An analysis of the apostolic gospel as presented in the Book of Acts lends itself to a categorization of core information into five constituents, all of which are centered upon Jesus. These involve Jesus' identity, his first and second comings, his fulfillment of ancient prophecies, and his call for a radical response to himself. Having covered the first two, we now move on to a preliminary consideration of the third constituent.
The apostolic preaching of Jesus' second coming focuses on the future historical consummation of his mission, even as their preaching of his first coming focused on its historical inauguration. Several of the accounts of public witness in Acts reference this consummation by focusing at various times on four of its major components. These include Jesus' eventual physical return to earth from heaven, the resurrection of the dead, the judgment of the living and the dead, and the full establishment and reign of the kingdom of God upon earth.
However, an exclusive reading of Acts apart from other Scripture does not render a clear, coherent picture of the historical consummation of Jesus' mission. This is because most of the references to the various components are relatively brief and are not combined in a comprehensive manner. Given that Acts is the second part of Luke's historical-apologetic work, the reading of Luke's Gospel is necessary to remove the ambiguity that arises from such an exclusive reading. This of course is not problematic since the intended recipient(s) of Acts is the same as that of his Gospel. Thus, Luke's Gospel serves as an appropriate presuppositional source of information to the reading and interpretation of Acts (cf. "The Apostolic Gospel: Core Content (Excursus)").
Of particular interest is the fact that Luke's Gospel explicitly identifies Jesus as the Messiah numerous times. As has been pointed out earlier, the various beliefs extant among Jews in the first century concerning a Messiah shared a common constellation of eschatological beliefs and hopes, whether that Messiah was understood to be a singular historical figure or a figurative metaphor for the corporate people of God. Resurrection from the dead, God's judgment on the nations, the ultimate vindication of Israel (God's people), the outpouring of God's Spirit and the abiding presence of God, and the full establishment of God's kingdom through the reign of a Davidic king were central to these Messianic beliefs and hopes, being derived from their sacred prophetic texts. In Luke's Gospel, Jesus himself teaches about all of these themes by placing them in direct relationship to himself, identifying himself as the precipitous cause and agent through whom they would take place. It is important to note that many of these themes appear in the apostolic preaching recorded in Acts.
Luke's identification of Jesus as the Messiah is also implicitly underscored by Jesus' own self-identification. It is interesting to observe that Jesus preferred to call himself the "Son of Man" over any other term. This is true not only in Luke's account, but also in the Gospels as a whole. The term, Son of Man, is derived from three Old Testament sources (Ezk 2:1ff.; Psa 80:17; Dan 7:13-14) and connotes two primary meanings, which involve his humanity and his Messianic identity.
The prophet Ezekiel is referred to by Yahweh with the same title approximately ninety-three times, beginning with his divine call to prophetic ministry (2:1), wherein his humanity and his common human bond with the rebellious Israelites is placed in contradistinction to the glory and majesty of God which were revealed to him in a vision (ch. 1). Thus, "Son of Man" connotes Jesus' humanity and his identification with the fallen human race (albeit exclusive of any existential or ontological participation in its sinfulness).
As a side note, this designation of Ezekiel which contrasts his humanity with God's glory is not without a peculiar, subtle comparison. The vision which Ezekiel saw included a divine figure "like that of a man," who "looked like glowing metal," full of fire and surrounded by brilliant light. After describing him, Ezekiel states, "This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Yahweh" (1:26-28). It is immediately after this vision that Yahweh calls Ezekiel "son of man," drawing an interesting comparison between the divine figure and Ezekiel, and calling to mind the fact that Adam and Eve were created in the image of God. This is not without significance, particularly in light of Jesus' incarnation (Lk 1-2) and transfiguration (Lk 9:28-36). Jesus' adoption of the term "Son of Man" includes within it this reference to the divine figure of Ezekiel's vision.
In the prophetic oracles that ensue, Ezekiel goes on to prophesy about many, if not all, of the major eschatological themes that came to be associated with the Jewish Messianic hopes and expectations of the next several centuries. Jesus' identification with Ezekiel as the "Son of Man" thus also includes his association (as evidenced by his own preaching and teaching) with these Messianic themes.
The second Old Testament source for the term "Son of Man," which Jesus adopted for himself, is Psalm 80:17. This text appeals to God for a Davidic ruler to serve as God's agent to bring about deliverance for oppressed Israel: "Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand, the son of man you have raised up for yourself." Again, the Messianic implications are clear.
Finally, the term is used to identify a mysterious figure seen by Daniel in a vision. "...(T)here before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed" (7:13-14). This vision follows sequentially upon another that beholds a session of the heavenly court with the Ancient of Days in attendance, at which divine, permanent judgment is rendered against a monstrous human empire which had oppressed the people of God. The ensuing result of the fulfillment of these two visions is that "the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him" (7:27). It's worth noting that Stephen's apologia in Acts 7 identifies Jesus as the "Son of Man" exalted to the "right hand of God" (7:55-56). The implications are, once again, clear.
Taken together, these three Old Testament sources for the term "Son of Man" provide strong eschatological overtones to Jesus' choice for self-identification. Jesus embraced not only his own humanity through his use of the term, but also his Messianic mission to deliver the people of God and establish the everlasting reign of God's kingdom upon the earth. This is clearly evident throughout Luke's Gospel, which provides the interpretive backdrop for the apostolic speeches recorded in Acts.
Having provided a preliminary sketch of Luke's identification of Jesus as the Messiah/Son of Man who will consummate God's plan of redemption, we will next turn to a consideration of the four major components associated with that consummation which appear both in Luke's Gospel and in the apostolic preaching recorded in Acts. Jesus' return to earth, the resurrection of the dead, the judgment of the nations, and the full establishment and reign of God's kingdom on earth will be reviewed in light of Luke's Gospel, which provides the informational foundation necessary to grasp a clear picture of the apostolic preaching as it touches upon the historical consummation of Jesus' Messianic mission.
Textual References
Messiah - Luke 2:11, 26; 3:15; 4:41; 9:20; 20:41; 22:67; 23:2, 35, 39; 24:26, 46
Son of Man - Luke 5:24; 6:5, 22; 7:34; 9:22-26, 44, 58; 11:30; 12:8-10, 40; 17:22-30; 18:8, 31; 19:10; 21:27, 36; 22:22, 48, 69; 24:7; (cf., Ezk 2:1ff; Psa 80:17; Dan 7:13-14)
fidworks.blogspot.com
21 September, 2010
05 September, 2010
The Apostolic Gospel: First Coming
I have suggested that the core content of the apostolic gospel as presented in the Book of Acts can be understood as being comprised of five constituents or categories of information regarding or related to Jesus of Nazareth. Having considered Jesus' identity as the first of these (see "The Apostolic Gospel: Jesus' Identity"), we will now turn our attention to another of these constituents, his first coming.
By "first coming," I am referring to the apostolic emphasis placed upon the historical public mission of Jesus, not to the circumstances surrounding his birth or his life prior to his public ministry, which are not mentioned in the texts of public proclamation recorded in Acts. Although the Gospels of Matthew and Luke give attention to the significance of Jesus' miraculous conception, the lack of reference to his conception in the record of apostolic preaching in Acts as well as in the Gospels of Mark and John suggest that it is not necessary as a functional element in the preaching of the apostolic gospel. This is not to say, of course, that his divine conception is not of major theological significance. It is to suggest, however, that it is a supporting element of the overall gospel and not intrinsic to its essential communication for salvific purposes.
An analysis of the twelve relevant texts (2:14-41; 3:12-4:2; 4:8-12; 5:29-32; 7:1-60; 10:34-43; 13:16-41; 14:8-18; 17:2-3; 17:16-31; 26:1-29; 28:17-31) reveals that the preaching of Jesus' historical mission involved four major components. These are his public ministry, his suffering and death, his resurrection, and his exaltation. Of these, his suffering, death and resurrection are given the greatest emphasis. A detailed list of references appears below.
The primary references to Jesus' public ministry involve two fundamental points. The first is that Jesus engaged in performing extraordinary acts of divine power for the benefit of those who were suffering or in need, and that he did so because God was with him in the person of the Holy Spirit. The second is that God did this to accredit or attest to his identity, particularly as the Messiah. In other words, the apostles included Jesus' public ministry as part of their gospel presentation for the purpose of underscoring God's goodness and his redemptive purposes as specially manifested in Jesus, who alone is God's unique means by which he has chosen to redeem humanity. The miracles, wonders, and signs which Jesus performed are a divine attestation to his identity and mission, which thus call for an existential response of repentance and faith on the part of all who hear the gospel.
Even greater weight is given in the apostolic preaching to the suffering and death of Jesus. Half of the references recorded in Acts that address this point of the gospel explicitly mention his crucifixion, while the remainder merely refer to his suffering and/or death. The apostles clearly proclaim Jesus as innocent and undeserving of the evil which befell him. Although they make clear that his execution was instigated by humans and constituted a heinous, unjust murder of outrageous proportions, they also attribute this woeful historical event to the superintending providence of Almighty God and describe Jesus' sufferings as "necessary." This is to be understood in relation to the fulfillment of ancient Israelite prophecies concerning the Messiah, and, by intimation, God's own design for procuring redemption for sinful humanity.
The resurrection of Jesus is given equal, if not greater, emphasis to his suffering and death. God is repeatedly identified as the one who explicitly and deliberately raised Jesus from the dead. This extraordinary historical event, which was confirmed by reliable witnesses, served to validate the claim that Jesus is the Messiah, who came to inaugurate the redemption of humanity with a view toward an eventual "restoration of all things." As has been previously mentioned, first century Jewish eschatological views typically included an association of the resurrection of the dead with the appearance of the Messiah-King, whose arrival was to establish some form of the kingdom of God on earth, particularly through Israel for the glory of God and the ultimate benefit of the nations. Consequently, Jesus' resurrection is not merely the vindication of his own innocence, but is also a sign confirming that God has begun and will eventually complete the full establishment of his reign upon this earth through his chosen Messiah, who is established as his vicegerent to rule as king over all humanity.
The resurrection of the dead is often referred to by Paul in Acts as the "hope" of Israel (cf., 23:6; 24:15; 26:6-8, 23; 28:20), since the common belief of many first century Jews held that by this means the faithful believers of past generations would at last be enabled to participate in the fullness of the covenant promises during the enduring reign of the Messiah-King. It is in this light that the resurrection of Jesus should also be understood. As Paul puts it, Jesus was the "first" to rise from the dead, implying that others would eventually follow (26:23). Thus, the proclamation of Jesus' resurrection led to the proclamation of the "good news" of the resurrection in general (4:2; 17:18; 26:6-8, 23), which now could become the hope of not only faithful Jews, but also any and all Gentiles who turn to this Messiah who redeems them, even Jesus. Jesus' resurrection procures our own resurrection, and serves as a sign confirming its eventual occurrence. Consequently, his resurrection has now become the basis of our own hope to also participate in the kingdom of God when it is fully established on this earth upon the return of the Messiah.
A survey of the apostolic preaching in Acts reveals that the implications of the resurrection of Jesus involve both existential and societal redemptive concerns. Examples include the forgiveness of sins, the inevitable judgment of all humanity (the dead as well as the living), and the consequent, implied restructuring of all human societies in light of the full establishment of the kingdom of God. More will be said about this when the fifth constituent or core category of the apostolic gospel is considered.
The final major component involved in the preaching of Jesus' historical mission is his exaltation, to which there are three discernible dimensions. That is, we can speak of his relational, ontological, and functional exaltation. According to the apostolic preaching, God has exalted Jesus to his "right hand" in heaven (2:33; 5:31), a designation which refers to both his relational and functional exaltation. As a human, Jesus now enjoys the unique privilege of immediate intimate access to God the Father in the same unhindered manner as he did from eternity as the Son of God. Of course, he already enjoyed unique access to the Father during the time of his incarnation on earth, having received the Spirit without measure. Nevertheless, his relationship with the Father during that time was necessarily subject to traversing the invisible bridge between heaven and earth, since Jesus' humanity was localized upon this planet. Now, however, he has been exalted in his humanity to the very epicenter, as it were, of the presence of the Father in heaven. The eternal oneness of the Father and the Son, which has always characterized the relationship of God within himself, is now uniquely experienced and enjoyed by Jesus in heaven in his humanity in addition to his divinity.
That Jesus is exalted to God's "right hand," also refers to his functional exaltation, indicating the supreme power, authority, and honor bestowed upon him as a reward for his suffering obedience in conformity to God's will. Indeed, he is exalted "as Prince and Savior" (5:31), which underscores both the compensatory nature of his entitlements and the redemptive function which he is privileged and authorized to fulfill. The immediate redemptive consequences of his exaltation, as cited by the apostolic preaching, are the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the bringing of repentance and forgiveness of sins by Jesus to a desperately needy humanity.
Thirdly, we understand that Jesus has been exalted in an ontological fashion. By this I mean that the glory which is intrinsically his by virtue of his divinity, has now been given to and revealed through his humanity in heaven. Both Stephen and Paul, in their public witness, testify to seeing Jesus in his post-resurrection exalted glory by means of divinely granted visual revelations into heaven. Paul even verbally dialogued with him!
While his exaltation in all three dimensions is implied to be eternal, the place of his exaltation is not. "Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets" (3:21). This exalted Jesus, who performed extraordinary signs and wonders as a testimony to his own identity and God's redemptive purposes, who suffered, died, and rose again according to God's predetermined plan, has promised to return to earth to consummate the establishment of his kingdom, which he inaugurated with his public mission at his first coming. This promised return constitutes the third constituent or core category of the apostolic gospel, to which we will next turn our attention.
Textual References
Public Ministry - 2:22; 3:26; 10:36-39
Suffering & Death - 2:23; 3:13-15, 18; 4:10; 5:30; 7:52; 10:39; 13:27-29; 17:3; 26:23
Resurrection - 2:24, 31, 31; 3:15; 4:2, 10; 5:30; 10:40; 13:30-37; 17:3, 18, 31; 26:6-8, 23
Exaltation - 2:33; 5:31; 7:55-56; 26:13-19
By "first coming," I am referring to the apostolic emphasis placed upon the historical public mission of Jesus, not to the circumstances surrounding his birth or his life prior to his public ministry, which are not mentioned in the texts of public proclamation recorded in Acts. Although the Gospels of Matthew and Luke give attention to the significance of Jesus' miraculous conception, the lack of reference to his conception in the record of apostolic preaching in Acts as well as in the Gospels of Mark and John suggest that it is not necessary as a functional element in the preaching of the apostolic gospel. This is not to say, of course, that his divine conception is not of major theological significance. It is to suggest, however, that it is a supporting element of the overall gospel and not intrinsic to its essential communication for salvific purposes.
An analysis of the twelve relevant texts (2:14-41; 3:12-4:2; 4:8-12; 5:29-32; 7:1-60; 10:34-43; 13:16-41; 14:8-18; 17:2-3; 17:16-31; 26:1-29; 28:17-31) reveals that the preaching of Jesus' historical mission involved four major components. These are his public ministry, his suffering and death, his resurrection, and his exaltation. Of these, his suffering, death and resurrection are given the greatest emphasis. A detailed list of references appears below.
The primary references to Jesus' public ministry involve two fundamental points. The first is that Jesus engaged in performing extraordinary acts of divine power for the benefit of those who were suffering or in need, and that he did so because God was with him in the person of the Holy Spirit. The second is that God did this to accredit or attest to his identity, particularly as the Messiah. In other words, the apostles included Jesus' public ministry as part of their gospel presentation for the purpose of underscoring God's goodness and his redemptive purposes as specially manifested in Jesus, who alone is God's unique means by which he has chosen to redeem humanity. The miracles, wonders, and signs which Jesus performed are a divine attestation to his identity and mission, which thus call for an existential response of repentance and faith on the part of all who hear the gospel.
Even greater weight is given in the apostolic preaching to the suffering and death of Jesus. Half of the references recorded in Acts that address this point of the gospel explicitly mention his crucifixion, while the remainder merely refer to his suffering and/or death. The apostles clearly proclaim Jesus as innocent and undeserving of the evil which befell him. Although they make clear that his execution was instigated by humans and constituted a heinous, unjust murder of outrageous proportions, they also attribute this woeful historical event to the superintending providence of Almighty God and describe Jesus' sufferings as "necessary." This is to be understood in relation to the fulfillment of ancient Israelite prophecies concerning the Messiah, and, by intimation, God's own design for procuring redemption for sinful humanity.
The resurrection of Jesus is given equal, if not greater, emphasis to his suffering and death. God is repeatedly identified as the one who explicitly and deliberately raised Jesus from the dead. This extraordinary historical event, which was confirmed by reliable witnesses, served to validate the claim that Jesus is the Messiah, who came to inaugurate the redemption of humanity with a view toward an eventual "restoration of all things." As has been previously mentioned, first century Jewish eschatological views typically included an association of the resurrection of the dead with the appearance of the Messiah-King, whose arrival was to establish some form of the kingdom of God on earth, particularly through Israel for the glory of God and the ultimate benefit of the nations. Consequently, Jesus' resurrection is not merely the vindication of his own innocence, but is also a sign confirming that God has begun and will eventually complete the full establishment of his reign upon this earth through his chosen Messiah, who is established as his vicegerent to rule as king over all humanity.
The resurrection of the dead is often referred to by Paul in Acts as the "hope" of Israel (cf., 23:6; 24:15; 26:6-8, 23; 28:20), since the common belief of many first century Jews held that by this means the faithful believers of past generations would at last be enabled to participate in the fullness of the covenant promises during the enduring reign of the Messiah-King. It is in this light that the resurrection of Jesus should also be understood. As Paul puts it, Jesus was the "first" to rise from the dead, implying that others would eventually follow (26:23). Thus, the proclamation of Jesus' resurrection led to the proclamation of the "good news" of the resurrection in general (4:2; 17:18; 26:6-8, 23), which now could become the hope of not only faithful Jews, but also any and all Gentiles who turn to this Messiah who redeems them, even Jesus. Jesus' resurrection procures our own resurrection, and serves as a sign confirming its eventual occurrence. Consequently, his resurrection has now become the basis of our own hope to also participate in the kingdom of God when it is fully established on this earth upon the return of the Messiah.
A survey of the apostolic preaching in Acts reveals that the implications of the resurrection of Jesus involve both existential and societal redemptive concerns. Examples include the forgiveness of sins, the inevitable judgment of all humanity (the dead as well as the living), and the consequent, implied restructuring of all human societies in light of the full establishment of the kingdom of God. More will be said about this when the fifth constituent or core category of the apostolic gospel is considered.
The final major component involved in the preaching of Jesus' historical mission is his exaltation, to which there are three discernible dimensions. That is, we can speak of his relational, ontological, and functional exaltation. According to the apostolic preaching, God has exalted Jesus to his "right hand" in heaven (2:33; 5:31), a designation which refers to both his relational and functional exaltation. As a human, Jesus now enjoys the unique privilege of immediate intimate access to God the Father in the same unhindered manner as he did from eternity as the Son of God. Of course, he already enjoyed unique access to the Father during the time of his incarnation on earth, having received the Spirit without measure. Nevertheless, his relationship with the Father during that time was necessarily subject to traversing the invisible bridge between heaven and earth, since Jesus' humanity was localized upon this planet. Now, however, he has been exalted in his humanity to the very epicenter, as it were, of the presence of the Father in heaven. The eternal oneness of the Father and the Son, which has always characterized the relationship of God within himself, is now uniquely experienced and enjoyed by Jesus in heaven in his humanity in addition to his divinity.
That Jesus is exalted to God's "right hand," also refers to his functional exaltation, indicating the supreme power, authority, and honor bestowed upon him as a reward for his suffering obedience in conformity to God's will. Indeed, he is exalted "as Prince and Savior" (5:31), which underscores both the compensatory nature of his entitlements and the redemptive function which he is privileged and authorized to fulfill. The immediate redemptive consequences of his exaltation, as cited by the apostolic preaching, are the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the bringing of repentance and forgiveness of sins by Jesus to a desperately needy humanity.
Thirdly, we understand that Jesus has been exalted in an ontological fashion. By this I mean that the glory which is intrinsically his by virtue of his divinity, has now been given to and revealed through his humanity in heaven. Both Stephen and Paul, in their public witness, testify to seeing Jesus in his post-resurrection exalted glory by means of divinely granted visual revelations into heaven. Paul even verbally dialogued with him!
While his exaltation in all three dimensions is implied to be eternal, the place of his exaltation is not. "Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets" (3:21). This exalted Jesus, who performed extraordinary signs and wonders as a testimony to his own identity and God's redemptive purposes, who suffered, died, and rose again according to God's predetermined plan, has promised to return to earth to consummate the establishment of his kingdom, which he inaugurated with his public mission at his first coming. This promised return constitutes the third constituent or core category of the apostolic gospel, to which we will next turn our attention.
Textual References
Public Ministry - 2:22; 3:26; 10:36-39
Suffering & Death - 2:23; 3:13-15, 18; 4:10; 5:30; 7:52; 10:39; 13:27-29; 17:3; 26:23
Resurrection - 2:24, 31, 31; 3:15; 4:2, 10; 5:30; 10:40; 13:30-37; 17:3, 18, 31; 26:6-8, 23
Exaltation - 2:33; 5:31; 7:55-56; 26:13-19
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