The way we have understood scripture has long been skewed by theological misrepresentation even from educated sources. When outside voices and personal opinions influence the way we read, teach, and vocalize sacred texts, a dire question arises: Who has the right to interpret and teach Scripture?
In this sustained exegetical analysis, theologian and scholar Bruce Henning looks to the Synoptic authors--Matthew, Mark, and Luke--to reveal how they approached this very issue. In looking at how Jesus remaps hermeneutics around his person and work to wield his divine authority, we are able to see how this vocation of teaching was passed on in apprenticeship. Through close study of the Synoptic Gospels and Acts, Henning uncovers the profound way Jesus’s mission of education and interpretation not only is bestowed upon the disciples but becomes the church’s main calling as well. The Christian community’s commission then is grounded in reading Scripture rightly, proclaiming the kingdom, and applying God’s Word in the world all with dutiful study of what divine authority means for followers of Jesus: faithful exegesis of Scripture, centered on the person and work of Christ, to pronounce either salvation or condemnation.
Apprentices of the Messiah: Discipleship, Authority, and the Teaching Mission of Jesus ultimately provides a deeper look into teaching authority with viewing the Synoptic Gospels--and Acts--not merely as sacred biographies but as living records of those called by Jesus to be his students and carry forward his mission. In studying these accounts the church avoids relegating the will of God to the will of humanity, which would infringe upon the church’s messianic and eschatologically mission of interpreting Scripture with Christ-based hermeneutics. Henning opens up for us an enduring invitation to embody God’s word to the world in living apprenticeship.
