Tag: Gospel

Content generated by Ông Quang
Worded by MinhAnh

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The gospel of Luke is the gospel of joy: it starts with joy and ends with joy: 

• 2:10 – The angel brought good news of a “great joy” – χαρὰν μεγάλην to the shepherds: the news of the birth of Christ the Lord.
• 24:52 – After Jesus parted from the disciples, they returned to Jerusalem with “great joy” – χαρᾶς μεγάλης.

i, How is it that Jesus leaving the disciples followed by the description that “they returned with great joy”? What is the joy in His departure as is described in Luke 24:52, 53?

καὶ αὐτοὶ προσκυνήσαντες αὐτὸν ὑπέστρεψαν εἰς Ἰερουσαλὴμ μετὰ χαρᾶς μεγάλης, καὶ ἦσαν διὰ παντὸς ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ εὐλογοῦντες τὸν θεόν.

ii, The mission Jesus entrusted on the disciples as he left is significant, and it comes with great responsibility and sacrifices. The mission includes:

• Coming to the people
• Making them disciples of Christ
• Baptizing them
• Teaching them to keep the laws of God (in order for them to receive the Holy Spirit – 1 John 3:24)
• Being His witnesses in Jerusalem (Acts 1:8). This, surely, will bring the disciples pain, suffering, and torment. 

iii, Jesus is now seated at the right hand of the Father (Ephesians 1:20-23; Acts 2:33; Colossians 1:3; Hebrew 1:3; Hebrew 8:1b; Hebrew 10:12; Hebrew 12:2; 1 Peter 3:22), so, is He still with us? Can we still reach Him and touch Him? Or is there now with us a new presence as He had told the women?

iv, Just as Jesus promised, another Paraclete – ἄλλον παράκλητον is sent to the disciples (and to us): thanks to His sacrifice, the Holy Spirit is given.

• Only when Jesus is away can another Paraclete come to us. (John 16:7)
• The disciples are never abandoned, because Jesus has promised them so. (Matthew 28:20)
• Even though He is now seated at the right hand of the Father, Jesus’ presence in our lives, one way or another, remains powerful. He knows when our heart is in peril. (Mark 6:45-52)

v, The experience of the disciples and the Church: Jesus is the first and primary Paraclete.

• Jesus is with the Father, but still, He is within the ship of the Church, for He sees and listens to His disciples always. 
• To us new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:16-17), we could no longer physically reach Him like our saints (e.g Mary Magdalene) did. We are breathed into our souls the Spirit to be all anew, and our lives are nurtured by Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). 
• To reach Him and to be there with Him are, in fact, identical, for it is on the cross that He is glorified with the Father.
• The path that brings us to Jesus has now opened, from the personal, internal and individual perspective (like that of the disciples after the Resurrection, especially the women’s) to a greater love which embraces the whole world. 
• However, this joy requires of the disciples more than simply being dreamy children of victory (Acts 1). Instead, they are asked to go out preaching the Good News to the world and be witnesses for Jesus, for He is now alive, and He is the life. 
• The disciples have to be awake and await for the day He would come now that they serve Him in this life. For Jesus Christ shall unite all His children (1 Corinthians 15:20-28), He himself would wipe all tears from their eyes (Revelation 21:4), because tình yêu cuối cùng là tiếng nói → ultimately, it is all precious grace.