OF ALL PEOPLE OF IMPORTANCE WHO REALLY IS THIS?

OF ALL PEOPLE OF IMPORTANCE WHO REALLY IS THIS?

By Fr. Felix (African Times Guest Writer)

Luke does not include the account of the

murder of John the Baptist by Herod – he has

already mentioned his arrest before the

baptism of Jesus – but he uses the occasion

and Herod’s question to prepare for Herod’s

meeting with Jesus in Jerusalem during the

passion narrative.

He leaves open and ringing the question, ‘Who

is this?’, the question which will be

progressively answered in the events to follow.

More important is the suggestion that Jesus is

among the prophets. He is represented by Luke

on several occasions as standing in the

tradition of the prophets. A prophet is, of

course, not simply a foreteller of the future, but

one who sees things as God sees them and

declares the will of God in a particular situation.

The raising of the widow of Nain’s son by Jesus

is reminiscent of Elijah’s raising of the widow’s

son in 1 Kings 17.17-24 and of Elisha’s similar

wonder in 2 Kings 4.18-37 in the same

geographical area. Similarly Luke’s account of

the Ascension of Jesus is modelled on that of

Elijah’s departure from this earth in a fiery

chariot in 2 Kings 2.11.

Most of all, Jesus’ daily teaching in the Temple

(Luke 19.47) and his laments over Jerusalem

have a prophetic ring about them. Finally in his

speech to the people of Jerusalem in Acts 3.22

Peter declares that Jesus is the fulfilment of

Moses’ word that God would ‘raise up for a

prophet like me’.