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).
