and internal conflict.
Tradition has credited John, the son of Zebedee and an apostle of Jesus, with the authorship of the fourth gospel. Most scholars dispute this notion; some speculate that the work was actually produced by a group of early Christians somewhat isolated from other early Christian communities. Tradition also places its composition in or near Ephesus, although lower Syria or Lebanon are more likely locations. The most likely time for the completion of this gospel is between 90 and 110 CE.
Does that mean Jesus have enemies in this gospel? Jesus is depicted as having enemies in all the gospels. In John, again, the Pharisees come in for their typical negative role. The chief priests, and the high priests move against Jesus and engineer the ambush in Gethsemane. But there's no trial before the Sanhedrin in John. There's no face-off between the chief priest and Jesus in John the way there is very dramatically in Mark, where there are not one, but two full meetings of the entire priestly court, the night after this incredibly long day of Passover. So, Jesus' enemies are really provided to give a kind of dimension to the plot. But the story of John's Jesus is really the story of this divine figure who comes from above and appears to the world below. And then, as he's hanging on the cross, in a scene that's curiously leeched of pathos and anguish, he says, "It is finished." And that's where the gospel's complete.
Why would the author of John want to have shifted history around and twisted it in order to present Jesus in opposition to Pharisees?
As any parent of a two year old knows, the first two words a child masters when forming its own identity , "Mine" and "No". And I think if we look at the Gospel of John, what we see is a kind of very architectural hostility, shaped inside the story of Jesus. Because this community is developing its own identity vis a vis the synagogue across the street. I mean, in one sense, if we remove the Gospel of John from the Christian canon, if we didn't have it right next to Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and instead, if we put the gospel of John next to the Dead Sea Scroll library, we'd see the sorts of issues that Jews fight about forever. You know, this guy's the Prince of Darkness... this one isn't any good, this is the only right way to do it...this is the sort of dynamic that we get, shaping the way John presents Jesus' life in that particular gospel.
I'll give you a very obvious example, the story of Jesus and Nicodemus. Nicodemus comes to Jesus and recognizes he is a great teacher, he's come from God, and Jesus now tells him something that is, in fact, the quotation of a traditional baptismal saying. "Unless you're reborn, you will not enter the Kingdom of God." This saying is found in other contexts; a second century apologist, Justin Martyr, quotes the same saying in his report of the Christian baptismal liturgy.... Now John takes that saying as the basis of the development of dialogue. He changes the saying somewhat, so that Nicodemus understands the rebirth not to be a rebirth by the spirit from above, but physical rebirth, and therefore says, "How can anybody who has gotten old now go back to his mother's womb and be reborn?" And this gives the occasion now for the explanation of what this saying of Jesus means. And that explanation fills the whole rest of the chapter....
Essentially all the major speeches of John are developed out of traditional sayings materials. And what is interesting here is that some of these sayings have parallels in the sayings we find in the synoptic gospels. But some of the sayings also have parallels which we now find in the Gospel of Thomas. So John draws on a different set of traditional sayings of Jesus than do the first three gospels of the New Testament. William Goodwin Aurelio Professor of the Appreciation of Scripture, Boston University JESUS IN JOHN Jesus in the Gospel of John is difficult to reconstruct as an historical person, because his character in the gospel is in full voice giving very developed theological soliloquies about himself. It's not the sort of thing that if you try to put in a social context would appeal to a large number of followers. Because it's so much Christian proclamation and Christian imagery, and it's very developed. It's a very developed Christology. Jesus must have had some kind of popular following or else he wouldn't have ended up killed by Rome. If the historical Jesus was saying the sorts of things that John's Jesus said, he probably would have been fairly safe. It would have been very difficult for early first century Jews to have tracked what that Jesus was saying.
Nonetheless, by now, the followers of Jesus, the early Christians, and the mainstream religion of the Jews are beginning to head off a separate track. Can you accept that? What's happening?
Well, this certainly isn't as clear before the war. I see the Jesus movement as yet another option within what we identify as Judaism, that complex of people and institutions and traditions of ancient Israel. So Jesus is a new option at the end of the first century. It's not clear before the war that it's mutually exclusive [from other options]. There are still some kind of conversations going on with other parts of Judaism and those conversations are apparently substantive, even though they're not altogether unproblematic....
Helmut Koester: John H. Morison Professor of New Testament Studies and Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical History Harvard Divinity School GOSPEL OF JOHN STANDS APART
The Gospel of John, of course, stands apart from the other three gospels. For one reason, simply because Matthew and Luke use common sources. They both use the Gospel of Mark. They both use the so-called synoptic sayings gospel, and therefore great similarities are evident, particularly the outline of the ministry of Jesus. Now the Gospel of John has some relationships to the sources used by the other gospels.... The passion narrative in John is essentially the same as the passion narrative in Mark, Matthew, Luke and in the Gospel of Peter. The other thing that is common with the other gospels is a chain of miracle stories....
What makes the Gospel of John different is another element. And that's the element of Jesus' discourses and dialogues with the disciples. Now what are those? They are not comparable to collections of sayings of Jesus that we have, for example, in the Sermon on the Mount. They're very different, because the collections of sayings strings those sayings together, with almost never a question of the disciples interfering. It's just a collection. Now what we have in the speeches and dialogues of Jesus in the Gospel of John is not a collection of traditional materials, but is ultimately a reflection on traditional materials. That is, the Gospel of John constructs the speeches of Jesus in an effort to interpret traditional sayings of Jesus.
How does that affect the picture [of Jesus] that emerges? Jesus emerges differently in these portraits. Clearly, those who identify more strongly with Northern Palestinian traditions and concerns and identify with problems that are characteristic of Galilee... are going to depict a Jesus who has more to say about those things. Now, let's say such people who hail from Northern Palestine, have, in so many words, written off the priestly establishment in Jerusalem. They have no "in" with those people. They're alienated from them. They're not going to be concerned with what went on in various strata Judean society, how certain Judean people responded to Jesus, how certain people responded to the Jesus movement. However, in John's gospel, there's some indication that among Jerusalemite elites there was split. There are some non-priestly elite types who sympathize with Jesus.... The priestly establishment, as a whole, are clearly the bad guys. John is very clear about this. But this distinction between the priestly and the non-priestly elites is very interesting. It's a distinction which John is very careful to make, that the synoptic tradition, as a whole, is not very careful to make. That this decision to condemn Jesus and the machinations that were involved to send Jesus to the cross are blamed on a particular sub-set of Jewish leadership. John shows us exactly who's responsible, within the Jerusalemite ruling elite, for Jesus' execution....
What's often said about John's gospel is you can place a beginning of outright hostility between [members of the early Jesus movement] and mainstream Judaism...
Well, I think the distinction that I just described rightly complicates that generalization because it's a dangerous one. Historically, it's proven to be very dangerous. It's not just a misconstrued of the evidence that we have. It's a very tendentious misconstrual.... John's drama is at pains to show that a certain subset of Israelite leadership railroaded Jesus. That's very important for him. Perhaps, as we move farther away from Judea, that picture, or at least the crispness of that picture, is compromised by other concerns. And so I would characterize the synoptic tradition, as perhaps a move away from the center of events, in terms of the juridicial machinations that resulted in Jesus' execution. And that focus is then compromised by other concerns that are mediated through the reporting of Galilean traditions.
Now this theme of the Lamb of God, the Passover symbolism, actually is shot through the entirety of John's gospel. From the very first scene of John's gospel, when Jesus enters the story for the first time, he does so by coming to John the Baptist to be baptized. And when Jesus enters, John sees him coming and looks and says, "Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." So the whole story is now bracketed by this one motif, the Lamb of God. And of course that's the kind of symbolism that would eventually become one of the most profound and dominant in all of Christian theological tradition. Later on we will find just that one image a lamb showing up in all kinds of Christian art from the catacombs to the great mosaics at Ravenna because in just that small little capsule form we have a whole theological tradition wrapped up. It's a theological statement about the significance of the death of Jesus.
The symbolism of John's gospel, while it is probably the most evocative of any in the New Testament, is also provocative. The language of John's gospel is intentionally antagonistic at times toward Jewish tradition and toward Jewish sensitivities. The idea of the Passover of course is very Jewish but John tends to turn some of those ideas in a much sharper way against Jewish tradition. At one point in John 6 Jesus says, "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you will have no life in you." But the idea of drinking blood is absolutely abhorrent to Jewish dietary regulations. So the very language and the symbolism that is so rich within John's gospel also has a decidedly political tone to it in terms of the evolving relationship between Jews and Christians. John's gospel is witness to a Christianity that's moving farther and father away from Jewish tradition. And in fact it's seeing Jewish tradition often as actually hostile to the Christian movement.
Allen D. Callahan: Associate Professor of New Testament, Harvard Divinity School JOHN'S GOSPEL AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS JERUSALEM
Each of the gospel writers has certain concerns that he must address, certain questions that he must answer, and certain crises that he must negotiate. the fourth gospel, the gospel according to John, Jesus' relation to Jerusalem and the Jerusalem authorities is more of a concern. There are more people in the dramatis personae of John's gospel who hailed from Judea. We encounter some figures there that we don't encounter anywhere else in gospel traditions. Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea. These are Jerusalem ite non-priestly elites. One of the things that this suggests is that the sources of the fourth gospel are closer to this social stratum of people and their concerns. Not so, for Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The Galilean traditions are the signal traditions there, and so Jesus' activity in the Galilee and among people in Northern Judea have pride of place....
When we look at the concerns of these differences, the concerns that are suggested or reflected in these differences, one of the ways of explaining differences, is seeing that they're coming from different points and different strata of Palestinian society.
The Gospel of John Embedded in the so-called "spiritual gospel" is an architectural hostility toward Judaism.
L. Michael White:
Professor of Classics and Director of the Religious Studies Program University of Texas at Austin THE SPIRITUAL GOSPEL
John's gospel is different from the other three in the New Testament. That fact has been recognized since the early church itself. Already by the year 200, John's gospel was called the spiritual gospel precisely because it told the story of Jesus in symbolic ways that differ sharply at times from the other three. For example, Jesus dies on a different day in John's gospel than in Matthew, Mark and Luke.... Whereas in the three synoptic gospels, Jesus actually eats a Passover meal before he dies, in John's gospel he doesn't. The last supper is actually eaten before the beginning of Passover. So that the sequence of events leading up to the actual crucifixion are very different for John's gospel. And one has to look at it to say, why is the story so different? How do we account for these differences in terms of the way the story-telling developed? And the answer becomes fairly clear when we realize that Jesus has had the last supper a day before so that he's hanging on the cross during the day of preparation before the beginning of Passover.
So here's the scene in John's gospel: on the day leading up to Passover, and Passover will commence at 6 o'clock with the evening meal, on the day leading up to that Passover meal is the day when all the lambs are slaughtered and everyone goes to the temple to get their lamb for the Passover meal. In Jerusalem this would have meant thousands of lambs being slaughtered all at one time. And in John's gospel, that's the day on which Jesus is crucified. So that quite literally the dramatic scene in John's gospel has Jesus hanging on the cross while the lambs are being slaughtered for Passover. John's gospel is forcing us, dramatically at least, through the storytelling mode, to think of Jesus as a Passover lamb. Jesus doesn't eat a Passover meal, Jesus is the Passover meal, at least within the Christian mind in the way that John tells the story.
The Holy Spirit. The Spirit is emphasized more in Luke than in any other Gospel, and this emphasis is then picked up and expanded in Acts (also written by Luke). Around the world today the Spirit is alive and active in places not traditionally associated with Christianity. Indeed, the Holy Spirit does not favor the educated, culturally sophisticated, or historically Christian regions of the world. The Spirit does not need our human cleverness or ingenuity. Rather, the Spirit is drawn to all whose hearts are open to God and his grace (Luke 11:13).
The danger of money. In Luke’s Gospel Jesus pronounces severe woes on those who love money, yet he blesses those who are poor and therefore recognize their need (Luke 6:20–26; 8:14; 12:13–21; 16:10–13, 19–31; 18:22). Amid the ongoing gap between the upper and lower classes around the globe, as well as a frequently unstable world economy, Christians must pay special heed to Jesus’ teaching on money. Believers with many possessions must constantly examine their hearts to see where their hope and security lies. Above all they must remember the gracious wealth of grace that has been given to them through Christ’s self-giving (2 Cor. 8:9), and respond in joyful gratitude and love. The Global Message of Luke for Today The marketplace of ideas is increasingly global, and cross-fertilization of cultures has never taken place so easily. Yet it has never been easier to feel small and insignificant amid the blur of modern activity, today’s media with its big personalities, and the continuing population growth in some parts of the world. Such feelings of insignificance are acutely painful because we are made in God’s image and are hungry to experience the glory we were originally destined for (Gen. 1:26–28; Isa. 43:6–7; Rom. 1:23; 2:7; 3:23).
Luke’s Gospel confronts us, however, with the pervasive reminder that it is precisely to such felt insignificance, such smallness, that God is drawn. He has a great heart for the marginalized. As Mary prayed, “he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty” (Luke 1:52–53). Throughout Luke, Jesus befriends the Samaritans, the poor, the outcasts, the tax collectors, those on the social or cultural periphery.
This is who God is. In Christ, the Friend of sinners, God is attracted to those who feel themselves least attractive. The grace of the gospel qualifies those who feel themselves most unqualified.
As we, his people, receive this grace, we work earnestly to eradicate sickness, destitution, and earthly discomfort. The mercy we have received vertically should extend itself out horizontally in tangible acts of sacrificial love to our neighbors. Above all, however, we must heed Jesus’ parting words, and speak repentance and forgiveness to all nations (Luke 24:47)—thus offering not only earthly comfort but eternal comfort, with Christ himself, in the new earth.
The Global Message of Luke “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). With these closing words to Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector and a man deeply despised by his fellow Jews, Jesus states the message of Luke to the global church today. Christ did not come for the clean and the religious, the upright and the educated—he came for those who know themselves to be lost. Throughout Luke we see Jesus welcoming outsiders into the blessings of grace, while those who appear to be insiders are shut out.
This is great hope to those around the world today who feel themselves to be outsiders. It is also a reminder to those who are taking the gospel to the nations that it is generally the socially and culturally marginalized who will be most readily drawn to the gospel. Above all, Luke’s Gospel is a call to everyone around the world, whatever our social or moral status, to abandon our futile methods of self-salvation and leave all to follow Christ, the great Friend of sinners (Luke 7:34; 9:57–62; 18:9–14).
Luke and Redemptive History At the beginning of history, two people ate food offered to them by Satan, their eyes were opened, and the whole human race was plunged into sin and death (Gen. 3:6–7). At the climax of history, two people ate food offered to them by Christ, their eyes were opened, and they saw who Christ was and the new age that was dawning in him (Luke 24:30–32). This prophecy-fulfilling restoration of God’s people—people who now come from surprising places, cultures, and social spheres—is the role Luke’s Gospel fills in redemptive history.
Placed against the backdrop of the whole Bible, Luke’s Gospel shows us that the one for whom God’s people had been waiting so long had finally come. In him, all the hopes and promises of the Old Testament were coming to decisive fulfillment. He was the true Son of God (Luke 4:41; 22:70–71) who, unlike Adam, God’s first son (3:38), walked faithfully with God. He was the true Israel, who unlike Israel before him passed the test in the wilderness (4:1–13). After generations of sin, failure, and finally exile, One had come who would bear the punishment for his people and fulfill the ancient promises. The people would be restored to God. This was the One about whom the entire Old Testament spoke (24:27, 44).
This restoration is for all people in all places around the world. After his resurrection, Jesus tells his disciples that they are his witnesses and that “repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations” (Luke 24:47). This global mandate to preach the gospel to all nations will be empowered and begun when the disciples are “clothed with power from on high” (24:49). This happens when the Holy Spirit is poured out in Acts 2 and the gospel begins to flood out to diverse people groups (Acts 2:5–11). The promise given to Abraham that he would be a blessing to all the families of the earth is finally coming true (Gen. 12:1–3). Universal Themes in Luke God’s heart for the poor and needy. An important event in Luke’s Gospel takes place right at the start of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus reads the following statement from Isaiah and identifies himself as this statement’s fulfillment: “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” (Luke 4:18–19; quoting Isa. 61:1–2). Throughout Luke we see the social and cultural reversals that take place as insiders are unconcerned about who Jesus is and what he is doing while outsiders are drawn to and understand Jesus. Time and again, long-held assumptions about Jew and Gentile, rich and poor, educated and ignorant, moral and immoral, are inverted. Luke drives home God’s great love for those who are marginalized.
History & Society Gospel According to Luke,,,,biblical literature
Written and fact-checked by Last Updated: Mar 15, 2024 • Article History St. Luke the Evangelist
Gospel According to Luke, third of the four New Testament Gospels (narratives recounting the life and death of Jesus Christ) and, with The Gospels According to Mark and Matthew, one of the three Synoptic Gospels (i.e., those presenting a common view). It is traditionally credited to St. Luke, “the beloved physician” (Col. 4:14), a close associate of the St. Paul the Apostle. Luke’s Gospel is clearly written for Gentile converts: it traces Christ’s genealogy, for example, back to Adam, the “father” of the human race rather than to Abraham, the father of the Jewish people. The date and place of composition are uncertain, but many date the Gospel to 63–70 CE, others somewhat later.
Like St. Matthew, Luke derives much of his Gospel from that of St. Mark, generally following Mark’s sequence and incorporating about 50 percent of Mark’s material into his work. The Gospels of Luke and Matthew, however, share a good deal of material not found in The Gospel According to Mark, suggesting that the two evangelists may have had access to another common source.
: The Gospel According to Luke Despite its similarities to the other Synoptic Gospels, however, Luke’s narrative contains much that is unique. It gives details of Jesus’ infancy found in no other Gospel: the census of Caesar Augustus, the journey to Bethlehem, Jesus’ birth, the adoration of the shepherds, Jesus’ circumcision, the words of Simeon, and Jesus at age 12 in the temple talking with the doctors of the law. It also is the only Gospel to give an account of the Ascension. Among the notable parables found only in Luke’s Gospel are those of the good Samaritan and the prodigal son.
Luke’s Gospel is also unique in its perspective. It resembles the other synoptics in its treatment of the life of Jesus, but it goes beyond them in narrating the ministry of Jesus, widening its perspective to consider God’s overall historical purpose and the place of the church within it. Luke, and its companion book, Acts of the Apostles, portray the church as God’s instrument of redemption on Earth in the interim between the death of Christ and the Second Coming. The two books combined provide the first Christian history, outlining God’s purpose through three historical epochs: the epoch of the Law and the prophets, which lasted from ancient Israel to the time of St. John the Baptist; the epoch of Jesus’ ministry; and the epoch of the church’s mission, from the Ascension to the return of Christ.
The Luke 1....New International Version Introduction 1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.
Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”
Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak. When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.” The Birth of Jesus Foretold In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything comes in parables, in order that / ‘they may indeed look but not perceive.’” For Mark, Jesus’s parables are riddles meant to be understood only by a select few. However, as the Gospel unfolds, the disciples do not maintain their privileged position.
As Mark tells his story, the twelve disciples persistently, even increasingly, fail to understand Jesus. Ultimately, two of them betray him, the rest abandon him, and at the end he is crucified alone until two of his bravest disciples, Mary Magdalene and Mary, return and find his tomb empty. If anyone is loyal in this Gospel, it is the Galilean women who look on Jesus’s crucifixion from a distance and come to bury him. The Gospel of Mark is brutal on the disciples; some scholars suggest that Mark is trying to express his theme that when one follows Christ, one must be prepared for the experiences of misunderstanding and even persecution. Mark’s model of discipleship includes the experiences of failure and doubt as part of the process of coming to understand the full meaning of Jesus. For Mark, discipleship means debating, questioning, stumbling, and learning. It involves suffering, service to others, poverty, and faithfulness despite persecution. It is strange that the Gospel of Mark ends so abruptly; scholars generally agree that the Gospel of Mark ends with verse 16:8, and that verses 16:9–20 were a later addition to the manuscript. The ending at 16:8 is confusing: Jesus’s body is gone, and in his place an angel appears to Mary Magdalene and others, charging them to tell Peter of Jesus’s resurrection. The women fail to fulfill this command: “So they went out and fled from the tomb, for the terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid” (16:8). This ending is hardly triumphant, and verses 16:9–20 preserve Mark’s original message. Jesus appears to his apostles, and victory seems assured: “And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it” (16:20).
Eventually, Jesus allows himself to succumb to the conspiracy against him. At the Passover Seder, Jesus institutes the Christian sacrament of the Eucharist, telling his followers to eat and drink his symbolic body and blood. At the dinner, Jesus says that one of his disciples will betray him. The disciples are surprised, each asking, “Surely, not I?” (14:19). After dinner, Jesus goes to a garden called Gethsemane and prays while Peter, James, and John wait nearby. The three disciples fall asleep three times, though Jesus returns each time and asks them to stay awake with him as he prays. Jesus prays to God that, if possible, he might avoid his imminent suffering.
Jesus is leaving the garden with Peter, James, and John when Judas Iscariot, one of the apostles, arrives with the city’s chief priests and a crowd carrying swords and clubs. Judas kisses Jesus, indicating to the priests Jesus’s identity. The priests arrest Jesus and take him to the court of the high priest. There, Jesus publicly claims that he is “the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One,” and the Jews deliver him to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, who agrees to crucify him (14:61). On the cross, Jesus cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (15:34). He dies and is buried by Joseph of Arimathea, a righteous Jew. When Mary Magdalene and other women come to Jesus’s grave on the third day after the crucifixion, however, they find it empty. A young man tells them that Jesus has risen from the grave. Jesus then appears in resurrected form to Mary, Mary Magdalene, and the apostles.
Analysis Mark’s Gospel is often disconnected, and at times difficult to read as a logically progressing narrative. This Gospel is brief and concise, reading almost like an outline, with little effort made to connect the roughly chronological list of incidents. Mark’s Gospel also tends to interrupt itself by introducing information of marginal relevance. For example, Mark interrupts the story of the dispersal of the apostles and their return with the anecdote about Herod Antipas and John the Baptist. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke rely on Mark for much of their information, and they flesh out the bare-bones outline, adding additional information and employing a more fluid and elaborate style. The relationship between these first three Gospels is extremely complex. They are often approached as a group because of their strong similarities, and because of the way in which they appear to have been influenced by each other or by common sources. Because of their interconnectedness, they are called “synoptic,” meaning that they can be looked at “with one glance.”
The Gospel of Mark does show some evidence of tight, purposeful construction. Mark can be divided into two sections. The first, from 1:1 to 8:26, concerns itself with Jesus’s ministry in Galilee, beginning with John the Baptist’s prophecy proclaiming the advent of the Messiah. The second, from 8:27 to 16:20, tells the story of Jesus’s prediction of his own suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection.
Mark’s Gospel constantly presumes that the end of the world is imminent. Therefore, when the end of time never came, early Christian communities had difficulty interpreting passages such as the thirteenth chapter of Mark, whose apocalyptic vision is urgent, striking, and confident. Another prominent motif of Mark is secrecy. Mark writes that the kingdom is near, the time has come, but only a few are privy to any knowledge of it. This motif is known as the Messianic Secret. For example, Mark refers to secrecy in relation to the kingdom of God in 4:11-12:
The story of Jesus’s ministry reaches King Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee who beheaded John the Baptist. Jesus disperses the apostles, charging them with the responsibility to spread the Gospel and to heal the sick. When the apostles rejoin Jesus, they are once again swarmed with people eager to hear Jesus’s message. Through a miracle, Jesus divides five loaves of bread and two fish and feeds all 5,000 people. His disciples, however, seem not to understand the magnitude of his miracle: when he walks on water, they are shocked. The Pharisees, who are upset at Jesus’s abandonment of the traditional Jewish laws, question Jesus. He responds by pointing out that it is important to obey the spirit of the law rather than simply going through the technical actions that the law proscribes. Jesus preaches that human intention, not behavior, determines righteousness.
Jesus travels again through northern Palestine. He heals a deaf man and the child of a Gentile, and works a second miracle in which he multiplies a small amount of bread and fish to feed 4,000 people. His disciples, however, continue to misunderstand the significance of his actions. Peter, the foremost of the disciples, seems to be the only one who recognizes Jesus’s divine nature. Jesus begins to foresee his own crucifixion and resurrection. He continues to travel across Galilee, but shifts his emphasis to preaching rather than working miracles. He appears to some of his disciples to be transfigured, made brilliantly white. Jesus explains that John the Baptist served as his Elijah, predicting his arrival. He preaches against divorce and remarriage. He announces that young children, in their innocence, are models for righteous behavior, and that the rich will have great difficulty entering the kingdom of God. He teaches, despite the sacrifices necessary to enter the kingdom, it will be worth it: “Many who are first will be last, and the last, first” (10:31).
Finally, Jesus journeys to Jerusalem, where he drives the money changers from the temple and begins preaching his Gospel. He is well received by the common people but hated by the priests and the scribes. However, he successfully defends himself against the priests’ verbal attacks. He teaches that obedience to Caesar is important, that the dead will be resurrected, that loving one’s neighbor is the greatest commandment, and that the End of Days will soon come, bringing God’s retribution on the unjust and the return of the Son of man.
The story of Jesus’s ministry reaches King Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee who beheaded John the Baptist. Jesus disperses the apostles, charging them with the responsibility to spread the Gospel and to heal the sick. When the apostles rejoin Jesus, they are once again swarmed with people eager to hear Jesus’s message. Through a miracle, Jesus divides five loaves of bread and two fish and feeds all 5,000 people. His disciples, however, seem not to understand the magnitude of his miracle: when he walks on water, they are shocked. The Pharisees, who are upset at Jesus’s abandonment of the traditional Jewish laws, question Jesus. He responds by pointing out that it is important to obey the spirit of the law rather than simply going through the technical actions that the law proscribes. Jesus preaches that human intention, not behavior, determines righteousness.
Jesus travels again through northern Palestine. He heals a deaf man and the child of a Gentile, and works a second miracle in which he multiplies a small amount of bread and fish to feed 4,000 people. His disciples, however, continue to misunderstand the significance of his actions. Peter, the foremost of the disciples, seems to be the only one who recognizes Jesus’s divine nature. Jesus begins to foresee his own crucifixion and resurrection. He continues to travel across Galilee, but shifts his emphasis to preaching rather than working miracles. He appears to some of his disciples to be transfigured, made brilliantly white. Jesus explains that John the Baptist served as his Elijah, predicting his arrival. He preaches against divorce and remarriage. He announces that young children, in their innocence, are models for righteous behavior, and that the rich will have great difficulty entering the kingdom of God. He teaches, despite the sacrifices necessary to enter the kingdom, it will be worth it: “Many who are first will be last, and the last, first” (10:31).
Finally, Jesus journeys to Jerusalem, where he drives the money changers from the temple and begins preaching his Gospel. He is well received by the common people but hated by the priests and the scribes. However, he successfully defends himself against the priests’ verbal attacks. He teaches that obedience to Caesar is important, that the dead will be resurrected, that loving one’s neighbor is the greatest commandment, and that the End of Days will soon come, bringing God’s retribution on the unjust and the return of the Son of man.
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What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............
Who wrote the book of Ephesians?For a brief time at the end of his second missionary journey, and then for more than two years on his third missionary journey, Paul ministered to the church at Ephesus (Acts 18:18–21; 19:1–41). During his time in this city that housed the famous temple to the Greek goddess Artemis, Paul saw many converted to faith in Jesus Christ and many others who opposed his preaching in the synagogues and homes. One prominent silversmith, Demetrius, who made implements for the worship of Artemis, found his business suffering greatly because people were converting to Christianity. The ensuing near-riot led Paul to leave the city, but only after the apostle had done much to stabilize and grow the Christian community there.
Where are we?
Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians sometime in AD 60–61, around the same time he wrote Colossians and Philemon, as he sent all three letters by the hand of Tychicus, accompanied by Onesimus (Ephesians 6:21; Colossians 4:7–9; Philemon 1:10–12). It was during this time that Paul sat in Rome undergoing his first Roman imprisonment (Ephesians 3:1; 4:1), making Ephesians one of the four epistles commonly known as the Prison Epistles. The others are Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.
Why is Ephesians so important?
Second Corinthians and Galatians abound with personal touches from Paul, either about his own life or that of the recipients. Ephesians, on the other hand, stands at the opposite end of the spectrum as one of Paul’s most formal letters. While Galatians offers instructions particularly important for those churches overrun with legalism, Ephesians deals with topics at the very core of what it means to be a Christian—both in faith and in practice—regardless of any particular problem in the community.
What's the big idea?
Paul divided his letter to the Ephesians into two clear segments; applying the truths of the first makes possible the actions and lifestyle of the second. Paul spent the first three chapters of the letter discussing God’s creation of a holy community by His gift of grace in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The members of this community have been chosen by God through the work of Christ, adopted as sons and daughters of God, and brought near to the Father through faith in His Son. All people with this faith—Jews and Gentiles alike—were dead in their transgressions and sins but have been made alive because of the person and work of Jesus Christ.
While Paul was not responding to a particular theological or moral problem, he wanted to protect against future problems by encouraging the Ephesians to mature in their faith. So after laying out profound theological truths in the first half of the book, Paul made his purpose clear: he expected that this community of faith would walk in accordance with its heavenly calling (Ephesians 4:1). As a result of the theological realities Christians accept by their faith in God, several practices should follow in their relationships within the church, in the home, and in the world.
How do I apply this?