visão lucana morte jesus

7/28/2019 viso lucana morte jesus

1/11

Luke 23:47 and the Lucan View of Jesus' DeathAuthor(s): Robert J. KarrisSource: Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 105, No. 1 (Mar., 1986), pp. 65-74Published by: The Society of Biblical LiteratureStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3261111

Accessed: 07/01/2009 18:40

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at

http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless

you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you

may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use.

Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at

http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=sbl.

Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed

page of such transmission.

JSTOR is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1995 to build trusted digital archives for scholarship. We work with the

scholarly community to preserve their work and the materials they rely upon, and to build a common research platform that

promotes the discovery and use of these resources. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].

The Society of Biblical Literature is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to

Journal of Biblical Literature.

http://www.jstor.org
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3261111?origin=JSTOR-pdfhttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=sblhttp://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=sblhttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/stable/3261111?origin=JSTOR-pdf


2/11

JBL 105/1 (1986) 65-74

LUKE 23:47 AND THELUCAN VIEW OF JESUS' DEATH

ROBERT J. KARRIS, O.F.M.Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, IL 60615

Luke'sview of Jesus'death has a bad press. There has been a tendencyto evaluate Luke's presentation by an explicit or implicit comparison withMark and Paul. And Luke is found wanting, for he does not see Jesus'deathas a sacrifice or as an atoning work.' In this evaluation of Luke's view ofJesus' death, Luke is not allowed to be an independent theologian; hedefinitely is such, as three recent German monographs have demonstrated.2The purpose of this article is not to summarize these three monographs, butto sample their riches in a study of one verse of Luke's passion account,Luke 23:47. I will make three points.

I. Truly This Man Was RighteousMy argument here is that Luke 23:47 should be translated: "Seeingwhat had happened, the centurion praised God, saying, 'Truly this manwas righteous."' That is, I will argue that dikaios does not mean innocent,but means righteous.The evidence for translating Luke 23:47 as "Trulythis man was inno-cent" is multiple. The latest edition of A Greek-English Lexicon of the NewTestament and Other Early Christian Literature has this entry underdikaios 3: "A restriction of the mng. just results in the excellent sense

1 See Joseph A. Fitzmyer, The Gospel According to Luke (I-IX): Introduction, Translation,and Notes (AB 28; Garden City, NY:Doubleday, 1981) 22-23, for a description and critiqueof this "thesis" about Luke's theology.2 Richard Glockner, Die Verkiindigung des Heils beim Evangelisten Lukas (WalberbergerStudien, Theologische Reihe 9; Mainz: Grunewald, 1976) 155-95; Anton Buchele, Der TodJesu im Lukasevangelium: Eine redaktionsgeschichtliche Untersuchung zu Lk 23 (Frank-furter Theologische Studien 26; Frankfurt am Main: Josef Knecht, 1978); F. Georg Unter-gassmair, Kreuzweg und Kreuzigung Jesu: Ein Beitrag zur lukanischen Redaktionsgeschichteund zur Frage nach der lukanischen "Kreuzestheologie" (Paderborner Theologische Studien10; Paderborn: Schoningh, 1980). There is an excellent summary of Glockner, Die Verkiindi-

gung des Heils, 155-95 in Jerome Kodell, "Luke's Theology of the Death of Jesus," in Sin,Salvation, and the Spirit: Commemorating the Fiftieth Year of The Liturgical Press (ed.Daniel Durken; Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1979) 221-30.65


3/11

Journal of Biblical Literatureinnocent for Lk 23:47."3Some of the most influential modern translationsof the NT support the translation of dikaios as "innocent." The RSV has:"Certainly this man was innocent." The NAB reads: "Surely this was aninnocent man." Commentaries as diverse as those of Wilfrid J. Harringtonand Frederick W. Danker-to limit ourselves to two written in English-opt for the meaning "innocent." Their main reason is that such a renditionaccords with the innocence theme of Luke 23:4, 14-15, 22. More evidencecould be brought forward for the translation "innocent," but these repre-sentative samples will have to suffice. It seems that the evidence presented,especially in the commentaries, is largely contextual. That is, the trans-lation "innocent" suits the context wherein Pilate, Herod, the repentantthief, and Joseph of Arimathea say that Jesus is innocent.But other evidence can be brought forward for the translation of"righteous."First, there is the general context of Luke-Acts. As Brian E.Beck rightly observes: "In no other instance in the Gospel or Acts candikaios or its cognates be restricted to 'innocent.'"5 Then there is the im-mediate context, wherein Luke uses the dikai-root twice: once in 23:41 andonce in 23:50, meaning "justly"and "righteous" respectively. If this is so,then why would Luke have suddenly narrowed the meaning of dikaios in23:47 to mean "innocent"?6 What is more important, the translation ofdikaios by "innocent" does not accord with the meanings and associationsof other words in the verse itself. I refer to "he praised God" and to "seeing."In his reaction to Jesus' death, the pagan centurion "praised God."Doxazein ton theon occurs in Luke 2:20; 5:25, 26; 7:16; 13:13; 17:15;18:43and here in 23:47; Acts 4:21, 21:20. As I. Howard Marshall correctly ob-serves: It is ". .. a favorite Lucan reaction to a revelation of divine powerand mercy."7It is a soteriological phrase, and the translation of dikaios by"innocent"-a juridical term-misses the theological thrust of the verse.8The centurion praised God because he saw darkness, the temple cur-tain rent in two, and how Jesusprayed. Idon is in an emphatic position, andit should be recalled that Luke uses idein or equivalents in 23:8 (3x), 23:35,

3 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1979) 196.4 W. J. Harrington, The Gospel according to St. Luke (London: Chapman, 1968) 268;F. W. Danker, Jesus and the New Age According to St. Luke: A Commentary on the ThirdGospel (St. Louis: Clayton, 1972) 242.5 "'Imitatio Christi' and the Lucan Passion Narrative,"in Suffering and Martyrdom in theNew Testament: Studies presented to G. M. Styler by the Cambridge New Testament Seminar(ed. William Horburg and Brian McNeil; Cambridge: University Press, 1981) 42.6 See Beck, "'Imitatio Christi,'" 42.

7 The Gospel of Luke: A Commentary on the Greek Text (New International Greek Testa-ment Commentary; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978) 876.8 See the formulation given by Btichele, Der Tod Jesu im Lukasevangelium, 87: "Erbekennt Jesus als den dikaios im juristischen wie theologischen Sinn."

66


4/11

Karris: Luke 23:4723:48 (2x), and 23:49. I would suggest two things. First, "seeing" is animage for revelation.9 Second and more important, whereas Herod in 23:8wanted to see some sign performed by Jesus and was not able, the pagancenturion has seen God's mighty deed in Jesus' death and has given praiseto God.'0 In Jesus' death the centurion has seen God at work. And theprimary meaning of that death is to be seen in the prayer of Jesus in23:46-again, a verse in the immediate context. The RSV of 23:46 is: "ThenJesus, crying with a loud voice, said, 'Father, into thy hands I commit myspirit!' And having said this he breathed his last." At his death Jesus recitesone of the psalms of the suffering righteous one, Psalm 31. Instead of tryingto save himself, Jesus gave himself trustingly into the hands of his Father.In this way, he was saved from the hands of his enemies. In this way, heproved himself to be the righteous one and son of God." In commenting onLuke 23:46, Richard J. Dillon draws attention to the confessions in Actswhich proclaim Jesus as the Righteous One (Acts 3:14-15; 7:52; 22:14):

Consideringhat thewordsof the Crucifiedwhichprecede hecenturion'sare taken from the prayerof the confident suffererof Ps 31 who ulti-mately celebrateshis victoryas 'righteousone,' it is probablethat thecenturion's ikaios s, in fact, the messianicvictor aboutto be vindicatedby God in spite of humanonslaughtagainsthim (Acts3,14f.).'2Further evidence for the view taken here that Jesus dies as a sufferingrighteous one can be seen in Luke's use of Psalms 22 and 69 and Wis 2:18in Luke 23:34b-38. These references to the fate of the suffering righteousone seem purposeful and indeed fit the context of 23:46-47 quite well.I would summarize what we have learned about Luke's soteriology inthis way. Jesus' prayer in 23:46 is linked to his other words in 23:28, 31, 34a,43, all of which show his unity with his Father, show his unity with hisFather's will to save humankind, even in its darkest hours. Salvation is tobe found not in fleeing death nor in using one's power to escape from it, butin trusting that God is righteous and remains united with his rejected andbattered creation even in its sorest hours. This is sola fide and sola gratia.

9 On the symbolic meaning of "sight"in Luke-Acts, see James D. G. Dunn, Baptism inthe Holy Spirit (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1970) 76-78.10The motif of "seeing"continues in Luke 24 with the result that it is the risen Jesus whoopens the eyes of the disciples to see that he is the fulfillment of scripture and that mission-aries/disciples continue his journey to the Father. Consult especially Richard J. Dillon, FromEye-Witnesses to Ministers of the Word: Tradition and Composition in Luke 24 (AnBib 82;Rome: Biblical Institute Press, 1978) 133, 147, 217.1 For more detail and references to Ps 31:6, 16a and Wis 2:18 and 3:1, see Ludger Feld-kamper, Der betende Jesus als Heilsmittler nach Lukas (Ver6ffentlichungen des Missions-priesterseminars St. Augustin bei Bonn 29; St. Augustin: Steyler, 1978) 281-82.12 From Eye-Witnesses to Ministers of the Word, 100-101.

67


5/11

Journal of Biblical LiteratureJesus' dying prayer reveals a God who is faithful and remains with hisunjustly treated creation. The centurion praises this God at work in Jesus'death.'3

Truly, this Jesus was a righteous man.II. The Lucan Jesus Is Not a Martyr

By showing that dikaios should be translated as "righteous"and not as"innocent" in Luke 23:47, I have begun a reexamination of the commonlyheld thesis that Luke presents Jesus' death as that of an innocent martyr.If Luke does not present Jesus' death as that of an innocent martyr, thenanother support for the translation of dikaios by "innocent" is removed.l4Inthis section, I will present and then critique the influential martyr thesis asformulated by Martin Dibelius and championed to this day.15The following quotation gives the essence of Dibelius's position:

ForLuke, hesufferingSaviour s the Manof Godwho is attackedbyevilpowersand who, with his patienceand forgiveness, s a model of inno-cent suffering.Lukeregards hese events in the place where he conse-quentlyputsthem not as the completionof salvation,but as the storyofa saintlyman closelyunited with God. The literaryconsequenceof thisviewisthat LukepresentshePassionasa martyrdom.TherewereJewishmartyrdoms, sis provedbytheliteraryrecordof themin theMartyrdomof Isaiah,and in II and IV Maccabees.Sincethese werereadamongtheChristiansthe evangelistcould expect that if he presentedJesusas amartyrhe would be understoodby Christianreaders.16Following the schema of Brian Beck, I line up the overall parallelsbetween Luke 22-23 and the martyrdom literature:171. Conflict. The martyr is fighting against the power of Satan and thepower of darkness. See Martyrdom of Isaiah 4:11-12 and Luke 22:53 and22:3. God is on the side of the martyr. See how in Luke 22:39-45 Jesus is

strengthened by an angel; see also how God is on the side of the martyr bysending an angel in Dan 3:25 and 3 Macc 6:18.13 My formulations in this section are indebted to Untergassmair, Kreuzweg und Kreu-zigung Jesu, 191-93.14 I am not convinced that Luke had an apologetic intent in writing his passion account,an apologetic intent that would have prompted him to use dikaios in the meaning of "inno-cent." See Robert Maddox, The Purpose of Luke-Acts (Studies of the New Testament and ItsWorld; Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1982) 91-99.15 With some modifications, Dibelius's viewpoint is present in one of the most recent com-

mentaries on Luke's Gospel: Charles H. Talbert, Reading Luke: A Literary and TheologicalCommentary on the Third Gospel (New York:Crossroad, 1982) 212-25, esp. 221-24. See alsoTalbert, The Certainty of the Gospel: The Perspective of Luke-Acts (De Land, FL: StetsonUniversity Press, 1980) 5-9.16 From Tradition to Gospel (New York:Scribner, n.d.) 201.17 Beck, "'Imitatio Christi,"' 30-40.

68


6/11

Karris: Luke 23:472. Innocence. On this theme see Luke 23:4, 14-15, 22 and Dan 6:4-5and 3 Macc 3:1-10.3. Attitude of the bystanders. There is the mocking of the martyr. SeeLuke 23:35-39 and the Martyrdom of Isaiah 5:1-11. Folks come out to seethe "spectacle."See Luke 23:35a and 23:48. See also 3 Macc 5:24.4. The conduct of the martyr. The martyr suffers for a cause and issteadfast in the midst of the most brutal punishments, which are graph-ically portrayed. Jesus dies willingly and with composure.5. The martyr shows what is in store for his/her coreligionists. Themartyrdom literature is written to support fellow believers under threat ofmartyrdom. See the heavy stress in Luke 22-23 on the testing of disciple-

ship, for example, Simon Peter in 22:31-34, 54-65; Simon of Cyrene in23:26.Four points are to be noted in critique of the interpretive model ofmartyr. First, it seems that many of the supposed parallels between Lukeand the martyrdom literature are formal and not material. For example,the fact that Jesus is strengthened by an angel in the Garden is suggestedas parallel to 3 Macc 6:18-21. Yet a closer examination of the parallel revealsits vagueness-indeed, its non-applicableness. For if this parallel werematerial, Jesus would never have gone to his passion. The angels wouldhave vanquished his adversaries. Second, many of the features of the so-called martyrdom literature are missing from Luke, for example, themartyr's condemnation of his killers, the description of the physical painof the martyr. Third, certain parallels, for example, the martyr's fightingagainst the power of Satan and the power of darkness, can be given other,more plausible interpretations." Finally, the martyrdom parallels fail toread Luke 22-23 in the context of the rest of the Gospel and thus fail toaccount for the presence of multiple Lucan motifs in the passion narrative,for example, Jesus' relationship with his Father, whose plan he fulfills byjourneying to the cross.'918 On Luke 22:39-46 as Luke'sdramatization f Jesus'greateschatologicalvictoryas thetrue Adam,the Son of God, see JeromeH. Neyrey,"TheAbsenceof Jesus'Emotions-theLucan Redactionof Lk 22,39-46,"Bib 61 (1980)153-71.19Concerning heseothermotifs,seeHansConzelmann,TheTheologyof St. Luke(Lon-don: Faber&Faber,1960)200n. 2;andUntergassmair, reuzwegundKreuzigung esu,156-71. Besides hecritiquesofferedabove, he"martyr"motif alsohasto be revisedbecauseof theworksof EduardSchweizer,Lordship ndDiscipleship SBT1/28;London:SCM,1960);andof EduardLohse,Martyrer ndGottesknecht:UntersuchungenururchristlichenVerkundi-gungvomSiihntodJesuChristi(FRLANT 6; Gottingen:Vandenhoeck& Ruprecht,1955).Theworksof Schweizer nd Lohsehave, n turn,beencritiquedby LotharRuppert,Jesusalsder eidendeGerechte?DerWeg esu mLichteeinesalt- undzwischentestamentlichenMotivs(SBS59: Stuttgart:KatholischesBibelwerk,1972). In turn the work of Rupperthas beencriticizedby GeorgeW. E. Nickelsburg,"The Genreand Functionof the MarkanPassionNarrative," TR 73 (1980)153-84.Inworkingout his thesis,Nickelsburgs dependentuponhis earlierwork, Resurrection,mmortality,and EternalLife in Intertestamental udaism

69


7/11

Journal of Biblical LiteratureIn conclusion, at first blush the parallels between the martyrdom lit-erature and Luke's passion are impressive. But upon critical examination

they appear to be vague. If I am correct in this assessment, how do I accountfor the prevalent viewpoint in Lucan scholarship that Luke presents Jesus'death as a martyrdom? I offer two observations as a rationale for thisphenomenon. The martyr parallels may have taken hold in the analysis ofLuke 22-23 because they allow the reader to grasp more easily, as a whole,the paraenetic and paradigmatic thrust of these chapters. These parallelsalso help the reader give an explanation for Luke's apparent failure toattribute saving efficacy to Jesus' death.20In sum, if Luke does not present Jesus' death in Luke 22-23 as amartyrdom, then another support has been removed for translating dikaiosin 23:47 by "innocent." Truly, this man was righteous.

III. Justice as a Pervasive Motif in Luke-ActsIn this third section we return to Luke 23:47 once more. Brian Beckmakes a very insightful comment on the occurrence of ontos in 23:47."There may even be a particular point in the adverb ontos. In more thanone place Luke refers caustically to those whose righteousness is feigned orbased on self-esteem (16:15; 18:9; 20:20); in Jesus we see the genuine

thing."21Beck is drawing the reader's attention to the pervasive motif ofjustice in Luke.In the Gospels only Matthew has more instances of the use of dikaios,ktl. than Luke.22Dikaiosyne occurs once in Luke's Gospel and four timesin Acts. Dikaios occurs eleven times in the Gospel and six times in Acts.Dikaioo occurs five times in the Gospel and twice in Acts. In the Gospeldikaioma and dikaios occur one time apiece.23It is one thing to list the statistics for the presence of the Lucan motifof justice, but it is another to find evaluations of these statistics. Recentlythat scholarly lacuna has been filled by the work of John Reumann. Writingfrom the perspective of whether Luke-Acts' teaching on righteousnessshows Pauline influence,24Reumann gives this summary:

(HTS 26; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1972). Nickelsburg would set the mul-tiple motifs of the passion narrative into a single literary genre: the story of persecution andvindication.

20 On this last point, see Francois Bovon, Luc le theologien: Vingt-cinq ans de recherches(1950-1975) (Neuchatel and Paris: Delachaux & Niestle, 1978) 175-81.21 "'Inhitatio Christi,'" 42.

22 See John Reumann, "Righteousness" n the New Testament: "Justification"inthe UnitedStates Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue. With responses by Joseph A. Fitzmyer andJerome D. Quinn (Philadelphia: Fortress; New York and Ramsey, NJ: Paulist, 1982) 135.23 See Reumann, "Righteousness"in the New Testament, 135.

70


8/11

Karris: Luke 23:47But Luke-Acts oes demonstratehow pervasive he termswere fromOTroots.Falseclaimsatbeingdikaioswereopposed Luke10:29;16:15; 8:9;cf. 5:32). God'srighteousnesss vindicated (Luke 7:29), throughJesusandthe responseof sinnersandpublicans o him (Luke7:35).He is "therighteousOne"(Acts3:14;7:52;22:14).That he taughthow the humbleand self-effacing,in contrast to the boastful, get to be "justified"srecorded Luke18:14).ThroughJesusone is justified n the senseof freedor exonerated, n ways the law of Mosescould not provide(Acts13:38-39). There s alsoamplereference o future resurrection f the "just andunjust)"(Luke 14:14;Acts 24:25), future judgment (Acts 17:31),andethicsin light thereof(Acts24:25).This is not Paul'sview,but a differentsort developedin Gentile Christianity, rom the gospel and OT tradi-tions, but in light of the Christ-event.25Reumann presents the data, yet because of his angle of vision is notable to discern other aspects of Luke's multifaceted motif of justice. In whatfollows I will draw attention to these other aspects through a brief, three-stage evaluation of Luke's vital motif of justice.Luke's motif of justice can be expressed in three capsule statements. InLuke, Jesus is the righteous one of Wis 2:10-5:8.26His way of righteousnessis opposed to that of the religious leaders who plot his death. Jesus bringsthe good news of God's justice to the poor and afflicted.Luke'smotif of justice can be expressed in paragraph form as follows.Jesus' ministry of calling sinners to righteous ways of life-for example,almsgiving-is denounced by religious leaders who appear to be righteous.Jesus is the righteous one, who, obedient to God's will and plan, reveals andembodies that plan. He reveals a God who is just to the poor and afflicted.He unjustly meets with opposition from the religious leaders, stereotypes ofunrighteous conduct. Embattled, Jesus is the suffering righteous one. Inhim God is on trial. God vindicates himself and his plan for creation in

exalting the crucified righteous one, Jesus.27When the centurion sees themighty deed of God's fidelity to Jesus and Jesus' fidelity to his Father, thispagan confesses that Jesusis indeed God's righteous one. Pagans who shouldhave no eyes see and those who have eyes are blind.Finally, a broader view of Luke's motif of justice is found in Luke 18:9-14 (the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector) and in Luke's use ofthe kingdom of God. In Luke 18:9-14 the Pharisee is contrasted with amember of Luke's rogues' gallery. As in Luke 7:29-30, the question is oneof justice. The Pharisee is the negative example of persons who justify

24 Ibid.25 Ibid., 142-43.26 SeeSchweizer,Lordship nd Discipleship,30: "Theway of the righteousone depictedhere (Wisdom2-5) is evenin manydetails the way which Jesushas actually gone."27 In formulating hisparagraph, am indebted o Glockner,Die VerkundigungesHeils,187-91, 194-95.

71


9/11

Journal of Biblical Literaturethemselves rather than rely on God's justice.28 It is with supreme irony thatLuke has the Pharisee pray that he is not an extortioner (18:11).In Luke11:39 we have the only other Lucan occurrence of the same basic word,"extortion." There Jesus accuses the Pharisees of being filled with "extor-tion." The Pharisees are not examples of the righteous person who has beenhumbled and yet maintains trust in a gracious God. They exalt themselvesat the cost of the dignity and human rights of others. In Luke 18:9-14 wefind that the religious leaders are described by means of the deeds of non-justice. They have no room for the justice of God which is manifesting itselfin Jesus' kingdom ministry.The scholarly world is in debt to the late Norman Perrin for his insis-tence that the kingdom of God is a symbol.

29It is a symbol that God is kingand ruler over chaos, over the powers of evil and injustice at work in hisworld. God, the righteous ruler, will conquer evil. As a symbol, the king-dom of God is polyvalent, and one of its valences is God's justice. Thecorrelation between God's justice and his kingly rule is very clear in Ps97:1-2: "The Lord reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands beglad! Clouds and thick darkness are round about him; righteousness andjustice are the foundation of his throne."30Jesus, as the preacher of God's kingdom, effects the work of God'sjustice. Johannes Niitzel has made a sound point by showing how Luke4:43, a key passage for Luke's description of Jesus' mission, is related to itscontext.31 Luke 4:43 reads: "ButJesus said to them, 'I must preach the goodnews of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for thispurpose.'" The literary context of 4:43 contains 4:16-30, which speaks ofJesus the prophet being anointed by God to fulfill his promises of preachinggood news to the poor (4:18). The summary statement of Jesus' mission in4:43 as preaching the good news of the kingdom involves his justice workof preaching good news to the poor.28 With regard to the Pharisees and Luke's life situation, I do not find convincing the thesisof J. A. Ziesler that Luke favors the Pharisees. See his "Luke and the Pharisees,"NTS 25

(1978/79) 146-57; see also Luke T. Johnson, The Literary Function of Possessionsin Luke-Acts(SBLDS 39; Missoula, MT:Scholars Press, 1977) 116 n. 3: "The case for Luke's favorable treat-ment of the Pharisees remains to be proven; it definitely should not be assumed." See further109-10, 141-43.

29 See Perrin'sJesus and the Language of the Kingdom: Symbol and Metaphor in NewTestament Interpretation (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1976) 15-32.30 For more detail on the link between the kingdom of God and God's justice, see Reu-mann, "Righteousness"in the New Testament, 12-16; Michael D. Guinan, Gospel Poverty:Witness to the Risen Christ, A Study in Biblical Spirituality (New York:Paulist, 1981)26-31;John R. Donahue, "Biblical Perspectives on Justice," n The Faith That Does Justice: Examin-ing the Christian Sources for Social Change (ed. J. C. Haughey; Woodstock Studies 2; NewYork:Paulist, 1977) 86-87.

31 See his Jesusals Offenbarer Gottes nach den lukanischen Schriften (Forschung zur Bibel39; Wurzburg: Echter-Verlag, 1980) 28-30.

72


10/11

Karris: Luke 23:47Once the reader begins to see the intimate connection between thekingdom of God and God's justice, other kingdom passages take on new

meaning. See, for example, 6:20: "Andhe lifted up his eyes on his disciplesand said: 'Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God."' God isking as he rights the human situation, where injustice and oppression reign.See also Luke 11:20:"But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons,then the kingdom of God has come upon you." Demons, symbols of thepower of evil in human life, mock the fidelity and justice of a God whocreates goodness. By casting demons out, Jesus shows the justice of God,who will not let evil have the final say over his creation. And as a detailedstudy of Luke 23 would show, that chapter has much to say about Jesus asking. Jesus'kind of kingship, predicted to Mary and the reader in 1:32-33,is interpreted by his life and death for justice. In 23:42 Jesuscontinues God'skingly justice by promising life to the criminal, who repentantly asks Jesusto remember him when he comes in his kingly power. Finally, Luke endshis two volumes in Acts 28 with two passages that identify God's kingdomwith Jesus. See Acts 28:31: Paul is "preaching the kingdom of God andteaching about the Lord Jesus Christ quite openly and unhindered" (seealso 28:23). God's justice is to be found in Jesus' life, death, and resurrec-tion. All his promises to rectify the human situation have come true inJesus.32By his life of preaching and being good news to those who couldclaim no justice for themselves, Jesus truly was a righteous person. As such,he contrasted sharply with the religious leaders, who professed to be righ-teous. Jesus attacked them verbally for not promoting justice, and his veryway of life was an affront to them. As Wisdom puts it: "Let us lie in waitfor the righteous man, because he is inconvenient to us and opposes ouractions.... If the righteous man is God's son, he will help him, and willdeliver him from the hand of his adversaries" (2:12, 18).33In sum, I would suggest that to translate dikaios in Luke 23:47 prop-erly, one must look to the pervasive Lucan motif of justice. From thatperspective, the argument can be made that with the use of dikaios in 23:47that motif has come to a climactic expression. In the light of the Lucanmotif of justice, dikaios should be translated as "righteous."Truly, Jesus wasa righteous man.

32 For a more expanded treatment of the identification of the kingdom of God with Jesus,see Otto Merk, "Das Reich Gottes in den lukanischen Schriften," in Jesus und Paulus: Fest-schriftfiir Werner Georg Kiimmel zum 70. Geburtstag (ed. E. Earle Ellis and Erich Grasser;Gottingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1975) 201-20; Dillon, From Eye-Witnesses to Ministersof the Word, 286-87 n. 155; J. Dupont, "La conclusion des Actes et son rapport h l'ensemblede l'ouvragede Luc,"in Les Actes des Ap6tres: Traditions, redaction, theologie (ed. J. Kremer;BETL 48; Gembloux: Duculot; Leuven: University Press, 1979) 364-65.33 A development of the points briefly made here can be found in my Luke: Artist andTheologian (Theological Inquiries; New York:Paulist, 1985).

73


11/11

74 Journal of Biblical LiteratureIV. Conclusion

I began this article with a slight consideration of translation vagariesconcerning Luke 23:47. During the course of it I dealt with major issues ofLucan soteriology. Luke does not employ the model of martyr in hisdescription of Jesus'death. His model is drawn from the motif of justice andis that of the innocently suffering righteous one. Luke'stheme of justice hasbeen inadequately treated by comparisons with Paul's view of justice.Luke's theme of justice is a carrier of profound theological meaning andallows him to spell out the meaning of Jesus'death: God has not abandonedhis suffering righteous son, whose suffering typifies that of his unjustlytreated creation; God graciously vindicates that Jesus and creates salvifictrust in those who trust in his justice. Truly, Jesuswas the suffering righteousone. Truly, Luke's understanding of Jesus'death deserves to be heard in itsown right.

visão lucana morte jesus

Documents

Transcript of visão lucana morte jesus