An Unconventional God– Part Sixteen

Last updated on: November 26, 2020 at 1:26 am by Ben Witherington

An Unconventional God– Part Sixteen 2020-10-28T17:30:38-04:00 Ben Witherington

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

BEN: You are right that Luke’s story of the 70 missionaries owes something to the story of the 70 elders in Numbers. It would appear to me that in both cases we are talking about the spirit of Yahweh which was on Moses, being distributed to the 70 elders as well to help Moses out. Likewise, the 70 Jesus sends out are empowered by the spirit of God the Father, because they do not yet have the Holy Spirit in their life, unlike Jesus. So… it does not seem to follow that the ‘spirit that was on Jesus was shared with the disciples’ (p. 89). I mention this because Luke is very careful in the way he refers to the Holy Spirit, and when exactly the disciples receive it. Further, he is clear that Jesus is the first person who had the Spirit in or remaining on him. And this brings up a further issue— the Holy Spirit is a person, not merely a power or a force (‘may the force be with you’). So, while the spirit of Yahweh can be talked about in impersonal ways, understandably since it refers to the living presence and power of God, this is not appropriate with the Holy Spirit. You can no more have a little bit of the Holy Spirit in your life any more than a woman can be a little bit pregnant. I wonder what you think about this. Comments?

JACK: You distinguish between the impersonal “spirit of God the Father” and “the Holy Spirit.” I’m not sure I adhere to this distinction. Let me explain why. First, when Jesus promises the Spirit in Luke 24:49, after his walk along the Emmaus Road, he calls it “the promise of the Father.” What is given in Acts, in fulfilment of this promise, is the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). The Spirit of the Father and the Holy Spirit are one and the same. In fact, connecting promise and fulfilment is a mention of power, which links them in Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:8.

Second, people before Jesus do seem to receive the Spirit. I’ve mentioned Elizabeth and Zechariah. Add to that Simeon, who, in quick succession, has three references to the Spirit coalesce round him in Luke 2:25-26: the Spirit was upon him, revealed something to him, and guided him. I would not want to draw a distinction between the Spirit in these faithful Jews and the faithful Jew, Jesus.

Third, the Old Testament is full of experiences of the Spirit (see A Boundless God). I would not want to create a canonical rift between the testaments by saying that the Spirit is a power in the first testament but a person in the second, especially since I argued in The Holy Spirit before Christianity that the Spirit was already understood as a personal agent in Haggai 2:4-5 and Isaiah 63:7-14.

Finally, I don’t think it is necessary to say that Pentecost was the first outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It was a significant and salient outpouring, the purpose of which was to fire the witness of the disciples—this took place at Pentecost—but that need not mean the promise of the Father took place for the first time at Pentecost.

BEN: What you say on pp. 90-91 is important— the Spirit on and in Jesus enlightens or leads Jesus back to the Father time and again, makes clear he has a special relationship with the heavenly Father. You are right that the main thing is this relationship with the Father which only the Son can give the disciples access to, and in addition there is the theme of reversal, that this revelation is received not by the high and mighty, the wise and well-heeled, but by the ordinary, even the babes in the woods. I’ve often pondered why the latter is true— perhaps it shows that such a relationship doesn’t come from mere advantage, or erudition, or native ability— it comes as a gift from God, and one thing children are good at is receiving gifts they have not merited or earned, unlike some adults. Does this make sense to you?

JACK: I think you have expressed the matter perfectly. What you’ve said fits as well Paul’s claim in 1 Corinthians 2 that inspiration is not the property of the educated or elite. This is a theme that runs through scripture, including through the heart of Pentecost, when it is said that slaves, both male and female, will prophesy when the Spirit is poured on them in fulfilment of the prophet Joel’s promise. So, yes, Ben, this makes perfect sense. I think I am particularly drawn to this insight because I was the first in my family to attend a private college. My parents had stopped their education at high school: my mother in a rural western Pennsylvania school and my father in a big high school in Queens, New York, which he left to become a front gunner in a B-24 during World War II. When I arrived at Wheaton College, I was wet behind the ears, and it never dawned upon me to fawn over someone because he had money or she had parents with college educations. You have expressed this perfectly: “a relationship doesn’t come from mere advantage, or erudition, or native ability—it comes as a gift from God, and one thing children are good at is receiving gifts they have not merited or earned, unlike some adults.”

Uncategorized

Previous Post

November 25, 2020

An Unconventional God--- Part Fifteen

Next Post

November 27, 2020 An Unconventional God-- Part Seventeen

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz