Jews and Gentiles in Luke's Gospel and Acts - Essay Sample

Introduction

Luke is one of the most vibrant apostles ever to write the New Testaments, and one particular section that appears to stand out in his books was the inclusion of the Gentiles in God's kingdom which is evidence of strong anti-Jewish element (Ehrman). In the book of Mark, the public act that Jesus performed was an exorcism. However, when Luke was writing his books, he decides to use Mark as the primary source of information but in his writing he chooses to make the first act by Jesus a sermon which is also found in the book of Mark but much later in the book after he has performed a number of miracles and spoken in parables. Luke, however, decides to place it at the beginning of his gospel. Theologically, this was intentional from Luke because he wanted to bring out a particular theme. This is evident in how Luke transforms Mark's account on the sermon looking at the content the two apostles addressed in their books. It is also apparent in the manner in which Jesus views himself in relation to the sermon as well as how the crowd reacts (Heimanav).

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Socially, Luke, the author indicates that the sermon took place in Nazareth the home town of Jesus. He also indicates how Jesus was rejected by his own people which is both shocking and unexpected. Luke also lengthens the story as compared to Mark who shortens it. Luke accounts that Jesus read directly from the scroll indicating that he had come to bring the good news to the poor. After this proclamation, the crowd reacts positively given that Jesus whom they had seen as the Holy One was from Nazareth. However, when Jesus continues in his sermon, he states that by the grace of God, miracles had become accessible to the Jews and the Gentiles alike. It is at that point where Luke introduces the idea of Jesus teaching as both non-discriminatory and versatile (Heimanav). At that point, he addressed the fact that the audience could have been other than Jewish.

The crowd in the synagogue are filled with range because they find it insulting that another lifestyle or religion could be acceptable in the eyes of God. Jesus manages to leave peacefully but later his crucifixion, according to Luke, was a product of the Jews (Ehrman). Luke made it clear that the Gentiles were equally justified by faith just like the Jews. The same is continued in the Book of Acts we see a Gentile by the name Cornelius who later was also filled by the Holy Spirit. This was evidence that the gospel of Jesus was meant for both the Jews and the Gentiles.Tattoos on the Heart

The book by Pastor Greg Boyle adequately decontextualizes Luke and his deeds evident in his writing especially on Gentiles or people in society who were thought to unworthy to inherit the kingdom of heaven. In Luke's Gospel, Luke is very intentional in spreading the good news to the Jews and the Gentiles alike. He intentionally lengthens the encounter Jesus had with the crowd in Nazareth before they rejected him after indicating that the kingdom of God was for those who decided to follow Jesus. He also records Jesus commanding his disciples to spread the gospel to all the Gentiles (Tutt).

In the first chapter of Act, it is evident that the early church had a hard time understanding the full magnitude of Jesus' command on spreading the word to the ends of the earth. Peter, the book of Acts, is the first to interact with the Gentiles. God had given him a vision of visitors who were about to arrive, and he ordered him to accompany them without hesitation. To his surprise the visitors were Gentiles, and he decided to step across the culture that separated the Jews and the Gentiles by going with them. He later told them of Jesus and baptized them in the name of Jesus. To his surprise, they were filled with the Holy Spirit (Tutt).

In the Tattoos on the Heart, an almost similar story is told of a Pastor Boyle who was inspired by the Lord to take the good news to men and women who were once criminals. In 1990, reporters came to Boyle's church to cover a story on his work in his community. One newscaster by the name Mike Wallace says that he went there expecting to find monsters, but instead, he found reform students who had also embraced religious faith and God. In modern society, such criminals would reflect the Gentiles indicated in the book of Luke and Acts. However, as Luke emphasizes it in his book, the good news was meant for the Jews and the Gentiles alike. In our case, the good news is intended for both Christians and criminals alike. This is evident from the book as Pastor Boyle shows the world how God ministers to the hearts of those who follow Him regardless of one's background.

Works Cited

Ehrman, Bart. "Anti-Judaism In The Gospel Of Luke". The Bart Ehrman Blog, 2015, https://ehrmanblog.org/anti-judaism-in-the-gospel-of-luke/. Accessed 10 Apr 2019.

Haimanav. "Jews And Gentiles Within Luke's Gospel | The New Testament". Blogs.Uoregon.Edu, 2015, https://blogs.uoregon.edu/rel223s15drreis/2015/04/20/jews-and-gentiles-within-lukes-gospel/. Accessed 10 Apr 2019.

Tutt, Rich. "The Inclusion Of The Gentiles". Broadcast, 2015, http://www.thebroadcastnetwork.org/theology/the-inclusion-of-the-gentiles/. Accessed 10 Apr 2019.