The presentation of Jesus in the missionary speeches of Acts and the mission of the church

Christoph W Stenschke

doi:10.4102/ve.v35i1.803

Abstract

This article first discusses the methodological issues involved in examining the portrayal of Jesus in the missionary speeches of the book of Acts and the nature of these speeches. This is followed by a detailed analysis of the presentation of Jesus, following a chronological line: Jesus� origin, his ministry, suffering, death and burial, his resurrection, exaltation, present ministry and parousia. The analysis is supplemented by the various portrayals of Jesus in the narrative of Acts. Afterwards, a detailed interpretation of this portrayal is offered, that is, its emphases (namely the saving significance of all of Jesus� life, the pervasive motif of the fulfilment of Scripture, Jesus as the agent of God, and the Jewishness of his life and ministry, focussing on Israel), the consequences that are drawn from this portrayal, the impact of the audiences on the presentation of Jesus, and the use of Christological titles. A final section reflects on the implications of the portrayal of Jesus in the missionary speeches of Acts for the witness and proclamation of the church. This comprehensive approach accounts for the length of the article.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: Some research has criticised Luke-Acts for its alleged lack of Pauline theology and the �depth� of Paul�s interpretation of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. This article shows that Acts in its own way offers a significant summary and Christological and soteriological interpretation of the life of Jesus and its enduring significance. The article also reflects on the significance of this interpretation for the present day presentation of Jesus and provides some necessary corrections.

Highlights

For a number of reasons, searching for Jesus in the missionary speeches of Acts is a challenging task:1 Firstly, the speeches in Acts are summaries of what was supposed to have been said on a particular occasion
On occasions when a basic knowledge of the biography of Jesus cannot be presupposed, it is presented in some detail, so before a Gentile or God-fearing audience in Caesarea99 and a Jewish or God-fearing audience in Pisidian Antioch
More telling than the references to all of the biography of Jesus in Acts is the fact that Luke starts his account of early Christianity, its witness and spread, with a detailed account of the life of Jesus, which is far more encompassing and richer than his death

Summary

Introduction

For a number of reasons, searching for Jesus in the missionary speeches of Acts is a challenging task:1 Firstly, the speeches in Acts are summaries of what was supposed to have been said on a particular occasion. – does this refer to the present ministry of Jesus or back to his death?).60 Being the first to rise from the dead, Jesus would proclaim light both to our people and the Gentiles (26:23).

Results

Conclusion