The Ending of Luke Revisited

Abstract

Many assume that the ending of Luke's Gospel, compared with the ending of Acts, is just not that interesting. In contrast, I argue, through narrative analysis and comparison with the ending of Acts, that the ending of Luke's Gospel reflects a profoundly sophisticated and nuanced kind of closure. The ending makes connections to the opening chapters, fulfills long-standing narrative expectations, offers resolution through eyewitness encounters with the risen Jesus, and closes with a scene of leave taking and blessing. Although the ending alludes to events yet to take place (in Acts), these features serve more to bridge the two volumes than to generate irresolution. Yet the two endings have real differences: Luke's Gospel narrates a departure for Jesus, whereas Acts does not clarify the fate of Paul. Acts 28 draws attention to unresolved tensions around salvation for Israel in ways Luke 24 does not. For these reasons, the ending of Luke's Gospel offers greater closure to the story of Jesus's earthly ministry than Acts does to the story of global witness. Whereas the story of Acts is one of beginnings (Acts 1:1), the story of Luke's Gospel is primarily one of things fulfilled (Luke 1:1, 4).