Christ in Luke -- The Son of Man

The third book of the Gospel is name for its author, Luke.  Luke was a well-educated man and was a doctor.  He was not one of the original disciples of Christ, but was an early convert to Christianity and an associate of Paul and Peter.  He is the only Gentile author in the New Testament.  He wrote the book of Luke and later also wrote the book of Acts.  Both of these books were completed after Paul’s arrest in Rome around 62 A.D. but before his trial and the Roman persecution of the Christians in the mid 60s.  There is no mention of the martyrdom of Paul or Peter in either of Luke’s books, so we can assume both Luke and Acts were completed before those events occurred.

Luke addresses both his books to someone named Theophilus.  No one knows for sure who Theophilus was, but there are many, many theories.  The name Theophilus is a Greek word that means “loved by God” or “friend of God.”  This has led some to believe that it was just a generic term for any Christian.  We will never know for sure, this side of Heaven, so I will not speculate.  However, because of the content of both of Luke’s books, I believe we can safely apply the name to ourselves, because we are, indeed, loved by God.

Besides being the only book written by a Gentile, Luke is unique in other ways.  The only New Testament record of Jesus speaking as a child is recorded in Luke 2:49.  Several parables are uniquely found in Luke:

• The Good Samaritan (10:25-37)
• The Rich Fool (12:13-21)
• The Guest Who Chooses a Place of Honor (14:7-14)
• The Prodigal Son (15:11-32)
• Lazarus and the Rich Man (16:19-31)
• The Persistent Widow (18:1-9)
• The Pharisee and the Tax Collector (18:9-14)

And Luke is the only gospel writer to include the appearance of Jesus on the road to Emmaus after His resurrection. (24:13-35).

Luke places a strong emphasis on prayer.  The word for prayer and the phrase, “I pray,” occur 43 times in his two books.  He shows us that Jesus gave us examples of prayer:

• During His baptism (3:21)
• Before choosing His 12 disciples (6:12)
• Before He asked Peter who He is (9:18)
• Before His transfiguration (9:28)
• Before He taught His disciples to pray, giving them the Lord’s Prayer (11:1)
• Before His arrest in the garden (22:41) – the only mention of His praying that is not unique to Luke

The theme that we see throughout the book of Luke is that of Jesus, The Son of Man.  Where Matthew emphasizes the royalty of Jesus by tracing His genealogy to David, Luke emphasizes His relationship to all men by tracing His genealogy to Adam, the son of God (3:23-38). The title, Son of Man, is used twenty-four times in the book of Luke.  It speaks of His relationship with ALL humanity and His compassion for ALL people.

The first reference in Luke to a universal salvation opportunity through Jesus Christ is in Luke 2:25-32, when the Baby Jesus was 40 days old:

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:  “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

Because Jesus is the Son of Man, He is able to be our Kindred Redeemer.  As we read in the book of Ruth, a kindred redeemer was a close relative who was legally entitled to buy back something a relative had sold into debt.  (If you have time, go back and read my study of Ruth, March 15, 2014, for an in depth look at the law of the kindred redeemer.)  As a result of Adam’s sin, he sold himself into the slavery of sin.  He forfeited his relationship with God, and he brought sin into a sinless world that had been created perfect by God.  All of creation suffered the penalty of Adam’s sin, and all of Adam’s descendants inherited his sin nature and his sin debt – all his descendants EXCEPT Jesus.  Jesus had the ability to sin, as we see that He was tempted by Satan (Luke 4:1-14), but He did not sin.  Therefore, it is by His perfect, sinless life that He was able to pay our sin debt!  A slave could not buy another slave out of slavery, only a free, Kindred Redeemer could do that.  In the same way, a sinner cannot pay the sacrifice for sin, only a sinless Man could do that.  And because Jesus was the Son of Man, not just the Son of David, He is able to be the Kindred Redeemer for ALL mankind, not just the Jews.

  

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. (Hebrews 4:15)

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. (Luke 19:10)

For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! (Romans 5:17)

The message of salvation to ALL people is emphasized again by Luke at the very end of his book.  After Jesus was resurrected from the grave, after He appeared to the two men on the road to Emmaus, He appeared again to His disciples just before He ascended to Heaven.  It was then that He made it clear that He had come to all mankind.

He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:46-47, emphasis added)

My prayer for you and for me this week is in obedience to what Jesus told His disciples to pray in Luke 22:40 and also adapted from the prayer of Jesus, recorded in Luke 22:42b:

Dear Heavenly Father,
I pray that (I) will not fall into temptation.  (But when I am tempted, help me to remember) not my will, but yours be done.  (Help each one of us to spread your Good News, the news of The Son of Man, Our Kindred Redeemer to all nations.)

All Scripture is from the New International Version.

Christ in Mark -- The Suffering Servant

It is generally agreed that Gospel of Mark was written by a young man named John Mark.  He was not one of the original 12 disciples, but he studied under the tutelage of Peter, one of Jesus closest disciples.  It was probably at Peter’s instruction and under his supervision that the book was written.  Or it is possible that Mark began writing his book soon after the martyrdom of Peter which would have most certainly influenced his writing.

It is also agreed that Mark’s gospel was the first of the four gospel books to be written, in about 50 – 60 A.D., probably in Rome.  The church was growing rapidly.  In the twenty to thirty years since Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, the Good News (the Gospel) had been spread by word of mouth throughout the known world.  With that rapid spread of the Gospel, came errors in the telling of it.  There also came persecution of those who accepted Christ and His teachings, especially in Rome.  It was important, therefore, that an account of Jesus life and work be written:  first of all to insure the accuracy of His teachings and of the events surrounding them; and secondly to encourage those who were being persecuted.  Mark’s book served those two purposes perfectly.

It was important for Mark to tell that Jesus was Christ, the Son of God.  We see that declaration as “bookends” in this book:

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God (Mark 1:1)

And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39)

Between these two “bookends,” Mark explains to his readers what it means to be the Son of God.  Mark knew that it is of vital, eternal importance that we understand exactly who Jesus is.  When Peter tried to impose his own view or his own understanding of what it meant to be Messiah, Son of God, Jesus rebuked him, even calling his idea satanic:

But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” (Mark 8:33)

Jesus will not allow us to re-make Him into an image that we might have of Him.  We must know Him for who He came to be, who He is, if we are to know Him at all.  That is why God gave us four different gospel writers, each seeing Jesus from a different perspective, focusing on His different attributes, but all seeing the same God-Man, Jesus, The Messiah, King of Kings, The Suffering Servant, Son of Man, and Son of God.  In these different perspectives, there is no conflict and no contradiction, only expanded, deeper exposition of who He is.

By placing the book of Mark immediately following the book of Matthew, we can see the contrast between Matthew’s King of the Jews and Mark’s Suffering Servant, like two sides of the same coin.  Where Matthew emphasized His Jewish heritage, Mark did not include a genealogy.  He was writing to an audience that was primarily Gentile, not Jewish.  Where Matthew used more references to the Old Testament than any other gospel writer (about 128), Mark used only about 63.  Mark’s focus was primarily on what Jesus did, rather than what He said – he recorded more miracles than parables.  And although He was and is a King, even the Old Testament prophets wrote that the Messiah would suffer and that He would be a servant:

 

He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:2-5)

This is the Suffering Servant that Mark presents to us in his gospel.

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)

And who did the Son of Man serve?  Not only the rich and powerful, but primarily the poor, the sick, the downtrodden, the weak, the deaf, the blind – people who had nothing to offer to Him but their devotion, their love, their very lives.  He did not overlook the rich and powerful – He loved them, too – but He looked with compassion upon those that society would call outcasts.

Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out . . . “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. (Mark 1:23, 25-26)

Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them. (Mark 1:30-31)

And Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons. (Mark 1:34a)

And a leper came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” (Mark 1:40-41, New American Standard Bible)

Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there . . . He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. (Mark 3:1, 5)

Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” . . . He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”).  Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (Mark 5:22-23, 41-42a)

In addition to recording many of the miracles of Jesus, Mark also recorded His betrayal and His suffering.  He could have performed miracles to avoid these coming events to benefit Himself, but that was not why He came.  He came as a servant, and that service included His betrayal by those closest to him, His suffering, and His death on the cross, through which we are healed of our sin, cleansed of our unrighteousness, and brought into His royal family, by His grace, through faith.

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. (Mark 14:10)

Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (Mark 14:35-36)

Then everyone deserted him and fled. (Mark 14:50)

He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. (Mark 15:15b)

They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. (Mark 15:17)
 

Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. (Mark 15:19a)

At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). (Mark 15:33-34)

Mark was speaking not only to the Gentiles of Rome and others in his day, but he was also speaking to us today.  It is vitally important that we know the REAL Jesus – the Jesus who was the Suffering Servant that Mark told us about, and at the same time the King that Matthew wrote about.  Jesus Himself told us that false prophets would come, telling us about a false Jesus:

Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. (Mark 13:5-6)

For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. (Mark 13:22-23)

Jesus also warned against preachers who would enrich themselves at the expense of those who can least afford it, gaining wealth rather than serving in the name of Jesus:

As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.” (Mark 12:38-40)

We need to be sure that we know what Jesus had to say about Himself so that we are not deceived.  Jesus never promised us a life of bliss and bounty.  On the contrary, He said that we would face all kinds of difficulty in this world:

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. (Romans 8:17)

And we need to remember that Jesus called us to lives of service, just as His was a life of service:

Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. (Mark 10:43b-44)

My prayer for you and for me this week is adapted from the words of Jesus in Mark 10:27 and following:

Dear Jesus,
With (me) this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God. When I feel like I am suffering or in need, help me to be thankful for Your promises.  Help me to remember to put myself last and others first.

Christ in Matthew -- King of the Jews

From the very first verse, Matthew gives us the emphasis of his book.  Each of the writers of the four gospels saw the life of Christ from a different viewpoint, just as four witnesses to any event will use different words to describe the same event and will emphasize different parts of the same event, even overlooking different parts.  Matthew’s emphasis was Christ’s royalty; Mark’s emphasis was His suffering and his role as a servant; Luke’s emphasis was His humanity; and John’s emphasis was His divinity.  Matthew’s point of view came from his Jewish background, his knowledge of his Jewish history, and his anticipation of the coming King Messiah.

 

It is significant that this is the first book of the New Testament, since Matthew’s emphasis creates a bridge from the Old Testament and its emphasis on Jewish history and the prediction of the coming Messiah.  In the Old Testament, the Messiah is recognized as a King, and the ancient rabbis often referred to Him as King Messiah.

The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his. (Genesis 49:10) 

I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. (Numbers 24:17a)

Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. (Psalm 24:8)

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Matthew begins his account of the life of Jesus by giving us His genealogy, tracing His roots beginning with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (the founding fathers of the Jewish nation), through David, the son of Jesse who became the second king of Israel, and up to Joseph, the husband of Mary.  This firmly establishes the right of Jesus to claim the throne of David.

Matthew continues by showing how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies of the coming King Messiah.  As a matter of fact, his gospel contains more fulfilled prophecies about Messiah than any of the other three.  Here are just a few, but by no means all that Matthew records:

• The virgin birth:

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit . . . But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. (Matthew 1:18, 25)

• Born in Bethlehem:

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. (Micah 5:2)

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:1-2)

• Herod kills the baby boys:

This is what the Lord says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” (Jeremiah 31:15)

When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” (Matthew 2:16-18) 

• Christ comes out of Egypt:

When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. (Hosea 11:1)

So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” (Matthew 2:14-15) 

• His way prepared by John the Baptist:

The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (Isaiah 40:3) 

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” (Matthew 3:1-3)

• His triumphal entry into Jerusalem:

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9)

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. (Matthew 21:1-2)

 

It is important to understand the significance of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey.  In those days, when a king entered a city in this way, it indicated that he was coming in peace.  The people of Jesus day were not looking for that kind of king.  They wanted a king that would overthrow Rome and re-establish the nation of Israel.  But Jesus came to establish His Kingdom, a spiritual kingdom, not an earthly one.  When He comes again, He will come on a white horse.  He will come as The Conquering King to whom all nations will bow:

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war . . .  On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (Revelation 19:11, 16)

 

Matthew is not only unique in his royal theme and his prolific use of Old Testament prophecy, but his book also uniquely mentions the star of Bethlehem, the visit by the Magi, the flight into Egypt, the savage massacre of the baby boys by Herod, and the complete sermon on the mount.  Matthew is also the only gospel writer who referred to the organized followers of Christ as “The Church.”

This glance at the book of Matthew only begins to scratch the surface of all that is written there and all the prophecies that Matthew shows us that are fulfilled in King Jesus.  I will leave it to you to study the entire book for yourself.  When you do, be sure and take note of the references in the margins of your Bible that will show you where the many prophesies are written in the Old Testament.  You will soon find that Matthew is one of your favorite books of the Bible, and you will find many great treasures there.

My prayer for you and for me this week is adapted from Matthew 6:20-21, part of Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount.   As we dig deeper into the first book of the New Testament, I pray that we will find the treasure there that can never be destroyed or stolen, but will grow as we learn more and more about The King of Kings.

Dear Heavenly King,
(Help us to) store up for (ourselves) treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where (our) treasure is, there (our) heart will be also.

All scripture references are from the New International Version,