The purpose of this study is to analyze the political, economic, and ethnic components of Lukan community, to identify the characteristics of the missionary role of Lord Jesus in His salvation of 'the Lost' in the Text of Luke's Gospel, Jesus's Discip...
The purpose of this study is to analyze the political, economic, and ethnic components of Lukan community, to identify the characteristics of the missionary role of Lord Jesus in His salvation of 'the Lost' in the Text of Luke's Gospel, Jesus's Disciples, and the Lukan community. This paper also aims to examine the importance of an interrelationship between Zacchaeus and the people in the class of 'the Lost' in the Gospel of Luke in Jesus's proclamation of God's Kingdom to them.
This study shows as follows: After raising questions at the introduction of this study in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 investigates the political, social, and economic significance of Gospel of Luke 4:16-20 to illuminate Jesus's visit to Nazareth. In order to understand the temporal background and situation of a passage through the Bible, one must consider the circumstances when the proclamation of words was made and the Text was recorded. This premise facilitates the temporal situation to form a basis of the annotation and interpretation of a passage in Text. With regards to the economy of first century Palestine, distribution of wealth was unequal. The conflict between those who have and those who have not seems to develop into a social issue at the time Luke lived. No evangelists except Luke has a point of view that Jesus was on the side of the poor, and preaching good news to them. While Mark and Matthew are more interested in Jesus's moral and religious proclamation for the poor rather than the poverty itself, Luke takes interest in material poverty. In this sense, this paper searches both economic situation and the moral lesson that is required during the time of Luke.
In Chapter 3, I look at the Gospel of the Kingdom of God which Jesus Christ struggled to spread, and the Gospel Jesus commissioned His disciples to preach under the economic and religious circumstances of Lukan period. Further investigation is made on the conflict in Lukan community attributable by the socially diversified members when the Gospel of Luke was written, and on the Jesus's message which was meant and delivered not only to Judaism but to entire world wherein the Gospel indicates a higher state of the Kingdom of God .
Chapter 4 deals with a textual commentary on passages in Luke 4:16-30, focusing on grasping the substance of 'the poor' to which good news was proclaimed in the synagogue of Nazareth while getting full control of the situation, the main agents behind the Text who initiate the argument. It is considered as a generic term including the prisoners, the blind, the oppressed, and is defined as 'the lost'. The poor is, as it were, those who depend on and follow God totally and unconditionally due to their material needs and poor environments from the harsh realities of life. And that is what the lost means. God is one who came to find and save the lost, the poor. Additional findings are made on Luke's intention to highlight Zacchaeus as a new key figure through the textual commentary of Luke 19:1-10 in which the substance and target of Jesus's proclamation is definable. Besides, an examination of the meaning is followed up as to how the Lord's Gospel must be spread by His disciples.
Chapter 5 aims to establish the theological message Zacchaeus motif carries, the meaning of Messiah that people in Luke's Gospel accept as, and the theological meaning of Messiah that Luke bears and carries upon himself. This endeavor will lead to elucidate the meaning of "Restoration" through the Lord Jesus that the outsiders of Lukan community could acquire amid their social conflicts and agonies.
In conclusion, this study examines the Gospel that Jesus Christ delivered to those who are socially alienated, excluded from salvation, the requirement it illuminates to people today, and suggests our attitude to cope with the lost in Luke's Gospel and our method of applying it to the churches in Korea.