MINISTRY.— The word 'ministry' as now used in English has two leading senses : (a) service ren-
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MINISTRY
dered, and {b) an official class, especially ecclesi- astical. The latter has no place in this discussion, wliich has regard to the public service rendered by our Lord during His life on earth. In this con- nexion it describes both the period of the service and its contents. The word comes from the Latin minister, properly an adjective, but in its substan- tive use signifying an ' attendant ' or ' servant ' who usually performed services of a personal and more or less menial nature. It was also some- times used of public or religious functionaries. In Greek there are three words which more or less nearly correspond to the Latin minister, namely, biaKovos, XeLrovpyjs, vTrr]p^Tr]s. See pre- ceding article.
i. The Nature of our Lord's Ministry. — In the mind of Jesus Himself there lay the ideas of both sacrifice and .service as tlie essential principles of His mission among men.
1. Tlie first element to be noticed is service. This presents a threefold aspect : (a) It Avas not- ably and characteristically a ministry of teachinfj. The frequent mention of His teaching, the reports of His discourses and sayings, and the fact that He was often called 'Teacher,' emphasize as all- important this function of His ministry. The varied character, tlie weighty contents, the mar- vellous power and the sweet charm of His teaching, are familiar thoughts to students of His life. But we must remember also the arduous nature of this work. The bodily toil, the mental strain, the spiritual intensity, all were great ; and these were increased by the constant opposition of critics and foes, and by slowness of comprehension on the part of His friends, {h) But incidental to and accom- panying this work of teaching was Christ's great ministry of help and healing. All the narratives show how large a place this occupied in His public life. Here, too. His labours were vast in sum, and made extraordinary demands — as many indica- tions show — upon His sympathy and strength. (c) Closely related to His teaching, but not exactly identical with it, was our Lord's ministry oi found- ing His Church. The selection and training of His Apostles and other disciples, involving many de- tails of precept in regard to both the principles and the positive institutions of the Kingdom of God, were elements of the first importance in the earthly work of Jesus.
2. The other element is that of sacrifice. This was no less prominent in the ministry of Jesus than service, (a) In the Synoptics there is a pro- gress of thought in regard to the fact and meaning of His sufferings. After Peter's confession near Csesarea Philippi, Jesus began to impress on His disciples the certainty of His approaching death (Mt 161S-21); at the Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah talked with Him of His ' decease (^^o5os) which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem' (Lk 93') ; soon after (Mt ll^^-) He again spoke of His coniing death. The self-giving character of His sufferings is indicated in the manner in whch they are spoken of in Lk Q-^-^*, Mt 20^2, as compared with Lk 125" . a^jj^ ^^j^g severity of this experience as being something more than death alone, how- ever painful, is indicated in the passages noted, and powerfully enforced by the Agony in Getlise- mane and the events of the Crucifixion. Finally, the atoning value of Christ's sacrifice is pointed out in Mt 2028— the words 'and give his life a ransom for many,' and in the accounts of the Last Supper (Mt 262^- ^s, Mk 14^^ Lk 22i9- 2»). [b) In the Fourth Gospel the sacrificial note is even more distinct. It appears in the announcement of the Forerunner (Jn ps- ss), in the great saying to Nico- demus (3''*-i''), in the discourse at Capernaum (632. 33. 48-51)^ in the parable of the Good Shepherd (IQii-is-iv-is)^ in the remarks on the visit of the
Greeks (122"-^^), and in the words of comfort to the disciples (15'*). (c) How strongly the Lord must have impressed this view of His ministry upon the minds of His disciples, is shown in utter- ances of Peter and of Paul in their addresses and in their Epistles, in the elaborate argument of the Epistle to the Hebrews, and in the representations of the Lamb in the Apocalypse.
ii. The Extent of our Lord's Ministry. — In regard to the extent of the public mini.stry of Jesus, three main questions present themselves : How long did it last? How much territory did it cover ? How much labour did it include ?
1. Duration. — On the point of duration the principal things to be considered are the limits, the dates, and the resultant theories of scholars. (1) The limits of the public ministry of Jesus are properly placed between His baptism and His burial, leaving out at the beginning the thirty years of retirement and preparation at Nazareth, and at the end the forty days of occasional ap- pearances after His resurrection. The determina- tion of the time between is a liard problem.
(2) The principal dates to be determined in our Lord's life are tliose of His birth, baptism, and crucifixion — the duration of the ministry depend- ing upon the latter two, but involving the first. If it were possible to fix with certainty any two of these, the problem would practically be solved ; or, if even one could be placed beyond doubt, it would be greatly simplified. But as a matter of fact scholars have never been able to decide posi- tively on any one of the dates. A full discussion is not called for here (see art. DATES), but the salient points must be presented.