After Emmaus

“Brian Tabb takes us back to the sources, showing us the fulfillment of the Scriptures in Jesus’s ministry. What stands out is the relationship between Christology and mission. Often these two themes are studied separately, but Tabb shows us that they are intertwined. This deft and insightful study shines a fresh light on what God accomplished through his Spirit in Christ, and it inspires us today when we recognize that God’s great promises are still being fulfilled.”

—Thomas R. Schreiner, James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

“In After Emmaus, Brian Tabb clarifies what Jesus was getting at when he said that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer before entering his glory and what that will mean for all who seek to follow him. With careful scholarship as well as scriptural insight, Tabb helpfully connects the mission of God through the person and work of Christ to the mission we’ve been commissioned to carry out.”

—Nancy Guthrie, Bible teacher; author, Even Better than Eden

“The last few decades have witnessed an abundance of studies on the rich ways in which the two Testaments are properly tied together. According to Luke, the resurrected Jesus held and taught strong views along these lines. Starting with a focus on Luke 24:46–47, and concentrating especially on the depiction of Jesus in Luke and the depiction of the church in Acts, Brian Tabb demonstrates how deep the links are: the Old Testament does not simply sidle up to the line and point to Jesus, but unpacks the narrative of redemption so powerfully and coherently that thoughtful readers cannot help but see how the narrative is truly fulfilled in the mission of Jesus and the mission of the church—a connection that Acts 1:1 makes explicit. This book will enrich your grasp of biblical theology while calling your heart to worship.”

—D. A. Carson, Cofounder and Theologian-at-Large, The Gospel Coalition

“In this beautiful blend of hermeneutics, Christology, and missiology, Brian Tabb sets forth his thesis that Jesus did not merely come to save us from our sins, but also to summon us to mission. Warmly recommended!”

—Andreas J. Köstenberger, Director, Center for Biblical Studies and Research; Research Professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; Founder, Biblical Foundations

“Brian Tabb has proven himself to be a trusted guide and teacher. There has been a renaissance in biblical theology, but what distinguishes this book from others is the emphasis not just on Christ’s fulfillment of Old Testament promises, but on his universal mission that we are invited to participate in, which then helps to address recent proposals that redefine the gospel and the church’s mission. This is a learned book, wonderfully organized and skillfully presented. The thoroughness of argument will force you to grapple again with Jesus’s parting words in Luke’s Gospel and their implication for how we read our Bibles.”

—Darren Carlson, Founder and President, Training Leaders International

“After Emmaus beautifully blends the best features of evangelical biblical theology, exemplifying the hermeneutical benefit to be gained from following the New Testament’s redemptive-historical reading of the Old Testament. Tabb surveys major motifs in the theology of Luke-Acts, displaying how its Christology, ecclesiology, and missiology are enriched by Luke’s Spirit-enlightened saturation of heart and mind in God’s ancient Scriptures. Moreover, After Emmaus applies the Spirit’s instruction through Luke to the faith and life of Christians today. I enthusiastically recommend this study.”

—Dennis E. Johnson, Professor Emeritus of Practical Theology, Westminster Seminary California; author, Him We Proclaim; Walking with Jesus through His Word; and Journeys with Jesus

“As the debate continues over the nature of the church’s mission, Brian Tabb points us to Jesus’s own words. Tabb argues that, in Luke 24:44–47, Jesus provides the hermeneutical lens by which we may clearly see how he fulfills Old Testament messianic prophecies so that we may courageously proclaim the saving message of the Scriptures. This is how the risen Christ accomplishes his mission—through Spirit-empowered witnesses who spread his message to the ends of the earth. If you long to see Jesus exalted as the promised Messiah and worshiped among all peoples, read After Emmaus. It will not only encourage you to be a faithful witness, but will also lead you to greater confidence in God’s progressive, unified revelation about Jesus, the suffering and vindicated servant who is the hope of the nations.”

—Juan R. Sanchez, Senior Pastor, High Pointe Baptist Church, Austin, Texas; author, The Leadership Formula

“By divine design, the mission of Christ has become our mission. Embedded in the purpose and power of Christ’s death and resurrection is his own mission through us. In After Emmaus, Brian Tabb pens a much-needed, rich, and rewarding missional reading of Luke-Acts (along with Matthew, John, Romans, and Peter)—not as an interpretive interest imposed on the Old and New Testaments, but as a hermeneutical mandate rooted in Scripture’s own self-interpretive authority. Navigating exegesis with the dexterity of a master surgeon and the delight of a disciple of Christ, Tabb makes an illumining exegetical and biblical-theological case that Christ’s ‘witnesses are…an extension of the risen Lord’s own activity.’ After Emmaus will inform your mind, rejoice your heart, and (re)ignite your resolve unto that divinely appointed privilege: to proclaim Christ with courage and clarity.”

—David B. Garner, Academic Dean, Vice President of Global Ministries, and Professor of Systematic Theology, Westminster Theological Seminary