Jerusalem and the Restoration of Israel in the Gospel of Luke

Jerusalem occupies a central place throughout the Gospel of Luke. This chapter accordingly examines how Jerusalem fits into Luke’s wider eschatological program. In Luke, Jerusalem is the center of Jesus’s eschatological activity. This theme emerges especially in the so-called travel narrative, which presents Jerusalem as the site where Jesus must fulfill his task of liberation—through his death, resurrection, ascension, and return—thereby tying the destiny of the messiah of Israel with his people. The major eschatological speech of the Third Gospel also deals with the fate of Jerusalem, including its destruction in 70, which is a source of grief for Luke’s Jesus. Tragedy, however, is not the end of Luke’s story of salvation on behalf of Israel. The Jewish people will be restored at Jesus’s return to Jerusalem.

The Acts of the Apostles and the National Restoration of Israel

This chapter is devoted to Luke’s treatment of Israel’s eschatological restoration in the book of Acts. Jerusalem retains its centrality in Acts as in Luke, signaling the ongoing importance of the city and its people. Far from giving up on the restoration of Israel, Luke continues to maintain hope for Israel’s salvation in Acts. This restoration is comprehensive, bringing together Israel in all of its tribal plenitude, namely, Jews but also Samaritans and other Israelites who were dispersed from their land. Israel’s restoration, furthermore, is intimately tied to the general resurrection, which are both anticipated in the messiah’s own resurrection. As the “first of the resurrection from among the dead” (Acts 26:23), Jesus’s resurrection affirms the hope that the dead will rise again and the nation of Israel will be renewed. The chapter deals as well with the controversial passages in Acts that allegedly blame the Jewish people for Jesus’s crucifixion. Finally, it examines the ending of Acts, arguing that the end of Acts is not the end of Israel’s story for Luke.

Introduction

This chapter discusses the history of interpretation of Luke-Acts as it concerns Luke’s relationship to Judaism. The chapter critically assesses common opinions held in New Testament scholarship regarding the concepts of salvation, eschatology, Christian universalism, Jewish particularism, and nationalism. This critical evaluation of scholarship and key concepts lays the foundation for the rest of the investigation, proposing that Luke’s understanding of the eschatological restoration of Israel can be effectively understood in light of Jewish concepts from Luke’s time. In many ways, Luke’s eschatology corresponds to traditional Jewish expectations. The restoration of Israel remains at the center of Luke’s eschatological universe even if it expands to include the nations of the world.

Israel’s National Restoration in Luke’s Infancy Narrative

This chapter focuses on Luke’s infancy narrative, examining how Luke’s opening sets the stage for the discussion of Israel’s restoration in the rest of Luke-Acts. Luke’s soteriological vocabulary is analyzed in detail. Remarkably, Luke employs traditional Jewish terms to describe Israel’s future restoration. These terms conceive of Israel’s salvation in collective, national, political, and terrestrial terms.

Jesus Messiah Son of David

In this chapter, the role and significance of Jesus as the Davidic Messiah in Luke-Acts are assessed. Luke, it is argued, presents Jesus as the Davidic messiah par excellence. The case for Jesus’s Davidic status begins in the infancy narrative buts runs throughout Luke-Acts. Jesus is heralded at his birth and is anointed at his baptism as Israel’s Davidic king. He subsequently undergoes rejection in Jerusalem as the Davidic servant of God. In return, God raises and exalts Jesus onto a heavenly throne where he begins his Davidic rule until he comes back victoriously to Jerusalem to establish his kingdom on earth. This remarkable Davidic profile of Jesus has important ramifications for understanding Luke’s views on Israel’s restoration.

Conclusion

The conclusion summarizes and returns to the key issues that are covered in the book. The question in Acts 1:6 implies restoration for Israel, which is evident throughout Luke and Acts. The restoration envisaged is comprehensive and collective. It entails spiritual renewal but also political and national restoration for the people of Israel. For Luke, the process leading toward Israel’s recovery has already begun ever since Jesus fulfilled his earthly mission in Jerusalem and reigns from the heavens above. However, due to complications, which divine providence had anticipated, full recovery, for the time being, eludes Israel. This will happen only at the parousia when Jesus returns to the city of Jerusalem as the victorious king of Israel. The chapter concludes with a critical reflection on the potential (ir)relevance of the historical investigation of Luke’s Jewish eschatology for discussing contemporary theological and political issues, including the state of Israel and Palestinian rights to national-political self-determination.