Luke Theme- Temple
March 24, 2020Luke’s geographic emphasis leads the reader from Galilee to Jerusalem and in Acts leads the reader from Jerusalem to the end of the world
- More specifically, Luke is leading the readers to the !
Luke’s emphasis on the temple communicates both and messages:
- Implicit:
- As the emphasis on women, the temple is present in many narratives but is not the point of the narrative itself
- As the emphasis on the Sabbath, healing, and the poor, the temple was less about its literal value and more about what it implicitly represented
- Explicit:
- Jesus tossed the money changers in the temple
- Luke 19:45-47
- Jesus promises the destruction of the temple
- Luke 22:5-6
- Jesus tossed the money changers in the temple
Understanding Luke’s emphasis on the temple is essential for understanding Luke’s emphasis on:
THE ENTIRE MESSIANIC
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- The Temptations of Jesus
- Luke 4:1-13 – Temptation of Christ
- Christ would receive the glory, worship, and authority WITHOUT
- Luke 22:39-46 – Praying at the Garden of Gethsemane
- “Gethsemane” means “Olive Press”
- Like an olive press, Christ is pressed 3 times with more pressure each time
- Like the wilderness temptation, Christ is tempted 3 times and the angels “tend to him” (Luke 22:43 also see Matthew 4:11)
- “Gethsemane” means “Olive Press”
- The veil in the temple is torn
- Luke 23:44-45
- Luke 4:1-13 – Temptation of Christ
- Sacrifice
- Luke 1:9 – Zechariah giving sacrifice in the temple on the day of Atonement
- Luke 2:4-21 – Shepherds knew: This baby was born to die
- Luke 2:27-37 – Simeon and Anna warned Mary about the sacrifice of Jesus would make
- The Temptations of Jesus
What was Jesus focused on during this time?
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- !!!
- Access to the “tree of life” to the east entrance of Eden
- Genesis 3:24
- Entrance to tabernacle must always face east
- Exodus 27:13
- Temple entrance faced east
- Garden of Gethsemane sits on the east side of Jerusalem at the base of the Mount of Olives
- Access to the “tree of life” to the east entrance of Eden
- Entrance to temple meant access to God, as Jesus prayed before He is arrested, He can stare up at the entrance of the temple
- Until this point, Luke’s audience knows that Jesus would die, but why?
- !!!
Christ came to set the conditions and make a way to give us to our redemption and our mission!
The Beauty of the
- Gospel Emphasis:
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- Modern Christianity highly emphasizes what Jesus
- Luke highly emphasized what Jesus
- Luke 1:21-22
- Luke 23:45
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- Healing
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- Luke’s “High Physician” healed us from what nobody else could:
- The Mikveh (Baptism) to be made clean
- The sacrifice
- The Prayer (burning incense)
- Luke’s “High Physician” healed us from what nobody else could:
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- Poverty
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- In an instant, the poorest became the on planet earth!
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The Power and Privilege to receive the
- Joy
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- One priest, one day a year, after many rituals and sacrifice, could receive access to the Spirit
- Now, all receive it who believe, and that should be
- The Gospel ends with Jesus’ disciples celebrating in the temple!
- Luke 24:52-53
- Reality flipped upside down:
- Go to the temple to be close to God
- Now, they have the Spirit and bring God to the temple!
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We take our privilege and the power of the Spirit .
- Witness
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- We are unqualified for the witness of God’s gospel, but God is qualified
- We don’t work for God, God works through us via the Spirit
- Acts 1:7-8
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How does this make me a better man?
- We have direct access to the
- We have access to all we need not just to survive, but to
- More so, we have all we need not just to make it through, but to do so with joy
- We have access to the same power that, , and the priests in the temple, prophets, John the Baptist, disciples, and even Jesus
- We are not qualified for the task God has given us, but God is qualified.
- You don’t lead your family, God leads your family through you!
- We are not qualified for the task God has given us, but God is qualified.
- Do NOT miss the
- It not just about the Mercy of what we do not receive (Hell), but the Grace of what we do receive (Access)