5.3 Crucifixion and resurrection in Luke (anthology 7) Flashcards
What is the context of the crucifixion?
Curcifixion is shameful for Romans and a curse for Jews
“anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse”- Deuteronomy 21:23
- Roman crucified in public, victim has to carry cross to site, crowd are encouraged to mock
Events of Jesus’ crucifixion
- Jesus carries his cross to Golgotha where he makes a prophecy about the Apocalypse to the ‘daughters of Jerusalem;. Simon of Cyrene is forced to carry Jesus’ cross.
- Soldiers divide up Jesus’ clothes
- Jesus is crucified between two thieves
- the corwd mocks him but one thief asks for forgiveness
What is the significance of the crucifixion for the forgiveness of sins?
Forgiveness of sins: Jesus prays to God to forgive his enemies- forgiveness of all human sins, thief repents his sins and Jesus assures him he is forgiven
What is the significance of the crucifixion for the future of the church?
Simon of Cyrene= christian convert, (his sons are in Mk). Christianity spreads through compassion for Jesus’ suffering, e.g thief admiriing Jesus’ goodness
What is the significance of the crucifixion for the power of God?
Jesus describes God acting in strength on future Day of Judgement (e.g ‘daughters of Jerusalem’) AND God fulfils prophecies in scriptures
What are some prophecies God fulfils through the crucifixion?
1) Jesus is prophetic (women of Jerusalem):
- As Jesus pasts he tells the women “Do not weep for me
2) Dividing of clothing:
- The soldiers divide the clothes and cast them
- Psalm 22: “they cast lots over my clothing”
3) Dying with criminals:
- Salvation- he forgives the criminals he is next to, the penitent thief
- Offers forgiveness to those who crucified him- “Father forgive them…”- prays for people PRIESTLY
- One of the criminals realises that Jesus can grant eternal life, and Jesus is happy to open the kingdom to him
4) Darkness:
- Refers to Joel chapter 2, also references exodus and is a expression of God’s displeasure and judgement on what is happening. Therefore it has apocalyptic undertones.
5) Tearing the curtain
- In Luke’s gospel the curtain is torn whilst Jesus is still alive approaching his death, but in the other gospels the curtain tears when Jesus dies
- In the other gospels the death of Christ is the atonement for sins which breaks the barrier between humans and God the curtain is torn when Jesus dies, his death is the atonement
- In Luke However it isn’t the death of Christ that is atoning, it is his whole life of suffering that atones for our sins
- Isiah 53
6) Sour Wine:
- They are mocking Jesus
- Prediction in the old test that the messiah will be mocked
7) Jesus’ abandonment of himself to God:
- In Matthew and Mark Jesus cries out “My God, my God why have you forsaken me”
- In Luke “Father into thy hand I command my spirit”
- Jesus is confident as God’s son and as the messiah
8) Recognition by Roman:
Roman Centurion in Mark:
- Declares Jesus as the son of God
In Luke:
- The Roman Centurion says Jesus is righteous- In this context Jesus is recognised as pure and blame worthy in human and God’s eyes, reference back to Isiah 53 and the righteous servant of God who suffers for others- dikaios (Greek for righteous)- This word is about someone who is just and pure
- It is a gentile who recognises the righteous servant of God- the kingdom of God is open to gentile and Jew, and also ‘Jesus the light of the nation’ who is there for everybody not just the Jews
- Luke putting these words into a gentile confirms Simeon’s prophecy at the beginning of the gospel where he calls Jesus the light of the nations
- Expectation that messiah will bring all people together in peace
9) Followers stand by:
- God’s chosen person being let down and left alone by his closest followers, shows suffering
What does Marshall say about the repentence?
God’s ‘veiled and secret’ power transforms lives and triggers repentence
What does Matera say about the crucifixion?
Matera believes Luke attempts to write a theology, because there are unique bits in Luke- these differences indicate Matera’s theology not objective history- Jesus is God’s royal son with a destiny which he fulfils :
1) Death as destiny:
- At the beginning of Luke’s gospel Zechariah has a vision of an angel in the temple- reference that there will be a messiah in Jerusalem
- The second time Jesus is recognised as ‘light of the world’/ saviour is by Simeon in Jerusalem
- From Luke chapter 9 onwards, Jesus makes reference to his destiny being in Jerusalem
- Jesus arrives in Jerusalem on a donkey as a royal son of David’s line in Jerusalem, final week of his life
- Jesus’ death fulfils the trope of his impending sacrifice in Jerusalem, highlighted from the very beginning of Luke’s gospel -Matera’s argument= Jesus actively fulfils the prophecies
2) Death as model for discipleship:
- Jesus Forgives his enemies,
- Jesus completely trusts in God
- Even when he is in agony he entrusts himself to God
- Unique to Luke
- Simon of Cyrene carrying Jesus’ cross and following Jesus symbolises true discipleship
3) Death as rejection of Jesus as the Prophet:
- The rejection of Jesus the true messiah by the Jewish leaders is to be contrasted with the recognition of Jesus as righteous by a Roman and the trust in Jesus displayed by the penitent thief
- Unique to Luke
4) Death as God’s son
- “Father into your hands I commend my spirit”- Jesus
- This phrase is not present in Matthew or Mark
- Only in Luke
How does the crucifixion show salvation?
Penitent thief represents all humans in need of salvation: triggered in compassion for Jesus’ suffering
- feels guilt for his own sins, leading to confession and repentence- Faith in christ to save him: ideal model of christian spirituality
What is the context for the death of Jesus?
Death from crucifixion through blood loss and suffocation takes 1-3 days but much less if exhausted or legs broken (Jesus had been awake 24 hours, beaten, whipped, and too tired to carry his coss- dies after 6 hours)
- Jesus was crucified at 9 am (sun goes dark at 12), at 3pm the veil in the Temple is torn in half, Jesus offers up his spirit to God and dies; Roman centurion admits that Jesus was blameless; crowds are sorry for what has happened; Jesus’ female followers watch on
What is the significance of Jesus’ death for the forgiveness of sins?
Torn temple veil:
- sacrifice in the temple is supposed to remove sins
- Jesus is the true temple/ true sacrifice
- sins are now forgiven
- corwd ‘beat their breasts’ showing guilt and repentence
What is the significance of Jesus’ death for the future of the church?
- Centurion and crowd are moved by addmiratin for Jesus’ innocent suffering
- tearing of temple veil symbolizes how gentiles now are able to approach God
What is the significance of Jesus’ death for the Power of God?
Darkness at noon shows God acting in strength (link to Egyptian plague, also a reversal of God’s first creative act to create light)
- admiration from Centurion and crows shows ‘veiled and secret’ power of God to spread compassion and love in a place of hate
What is the significance of Jesus’ death for sacrifice?
- Jesus is a perfect sacrifice, which renders the Temple sacrifices redundent (temple veil torn)
What is the significance of Jesus’ death for salvation?
Characters at different stages along this journey to salvation: the centurion (compassion for Jesus but does not repent), crowd (begun to repent but does not yet have faith)
