Abstract:
The paper argues that Luke 19:41-44 has, since the publication of the Kairos
Document in South Africa in 1985, been understood in eschatological terms by biblical
scholars and missiologists. However, when read as an episode in a long narrative of
Luke-Acts which is about the fortune (tyche) of Israel and against the backdrop of the
mission of Kairos in Greek mythology, the picture suddenly changes. The episode
becomes a watershed point between the rejected ministry of Jesus and the future
mission of the church (the Way) which provides countless opportunities to individuals
and groups who fail to recognise and snatch the first opportunity presented to them.
The conclusion of the paper is that unlike Kairos, son of Zeus who offered a lifetime
opportunity to individuals, Jesus, the representative of God offers countless
opportunities to all who turn to the Way that leads to him. A foundation for the latter is
laid in the gospel while it continues in the Acts of the Apostles.
