Wednesday 18 May 2016
- Bible Book:
- Luke
“Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” (vv. 45-47)
Psalm: Psalm 139
Background
Luke, like many good authors, uses the literary tool offoreshadowing in verse 49 as Jesus commands his disciples to remainin the city until they are clothed with power from on high. It isalmost like an old cliffhanger film or a television programme wherewe must wait until the next episode to see what will happen.
Although the disciples are to wait for the descent of power -perhaps meaning empowerment or authority, Jesus has alreadyequipped them for the work of proclamation. In verses 44-45 hehelps them recall his teaching so that they will understand him asthe fulfilment of the Messianic prophesies of the law, theprophets, and the Psalms. The biblical texts of the Jewishtradition, what Christians will later call the Old Testament, aregrouped under these three headings; therefore, Luke's Gospel isindicating that Jesus trained his disciples in the study andinterpretation of the whole of Scripture. He opens their minds,presumably by teaching and conversing with them, so that they willunderstand the significance of Jesus' death and resurrection.Furthermore, Jesus highlights that repentance and forgiveness ofsins form the heart of the message those who believe in him willcarry to the whole world.
The act of equipping the disciples with understanding of theScriptures and pointing out the key message they should representto the world is critical. The Spirit will bring power, gifts, andauthority to energise the disciples in the mission for which Jesushas already prepared them.
To Ponder
- What do words like repentance and forgiveness mean in your lifeand spiritual journey?
- In a time when fewer people are biblically literate and only asmall percentage of the population has any relationship with theChurch, by what means can Christians represent the message ofreconciliation through Christ?