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ASSIGNMENT TITLE PAGE

STUDENT NAME (in full): John Mayne
ACT NUMBER: 200916727
UNIT CODE AND TITLE (in full): NT630
LECTURER: D Morcom
DUE DATE: 8/10/2013
SUBMISSION DATE: 11/19/2013 (extension granted)

The following essay, of which I have kept a copy, is entirely my own work. All sources of
ideas and quotations are duly acknowledged in references.
(enter name for electronic
SIGNATURE OF STUDENT: John Mayne submissions)

ASSIGNMENT TITLE (detailed):

Major Essay on the exegetical foundations of a Synoptic theological theme
(Pneumatology)
ASSIGNMENT OUTLINE (if outlined):
1. INTRODUCTION
2. THE INFANCY NARRATIVES
3. JESUS’ BAPTISM
4. SPIRIT IN THE WILDERNESS
5. MINISTRY COMMISSIONING
6. SPIRIT IN JESUS’ MINISTRY
7. PROMISE OF PENTECOST
8. MINISTRY APPLICATION
9. CONCLUSION

WORD COUNT: 2741 words (excluding abstract and list of references)

MARK AWARDED: PERCENTAGE: % GRADE:

LECTURER:
ABSTRACT
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For many, Christianity is a matter of churchgoing, soldiering on, doing ones best and

believing in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus (Green 1975, 11). Our lack of Spirit-

awareness or Spirit-dependence is often a result of poor Spirit-knowledge, or rather, a

shallow pneumatology, in that we have fallen short of adequately engaging with this

central person and doctrine of the Bible. As we explore the Spirit’s role in the synoptics,

chiefly Luke’s gospel, we can begin to discover a Spirit of prophecy, anointing and

holiness. Our method is that of uncovering the exegetical foundations of Lucan passages

in koine Greek, such as Jesus’ conception, birth, baptism, temptation, ministry

commissioning and his sending out of the apostles. This work helps to scale back the

current academic preoccupation with the Spirit in the Pauline epistles, as we go back to

the heart of the matter, and arguably the foundation of the doctrine, in one of the most

thorough of the Gospels.

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1. INTRODUCTION

In exploring pneumatology throughout the synoptics, one cannot go past Luke for

providing the bulk of our material. Luke is more than worthy of the “theologian of the

Holy Spirit” (DeSilva 2004, 330) attestation ascribed to him. There are sixteen direct

mentions of the Holy Spirit in Luke’s Gospel, plus a few other passages where he is

mentioned in figure of speech. This compares to six references in Mark, twelve in

Matthew. As we uncover Luke’s exegetical foundations regarding the Spirit’s role,

through Jesus’ infancy, baptism, inauguration, ministry and final commissioning, we can

glean useful truths about the “πνεύματι τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν” (1 Cor 6:11).

2. INFANCY NARRATIVES

Matthew mentions the Spirit in his opening narrative (Matt 1:18; 20), yet it is Luke who

does so more exhaustively, highlighting the prophetic activity of the Spirit in relation to

John and Jesus’ conception, birth and infancy (Luke 1:15-2:27). These account for almost

half the references to the Spirit within Luke. Once the prologue is finished, the reader

plunges into the “conceptual world of… intertestamental Judaism” (Turner 2005, 269),

which viewed the Spirit predominantly as an organ of communication between God and

man. Though prophecy had ceased, the Spirit is here renewing its activity, “announcing a

salvation-historically significant birth” (Turner 2005, 270), or dual births.

This commences with “a prenatal sanctification of John” (Marshall 1978, 58), the anointed

choice for the task ahead who bears the same “πνεύμα” and “δύναμις” as “Ἡλίας” (Luke
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1:17), a pivotal OT allusion. “Πνεύμα” and “δύναμις” is a common Lukan pairing (1:35;

4:14; cf. 24:49; Acts 1:8; 10:38), hinting at dynamic experience for the imbued, “the

energy of the Spirit,” whereupon the Marcan “δύναμις” “is eschatological” (Conzelmann

1953, 181). On this occasion, the term “πνεύμα” refers simply to the moral and spiritual

development of the subject. In the case of Jesus’ conception without human agency, the

“πνεύμα ἅγιος” worked miraculously, “equated in poetic parallelism” (Marshall 1978, 70)

alongside the “δύναμις ὑψίστου” (Luke 1:30; cf. Matt 1:18; 20). The Spirit is creative, the

agent behind Creation itself (Gen 1:2; Job 33:4), rekindling the OT understanding of the

“Spirit instigating the next chapter in the plan of God for his world” (Warrington 2009,

60). He not only authenticates the Messiah and his divine forerunner to a Jewish

audience seeped in prophetic tradition, but also to Gentiles besotted with power in its

various guises. The Spirit’s bestowal was proportional to their mission scope, with John

affirmed as “μέγας” and Jesus the ‘υἱὸς θεοῦ’ (Luke 1:35). Proclamation of the gospel is

endorsed by the Spirit, with Zechariah’s Song, Mary’s Magnificat and Simeon’s tribute

touching on multiple gospel themes, including restoration of Gentiles (Luke 1:67-70; 77;

2:31-32). These praises serve “to stop the progression of events momentarily so that

Spirit-inspired interpretations… might be heard clearly” (Achtemeier, Green and

Thompson 2001, 159).

Zechariah and Elizabeth were both “δίκαιοι… ἐναντίον τοῦ θεοῦ” (Luke 1:6), similar to the

“δίκαιος καὶ εὐλαβής” Simeon (Luke 2:25) and “κεχαριτωμένη” Mary (Luke 1:28), a

perfect verb denoting imbuement with honour. They possessed holiness consistent with

the very Spirit that spoke through them. Luke introduces the term “πνεύμα ἅγιος” (Luke

1:15) early on, which though common throughout the NT, features merely times in the OT
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(Ps 51:11; Isa 63:10-11). Though there were numerous spirits being worshipped, Luke

emphasizes that God’s Spirit is holy, perfect and divine. Other uses of “πνεῦμα” in Luke

which lack the descriptor of “ἅγιος”, are predominantly to describe evil spirits (Luke 6:18;

7:21; 9:39). The Spirit temporally abides on “ἅγιος” messengers, set apart for Yahweh’s

purposes. This is not alien to the OT. Simeon was not only morally righteous, but was

awaiting the “παράκλησις” of Israel (Luke 2:25). This longing to see the Messiah was

fulfilled by Holy Spirit, leading him to public praise in the “ἱερόν” (Luke 2:27), symbol of

OT faith. Luke develops upon this latent understanding, serving to legitimize the Christian

movement as the continuity and fulfilment of Judaism, a clear theme in the Luke-Acts

corpus. This may be through the efforts of a manipulative redactor, though more likely

the handiwork of one truthfully communicating an “eschatological restoration of the

Spirit to pious Israel” (Turner 2004, 482).

Elizabeth (Luke 1:40-44) and Zechariah (Luke 1:67) are described as “ἐπλήσθη” with

Spirit, a Lukan idiom. The term describes filling of the Spirit, yet not always (cf. Luke 4:28;

5:7; 26; 6:11). For Simeon, the Spirit was “ἐπ’ αὐτόν” (Luke 2:25). Their resulting

outbursts were joyous, ecstatic, otherwise unprovoked, and would have been noticeable

to bystanders.

The Spirit acted through an often unlikely collective of persons in the OT (Ex 15:20; Judg

4:4; 2 Kgs 22:14), but no doubt most Jews did not anticipate “such re-occurrences in the

NT era” (Warrington 2009, 55). Yet here the fulfilment of Spirit-prophecies is experienced

through “στεῖρα” Elizabeth and the “παρθένου” Mary (Luke 1:7; 1:41). Likewise the

ageing, rural priest Zechariah became the first person in four hundred years to give
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prophetic utterance (Luke 1:67-80). God has a preferential bias towards the marginalized,

a broader Lukan theme, and his Spirit cooperates likewise.

3. JESUS’ BAPTISM

John fuels Messianic expectation, announcing that Jesus will supersede his own ministry

by baptising “ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ πυρί” (Matt 3:11; Luke 3:16). Markan and Johannine

accounts share likewise, but neglect to mention “πῦρ” explicitly, the meaning of which

has “occasioned much discussion” (Marshall 1978, 146). Later Jesus is anointed with the

Spirit post-baptism, an event paralleled in each Gospel (Matt 3:16; Mark 1:10-11; Luke

3:22; John 1:33).

On the surface there is nothing particularly unique to Luke’s testimony, but further

digging yields subtle insight. Luke is the only Evangelist to record the Spirit’s descent

occurring while Jesus was “προσεύχομαι” (Luke 3:21), conflating two of the author’s

beloved themes. After the Spirit was given at Pentecost, he could still be stirred up afresh

in response to prayer (Acts 4:31). Unexpectedly, Luke also refers to Jesus’ baptism only in

a subordinate clause, “καὶ Ἰησοῦ βαπτισθέντος” (Luke 3:21), preferring instead to

highlight “the opening of heaven and the descent of the Holy Spirit” (Morris 1974, 99).

His usage of “σωματικῷ εἴδει” attests to the objective, physical reality of Jesus’ Spirit-

baptism (Luke 3:22), rather than a subjective rendering. This synchronises with Luke’s

statement of purpose to Theophilus (Luke 1:2-4).

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The precise symbolism of the “περιστερά” (Luke 3:22), whether an early Christian

invention or one more rooted in Judaism, is difficult to pin down with certainty. The most

reputable argument evokes the idea of a herald of good tidings (cf. Gen 8:11), bolstering

further Luke’s thrust of the “Spirit on Jesus as the power to proclaim the messianic good

news” (Turner 2004, 483). The voice provides “heavenly confirmation of Jesus’

appointment as Messiah” (Evans 1990, 56), and may allude to a royal enthronement

Psalm (Ps 2:7). Jesus is not adopted by the Spirit, but rather “identified by the Spirit” and

confirmed by the Father as the one worthy of the Spirit’s presence (Warrington 2009, 63)

on his journey to redeem mankind. Green (1975, 50) concludes that “no longer is the

Holy Spirit encountered as naked power; he is clothed with the personality… of Jesus.”

4. SPIRIT IN THE WILDERNESS

Each synoptic witness records the Spirit prompting Jesus into the wilderness to encounter

Satan (Matt 4:1-11; Mk 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-14). Whilst Mark’s account is minimalistic,

Luke’s dual reference to the “πνεύμα” is more exhaustive than Matthew’s, a consistent

theme so far. Luke alone states that Jesus was “πλήρης πνεύματος ἁγίου,” and adds that

he was led “ἐν” the Spirit, rather than Matthew’s up by (“ὑπό”) the Spirit. This nuancing

of language in Luke, demonstrates more clearly than the others that the Spirit “is not an

external, compulsive force upon Jesus but an inward inspiration” (Marshall 1978, 169).

The Messiah constantly lives “in the sphere or presence of… the Spirit” (Warrington 2009,

67), both coexisting in harmony. In combating Satan, Jesus did not function in human

energy alone, yet conscious resistance and firm reliance on God’s word was nonetheless a

key component. The Spirit’s proactivity in allowing Jesus to be tempted confirms the
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episode as part of the divine agenda, a “strategic point of conflict” (Ferguson in

Warrington 2009, 67) that required engagement in the unfolding timeline of salvation-

history. Where Israel formerly “rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit” in the wilderness (Is

63:10), their Spirit-anointed Messiah overcomes.

Luke’s interest in the Spirit comes to the fore when Jesus returns to Galilee “ἐν τῇ

δυνάμει τοῦ πνεύματος” and “φήμη” spreads throughout (Luke 4:14; cf. Matt 4:12-13;

Mark 1:14). This latter word is rare in the NT, yet is the source of the English term ‘fame,’

which could “even pass as a translation” (Hendriksen 1978, 249). Bock (1994, 391) is

perhaps overconfident in declaring this public distinction as due to Jesus’ itinerant

preaching efforts (cf. Luke 4:15). Jesus’ fullness of Holy Spirit, visibly manifested (cf. Luke

4:18), and his newsworthy baptism, were undoubtedly factors also. Jesus’ power is here

identical to the Spirit’s power.

5. MINISTRY COMMISSIONING

In his hometown sermon, Jesus nominates himself as the Spirit-bearing fulfilment of

Isaiah 61:1f and 58:6 (Luke 4:18-21), which serves as a “beacon shedding light over the

whole of his ministry” (Green 1975, 46). Luke compromises his usually stringent

chronological standards (cf. Luke 4:23; 31-37) in order to instil this scene as first in his

account of Jesus’ ministry (Turner 1996, 215). He may have had access to other

synoptics, but elected to use his own account (cf. Mark 6:1-6; Matt 13:53-58). This

highlights the consensus that Luke “evinces the strongest redactional interest in the

Spirit” among synoptic authors (Turner 2005, 268). The aorist verb “ἔχρισέν” (Luke 4:18)
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harks back to the Spirit in anointing Jesus as divine kingdom proclaimer, from his infancy

and baptism, through to his ministry commissioning “σήμερον πεπλήρωται” (Luke 4:21).

“σήμερον” is significant in Luke, denoting that a new dawn of salvation-history had

entered. Holy Spirit reveals Jesus as the Mosaic prophet taking a “central role in a New

Exodus programme of liberation” (Turner 1996, 240) as well as David’s successor (Evans

1990, 73). Building on Jewish presuppositions, the Spirit of God and of OT prophecy may

now also be interpreted as the Spirit of Christ. This represents a key Lukan

pneumatological motif, a paradigmatic shift that has been gathering steam from the

infancy narratives onwards.

Luke’s emphasis on the marginalized is viewed through Jesus’ Spirit-sanctioned ministry

towards the “πτωχός,” “αἰχμάλωτος” and “τυφλός.” It is for these hitherto outsiders

whom Jesus was sent (the perfect tense verb “ἀπέσταλκέν”) to εὐαγγελίσασθα, the first

in a series of infinitive statements proclaiming liberty from an affiliated ailment (Luke

4:18-19). The “light and darkness imagery” (Bock 1994, 409) hints at both physical and

spiritual Jubilee, the two not being antithetical. This Isaianic good news was fulfilled

through Jesus’ Spirit-empowered ministry, with the restoration of many outcasts into

God’s kingdom (Luke 7:36-50; 14:15-24; 15:1-32; 16:16; 19:9-10) Gentile readership,

“traditionally excluded from a relationship with God” can now view God as touchable and

“the Spirit as on the side of the outcasts” (Warrington 2009, 70-71).

6. SPIRIT IN JESUS’ MINISTRY

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In contrast to the “πνεῦμα” references throughout Luke 1-4, usage begins to thin out

considerably from here onwards, and only four explicit mentions of “πνεύμα ἅγιος”

remain (Luke 10:21; 11:13; 12:10, 12). This provides weight to Turner’s (2005, 277)

assertion that Luke’s Gospel “has little to say about the relationship of disciples to the

Spirit” until Pentecost. They are dispensed a measure of authority by Jesus in their

second mission (Luke 9:1; 10:19), with Luke including the term “δύναμις” in addition to

Mark’s “ἐξουσία” (Mark 3:15), but Spirit had not yet been poured out (cf. Acts 2) and was

only appropriated through the one “πλήρης πνεύματος ἁγίου” (Luke 4:1).

Marcion’s famed textual variant in the Lukan Lord’s Prayer (Tertullian, Adv. Mcion 4:26 in

Marshall 1978, 458), “ἐλθέτω τὸ πνεῦμα σου τὸ ἄγιον εφ ημας και καθαρισατω ημας”

(Luke 11:2), lies alongside the Lucan reference of our “πατὴρ ὁ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ” desiring to

give the “ἀγαθός δόμα” of the “πνεῦμα ἅγιον” to those who ask (Luke 11:11-13; cf. Matt

7:9-10). The Matthean reference does not touch on the “πνεῦμα” at all, though Bock

(1996, 1063) refutes the notion that either account may assert outright historical veracity

over the other. Rather, it pays tribute to Luke’s pneumatological focus that he mentions

this form of “δόμα.” The correlation between prayer and Spirit is evident, previewing the

Spirit’s outpouring at Pentecost, an event coinciding with the disciples prayer meeting

(Acts 1:14).

Deducing pneumatology from Luke 10:21 is risky, as the reference to “πνεύμα” is

weakened by multiple variants that lack the descriptor “τῷ ἁγίῳ” (Marshall 1978, 433).

Further confusion is present over inclusion of the preposition “ἐν” (Metzger 1971, 128),
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due to variants and also a dearth of similar phraseology elsewhere. The likely thrust is

that Jesus is full of joy and Spirit as he pronounces “one of his strongest Christological

statements” (Bock 1996, 1011) in Luke 10:22. The ontological relationship between

Father, Son and Spirit is championed more in John, but Luke reminds us that the Spirit has

not left the Son. He remains in Jesus permanently, contrasting with the temporal

blessings of the Spirit accompanying OT saints.

The disciples are promised that they will receive help from the Spirit, the only passage

that explicitly instructs as much, when they are called to defend themselves before courts

(Luke 12:12; Mark 13:11 and Matt 10:19-20). The Spirit “διδάξει” the disciples,

dispensing future “charismatic revelation or wisdom” by “the Spirit of prophecy” (Turner

2004, 486), the latter a repeated Lukan theme. A parallel statement in Luke 21:15 notions

towards Jesus’ future lordship over Spirit.

Synoptic passages describing the “βλασφημήσαντι” of the Spirit are not exclusive to Luke

(Luke 12:8-10; Mark 3:28-30; Matthew 12:30-32), though Luke does couch it in a slightly

different context. It is certainly one of Jesus’ more “enigmatic… sayings” (Bock 1996,

1142), probably speaking not of a once-off rejection, but rather a persistent denial of the

Spirit’s testimony in effecting God’s plan of salvation.

7. PROMISE OF PENTECOST

We view in Luke “how tied to the new era, mission, and witness the Spirit is” (Bock 2012,

219). This is confirmed in the final Lukan reference to the Spirit (cf. Matt 28:18-20; Mark
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16:15): Jesus instructing his disciples to wait for the “ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ πατρός μου” (Luke

26:49), an unspecified reference, but unmistakable to those acquainted with OT prophecy

(Isa 32:15; 44:3; Ezek 39:29; Joel 2:28-29). This designation of the Spirit emphasises “the

place of the divine promise in His coming” (Morris 1974, 343). Note the preceding

reference to Christ’s death and resurrection (Luke 24:46), as well as “μετάνοιαν εἰς

ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν” (Luke 24:47). The Spirit is aligned with the gospel, loves the gospel

and empowers gospel proclamation. The verb “ἐξαποστέλλω” (Luke 26:49) is a futuristic

present, denoting the Spirit’s arrival more as an appointment than a present bestowment

(Garland 2011, 968). As the Gospel began with several faithful Jews waiting for a

Messiah, it ends with several faithful Christ-followers waiting for the Spirit of the Messiah,

the explosive arrival of whom is saved for Acts (2:1-13).

8. MINISTRY APPLICATION

Luke’s fusing of holiness, prayer and Spirit is a powerful reminder. It is easy to become

complacent of the Spirit post-Pentecost, now poured out “ἐπὶ πᾶσαν σάρκα” (Acts 2:17;

cf. Joel 2:28-29), at the expense of forgetting pre-Pentecost testimony. Though Christ

followers are sealed with the Spirit, Ephesians 5:18 employs a present imperative

(“πληροῦσθε”) motivating the church to continue walking in the Spirit, appropriating his

power daily. Jesus, John, Simeon, and others from Luke’s Gospel provide life examples of

what a holy, righteous, Spirit-expectant life should look like in this regard. We can be

thankful we stand on their shoulders.

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9. CONCLUSION

Building from OT foundations, Luke confirms the Spirit as holy, prophetic and divine. Just

as the Spirit would formerly anoint OT saints, so too has he anointed Jesus, making

manifest the active presence of God through Christ. Jesus’ birth, commissioning and

ministry are pivotal junctures in salvation-history, as authenticated by the Spirit. God

loves the forgotten, the forsaken, and so too does his Spirit, who provides for their

advocacy through the gospel. The Spirit loves the gospel, and empowers its

proclamation. He is no longer formless, but has form through Christ, who was “πλήρης

πνεύματος ἁγίου” (Luke 4:1). We can continue to walk in the Spirit today through

appropriating his power in prayer, just as Luke has modelled.

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LIST OF REFERENCES

Achtemeier, Paul J, Joel B. Green and Marianne Meye Thompson. 2001. Introducing the
New Testament: Its Literature and Theology. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

Bock, Darrell L. 1996. Luke: 9:51-24:53, in Baker Exegetical Commentary on The New
Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker.

Conzelmann, Hans. 1960. The Theology of Saint Luke. New York: Harper & Brothers.

DeSilva, David A. 2004. An Introduction to the New Testament. Contexts, Methods and
Ministry Formation. Downers Grove: IVP.

Evans, Craig A. 1990. Luke, New International Biblical Commentary Series. Peabody:
Hendrickson.

Garland, David E. 2011. Luke, in Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament Series.
Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Green, Michael. 1975. I believe in the Holy Spirit. Revised Edition. Eastbourne: Kingsway.

Hendriksen, William. 1978. The Gospel of Luke, in New Testament Commentary Series.
Grand Rapids: Baker.

Marshall, Howard, I. 1978. The Gospel of Luke: A Commentary on the Greek Text, The
New International Greek Testament Commentary Series. Exeter: Paternoster

Metzger, Bruce. 1971. A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, 2nd ed.
Stuttgart: UBS.

Morris, Leon. 1974. Luke, Tyndale New Testament Commentary Series. Downers Grove:
IVP.

Turner, Max. 1996. Power from on High: The Spirit in Israel’s Restoration and Witness in
Luke-Acts. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic.

Turner, Max. 2004. “Holy Spirit I: Gospels,” in The IVP Dictionary of the New Testament,
edited by Daniel G. Reid, 481-491. Downers Grove: IVP.

Turner, Max. 2005. “Luke and the Spirit: Renewing Theological Interpretation of Biblical
Pneumatology,” in Reading Luke: Interpretation, Reflection, Formation, vol. 6,
edited by Craig G. Bartholomew, Joel B. Green and Anthony C. Thiselton, Scripture
and Hermeneutics Series, 267-281. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Warrington, Keith. 2009. The Message of the Holy Spirit, The Bible Speaks Today series.
Nottingham: IVP.