1-3-8-Ministry History

What do you learn from verses 1-4 about Luke?  About the reason he wrote this gospel?  About where he got his sources?

A Jewish priest was a minister of God who worked at the temple managing its upkeep, teaching the people the Scriptures, and directing the worship services.  At this time there were about 20,ooo priests throughout the country-far too many to minister in the temple at one time.  Therefore the priest were divided into 24 separate groups of about 1,000 each, according to David's direction (1 Chronicles 24:3-19).

Zechariah was a member of the Abijah division, on duty particular week.  Each morning a priest was to enter the Holy Place-in the temple and burn incense.  Lot's were cast to decide who would enter the sacred room, and one day the lot fell to Zechariah.  But it was chosen that day to enter the Holy Place-perhaps a once in-a-lifetime opportunity.  God was guiding the events of history to prepare the way for Jesus to come to earth.

Zechariah and Elizabeth didn't merely go through the motions in following God's laws; they backed up their outward compliance with inward obedience.  Unlike the religious leaders whom Jesus called hypocrites, Zechariah and Elizabeth did not stop with the letter of the law.  Their obedience was from the heart and that is why they are called "upright in the sight of God."

Incense was burned in the temple twice daily.  When the people saw the smoke from the burning incense, they prayed.  The smoke drifting heavenward symbolized their prayers ascending to God's throne.

Angels are spirit beings who live in God's presence and do his will.  Only two angels are mentioned by name in Scripture-Michael and Gabriel-but there are many who act as God's messengers.  Here, Gabriel (1:19) delivered a special message to Zechariah.  This was not a dream or vision.  The angel appeared in visible form and spoke audible words to the priest.

What stands out to you about Zechariah and Elizabeth (vv. 5-7)?  Barrenness was seen as a sign of God's disfavor and a legitimate reason for divorce.  What feelings must the couple have had in light of their barrenness? 

What was the significance of the task for which Zechariah was chosen (see 1 Ch. 23:13)?  Since many priest never had this opportunity, what might he be feeling as he prepares for it?  How about when the angel appears?

Zechariah, while burning incense on the altar, was also praying, perhaps for a son or for the coming of the Messiah.  In either case, his prayer was answered.  He would soon have a son who would prepare the way for the Messiah.  God answers prayer in his own way and in his own time.  He worked in an "impossible" situation-Zechariah's wife was barren-to bring about the fulfillment of all the prophecies concerning the Messiah.  If we want to have our prayers answered, we must be open to what God can do in impossible situations.  And we must wait for God to work in his time.

John means "the Lord is gracious" and Jesus means "the Lord saves."  Both names were prescribed by God., not chosen by human parents.  Throughout the Gospels, God acts graciously and saves his people.  He will not withhold salvation from anyone who sincerely comes to him.

John was set apart for special service to God.  He may have been forbidden to drink wine as part of the Nazarite vow, an ancient vow of consecration to God (see Numbers 6:1-8).  Samson (Judges 13) was under the Nazarite vow, and Samuel may have been also (1 Samuel 1:11).

This is Luke's first mention of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity; Luke refers to the Holy Spirit more than any other Gospel writer.  Because Luke also wrote the book of Acts, we know he was thoroughly informed about the work of the Holy Spirit.  Luke recognized and emphasized the Holy Spirits work in directing the founding of Christianity and in guiding the early church.  The presence of the Spirit is God's gift given to the entire church at Pentecost.  Prior to that God's Spirit was given to the faithful for special tasks.  We need the Holy Spirit's help to do God's work effectively.

How would the birth of this son affect Zechariah and Elizabeth?  How would you describe his mission in your own words?  Why would Zechariah doubt?

In what ways do you feel spiritually barren?  How might this account of Elizabeth and Zechariah affect your feelings of barrenness?

John's role was to be almost identical to that of an Old Testament prophet-to encourage people to turn away from sin and back to God.  John is also compared to the great prophet Elijah, who was known for standing up to evil rulers (Malachi 4:5; Matthew 11:14; 17:10-13).

In preparing people for the Messiah's arrival, John would do "heart transplants."  he would take stony hearts and exchange them for hearts that were soft, pliable, trusting, and open to change (See Ezekiel 11:19, 20 and 36:25-29 for more on "heart transplants.")  Are you open to God as you should be?  Or do you need a change of heart?

When told he would have a son, Zechariah doubted the angel's word.  From Zechariah's human perspective, his doubts were understandable-but with God, anything is possible.  Although Zechariah and Elizabeth were past the age of childbearing, gave them a child.  It is easy to doubt or misunderstand what God wants to do in our lives.  Even God's people sometimes make the mistake of trusting their intellect or experience rather than God.  When tempted to think that one of God's promises is impossible, remember his work throughout history.  God's power is not confined by narrow perspective or bound by human limitations.  Trust him completely.

Zechariah thought it incredible that he and his wife at their old age, could conceive a child. But what God promises he delivers.  And God delivers on time!  You can have complete confidence that God will keep his promises.  Their fulfillment may not be the next day, but they will be "at the proper time."  If you are waiting for God to answer some request or to fill some need, remain patient.  No matter how impossible God's promises may seem what he has said in His Word will come true at the right time.

Zechariah and Elizabeth were both faithful people, and yet they were suffering.  Some Jews at that time did not believe in a body resurrection, so their hope of immortality was in their children.  In addition, children cared for their parents in their old age and added to the family's financial security and social status.  Children were considered a blessing, and childlessness was seen as a curse.  Zechariah and Elizabeth had been childless for many years and at this time they were too old to expect any change in their situation.  They felt humiliated and hopeless.  But God was waiting for the right time to encourage them and take away their disgrace.

What did the people think when Zechariah emerged from the temple mute?

When was the last time you doubted God?  What caused your doubt?

How is John's mission a model for your mission today?  How might you "prepare" people for the Lord?

Christianity arose from the life, preaching, and death of Jesus of Nazareth.  It began as a renewal movement within Palestinian Judaism, and its first members regarded their faith in the risen Jesus not as a new religion but as a confirmation of God's promise to Israel.  They were the people of the new covenant for-shadowed in Jer. 31:31.  Their acceptance of Jesus as Messiah and Christ (the Anointed One) would have meant little outside the confines of Judaism.  Saul or David could be "the Lord's Anointed," but anointing played no part in pagan religious rites.  The earliest Christian confession of faith preserved in 1 Cor. 8:6 written in circa A. D. 53, opened with the assertion that there was one God, and conformed to the basic confession of Israel (Deut. 6:4).  Indeed, Paul never envisaged a permanent breach with Judaism.  The first generations of Christians inherited their Scripture and many of their characteristic attitudes and beliefs as well as much of their organization from the Jews.  Their problems were Jewish problems.

Most scholars agree that Jesus himself picked out twelve laymen as his twelve apostles, a reflection of the fullness of salvation for all humankind, a kind of twelve tribes of Israel of the New Age.  When Judas died the eleven filled up the gap by the election of Matthias, but there it ended.  When peter died or James, John or Andrew or any of the others, there was no attempt on the part of the early church to replace them or to keep the twelve going as a distinct numerical institution.  In fact, with uncommon suddenness, the twelve are not mentioned again after the death of Stephen.  They quickly disappear. 

Phrases such as "the Fatherhood of God" and "the brotherhood of man" have become trite through familiarity, but they were not trite when Jesus preached them.  For Jesus, however, God was not only Lord, but a loving Father to be approached through prayer, through action and above all, through submission to His will.  God was not only the God of Israel and Creator of the universe, but one to be understood; in Paul's words, "God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ABBA!  Father!"  (Gal. 4:6).  All believers could become "sons of your Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 5:45).  The Kingdom of heaven was seen in terms of a family with "little children" as the true members.  The command also to "love your neighbor as yourself," though set down in Leviticus (19:18), for the congregation of Israel was given a new and universal application.  Few if any Jews of Jesus' time would have included Samaritans among neighbors to be loved.  Yet no one who read the Parable of the Good Samaritan could henceforth regard them otherwise.  The lessons of mutual support respect, and help taught by Jsesus were to be among the hallmarks of his followers in the first centuries of the church.  "See how they love one another" (Tertullian Apology 39) was a pagan, not a Christian observation.

He spoke "as one who had authority" and not (for example by quoting precedents) as the scribes (mark 1:22).  His word was "with authority" (Luke 4:32).  "Elijah" or "John the Baptist" returned to earth was how his secular ruler Herod Antipas viewed him (Mark 6:14-16/Luke 9:7-9).  For the Galileans, he was "the prophet," foreshadowed in Deut. 18:15, greater than David and foretold by a succession of prophets.  Such was Peter's interpretation of his life (Acts 2:34, 3:22) and thus he was in the eyes of these who heard him and experienced his cures (cf. John 9:17).  "Even wind and sea obey him" (Mark 4:41), it was said.  Whatever else may or may not be true, vivid memories of his words and work survived in Galilee long after the crucifixion.

In their final form the Gospels are works reflecting the faith and attitudes of Christian communities some two generations after the crucifixion.  Their writers were concerned with the "gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (Mark 1:1) and not a historical biography.

The Pauline Ministry

Paul's ideas were different.  In his lifetime his churches were moving away from the Jerusalem model.  In Jerusalem, James seems to have presided over elders who formed a sort of Christian Sanhedrin.  His power was authoritative if not absolute.  In 57-58 the Temple seems still to have been a dominating factor in the life of the community.  Taxes were paid to it (cf. Matt. 17:24), and the performance by Christians of the obligations of the Nazarite vow in the Temple seems not to have been unusual (Acts 21:23).  Paul also had a strong authoritarian streak in his character.  His was the only message.  "If any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received,"  In the Pauline churches, however, there was no high priestly succession but a wide range of office holders, apostles, prophets, teachers (1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11), who moved from place to place, alongside the presbyters and subordinate "helpers," "administrators," and "speakers in various kinds of tongues" who served a local congregation.  All baptized Christians lived under the inspiration of the Spirit and all were equal in the sight of the Lord.  That admitted, officers were being appointed in each community and the churches became centers of a fairly elaborate social structure based on the households of the converted as well as individual converts such as Philemon (Phlm. 1-3) or Gaius at Corinth (Rom. 16:23).  The earliest specifically Christian officials were the "Prophets and teachers" mentioned in Acts 13:1.  These continued throughout the period of Paul's mission and beyond.  In the first missionary journey Paul and Barnabas left their newly founded congregations under the leadership of presbyters.  "They had appointed elders for them in every church" (Acts 14:23).  In his letter to the Philippians, however, Paul refers to "bishops and deacons" there (Phil. 1:1).  The contradiction maybe more apparent than real.  The deacon was always the subordinate whether in the liturgy or dispensing works of mercy.  The presbyter and bishop were one and the same individual, which Paul shows when he addressed the leaders of the church of Ephesus at Miletus in 58 (Acts 20:17, 28).  Outwardly, the Pauline churches were modeled on existing Jewish synagogues.  The offices brought in to being through the needs of the Spirit in the brief period before the end, however, would soon settle into more fixed molds of organization with clear-cut disciplinary rules when that event was delayed.

The Christian Ministry

The main division was the residential and the itinerant ministries.

In each Christian community, however, there was also a residential ministry, consisting probably of presbyter - bishops, each with an allotted function that administered its affairs, taught, and celebrated the liturgy.  Those appointed had to be "blameless" the husband of one wife," and so on (Titus 1:6-9), and "were not to be despised" (Didache 15:2). but clearly were inferior to the itinerant ministers who could expect sustenance in the form of first fruits of oil and wine from the communities they visited.  In the last resort, the churches had been founded "by the apostles and prophets," who in Paul's mind were the interpreters of the Spirit and stood in immediate relation to the "cornerstone" - Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:20).

By the end of the century, however, there had been a marked move away from the collegial system of church government and a decline in the influence of the itinerants.  The great men had died; prophecy was not being poured out as expected in the last times.  We find communities now being governed by a single officer, whether known as "bishop," "Presbyter," or simply as "chairman," as in Rome in Justin's time, c. 150.

Polycarp's congregation at Smyrna, a church of whom the Seer also approved, was a neatly graded hierarchical community centered on himself, with each grade in the church - the presbyter, deacons, widows, and "young men" - having its respective duties.

We can see this happening in the Rome of 1 Clement where the presbyter-bishops were believed to derive their offices from the apostles, and then, in the celebrated and much discussed text (I Clement XLIV. 1-5), "they [the apostles] then made a decree that when these died, other eminent men should succeed to their ministry." and having been appointed "with the agreement of the whole church" should not be removed while they "ministered to the flock of Christ blamelessly and in all humility, peaceably and nobly."  They were the men of the Spirit and would in practice hold their appointments for life.  The emergence of a single leader in each community, possessing par-excellence the gift of the Spirit, may also owe something to the same evolutionary processes.  Administration of discipline and refutation of heretical views needed a single responsible official.

Jesus' Ministry

It would seem that persecution broke up the twelve and the Jewish Christians had to flee from Jerusalem.  We might surmise that since the whole concept of the twelve is so basically Jewish, modeled after the twelve tribes of Israel, there was no inclination to keep such a foreign notion going when the church moved to the gentile world.  Therefore, the early Christians turned to other forms to hand on the apostolic tradition.  This is a clear indication that Jesus obviously did not provide a blueprint for his church organization.  He left his intentions,  genius and desires but gave the church total freedom to develop what forms would best fulfill these hopes.

There is that section in the gospel (Lk 10:1-12) where Jesus gives very exact instructions to the seventy-two disciples to go and evangelize.  It is a carefully laid out program.  Yet here too, even though originated by Jesus, there is no attempt to replace the seventy-two as an institution.  Finally, there is that other ministry we are sure of from scripture: the origin of the seven so-called deacons (Acts 6:1-3).  But it is clear that these seven developed into much more than waiters on tables.  In reality they became a new band of traveling apostles and took over many of the original functions of the twelve apostles such as leading prayer and preaching.

We all remember "deacon" Philip and the Ethiopian he evangelized and baptized.  We remember "deacon" Stephen who preached and was killed for his witnessing efforts .  So we see that the various ministerial responsibilities of the twelve apostles, the seventy-two disciples, and the seven deacons - all found in scripture - were quickly distributed among others such as, as we shall see, the prophets and the teachers.  For example, Barnabus and others are described in the new Testament as "conducting the worship of the Lord and fasting" and teaching and proclaiming the inspired word of the Lord in the liturgical assemblies.

The point that comes across is that from the beginning of the new church the controlling ideal of ministry seems to be the communities' needs arising from their grounding in Christ.  Any structure that serves this ideal is legitimate.  The church did not consider itself bound even to forms that Jesus used.  Rather it took from him that perfect freedom to build up his body, the church, and to proclaim the Good News in those forms and structure that best seem to do the job.  This being so, we should not the surprised to discover in the New Testament and contemporary Christians writings a great deal of fluidity in ministry and leadership and no absolutely fixed forms of either.  That would come later after the church settled down; until them the catchword is development.

The church came up with many ministries, best demonstrated by Saint Paul's image of one body with many members.  This means that primitive ministry is being shaped by the needs of that body and not the other way around.

We find widows who seem to be more than woman with deceased husbands, but a kind of religious order whose members were of proven piety and character and who did works of hospitality (1 Tim 5:9-13).  Deacons are mentioned as engaging in works of charity and "waiting on tables" (Acts 6;2) but who moved, as we have seen, into more activity, blurring with the traveling apostles, prophets, and teachers.

It was from just such a community at Antioch in Syria that Ananias was sent to heal Paul of his blindness.  Then there are listed here and there healers, interpreters of tongues, administrators, and others (see 1 Cor. 12:4-5, 28).  There were, then, a variety of agents and officers who engaged in ministering to the small communities and  house-churches of the first century.  All arose as the needs of the community demanded.  As might be expected, not all ministers were either adequate or worthy.  Some could be quite divisive.  The pastoral epistles (those written by Paul or another author in his style to Timothy and Titus bearing on practical, pastoral maters were written to counteract the unworthy leader.

There are two other very important ministries that appear in the New Testament and the other writings as well.  One is the person called the "guardian" of the community.  That word translates as "bishop."  The other term is "presbyter" and sometimes the terms of guardian and presbyter are used so interchangeably that it's hard to tell if and when there is a distinction.  There is some significance to how often the New Testament writers are unclear in this whole matter of ministries.  They appear to be casually imprecise, vague, and indefinite.  And this, of course, indicates that the exact structure and definition of the various ministries were obviously not a pressing matter for them.  But this is exactly as we might expect if, in fact, the early church is using that freedom from Jesus to evolve its ministries under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  On the other hand, what does come across strongly is that whatever the precise definition of ministries and office is they must both be geared to community service,  Again the community is shaping the ministry, not the other way around.

Getting back to the bishop[ (guardian) and the presbyter we must explore their origins.  We will take the presbyter first.  The word literally means elder.  It is Jewish in expression but universal in theme.

Israel's establishment of them goes back to Moses, whose father-in-law, perhaps thinking of his neglected daughter, urged Moses to get help "for the thing is too heavy for you... choose able men from all the people... and let them judge the people at all times" (Ex 18:18-22).  Moses is directly appointed by God who tells him to gather seventy elders "and I will take some of the spirit which is upon you and put it upon them" (Num. 11:16-18).  (Note that God gives some of Moses' spirit away; he is still full leader and the others are subordinate to him.)

We should note that these elder-presbyters (we'll use this hyphenated form for a while) from the beginning were "ordained," that is they were installed in their position by the laying on of hands.  The tasks of these elder-presbyter lay mainly in the role of judging, guiding, and in-general, presiding over the local community.

Some of the elder-presbyters, collectively called the Presbyterate, were sent out to carry messages to various Jewish communities and promote piety and learning.  They carried a certain air of authority coming as they did from the main Jerusalem Sanhedrin.  They could even raise funds and preside over the local courts (the very thing the traveling Paul did).  They were something like an ambassador.

Such "sent members" had a special title derived from the word sent: apostle.

At the time of the Christian era, such Jewish elder-presbyters in their roe as traveling apostles made the rounds with the power and authority of the great Sanhedrin to redress wrongs, bring judgment, and form a liaison with the first Christian communities with their elder-presbyters at Jerusalem under the leadership of James (Acts 2:17-not the same as the apostle James and the sent out traveling apostles such as Paul and Barnabas.

There were then at Jerusalem a counter part Christian Sanhedrin, or Presbyterate, composed of the apostles (the original), and the elder-presbyters.

Recall the opening lines of the letter sent out from the Council of Jerusalem.  "The brethren, both the apostles and the presbyters, to the brethren who are of the Gentiles..." (Acts 15:23).  In the first years, then, when the church was small, confined mostly to loose communities of Jewish Christians and house meetings, this Jerusalem Sanhedrin of Christian elder-presbyters was the final authority but always of course, in connection with the original apostles of Jesus.  The other church communities that sprung up outside Jerusalem naturally looked to them for approval, support and supervision.

Barnabas winds up organizing the local community around local prophets of charismatic figures (Acts 13:1).  These local leaders have no special title and were referred to by Paul simply as "those who labor for the community" or "those who are over you."  Such prophets or charismatic figures were beholden to the traveling apostles who founded them.

When the founding traveling apostles moved on, leadership was taken over by local leaders arising from the community (see 1 Thes 5:12).  Beholden to the general overseeing of the apostles while they were alive (1 Cor. 14:36, 37) and originating from local grass roots, they ruled in virtue of their charismatic gifts, or their position as prophets-teachers, or as persons put forth from the local council of rulers or elders, or as appointed directly by the people.

When we look at other New Testament writings beyond Paul's, we gather from 1 Peter and johannine epistles that they had in their communities an independent council of elder-presbyters who were grouped, not around a traveling apostle like Paul, but around a stable, in resident president much like the Jerusalem Council gathered around the presidency of James.

This "presidency" is significant and brings us to our final office to be considered.  We find in as a distinct development after Paul's death (and one which he would approval).  Around the years 58 to 62 at Philippi and Epheus among the ruling elder-presbyter body, one of their number begins to stand out as the leader, this is someone clearly "more-equal" than the others even though he works with them.  he is called the guardian or the bishop and he is assisted by his deacons.  In the pastoral epistles, on the other hand, he appears to be someone quite distinct from the elder-presbyters.

Homework

1.  Which aspects of the history of the Church's ministries do you think are least understood?  What particular difficulties, if any, does this misunderstanding produce in the life of the Church today?
2.  Given the close relationship between political and ecclesiastical developments in the early Church, how might the Church's ministries have developed if the Church had taken root in twentieth-century America rather than in the heart of the Roman empire?
3.  Do you approve of the way leaders are selected today?  if so, why?  If not, how would you go about changing the systems?
4.  Do you favor the restoration of the permanent diaconate?  What are the advantages and disadvantages of doing so?

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