“They departed and went through the villages proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.”
Here’s what I pondered as I read: the “good news“ I heard, growing up, was that Jesus died for my sins. If a human sacrifice is necessary for the forgiveness of my sins, then I suppose this is in fact, good news. But it wasn’t the same good news that Jesus’s disciples were preaching before Jesus died. That would have been weird. Also, in the stories where Jesus tells them, he is going to die, they refuse that information. Jesus dying would not have been a good news. I’m pondering the difference. What was this pre-Crucifixion “good news?” it seems important.
Simply put: No. The good news is not exclusively that Jesus died for your sins.
Euangelion has a lot of beautiful meanings and is yet another now Christian word that points back to non-Christian origins, mainly a Roman empirical understanding of a good message or the carrying of that good message from above (Caesar, other Roman leaders) to the masses. But as it tends to be with empires, people soon discovered that the good news was generally only good to those who had access to whatever it was (a festival, theatre, tax relief, olympic games, etc.). Those without access (citizenship, money, etc.) were left out.
I don't think there's any single sentence that can describe Christ's euangelion. Maybe it's "God is with us" or "The Lord is come" or "Salvation has come" but those kinds of things still do not have specific definition.
These days, in relation to the good news, I most often think of a few things:
1. the time when John's disciples come to Jesus and ask, "What's going on? Are you the messiah or not?" Instead of immediately answering them, Jesus healed some people. Then he spoke: "Right then, Jesus healed many of their diseases, illnesses, and evil spirits, and he gave sight to a number of blind people. Then he replied to John’s disciples, 'Go, report to John what you have seen and heard. Those who were blind are able to see. Those who were crippled now walk. People with skin diseases are cleansed. Those who were deaf now hear. Those who were dead are raised up. And good news is preached to the poor. Happy is anyone who doesn’t stumble along the way because of me.'" (Luke 7)
2. The beatitudes in Matthew 5.
3. The sermon on the plain in Luke 6.
Each of these things have euangelion connections, particularly in that they are *kingdom* announcements (good news from the "king" to the people). But the nature of the good news
“They departed and went through the villages proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.”
Here’s what I pondered as I read: the “good news“ I heard, growing up, was that Jesus died for my sins. If a human sacrifice is necessary for the forgiveness of my sins, then I suppose this is in fact, good news. But it wasn’t the same good news that Jesus’s disciples were preaching before Jesus died. That would have been weird. Also, in the stories where Jesus tells them, he is going to die, they refuse that information. Jesus dying would not have been a good news. I’m pondering the difference. What was this pre-Crucifixion “good news?” it seems important.
Simply put: No. The good news is not exclusively that Jesus died for your sins.
Euangelion has a lot of beautiful meanings and is yet another now Christian word that points back to non-Christian origins, mainly a Roman empirical understanding of a good message or the carrying of that good message from above (Caesar, other Roman leaders) to the masses. But as it tends to be with empires, people soon discovered that the good news was generally only good to those who had access to whatever it was (a festival, theatre, tax relief, olympic games, etc.). Those without access (citizenship, money, etc.) were left out.
I don't think there's any single sentence that can describe Christ's euangelion. Maybe it's "God is with us" or "The Lord is come" or "Salvation has come" but those kinds of things still do not have specific definition.
These days, in relation to the good news, I most often think of a few things:
1. the time when John's disciples come to Jesus and ask, "What's going on? Are you the messiah or not?" Instead of immediately answering them, Jesus healed some people. Then he spoke: "Right then, Jesus healed many of their diseases, illnesses, and evil spirits, and he gave sight to a number of blind people. Then he replied to John’s disciples, 'Go, report to John what you have seen and heard. Those who were blind are able to see. Those who were crippled now walk. People with skin diseases are cleansed. Those who were deaf now hear. Those who were dead are raised up. And good news is preached to the poor. Happy is anyone who doesn’t stumble along the way because of me.'" (Luke 7)
2. The beatitudes in Matthew 5.
3. The sermon on the plain in Luke 6.
Each of these things have euangelion connections, particularly in that they are *kingdom* announcements (good news from the "king" to the people). But the nature of the good news
and who it's for is important).
I'm sure there's a book on this somewhere.