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Jesus Traditions |
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Two texts deserve attention as indicators of Luke’s position on
apocalyptic.
Luke 9:27
But truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they
see the kingdom of God.
Luke’s version of Mark 9:1
is essentially an abbreviation of Mark, but in doing so, he avoids the
question of whether the Kingdom of God is present or future. He certainly
does not heighten the imminent end-of-time motif, as Matthew does, and may
in fact leave open a non-apocalyptic understanding of the kingdom, similar
to what we find in Luke 17:21.
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A reading of Luke’s
version of the Little Apocalypse in Mark 13 reveals several things
about the author’s position on end-of-time matters; in brief, his is a
moderate position.
Luke 21:8-36
[Special Lukan material in purple]
8And he said,
‘Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and
say, “I am he!” and, “The time is near!” Do not go after them. 9‘When
you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things
must take place first, but the end will not follow
immediately.’ 10Then
he said to them, ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom; 11there will be
great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there
will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven. 12‘But
before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you;
they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought
before kings and governors because of my name. 13This
will give you an opportunity to testify. 14So
make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; 15for
I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be
able to withstand or contradict. 16You
will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends;
and they will put some of you to death. 17You
will be hated by all because of my name. 18But
not a hair of your head will perish. 19By
your endurance you will gain your souls.
20 ‘When you see
Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has
come near. 21Then
those in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those inside the city must
leave it, and those out in the country must not enter it; 22for
these are days of vengeance, as a fulfillment of all that is written. 23Woe
to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those
days! For there will be great distress on the earth and wrath against this
people; 24they will fall
by the edge of the sword and be taken away as captives among all nations;
and Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles, until the times of the
Gentiles are fulfilled. 25‘There
will be signs in the sun, the moon,
and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the
roaring of the sea and the waves. 26People
will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for
the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27Then
they will see “the Son of Man coming in a cloud” with power and great
glory. 28Now when
these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because
your redemption is drawing near.’
29 Then he told them a parable: ‘Look at
the fig tree and all the trees; 30as
soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer
is already near. 31So
also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the
kingdom of God is near. 32Truly
I tell you, this generation will not pass away until
all things have taken place. 33Heaven
and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 34‘Be
on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and
drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you
unexpectedly, 35like a
trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36Be
alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all
these things that will take place, and to stand
before the Son of Man.’
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| Some comments:
On the one hand, genuinely apocalyptic elements remain:
• The appearance of the Son of man, and
• The dating to the present generation.
On the other hand, there is a certain degree of de-apocalypticizing of
the Marcan narrative:
• The historicizing of the tribulations, in terms of the Judeo-Roman
war of 66-70, the siege of Jerusalem, and its destruction (events in the
past, when the gospel is written); and
• The unlinking of the section to Daniel by way of removing the desolating
sacrilege reference
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The problem of the
delay of the end of time is not solved, but the imminence of the end is
perhaps softened by the warnings not to get excited:
“. . . but the end will not follow
immediately (Luke 21:9).”
“But before all this occurs . . . (Luke
21:12).”
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| On balance, therefore,
whereas Matthew heightens the apocalyptic element, it may be said that
Luke in a modest degree reduces it.
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| Revised
December 30, 2003
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Contents
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