The manifestation of the Spirit features strongly at the beginning of Luke’s story. Luke narrates a prophetic witness in terms that evoke Joel 2:28-32, which predicts dreams, visions and prophecies for old men and young men, sons and daughters, handmaids and servants. Zacharias, an old man has a vision (Luke1:22), utters charismatic praise (Luke1:64-65[1]) and prophesies (Luke1:64); Mary, a handmaid, sees an angel and utters the Magnificat; Elisabeth, an old woman, prophesies (Luke1:41-42); shepherds experience a theophany (Luke2:9); Simon, an old man, has a revelation (Luke2:26), and Anna, an old woman, is declared to be a prophetess. Given the cessation of prophecy since Malachi, this explosion of prophecy, vision and praise, is as much a fulfilment of Joel as Pentecost, and as such, part of the “last days” (Acts 2:17).
John the Baptist and Jesus are presented as prophets in Luke’ story (Luke 1:76, 4:24, 7:16, 26, 13:33, 20:6, 24:19, Acts 3:22-23, 7:37), and as such their possession of the Spirit falls within the compass of Joel’s latter day bestowal of the Spirit. The principal term for their preaching is one employed in Joel’s prophecy. The LXX of Joel 2:32 has “they that have the good news preached to them” as the corresponding interpretation of the Hebrew term for “the remnant” (KJV). The same verb is used by Gabriel to announce the birth of John the Baptist (“to bring you this good news”, Luke1:19 RSV), as well as the general “preaching” of the Gospel (e.g. Luke 4:18), and the apostolic mission (e.g. Acts 5:42). This commonality ties the three ministries of Luke-Acts together as an activity directed to the same generation rather than separate actions belonging to different epochs.
A further detail that suggests Luke was writing the fulfilment of Joel’s prophecy into the terms of his story opening is the expression, “power of the highest” (Luke 1:35). This strikes an echo with Luke’s later expression, “power from on high” (Luke 24:49), which refers to the bestowal of the Spirit at Pentecost.
If Luke regarded the “last days” as beginning with the advent of John the Baptist, it is likely that he viewed the manifestation of the Spirit throughout Luke-Acts as fulfilling the terms of Joel’s prophecy. The utterance by Peter, “this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:17), does not exclude other instances of fulfilment. Three considerations can be offered in support of the view that Luke saw all of the narrative time of Luke-Acts as the “last days”:
1) Luke’s gospel explicitly notes a “beginning” (Luke1:2), and Acts a “continuation” (Acts 1:1). The assertion, “which Jesus began to do and to teach” does not suggest that Luke thinks that there has been a “change in the times” and that therefore the “last days” have now begun and a corresponding bestowal of the Spirit can now be identified.
On the contrary, Luke has Jesus express the view that, “The law and the prophets were until[2] John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached” (Luke16:16). This suggests that something new began with John, and that its defining characteristic was the preaching of the kingdom in which Jesus also shared.
2) Luke’s summaries and speeches provide a synopsis of events and his gathering of events together in such overviews shows that he regarded the Gospel story as the beginning. Thus, his summaries and speeches start with Jesus’ ministry (e.g. Acts 2:22, 5:31, and 10:36-37), integrate John’s ministry (Acts 13:24), and end with Jesus’ glorification (e.g. Acts 3:13). This holistic perspective does not suggest that Luke saw any transition in “the times” between John and Jesus, or Jesus and the apostles.
3) Luke uses the prophecies of Malachi to interpret the work of John the Baptist and Jesus (Luke 3:16, 7:27). Malachi closely couples the work of the forerunner and the Coming One, and this does not allow for a change in the characteristics of the “times” that the two individuals enter—they address the same problematic. In Luke, the message about the “times” appears to be the same from both prophets. Thus John the Baptist warns of the “wrath to come” on that “generation” (Luke 3:7); likewise, Jesus warns of “wrath” to come “to this people” (Luke 21:23), and he frequently warns his “generation” (e.g. Luke7:31, 9:41). This language shows that Luke viewed John the Baptist and Jesus as living in the same “age”, a leading characteristic of which was wrath and the need for escape—the “last days”. The preaching of both prophets was likewise one that centred on the need for “repentance” (e.g. Luke 3:3, 5:32), and this message is carried forward into Acts (e.g. Luke 24:47, Acts 2:38-40).
The “last days” in Luke’s scheme of things is the “last days” of the Jewish Commonwealth. The bestowal of the Spirit is tied to this period of time. With the destruction of the temple in 70 CE, this period of time came to an end, and the Spirit was therefore withdrawn.
[1] The invasive nature of this charismatic praise (like that of Pentecost) is indicated by the aorist passive “his mouth was opened” (avnew,|cqh); in the same way that Pentecost led to discussion by those round about, so too Zacharias’ praise was discussed by those all around; and similarly too, Zacharias’ praise leads to a question by the “hearers” and an answer through proclamation.
[2] This preposition is used by Luke to indicate the duration of something up to a point, after which it ceases: thus Cornelius fasts until a certain hour (Acts 10:30), Paul preaches until midnight (Acts 20:7); this exclusive sense is consistent elsewhere in the NT.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One