The arrival motif of Malachi's eschatological figures in the Gospel of Luke

Abstract

The writer argues that Luke uses Malachi’s motif of eschatological figures as is clear from the literary and thematic structure of the Gospel of Luke. The Lord’s messenger and (the messenger of the covenant) are identified as John the Baptist and Jesus respectively, and their missions are fulfilled in Luke. The prophecy of sudden coming of to his temple is fulfilled in Jesus’ three visits to the temple. The so-called Travel Narrative in Luke echoes idea of “the way of the Lord” in Malachi; the motif of the way of the Lord has thematically a long history in the OT. The concept of the way of the Lord in Exodus and Isaiah is reused in Malachi, and is theologically expanded in its meaning in Luke. The Gospel of Luke can be seen in the perspective of motif of the way of the Lord: the preparation of the Lord’s way (1:1–4:13); the presentation of the Lord’s way (4:14–19:46), and the perfection of the Lord’s way (19:47–24:53).