NT410:

Theology of Luke-Acts
Honours Degree

A Study of Discipleship in Luke-Acts

Student: 2014010

For
Dr. David Seccombe

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION 2

1. METHODOLOGY 3
2. FOLLOWING JESUS 3
2.1. CHRISTOLOGY AND DISCIPLESHIP 4
2.2. THE COST OF FOLLOWING JESUS 6
3. WORSHIPPING JESUS: COMMUNION IS CENTRAL TO DISCIPLESHIP 8
3.1. MARTHA AND MARY 8
4. PROCLAIMING JESUS: DISCIPLESHIP AND WITNESS 10
4.1. JESUS MISSION: LUKE 4:16-30 & LUKE 19:10 11
4.2. THE DISCIPLES MISSION: LUKE 24:44-49 & ACTS 1:8 12
5. CONTEMPORARY APPROPRIATION
6. BIBLIOGRAPHY 14

Introduction

Augustine in his influential work “The City of God” demonstrates that the Christian
life in contrast to the pagan life is a pursuit of two loves: the love of God and love of the
world/self (de civitate dei, 14.28) The pursuit of God is a journey of love. It is a pilgrimage
to the celestial city that culminates in the ultimate beatific vision in which faith gives way
to sight. In addition, the Christian life or discipleship is to follow a person or a way. The
undisputed central figure in the Gospel of Luke is Jesus Christ and the central “way” in the
book of Acts is Christianity. Our journey to the celestial city must be undergirded by a twin
love for God and neighbour that shapes our view of discipleship. Thus the aim of this essay
is to consider in what way does Luke encourage his readers to love God and neighbour on
their journey of discipleship. This will be done with an eye to apply Luke’s view on the
African continent that has been sadly caricatured, as been a mile wide and an inch deep.

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 1. Methodology
Luke in his preface informs us of his purpose (Luke. 1:1-4). His purpose was to compile
an accurate, orderly narrative of “the acts (pragmaton) that have been fulfilled among us”
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(Seccombe, 2017). Luke informs us he is dependant upon other reliable eyewitness
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(αὐτόπται) accounts. Tentatively put, scholars have come to understand and designate
these sources as: Mark’s Gospel, a saying collection designated “Q” (From the German
Quelle or source), in which there is shared material with Matthew’s Gospel and lastly the
“parable-travel source for writing of his travel narrative (9:51-19:27)” (Longenecker,
1996:51). Thus this brief study is a consideration of Luke-Acts from a redactional point of
view. In other words, in seeking to determine the contours and shape of Luke’s concept of
discipleship, a profitable way forward is to ask: in what way has Luke used, adapted, and
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added to his sources to compile his view of discipleship?
Although an accurate, robust representation of St. Luke’s concept of discipleship would
include the entire Lucan corpus, it will not be possible in the scope of this essay to examine
the two volumes entirely. However, from a subjective and applicatory perspective, I will
consider the most salient points, which suggestively need to undergird discipleship on the
African continent. Thus I have limited this study to three key aspects of discipleship
namely: following Jesus, worshipping Jesus, proclaiming Jesus.

2. Following Jesus
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Joel Green and Dennis Sweetland have contended that a Lucan account of discipleship
can be conceptualised in a journey motif. This is appropriate because the central section of
Luke’s gospel (Luke. 9-19), which contains a significant amount of unique material to the
Third Evangelist, is often called “the travel-narrative” (Sweetland, 1990:31). The travel
narrative is based on Jesus’ geographical movement towards Jerusalem. Moreover, Jesus
declares: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily
and follow me” (Luke. 9:23). As we encounter the gospel narratives, Jesus’ life-changing

1
Unpublished essay
2
Such as: (Keener, 1997:15); (Moessner, 1989:2); (Marshall, 57-65); (Sweetland, 1996:16).
3
This is to affirm that Luke as Marshall contends is both a “historian and a theologian” (1970:9). He must
not be seen as someone cutting and pasting material. Rather as he indicates in his preface, he sought to
compile an account based on tradition, which he evaluated to the best of his ability, and used it in service of
his theology (ibid, 19).
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Dennis Sweetland, Our Journey with Jesus, (1990). Sweetland draws attention to Luke’s picture of Jesus as
the purposeful traveller seen most clearly in the travel narrative (Luke 9-19). Green develops the motif of
discipleship as a journey in Luke by first observing that in the prologue of the third Gospel Jesus is said to be
the Lord (Luke. 1:43) who will guide our feet in the way of peace (1995).

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call, which is addressed to both his disciples and to us, is authoritative and impactful. Let
me suggest three pertinent areas that are central in following Jesus: (1) Christology and
discipleship, (2) conditions of discipleship, (3) cost of discipleship.

2.1. Christology and Discipleship

Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ
of God.”(Luke 9:20)
It is fairly clear that throughout the Gospels the person and activity of Jesus are at
the centre of each of the evangelists concerns. I want to suggest that Jesus as portrayed by
the four Gospels serves as the paradigm and model for any disciple to follow. Therefore the
question, “What does it mean to follow Jesus?” cannot be separated from the question of
Jesus’ identity, “Who is Jesus?” (Sweetland, 1990:85). Christology is closely tied to
discipleship. Dietrich Bonhoeffer highlights the idea here:

“Christianity without the living Jesus Christ remains necessarily a Christianity

without discipleship; and a Christianity without discipleship is always a Christianity
without Jesus Christ . . . Discipleship is bound to the mediator, and whatever
discipleship is rightly spoken of, there the mediator Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is
intended. Only the mediator the God-human, can call to discipleship” (2001:59).

Bonhoeffer’s point is poignant. To discover who Jesus is truly is to be a disciple, and to

be a disciple is to discover Jesus’ identity. An incorrect understanding of Jesus’ identity
will correlate to inadequate and truncated views of what it entails to follow Jesus. What
then is Luke’s portrayal of Jesus?
From a Lucan perspective, the infancy narrative is unique to his writing and serves as an
introduction and overture to his gospel. Therefore, Luke chapter 1:5-2:40 is key to
understanding Luke’s theology and sets the table for the central themes to be developed
(Seccombe. 1983:71). The parallelistic style in which Luke presents John the Baptist as the
forerunner and Jesus as the fulfilment of God’s plan in redemptive history underscores the
importance of Jesus’ titles presented in this section. Briefly then, the key titles and concepts

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of Jesus identity include: υἱὸς Ὑψίστου (Son of the Most High); χριστος (“Messiah or
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Christ”); υἱὸς θεοῦ (Son of God); κύριος (Lord).
These pivotal titles would signify both royalty (King) (Luke. 1:31-33) and Davidic descent
(Son of David) to Luke’s audience (Sweetland, 1990:91). Bock aptly summarizes the
infancy section by stating:

“A fundamental concept of Lucan theology is the kingdom rule of the promised

Davidic son. The regal representation of Jesus is foundational to what is said about
the risen Lord and the message of the kingdom in Acts. A kingdom that has both
present and future elements for Luke” (1993:115).

Jesus as the ‘long-awaited King’ of God’s kingdom is central to his identity. There is
good warrant to understand the proclamation of the good-news of the kingdom in Luke
(4:43-44) as the announcement that Jesus is the Davidic King. Seccombe adds, “ . . . his
[Jesus] kingdom announcement was followed by a call to absolute allegiance. The demand
for loyalty to him as God’s king permeated his preaching and carried with it an obligation
to pay close attention to his lifestyle and teaching.” (2002:263). Thus the paradigm for
discipleship is the view of the king we follow. Discipleship is more than outward
acknowledgement; it must be alignment to the Lord’s way and the Lord’s destiny. Way and
destiny are closely tied to discipleship.
We encounter this in the pivotal pericope where Peter confesses Jesus identity:
Τὸν χριστὸν τοῦ θεο (Luke. 9:18-27). Although not unique to Luke, this periscope is vital to
the identity of Jesus (cf Mark. 8; Matt. 16). Immediately, in both the Luke and Mark’s
accounts, Peter’s confession of Jesus as Messiah is followed by an announcement of Jesus’
suffering journey to Jerusalem. If anyone would come after Jesus, they must deny
themselves and pick up their cross daily and follow him. He soon repeats the idea when he
notes that the Son of Man is going to be betrayed (9:43-44). Here in a bewildering
juxtaposition we see the kind of Messiah, Jesus will be – one who serves and one who
suffers.
Furthermore, “Jesus explicitly tells this to Zacchaeus when he says the Son of Man
came to seek and save the lost (19:10). To the disciples he explains that he has not been a

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Luke 1:32-33
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Luke 1: 35
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Luke 1:46;

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figure of power with them but one who serves as an example (22:24-27)” (Bock,
2012:318). No servant is greater than his master; if they persecuted Jesus they will
persecute his followers. Thus a vital recognition of Jesus identity as the suffering and
serving King is essential for a biblically faithful portrait of discipleship.

2.2. The Cost of Following Jesus

Carl Truman has made an insightful yet alerting observation in his provocative
piece: “The Marcions Have Landed: A Warning for Evangelicals”(2017). Truman
highlights how the Evangelical Church in the twenty-first century is in danger of becoming
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suffocated by a Marcionite spirit. Truman is reacting to a Christianity that is becoming
predominately about God’s love, about people’s happiness and comfort, to the exclusion of
other facets of God’s character. Christian living has a sacrificial component to it. Biblical
discipleship entails counting the cost of following Jesus. Luke’s Gospel emphasises this in
two key pericopes namely: Luke 9:57-62 and Luke 14:25-33.

Luke 9: 57-62
“I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” But Jesus
said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the
kingdom of God.”(Luke 9:61-62).

In the pericope on “conditions for following Jesus” Matthew and Luke are similar, both
indicating that Christian discipleship has conditions and a cost. The first is a willingness to
live an unsettled life and insecure lifestyle for Jesus sake. This is seen in Jesus remark
“Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay
his head” (Luke 9:58). If you are going to “follow” me, then be prepared to forsake the
security of a settled home life (Sweetland, 1990:34).
The second is being unencumbered by other allegiances seen in Jesus offensive remark,
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“Leave the dead to bury their own dead” or (Luke 9:60). Be aware, Lordship of Christ
may claim allegiance over cultural expectations and priorities.

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We encounter Marcion from the “hostile pen of Tertullian” in the 2nd century. Marcion was a native of
Pontus. His “major distinctive was his insistence on the Christian gospel as exclusively one of love to the
extent that he came to a complete rejection of the Old Testament and only a qualified acceptance of those
parts of the New Testament which he considered to be consistent with his central thesis (i.e. ten letters of Paul
and a recension of the Gospel of Luke)” (Truman, 2017).
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Thus to deny burial or abandon proper burial rights would of attracted scorn and rejection from a Jewish
community.

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 What is of interest is Luke’s unique emphasis regarding discipleship in this pericope.
This is seen in what Luke adds to his portrayal of Jesus’ words on discipleship. Firstly,
Luke attaches an addendum to the second saying. Secondly he goes on to present a unique
third saying to this pericope. Furthermore in line, with what I consider an overall thematic
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interest, namely that of mission and witness (a point discussed later) Luke has Jesus
commanding his would be disciple: “σὺ δὲ ἀπελθὼν διάγγελλε τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ”
(Luke 9:60). The command to align his priorities with Jesus priorities
(proclaiming/preaching the kingdom cf Luke. 4:43) is central to discipleship. Moreover,
following the king of the God’s kingdom will and must challenge our allegiances, even our
closest familial bonds.
In verse 61-62, Luke heightens the radicalism of discipleship in this pericope by adding,
“no one who takes hold of the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke
9:61-62). It is recognised that this phrase alludes to 1 Kings 19:19 (Elijah and Elisha
calling) (Green, 1997:404-406). Whereby Luke is implicitly drawing attention to the fact
that the demands of Jesus are more stringent than those of Elijah (ibid, 405). To follow
Jesus means not to look back to the way life was before one came to follow him. To stay
the course and be obedient which requires undivided loyalty. Discipleship is not an
emotional decision of one moment, but a walk of life (Bock, 1996:983). Ultimately
discipleship is a journey. It is a walk, one step then another, with a fixed hand and a
determined eye, not turning back to the fleeting pleasures of Egypt (Exodus. 16:3) and the
profanity of Sodom (Gen. 19:26).

Luke 14:25-33
“Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke
14:27)
As indicated in Luke chapter 9:23, bearing the cross is used once more as a metaphor of
discipleship. In this pericope the emphasis in placed on living a cruciform life, but a life
characterised by radical self-abandonment for Christ. Once more the theme of “allegiance”
is highlighted. This is seen in the hyperbolic nature of verse 26-27: the call to radical
“hate”. Keener explains:
“In this context ‘hate’ is not primarily an effective quality but a disavowal of
primary allegiance to one’s kin. In a way consistent with other teaching in Luke,
then, Jesus underscores how discipleship relativizes one’s normal and highly valued
loyalties to normal family and social ties” (1997:565).

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What is of some interest- is that the following pericope we see Jesus disciples be sent out as missionaries.

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 Furthermore, analysing Luke’s use of Q in comparison to Matthew, Luke reinforces the
radical nature of true discipleship by adding two illustrations (Luke. 14:28-33) that
highlight the cost and consideration a would be disciple must process in order to follow
Jesus on his journey (Bock, 1996:1290). The verb ἀποτάσσεται underscores a key Lucan
motif of renunciation of possessions (cf Luke. 19). Although, everyone who enters the
journey may not be forced to give away possessions or be rejected by family as a result of
coming to Jesus. The key point here is that discipleship has a cost. And at any time a
disciple may be called to “hate” and “renounce” all to follow Christ. Following Jesus is
costly.

3. Worshipping Jesus: Communion is central to discipleship

Don Carson posits, “If the heart of sinfulness is self-centredness, the heart of all biblical
religion is God-centeredness: in short, it is worship” (1993:13). In addition one can affirm
that the centre of worship is captured in the dual command: love the Lord your God and
love your neighbour as yourself. In Luke chapter 10, the Evangelist juxtaposes the
interrelated commands of ‘love for God’ and ‘love for neighbour’ in two closely linked
episodes: the Samaritan parable followed by Jesus’ visit to Martha and Mary (Luke. 10:25-
42). From a redactional perspective, the Martha and Mary episode is unique to the synoptic
Gospels.

3.1. Martha and Mary

This counter-cultural pericope involving the two women begins with the
challenging question from the lawyer, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
(Luke. 10:25). Tentatively, the lawyers’ response is both a summary of the law and a
summary of discipleship: To love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and
strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself (Luke. 10:26). After the initial question,
Jesus proceeds to tell a parable which functions in a hermeneutical manner. It elucidates
what loving one’s neighbour entails and who one’s neighbour is. Talbert points out that the
parable of the Good Samaritan dealt primarily with the meaning of the commandment to
love one another, the Mary and Martha episode deals with loving the Lord (1982:125).
In this pericope, Luke contrasts two unusual (stated in the context of women and
rabbi’s in the first century milieu) followers of Jesus. In this present writers opinion it

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highlights the priority of a disciple – namely that of loving God. Luke informs us that
Martha is distracted (περιεσπᾶτο), which can indicate, “being pulled away” (Bock,
1996:1041). She is busy and hurried, engaged in getting everything ready for Jesus’ visit to
their home (v.40). In contrast, Mary initiates (seen in the reflexive παρακαθεσθεῖσα) and
positions herself at Jesus feet, in his presence, she is listening’s to his teaching.
The episode climaxes with Martha crying out for help, resulting from her “much
serving” (πολλὴν διακονίαν). Furthermore, the pointed phrase (συναντιλάβηται), which
literally renders “take up and help, to bear a burden” further contrasts the posture of these
two disciples (Bock, 1996:1041). In a lucid, functional way–this phrase demonstrates two
positions that Christ followers can be found in: one burdened, one in submissive fellowship
(ibid, 1041).
Moreover Jesus response (λίγων δέ ἐστιν χρεία ἢ ἑνός ) is pointed and draws a verbal
parallel with the rich young ruler in Luke 18:18-34. In comparison, the rich ruler lacked
one thing that was necessary; Mary has one thing that is necessary. The necessary action
entails, fellowship and communion with Jesus, siting at his feet, presently engaged with his
words of life. This is magnificent picture of devotion.
Mary and Martha in this pericope are two disciples deliberately contrasted by Luke.
Mary is characterised by an undivided attention to Jesus Himself (Fellowship). While
Martha was distracted, “serving” but not wholly focused on Jesus and thus receives nothing
in comparison to Mary who receives the “good portion” (ἀγαθὴν µερίδα) a figurative
reference to the “right meal” (Bock, 1996:1042). Talbert pertinently concludes:

“This study in contrasts holds up Mary as the embodiment of what it means to love
God wholly, just as the parable of the Good Samaritan held up the Samaritan as the
embodiment of what it means to love one’s neighbour” (1982:126).

In considering the Christian life we must avoid the opposite extreme of the ‘Marcion’
position – that of burdensome and onerous law keeping. Yes, following Christ is costly and
rightly entails sacrificial living but we must avoid ‘servant disorientation’. In that we
become distracted with serving that we forget that eternal life is about knowing God
intimately (John. 17:3). To know God is to be drawn into the triune worship and fellowship
of the Godhead. Christian living must be anchored and motivated from deep devotion and

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It is interesting to note that both are disciples. Mary position “at the Lord’s feet” signifies her
submissiveness indicating a disciple (cf. Acts 22:3), and Martha addresses Jesus as “Lord” also indicating
disciple (Green, 1997:435).

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unbridled fellowship with our triune God. Luke provides us with a posture of a disciple,
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sitting not striving, listening not demanding, in fellowship with the word of the Lord.

4. Proclaiming Jesus: Discipleship and Witness

“The principal manner in which Luke attempts to articulate his theology of mission is by
writing not only one book, but two” (Bosch, 1993:88).

My aim in this section is to interact and outline David J. Bosch’s contribution regarding
missiology in the Lucan corpus, and use this insight to underscore how Luke conveys the
importance of witness and mission in the life of a disciple. Bosch articulates three [I will
only consider two] connections between Luke and Acts that convey the unified
missiological significance for discipleship (1993:87-94).
Bosch’s first contribution is drawing attention to the parallel geographical structure,
centred on Jerusalem in Luke-Acts.13 In Luke, Jesus’ ministry unfolds in three stages to
Jerusalem. Firstly, is Galilee (4:14-9:50) secondly, the journey from Galilee to Jerusalem
(9:51-19:40), and finally the events in Jerusalem (19:41-24:53). In Acts, the church’s
mission also proceeds in three phases from Jerusalem (Acts. 1:8) – beginning in Jerusalem
(24:47), into Samaria and the coastal plains and finally into the Roman Empire, ending with
Paul’s arrival in Rome. This geographical structure according to Bosch “discloses the
relationship between the mission of Jesus and the mission of the church” (1993:87-89).
Secondly, is the pneumatological perspective. In Luke, Jesus’ mission begins with the
coming of the Holy Spirit (Luke. 3:21-22); in Acts the church’s mission begins with the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts. 2:1-13). The Spirit is prominent, as the initiator, guide
and power of the church’s mission; he also empowers Jesus for his (cf Luke. 4:18; cf Acts.
10:38). The Spirit is the spirit of mission that connects the two books. Bosch contends
“Luke unites the time of Jesus and the time of the church in one era of the Spirit”
(1993:87).
In a similar vein, Richard Longenecker further evinces literary unity between Luke and
Acts by highlighting the basic “architectural structure” of the two books. Longenenecker

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The scope of the essay does not permit a full investigation, but a central tenant to discipleship as noted
above is a posture of worship and fellowship; but fellowship that is centered on listening to the words of
Jesus. As noted above, a key to discipleship is Christology, which is bound to a high view of scripture – the
Word of God.
Furthermore, there is scope to include in fellowship with Jesus – prayer. Luke’s next episode is on the Lord’s
Prayer, which is a vital aspect of discipleship. Consider Acts (2:42-43; 3:1; 6:4;) the disciples are gathered
and are characterized by singing and prayer, which indicates devotion and fellowship.
13
In a similar vein, Fitzmyer (1981:164) highlights the geographical significance.

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points out that Luke and Acts are “almost identical in size, almost identical in chronological
coverage (about thirty-three years for both), they also more importantly exhibit a
remarkable series of correspondences between what Jesus does and says in Luke’s gospel
and what the disciples [i.e. mainly Peter and Paul] do and say in Acts” (1996:52). This too
provides a compelling case in which the two volumes together – constitute the fullness of
God’s redemptive activity on behalf of humanity. Longenecker concludes:

“For though Jesus’ mission and the church’s mission are not to be taken as identical,
they are nonetheless comparable and inseparable – that of Jesus being the
announcement and effecting of redemption, and that of the church being the
proclamation, extension, and application of what Jesus affected” (ibid, 53).

Following on, I intend to draw attention to a few key pericopes that are instrumental in
underscoring the interconnectedness of Jesus’ mission (Luke. 4:16-30; Luke. 19:1-2) and
the church’s mission (Luke. 24:46-49, and Acts. 1:8). These texts provide the bedrock of
witness and mission in relation to Christian living. Tentatively acknowledged, this point
assumes that disciple is following Jesus [as noted above] and patterning our lives after his.

4.1. Jesus Mission: Luke 4:16-30 & Luke 19:10

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.” (Lk. 4:18-19)

Firstly, from a redactional perspective, Luke’s placement and arrangement of Luke

chapter 4:16-30 is indicative of the importance of this pericope. Comparatively, both Mark
and Matthew relate this incident much later in their gospel narratives (Mk. 6:1-6 & Mt.
13:53-58). Luke arranges this pericope in the beginning of Jesus public ministry. In
addition to placement, Luke extensively modifies it, which draws attention to Luke’s
structure and narrative shape. Moreover, Bock contends that Luke’s placement has
“programmatic” significance, arguing the pericope provides a “representative sample of
Jesus ministry, and a paradigm for his ministry” (1993:394). The importance of this

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pericope is further underlined when Jesus confidently and emphatically, amidst the
religious cohort appropriates an Old Testament prophecy to his person and ministry. The
Spirit of the Lord is upon him and has anointed him. The final messianic future is now
operative. “Isaiah’s prophecy is being fulfilled” (Bosch, 1993:89). Bosch in summary, sets
forth–three fundamental concerns of Luke that shape Jesus’ missionary program in his
ministry. These include “(1) the centrality of the poor: (2) the setting aside of vengeance;
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and (3) the Gentile mission.” (ibid:89).
If one considers this “programmatic” pericope, Luke chapter 4, bookended with what
Howard Marshall asserts is the climatic phrase of Jesus’ Galilean and Judean ministry
contained in Luke chapter 19:10: “For the Son of man came to seek and save the lost”. We
are presented with a Lukan central characteristic of Jesus ministry, namely the mission to
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proclaim and offer salvation to all men (Marshall, 1970:116).

4.2. The Disciples Mission: Luke 24:44-49 & Acts 1:8

You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon
you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”(Luke 24:48-49)

Luke chapter 24:44-49 forms the climax of the resurrected Jesus' revelation to his
disciples. In this final revelation, Jesus both reviews the past and previews the future and
this serves to provide a literary connection between Jesus and the disciples (Tannehill,
1986:294). Jesus’ commission will guide their actions and priorities for the future.
Furthermore, from a literary perspective it prepares the reader for the transition – to the
continuation of the story in Acts. A noticeable transition is the change in ‘discipleship’
vocabulary. For the first-time the disciples of Jesus are referred to as “witnesses”
(µάρτυρες) (Sweetland, 1990:43). This occurs once in the Luke’s first volume (Luke. 24:48)
and nearly a dozen times in Acts (2:14-36; 4:2; 8:4-8, 12, 35; 10:34-43; 13:12, 46; 16:14;
17:2-4, 11, 22-31; 18:5; 19:4, 8-10), underscoring a prominent identity marker and key
characteristic of Jesus’ followers. Tannehill provides a succinct summary regarding the
literary and thematic unity of Luke and Acts and how this further evinces an
interconnection between Jesus mission and his “witnesses” mission. Tannehill posits:

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These three fundamental concerns, in a sense could also encapsulate Luke and Jesus’ teaching on
discipleship. The concerns and priorities of the King are the concerns and priorities of his followers.
15
Just to note, no means, is offering “salvation to men” unique to the third evangelist. However my aim was
to demonstrate the centrality of Jesus mission (“seek and save the lost”), and the direct correlation it has on
his followers presented to us by the third evangelist.

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 “The narrator carefully unifies the narrative by an interlacing of elements at major
transition points. This interlacing is clearest where the transition is clearest, at the
juncture of Books 1 and 2. Jesus’ final words in Luke provide a detailed
introduction to Acts, where the themes in Luke 24:47-49 will immediately be
important. At the beginning of Acts, Jesus’ ‘name’ becomes a major theme (see
especially 2:21, 38; 3:6, 16; 4:7, 10). The apostles’ preaching is highlighted, and it
is a ‘preaching of repentance for release of sins’. The mission ‘to all nations’ is
reemphasized in 1:8, although this mission is only gradually implemented. In Acts
1:4 Jesus again indicates that Jerusalem should be the beginning point of the
mission, and the following narrative fits this. The role of the Apostles as witnesses
is emphasized in the early chapters of Acts. The coming of the Spirit is highlighted
in the Pentecost scene, and the description of the Spirit as ‘the promise of the
Father’ and ‘power’ in Luke 24:49 are repeated in Acts 1:4; 2:33” (ibid, 295).

Key to the transition is the fact that Luke's Gospel story does not end with Jesus'
resurrection and his physical appearance to his disciples, but continues with Jesus' call to
his disciples to go and proclaim these events. Luke's story is not only a story about Jesus
but is the story of God's plan which is being realised both in Jesus and his witnesses, when
one reads Luke's Gospel and Acts with this eye, the parallels between Jesus and his
disciples begin to emerge.
In our discussion, my aim was to establish and highlight the literary and thematic
parallels of Jesus mission to “seek and save the lost” and the extension of that mission to
the disciples as “witnesses”. A unified mission that encompasses God’s saving purposes for
the world, and a mission that is spirit-empowered, centred on repentance and forgiveness of
sins (salvation) proclaimed, initiated by Christ and continued by his disciples in his name.
Although, the didactic parts of Acts do not include much on Christian living. Structure
and narrative unity can provide meaning. In this case, the overall structure and composition
of Luke-Acts, provides sufficient clues embedded in the narrative arc of Luke’s two-part
volume to delineate the contours of being a disciple. To be a ‘disciple’ or a ‘follower’ of the
Way is to be a missionary – Christian living at its core must be concerned with witness:
“ . . . you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end
of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

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 5. Contemporary Appropriation
In section one my aim was to highlight Christology precedes discipleship. Any teaching
on the Christian life must be grounded in the biblical portrait of Christ. If the church fails to
grasp the identity of Jesus, consequently the allegiance and following of Jesus will be either
truncated or distorted. We cannot expect the church in Africa to cast an image of Christ,
worship their own god, made in their own image, and expect disciples and discipleship that
is biblically faithful. Accurate, robust teaching on Christ must precede teaching on the
Christian life.
Central to discipleship must be cruciform life patterned after our crucified Messiah.
Jesus’ call to follow is a call to come die to self-ambition, worldly treasures and personal
gain. How much is our discipleship based on biblical pillars that shape a sound coherent
doctrine of suffering and cross bearing.
In the Mary and Martha incident my aim was to draw attention to prioritising fellowship
with Jesus. In my limited view, a tension is needed between Christ centred service and
Christ centred devotion. Too often the church’s teaching on discipleship can be reduced to
service and costly sacrifice. Unhealthy so, that we forget that to be a discipleship is to know
and be known by Christ in intimate fellowship and communion.
In the last section, my aim was to demonstrate that Luke’s narrative structure and
compilation provides an emphasis on witness and mission. In Acts a key declaration of the
gospel is that Jesus is Lord (Acts. 2:32-36; 10:36; 16:31). Regarding Christ’s sovereign rule
and reign Kuyper states, “there is not a square inch of this world that he does not claim
mine” (Kuyper, 1880 cited by Moore, 2012). Thus, I want to suggest that instead of
‘witness’ being narrowly defined, as evangelism, the church needs to train and encourage
its people to live as salt and life under the Lordship of Christ. This means exploring and
teaching the Great Commission in everyday life, in a way that galvanises people to envision
their lives as “witness” in the so called secular spheres that they have been called to.
Proclamation is central to “witness” but embodying the values and ethics of the king in
everyday life is vital to witness too. May God our Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enable us
through his Spirit– Amen.

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