Why write a gospel and its sequel?
"I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and teach...After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive." - Acts 1:1–3
What if the story of Jesus of Nazareth ended with his death? That is, what if all the Gospels ended with nothing about what came after his burial?
My wife reads the first chapter of a novel and then the last one. Then she likes to figure out how the author will develop the plot. What would be the point of the story of Jesus in Luke if it concluded with chapter 23, which ends with “The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.”
Imagine Jesus died and buried. Then imagine the women coming after the Sabbath with the spices they had prepared, and finding Jesus’ body as it had been laid. They completed their burial duties and went back home to mourn. Would Luke ever have given any thought to writing the sequel “Acts”? Forget the sequel, why would he have written a “gospel” to begin with?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for a gospel that ends with hope. Praise God who raised you from the dead as both Lord and Christ.
Rudy Antle
Member
Calvary Baptist Church
Denver, CO |
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