Who do you say Jesus is?
"Who do people say that I am"Who do you say that I am? .........are key questions that Jesus asks of us all.
What is Meant by Jesus Christ?
Note the variety of ways that Jesus is understood. The temptation is to make Jesus into our own image and likeness. A thousand years ago Jesus was portrayed in very severe terms. With Francis of Assisi he became the suffering Jesus. With Margaret Mary he became the Sacred Heart. Theologians of every century constructed a picture of Jesus that reflected their own beliefs, moral practice and piety. We do the same ourselves. Once we realize this we must constantly check our image of Jesus with the evidence that is presented to us and the tradition of the church.
The following reflections is from an article by John Meier from the Jerome Biblical Commentary (p.1319)
Birth.
The name Jesus (in Greek or Hebrew means helps or saves was common at the turn of the era among Jews. Jesus of Nazareth was born near the end of the reign of Herod the Great (374 BC), hence ca. 64 BC. His mother was Mary, his putative father Joseph. No more can be stated with certitude about his origins according to the scientific limits since the Gospel infancy narratives (Matt 1:2; Luke 1:2) reflect strongly later theology. Chap. I of each affirms that Jesus was conceived through the Holy Spirit without a human father? information not found elsewhere in the NT. The claim of liberal scholars that this is purely a theological creation is dubious, but for the believer surety about the virginal conception comes from church teaching rather than from scientific exegesis. Chap. 2 of each has Jesus born at Bethlehem; a detail again not affirmed elsewhere in the NT and one symbolically related to Jesus? status as royal Davidic Messiah. Of questionable historicity are the very different genealogies in Matt 1:2:16 and Luke 3:23:38). Yet very early NT creeds (Ram 1:3 4 and 2 Tim 2:8) proclaim Jesus to be "of the seed of David" in a context of resurrection faith. An early interpretation of the resurrection in terms of the enthronement of the royal Son of David by no means an obvious or necessary interpretation may have been facilitated by the fact that Jesus did come from an obscure collateral branch of the house of David. In any event, his Davidic lineage is traced through his legal father, Joseph. The only NT indication about Mary (Luke 1:5,36) points to levitical descent.
Status as a Layman.
Jesus was considered a layman during his earthly life (true in a Christian as well as in a Jewish view of him; see Heb 8:4). This helps to account for his slighting reference to both priest and Levite in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30?37, something of an anticlerical joke; More important, it helps to explain why only once in the Synoptic tradition is Jesus presented in dialogue exclusively with Sadducees (the largely priestly party), with hostility obvious on both sides (Mark 12:18?27 par.). Most important, it helps to explain why the priestly and lay aristocracy in Jerusalem (i.e., the Sadducees) was most prominent in bringing Jesus before Pilate. The mortal struggle between Jesus and his opponents has elements not only of Galilean versus Judean, of the poor versus the rich, of the charismatic versus the institutional, of the eschatological versus the this-worldly, but also of the laity versus the priests.
Formative Years.
Jesus spent about 30 years of his life in Nazareth, an obscure hill town in S Galilee. We know almost nothing about this period. He was by profession a tekton (Mark 6:3), most likely a carpenter, though the term covers any artisan working or building with hard materials. Jesus? legal father, Joseph, does not appear during the public ministry; presumably, he had died. In contrast, his mother, Mary, is mentioned, as well as his brothers, James, Joses (= Joseph), Judas (=Jude), and Simon (Mark 6:3; Matt 13:55). Sisters also are mentioned, but unnamed. (From patristic times controversy has raged over the precise relationship of these figures [siblings, children of Joseph by a previous marriage, cousins]; Most Gospel references indicate that the relatives of Jesus did not follow him during the public ministry (Mark3:21,31-35; John 7:5; though cf. John 2:12). This stands in marked contrast to their influential position later on in the Jerusalem church. A passing reference of Paul in I Cor 9:4 indicates that Jesus? brothers were married. Nothing explicit is ever said in the NT about Jesus? marital status. However, in the face of various references to his father, mother, brothers, and sisters, the total silence about a wife may be taken as an indication that Jesus remained unmarried. His unusual celibate status?and the jibes it occasioned?may be the original setting for the stray logion about eunuchs (Matt 19:12). Vermes thinks that a prophetic vocation might have been understood to include celibacy, but most of his evidence comes from centuries later (Mishna and Talmud; yet see Jer 16:1). Qumran is also invoked as a parallel, but Qumran celibacy is a complex question (Apocrypha, 67:108).
We know nothing of Jesus? formal education. His enemies in John 7:15 wonder how Jesus can know Scripture when he never formally studied ? though they are probably referring to technical training in the law such as scribes would receive by studying under a recognized teacher. Jesus was addressed honorifically as "Rabbi," but the title in pre-AD 70 Judaism was more loosely used than later on (cf. its application to JBap in John 3:26. Luke 4:16?21 presupposes that Jesus could read and understand Biblical Hebrew. Ordinarily Jesus would have used Aramaic in conversation and discourses, since this was the common language of Galilean peasants (Fitzmyer, WA 29-56). Greek would have been used at times by Jewish peasants in Galilee for commercial purposes, and Jesus may have known some. That he regularly used it in his teaching, however, is unlikely. All in all, there was nothing in his early life or educational background that prepared his fellow townspeople for the startling career he was soon to undertake: hence the shock and scandal that greeted him when he returned home after a preaching tour (Mark 6:l-6a par.).
(II) Beginnings of the Ministry.
Sometime ca. AD 28?29, during the reign of the emperor Tiberius (14?37), Jesus emerged from obscurity to receive baptism from John the Baptist, a figure also known from Josephus (Ant. 18.5.2 § 116?19; -. History, 75:169?70). A stern ascetic with traits of the OT prophets, esp. Elijah, JBap called a sinful Israel to repentance and to a once-and-for-all cleansing (baptism) in view of the imminent, fiery judgment of God. In this limited sense, JBap's message and imagery were "apocalyptic." The very fact that Jesus submitted to JBap's baptism, a fact increasingly played down by the embarrassed evangelists (e.g., Mart 4:14?15), indicates that Jesus basically accepted JBap?s mission and message. It is especuakkt this matrix of Jesus? own mission that renders present-day attempts to eliminate or soften the element of future eschatology in Jesus? preaching highly suspect (e.g., N. Perrin, Jesus and Language 15?88). Correctly opposing these tendencies is Sanders (Jesus and Judaism 90?156). Some of Jesus? first and closest disciples were apparently JBap?s former disciples (Peter, Andrew, Philip, and Nathaniel in John 1:35?51). We do not know whether JBap ever acknowledged Jesus as a special figure. JBap may not have anticipated any further agent in the eschatological drama except God himself (the "coming one"?).
When Jesus set out on his own, he initially imitated JBap by baptizing (John 3:22; 4:1; but cf. the embarrassed final redactor in 4:2). This may have occasioned some rivalry between the JBap and Jesus groups, at least for the period when the ministries of the two leaders overlapped (John 3:22?30; but Mark 1:14 par. schematize by having Jesus? ministry begin only after JBap?s arrest). Although Jesus continued JBap?s eschatological message, there was a major shift in emphasis. JBap had stressed the fearful imminent judgment and punishment to be inflicted on sinners; the promise of salvation was muted and implicit. Jesus emphasized instead the joy of salvation, even now impinging and soon to be fulfilled.
Basic Message of Jesus.
(A) Kingdom of God.
Jesus proclaimed this joyful news in terms of the coming of God's kingdom and the consequent need for all Israel to repent (pace Sanders [Jesus and Judaism 106?19]). Especially against the heritage of l9th?cent. liberal Protestantism, it is vital to understand that Jesus addressed his kingdom preaching to Israel as a whole and not just to isolated individuals (contra G. Klein, EvT 30 [1970] 642?70). It is almost impossible to define what Jesus meant by the kingdom (better: rule or reign) of God, since, as N. Perrin points out, it is a ?tensive symbol? with many allusive resonances, rather than a clearly defined doctrine or abstract concept. The kingdom of God refers to an action: "God is ruling powerfully as king." The symbol is primarily dynamic rather than spatial-kingly rule rather than kingdom as territory though spatial imagery is also used to explicate it. The poetic, allusive nature of the symbol does not mean that it conveys no intelligible content (rightly Sanders contra Perrin). It presumes the truth that God has always been king of Israel and of the universe. But God?s rebellious creation (and Israel in particular) has fallen away from his righteous rule and come under domination by Satan and sin. Faithful to his promises and prophecies in the covenant, God is now beginning to assert his rightful claim over his rebellious creatures and will soon establish his rule fully and openly by gathering a scattered Israel back into one holy people. Yet, although the kingdom of God (?kingdom of heaven,? a pious Semitic periphrasis to avoid God?s name, is unique to the Matthean tradition) is central to Jesus? message, Jesus does not dwell on the image of God as a fearsome, remote, or all?powerful king. At the heart of esus? ?good news? is the proclamation that the divine king delights in revealing himself as a loving father, a father who rejoices over regaining his lost children (e.g., the core material behind Luke
15:1?32).
Parables.
A skilled speaker and teacher, Jesus used many forms of speech from the wisdom and prophetic traditions of Israel to hammer home his message (beatitudes, woes, oracles, etc.). Most prominent was his use of "parables" (Hebr masal). In the OT, "parable" is an extremely elastic form of wisdom speech that includes short proverbs, metaphors, taunt-songs, bywords of reproach, and prophetic oracles. Enigmatic allegories, arising out of a historical matrix and with an eschatological thrust, come to the fore esp. in Ezek. Continuing this tradition, Jesus uses parables in their manifold forms (including proverbs, maxims, and aphorisms) to call a sinful Israel to decision in this critical final period. He employs these mysterious sayings and stories to tease the minds of his audience, to knock his cocky hearers off balance, destroying false security and opening their eyes. With a tone of urgency the parables warn that delay is dangerous, for any moment may be too late. His audience must risk all on a decision to accept Jesus? message. No sacrifice is too great, for soon the present conditions of this sinful world will be reversed (a message esp. clear in the primitive form of the Beatitudes. The sorrowful will be made happy by God, but the smug and self-satisfied will be made miserable. Far from pleasant stories, Jesus? parables were at times violent verbal attacks
(more to come)
 Home | About Us | Ministries | Calendars | Bulletin | Resources | Site index |
| For more information on this Web Site, please send email to: Admin. |