ACTA NÚMERO APROBADO

This periscope has been titled “The Commissioning of the Disciples” and is paralleled in Mark 16:14-18 and Luke 24:36-39. So, if we are to compare the parallel passages we would discover a lot of discrepancies. Firstly, this parallel passage in Mark belongs to that part of Mark that was said by later versions of the Bible not to belong originally to the text of Mark. Secondly, the context into which Mark put the story is a house where the eleven disciples were eating and the words of Jesus here are longer to include the signs to follow the believers. The Lukan parallel differs radically. Though the setting looks similar to Mark, his emphasis on the coming Holy Spirit robs him of the emphasis on the commission.

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The historical context is the meeting of the disciples with the resurrected Jesus at Galilee. So according to Matthew, it seems to be the last interaction between Jesus and his disciples. Now, you can concentrate on the verses containing the commission, that is, verses 19 and 20.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The first thing to note here is the word „go‟. You should note that in the Greek New Testament, the word is not in the imperative as the English text has made it to be. The Greek imperative would have been poreuesthe and not poreuthentes as in the text. So, its tense in the Greek is present continuous tense, thus a literal translation would have been „going‟ or „as you go‟. So, considering the figurative usage of the word, the sense here is

“as you go about you normal walk in life”.

The next word to consider is „therefore‟. This word is to be regarded as an adverb modifying the verb „go‟. The meaning of „therefore‟ is “for that reason” or “consequently” so it serves as a linker word connecting verse 19 to verse 18. The thought then is that because all authority has been given to Jesus, the disciples can take the actions of verse 19, that is, they can make disciples as they go on in life.

The next key phrase is „make disciples‟. Since a disciple is regarded as a pupil or leaner. The Commission given to the disciples is not to make converts but people who will take Jesus as their master and learn from him.

Teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

The first key word here is „teaching‟. The significant thing here is the fact that the word is in the present participle which is usually used to denote a simultaneous action. Therefore, you can conclude that the teaching activity goes on simultaneously with the baptizing and disciplining activity.

Having completed the interpretation, the following can be derived from it:

a. The work of evangelism is what the disciples are expected to do not by setting a special time for it but as they go about their normal duty or work on earth. Evangelism should thus become part of the work that is natural to the disciple.

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b. The authority of the believer to embark on evangelism is the authority of the risen Christ who now holds the sovereign authority on earth.

c. Evangelism does not mean witnessing. It includes the process of teaching and disciplining. This is a warning to the contemporary church who is becoming a master of proclamation rather than teaching or building up, that is, disciplining the members of the church.

d. That baptizing and teaching are expected to be simultaneous points to the need to baptize converts immediately while the teaching process goes on.

4.0 Conclusion

In this unit you have learnt a lot about the Gospels. You have learnt that by their nature, the Gospels combine the qualities of history and theology together thereby creating a tension. However, the fact that the evangelists were theologically motivated is not enough ground to say that they have beclouded historical facts or distorted the Sitz im leben Jesu. You have also learnt that biblical criticism is a tool that could be advantageous for the interpretation of the Gospels despite the fears among the conservatives.

These include textual, source, form, redaction and historical criticism.

Historical criticism includes issues of authorship, date, recipients, occasion and purpose and context.

5.0 Summary

The following are the major points you have learnt in this unit:

 By nature the Gospels comprised both historical and theological facets.

 Biblical criticism, despite fears among conservatives is a veritable tool in the interpretation of scriptures.

 Textual criticism is a scientific discipline that attempts to restore the original text of a document that has perished.

 Source criticism attempts to establish the sources used by the author or redactor who put the Gospel together.

 Form criticism is the means of analyzing the typical features of texts.

  Historical criticism attempts to reconstruct the historical situation out of which a text has arisen.

 Redaction criticism investigates the manner in which the writers of the Gospel have expressed their theological outlook by the means of

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selection, arrangement and editing of pre-existing traditional material.

Self-Assessment Exercise

1. Discuss the importance of historical criticism in the interpretation of the Gospel.

2. Citing relevant examples cite the importance of biblical criticism in the interpretation of the Gospels.

6.0 References/Further Readings

Adewale, Olubiyi. (1996a). “The Prodigal Son as a Satire: An Exegetical Study of Luke 15:11-32” an unpublished thesis for the award of Masters Degree in Theology (New Testament), submitted to the Theological College of Northern Nigeria, Bukuru, Jos.

Adewale, Biyi (1996b). The Praxis of Biblical Interpretation. Oyo:

Multicrown Publishers.

Bromiley, G. W. (1984). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, (One Volume Edition). Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans.

Dana, A. and G. Glaze. (1973). Interpreting the New Testament. Nashville:

Broadman Press.

Fee, G. D. and D. Stuart. (1993). How to Read the Bible for All its Worth.

London: Scripture Union Press.

Fitzmyer, J. A. (1983). “The Gospel According to Luke X-XXIV,” Anchor Bible, Vol. 28a. London: Doubleday.

Guthrie, Donald. (1977). “Questions of Introduction,” I. H. Marshall, ed.

New Testament Interpretation: Essays on Principles and Methods.

Carlisle: The Paternoster Press (revised 1979 Pbk.)

iMonk (2009). Ten Guidelines for Interpreting the Gospels, available on www.internetmonk.com as retrieved on 25 August 2009.

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McNicol, A. J. (2007). “The Importance of the Synoptic Problem for Interpreting the Gospels” in KAIROS-Evangelical Journal of Theology, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 13-24.

Stanton, G. (2004). Jesus and Gospel. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Tolbert, M. (1967). “Leading Ideas of the Gospel of Luke” in Review and Expositor, Vol. 64, No. 4, Fall.

Wiens, D. H. (1977). In Direction: Interpreting the Gospels, available on www.directionjournal.org/article/243 as retrieved on 25 August 2009.

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UNIT 2: Interpreting The Parables