Reflection

Practicing Forgiveness and Solidarity with the Poor

The paradigm of the Lukan Missionary is based on mission as less about expansion and conquering, and more about a faithful witness as forgivers, compassionate, and in solidarity with the marginalized. The mission of Jesus in the book of Luke-Acts is based on the mercy of God to the sinners and the poor, which is reproduced by the Church as a result of the power of the Holy Spirit. According to David Bosch, Luke focuses on mission as being involved in God as redemptive work that is characterized by reconciliation and social change instead of compulsion.¹

The Gospel of Luke revolves around forgiveness. Jesus constantly tells his disciples to keep on forgiving endlessly and demonstrates this morality by sharing a table with the sinners, in parables like the Prodigal Son and finally by praying to be forgiven on the cross (Luke 23:34).² In Acts, forgiveness has been declared as fundamental part of the apostolic witness, and it is an invitation to both Jews and non-Jews to be restored to relationship with God and with each other.³

Solidarity with the poor is also one of the most important aspects of the missionary vision of Luke. Luke is able to consistently emphasize God’s special interest in the economically and socially marginalized, making the salvation holistic and concrete. This mission in the early Christian community appears in the expression of the common resources, the needy, and opposition to systems that keep people locked out (Acts 2:44–45).⁴

To the Church of today, it cannot be a Lukan Missionary Paradigm of mercy, generosity, and inclusion. Forgiveness and being in solidarity with the poor are not discretionary actions of the faith rather distinguishable features of involvement in the mission of God in the world.⁵

Footnotes

¹ David J. Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2011), 86–122.

² Joel B. Green, The Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1997), 561–565.

³ Luke Timothy Johnson, The Acts of the Apostles (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1992), 70–75.

⁴ Christopher J. H. Wright, The Mission of God (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2006), 201–205.

⁵ David J. Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2011), 121–122.

According to the paradigm of missionary discipleship by Matthew in his Transforming Mission, mission is not only evangelistic proclamation but the model building of communities who practice obedience to the teachings of Jesus. Matthew sees discipleship as identity-in-mission, which ends in the Great Commission where making disciples of every nation is teaching followers to do all that Christ told them. Mission is therefore not a church program, but rather it is the core of the church being.[1]

Bosch emphasizes the fact that it is a crisis gospel: Matthew writes to a community that is suspended between a Jewish identity and an increasing Gentile one, but does not fix this crisis by asserting one mission over the other. Instead, he has held together a mission to both Jews and Gentiles and has provided an example of a church of complexity who yet remain faithful to the authority of Christ, but it is one of faithfulness, humility and perseverance and not of strategic certitude. To Matthew, obedience, justice and love cannot exist without mission and it is difficult to separate evangelism and social responsibility.[2]

This is further supported by the Week 3 PowerPoint, which points out that the Book of Matthew Great Commission is about making disciples, not just converts. Discipleship entails the study of the teachings of Jesus, practicing and applying them in society. The fact that he accentuates the need to teach them to see all that I have commanded you shows that mission is very much ecclesial- it is impossible to separate mission and the church. Conversion is known to be assimilated into a new community based on the leadership of Christ and not an individual choice.[3]

This paradigm is so relevant to my church today. In a church setting where attendee culture is commonly driven by consumerism, the model that Matthew introduces requires us to enhance spiritual practices, collective responsibility, and manifest obedience. Missionary discipleship challenges my church to stop being attractional but establish relational discipleship that makes believers live just, caring, and faithful in the normal life. It also makes us think about mission at both a local and a worldwide level and understand that making disciples in the church and spreading it to the rest of mankind are one and the same thing. The paradigm by Matthew helps us remember that the church is not in the number or programs to find the true identity, but by the true missionary discipleship when one is obedient.[4]

Footnotes

1] Bosch, D. J, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1991), 58–60.

2] Bosch, D. J, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1991), 63–75.

3] “Matthew: Mission as Disciple Making,” Week 3 PowerPoint, MISS 500, slides on the Great Commission.

4] Bosch, D. J, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1991), 80–84.

The work of God is a direct extension of what He is and how He is connected with humanity. God is not far from creation, but they are engaged in taking back what was destroyed by sin. According to Wright, the mission of God is contained in his redemptive purpose for the world and expounded throughout Scripture as a manifestation of His love, faithfulness, and dedication to mankind (Wright, 2006). From creation to covenant, God is always trying to establish a relationship with people; this proves that mission is not just an activity that is going on in the church, but the actual work of God in the past.

Simultaneously, God is absolute and divine. He is the author of every nation, the winner of history, and differentiates himself with his creation. But, in His holiness, God prefers to manifest Himself and not to keep Himself a secret. The Scripture introduces a God who reveals his character by his powerful deeds, his law, and his covenant with his people (Wright, 2006). As the first-week presentation accentuates, the fact that God has a reign over the nations and He wants to draw them into His redemptive plan shows that His holiness does not separate Him from humanity but invites people to the process of changing and obeying. 

The relational nature of God can best be observed through his request to the people to join His mission. Instead of acting alone outside humankind, God uses His people as the means of his action. Israel is summoned to be a witness to the nations, and later the mission of God extends to the outside world in order that all the people can know about his salvation (Wright, 2006). This shows that mission does not just concern proclamation only, but also about living in a dedicated relationship with God and the image of His character to the world. It is not only that God wants to save people, but He wants to rebuild relationships and bring all nations into fellowship with Him.

The relational aspect of God to me implies that the mission is based on love and not on duty. The fact that God is interested in establishing a relationship with humanity makes me take part in His mission willingly and humbly. Since God has drawn my attention and made me part of his redemptive work, I am recalled to embody His love, justice, and truth in my work. His holiness is an inspiring aspect where people respect Him, and His relational nature is such that I am certain He is walking with His people as they engage in His mission of restoring the world.

References

Wright, C. J. H. (2006). The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative. Downers 

Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Christopher J. H. Wright in The Mission of God introduces a strong biblical theology of God relating to other gods and idols and makes it clear that the Only True God is revealed in the Scripture as the supreme over all powers, as well as the One who is actively involved in the confrontation of false gods. The Bible has never depicted other gods at the same level of rivalry, but has always held them as powerless creations or artificial objects that are the opposites of the living sovereign God. Wright describes that the confession of monotheism by Israel was not just philosophical, but it had a missionary purpose, which was to show the nations that Yahweh is unique. [1]

In the Old Testament, God relates with other gods in a manner of judgment and revelation. According to Wright, events like the plagues in Egypt are confrontations with the Egyptian pantheon, which expose the power of God over nature, history, and political power. [2] Idolatry is thus a sin as well as a theological mistake and relational and moral betrayal, a deformation of human life and worship.

Another point that Wright makes is that idols are a symbol of false hopes. They are usually associated with oppression, injustice, and self-reliance systems, which are contrary to the purposes of God for humanity. The prophets, time and again, criticize idols not merely because they are untrue, but because they cause individuals to divert themselves from justice, compassion, and keeping covenants. In this regard, the opposition of God to idols is a manifestation of His faithfulness to the prosperity and salvation of human beings.

The theme is carried through in the New Testament, where the supremacy of God is fully realized in Christ. The lordship of Jesus is opposed not only to the religious idols but also to political and cultural forces that presume the supreme authority. According to Wright, the call of God to all nations to renounce false gods and identify with the one true God and the sovereignty of the one God depends upon the work of love, justice, and salvation, and not on domination. [3]

The result of the Bible is the Only True God that is unmatched and uncontested, not due to the lack of competitors but because these competitors are revealed as empty replacements. The connection of God with other divine entities and idols emphasizes his status as the one creator and the one redeemer, welcoming everyone into faithful servitude and involvement in His redemptive work.

Footnote:

[1] Christopher J. H. Wright, The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2006), 64–66.

[2] Ibid., 64-66.

[3] Ibid., 64-66.

Bibliography 

Christopher J. H. Wright, The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2006), 64–66