Week 6 Theological interpretation of Jesus

THE THEOLOGICAL
INTERPRETATION OF
SCRIPTURE
LECTURE SIX: JESUS

Review
The Metanarrative:
Creation Fall Israel Jesus Church New Creation

Jesus:
Second Temple Judaism:
- To understand Jesus well, we must understand his
world (i.e. 2nd Temple Judaism).
‣ca. 500 BC (about 515 to be exact) — 70 AD.
‣Q: Why might this period be radically different
from both first temple Judaism and Rabbinic (or,
Diaspora) Judaism?

Jesus:
- Four Empires / Kingdoms:
1.Persian:
‣Key Ruler:

CYRUS THE
PERSIAN
6TH C. BC
•CONQUERED
BABYLONIANS
• ALLOWED JEWS TO
RETURN TO PALESTINE
AND BEGIN REBUILDING

Jesus:
1.Persian (6th-5th c. BC):
‣Key Ruler: Cyrus
2.Greek (4th-3rd c. BC):
‣Key Ruler:

ALEXANDER
THE GREAT
CA. 333 BC
•SPREADS HELLENISM
(AND THE GREEK
LANGUAGE!) ACROSS
THE KNOWN WORLD.

Jesus:
‣Key Ruler: Alexander
‣After Alexander’s death, two Generals vie for
power in Palestine:
๏Ptolemy (Egypt)
๏Seleucus (Syria)
‣The Septuagint: Hebrew Bible translated into
Greek (LXX) under Ptolemy II (250 BC).

Jesus:
‣Key Ruler: Alexander
‣After Alexander’s death, two Generals vie for
power in Palestine:
๏Ptolemy (Egypt)
๏Seleucus (Syria)
‣The Septuagint: Hebrew Bible translated into
Greek (LXX) under Ptolemy II (250 BC).
Whoever is in charge,
controls the temple and
the priesthood.
Corruption & Cruelty are rampant.
This gives rise to a rebellion.

Jesus:
3.Maccabean (Hasmonean) Dynasty (2nd c. BC)
‣Antiochus Epiphanes (IV) - a Seleucid
‣Mattathias / Sons (Judas Maccabeus)

MATTATHIAS
BEGINS THE
MACCABEAN REVOLT

Jesus:
‣Key: Brief period of Jewish Independence
‣Judas cleanses temple (164 BC) - Hanukah.
‣And yet…Later Maccabean rulers became
increasingly corrupt / pagan.
๏Their corruption gave rise to some key groups
in Jesus’ day:

Jesus:
‣Later Maccabean rulers became increasingly
corrupt / pagan (gave rise to)
๏Pharisees
๏Sadducees
๏Essenes
๏Zealots
All are responding in
their own way to the
corruption in Jerusalem
(and esp. the temple)

Jesus:
4.Rome (63 BC - 70 AD, temple destroyed)
‣After ruling indirectly, Rome (Pompey) seizes
control in 63 BC.
๏Controls Temple / High Priesthood.
๏Half-Jew (Herod the Great) installed as king.
While living in the land, a sense of exile still pervades.
(Promises of Return/New Covenant are unfulfilled)

Isaiah 49
1Listen to me, you islands;
hear this, you distant nations…
6“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
7…“Kings will see you and stand up,
princes will see and bow down,
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

Jesus:
- A Unified Judaism? (Wright’s 4 Pillars)
1.Temple.

Jesus:
- A Unified Judaism? (Wright’s 4 Pillars)
1.Temple.
2.Land.
3.Torah.
4.Ethnic Identity.
All Jews cared about these.
Jesus radically reorients
each one around himself

Jesus:
Genealogies:
- Matthew:

Matthew
1 This is the genealogy [Lit. Biblos Geneseos] of Jesus
the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother
was Tamar…

Jesus:
Genealogies:
- Matthew:
‣Biblos Geneseos.
‣Jesus as the Davidic Messiah
๏What would Messiah Do (N.T. Wright - 3 things)
1.Fight Great Battle, defeating Israel’s enemy.
2.Reconstitute Temple
3.Reign Forever
Jesus does all, but in surprising ways!

Jesus:
Genealogies:
- Matthew:
‣Biblos Geneseos.
‣A Surprising Genealogy:
๏Foreigners and Females:
- Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, (Bathsheba), Mary.
- All but Mary have Gentile connections.
- All have questionable sexual histories. (why?)

C.S. Lewis (A Grief Observed)
“My idea of God is not a divine idea…
“It has to be shattered time after time. He shatters it
himself. He is the great iconoclast. Could we not
almost say that this shattering is one of the marks of his
presence?
The Incarnation is the supreme example; it leaves all
previous ideas of the Messiah in ruins.”

Jesus:
Genealogies:
- Matthew:
‣Biblos Geneseos.
‣A Surprising Genealogy:
‣3 sets of 14 (Abraham / Exile / Messiah)

MATTHEW’S GENEALOGY:
WHY 14?
POSSIBLE GEMATRIA (DVD) - AGAIN A DAVID
REFERENCE
WHY THE EXILE EMPHASIS?
TO EMPHASIZE JESUS AS THE TRUE END OF

Jesus:
Genealogies:
- Matthew:
‣Biblos Geneseos.
‣A Surprising Genealogy (females, foreigners, whores)
‣Genealogy involves 3 sets of 14
๏A reference to David and the end of exile.

Jesus:
Genealogies:
- Luke:
‣While Matthew = “Son of David,” Luke goes back to
Adam to show him as “Son of God.”
‣Sidenote: Most genealogies were selective as
shown by the fact that “to beget” could apply equally
to (great-)grandfathers and fathers.

Jesus:
Birth Narratives:
- Two ideas that quickly emerge:
1.This is a ROYAL BIRTH
‣Gabriel: “God will give him the throne of his father
David.” (Lk. 1.32-3.)
‣The Magi (gifts for a king)
‣The Star... (Numbers 24).

Numbers 24
[Balaam says:]
17 "I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near.
A star will come out of Jacob;
a scepter will rise out of Israel.

Jesus:
Birth Narratives:
- Two ideas that quickly emerge:
2.This is a ROYAL (as in “big”) SCANDAL
‣An unwed mother.
๏Mary could be legally stoned for this.
‣An unknown(?) father.
๏“Isn’t this Mary’s son...? And they took offense
at him...” (Mk. 6.3).
๏The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in
saying that you are a Samaritan?” (Jn.8.48)

Jesus:
John’s Logos Christology:

John 1
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God.
2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all
things were made; without him nothing was made that
has been made.
4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all
mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the
darkness has not overcome [or, ‘understood’] it.
…14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling
among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one
and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace
and truth.

Jesus:
John’s Logos Christology
- Three Suggested Backgrounds (Logos)
1.Greek (Stoic) Philosophy:

ZENO - STOIC THINKER / OBI WAN KENOBI -
STAR WARRIOR
IN GREEK PHILOSOPHY, THE “LOGOS” IS SOMEWHAT LIKE “THE FORCE.”

Jesus:
• Logos as “the rational principle by which
everything is animated and held together.”
• Problem: it’s powerful, but not Personal
2.Hebrew Wisdom Tradition
• Logos as Wisdom Personified (cf. Prov. 8)

Proverbs 8
22 “The Lord brought me [Wisdom/Sophia] forth as the
first of his works, before his deeds of old;
23 I was formed long ages ago,
at the very beginning, when the world came to be.
...
27 I was there when he set the heavens in place,
when he marked out the horizon on the face of the
deep,
...
30 Then I was constantly at his side.

1 Corinthians 1
24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and
Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of
God.

Jesus:
• Logos as “the rational principle by which
everything is animated and held together.”
• Problem: it’s powerful, but not Personal
• Logos as Wisdom Personified (cf. Prov. 8)
• Problems: “wisdom” isn’t “word”
3.God’s Spoken Word (e.g. Creation Narratives)

Jesus:
• In addition to Genesis, see Isa. 55.9-11

Isaiah 55.9-11
10As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the
eater,
11so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Jesus:
• In addition to Genesis, see Isa. 55.9-11.
‣Sent forth (goes out)
‣Accomplishes purpose
‣Returns
John’s Gospel speaks of the Word (Jesus) similarly

Jesus:
1.Greek (Stoic) Philosophy
All may be in mind, but the third
should likely be normative

Jesus:
- Key: While the Synoptics build a Christology
(somewhat) “from below,” John starts with the
Preexistent Divinity of Christ.

Jesus:
The Message of Jesus:
- Key Theme: “The Kingdom of God”
‣How Jesus’ teaching ministry begins (in Mt./Mk):

Mark 1
14...Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news
[“gospel”] of God.
15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God
has come near.
Repent and believe the good news!”

Jesus:
1.Repent
2.Believe the “good news”
3.The Kingdom of God is near
Metanoia - a change of mind - give up your old
agenda
Same words used by Josephus to Jewish
revolutionaries a few years later.

Jesus:
1.Repent
Cannot mean “believe I died for your sins”
More likely: Believe that I am the source of the Kingdom
of God.

Jesus:
1.Repent
The King is the one to whom total obedience is
due.
Consider the kingship theme thus far…

Review
Kingship and Kingdom:
Creation is arranged like a kingdom (Sun “rules” day; etc.)
Adam and Eve are vassal kings (“rule over” animals)

Review
Humans hand over “kingship” to Satan
Satan becomes “the ruler of this world” (Jn. 12.31).

Review
In the Exodus, YHWH becomes Israel’s King;
They reject Him (1 Sam. 8)

1 Samuel 8
6 …when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this
displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 And the
Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to
you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have
rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from
the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day,
forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing
to you.

Review
As Son of David, Jesus is reestablishing divine (and human!)
Kingship.

Jesus:
1.Repent
The Status of the Kingdom
Already (inaugurated); not yet (fully consummated)

Jesus:
1.Repent
To First-Century Ears, this would sound VERY much
like the start of a Violent (pro-Jewish, anti-Gentile)
Revolution.

Jesus:
1.Repent
This would sound VERY much like the start of a
Violent (pro-Jewish, anti-Gentile) Revolution.
Jesus’ first sermon in Luke
reveals that it will NOT be like this

Jesus:
‣How Jesus’ teaching ministry begins (in LUKE):
• The so-called “Nazareth Manifesto” (Lk. 4)

Luke 4
18“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the
Lord’s favor” (Isaiah 61.1-2; referencing Lev. 25).
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the
attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the
synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by
saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your
hearing.”
22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the

Luke 4
22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the
gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this
Joseph’s son?” they asked.
Incidentally, the next verses in Isa 61 spoke of God’s
vengeance upon Gentile oppressors…
5 Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests of the Lord,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.

Luke 4
23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb
to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do
here in your hometown what we have heard that you did
in Capernaum.’”
24 “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is
accepted in his hometown. 25 I assure you that there
were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the
sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a
severe famine throughout the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not
sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the
region of Sidon.

Jesus:
The Method:
- Jesus seems to see himself as “Israel embodied” and
thus he is re-living their story, yet faithfully.
‣Word for this: “recapitulation”

Jesus:
The Method: Recapitulation
‣Examples(?):
• “Out of Egypt I have called my Son” (Mt. 2).

Matthew 2
14So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother
while it was still night, and left for Egypt. 15He remained
there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had
been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "OUT OF
EGYPT I CALLED MY SON” (Hos. 11).

Jesus:
The Method: Recapitulation
‣Examples(?):
• “Out of Egypt I have called my Son” (Mt. 2)
• Passing through Jordan / Baptism.
• Wilderness experience (40 Days).
• Jesus as Isaiah’s Servant
• The sacrifice of (Abraham’s) “beloved son”
• Cross & Resurrection as Exile / Exodus (Lk. 9!)

Luke 9
28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter,
John and James with him and went up onto a mountain
to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his
face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a
flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah,
appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus.
31 They spoke about his departure,[literally: his exodus]
which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.

Jesus:
The Means of Communication: Often Parables
- Why Parables? (Mt. 13)
‣Dual Function:
1.So some will get it - clarification.
2.So some will not - obfuscation.
The determining factor:
Whether one has “eyes to see”
Beale, idolatry discussion…

G.K. BEALE
“WE BECOME LIKE
WHAT WE WORSHIP”

Jesus:
- If Jesus’ mission is to “re-live” Israel’s story, his
parables often function to “re-tell” (re-interpret)
Israel’s story (N.T. Wright).

N.T. WRIGHT
PARABLES ARE:
“ISRAEL’S STORY IN
MINIATURE” -
RETOLD
SUBVERSIVELY.

N.T. Wright Jesus and the Victory of God, 179
Most parables…are Israel’s-story-in-miniature. Jesus’
telling of the Israel-story in order to undermine the
present way of understanding the nation’s identity. It is
as though someone were to tell the story of the
development of America, or of the British Empire, not, as
Americans and British normally tell them, as the stories
of freedom and civilization…but as stories of
Promethean ambition achieving deeply ambiguous
power, handling it with irresponsible self-righteousness,
and facing imminent disaster as a result.
If people really understood what was being said, a
lynching would always be on the cards.

Jesus:
- If Jesus’ mission is to “re-live” Israel’s story, his
parables often function to “re-tell” (re-interpret)
Israel’s story (N.T. Wright).
‣Wicked Tenants - (yes).
‣Two Sons - (perhaps; perhaps not).

Jesus:
The Sermon on the Mount: (Mt. 5; Lk. 6)
- Brief sampling…

Luke 6
20 Looking at his disciples, he said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
22 Blessed are you when people hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil,
because of the Son of Man.

Luke 6
27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your
enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those
who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the
other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold
your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you,
and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand
it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to
you.

Jesus:
- Two Parts:
1.Beatitudes— Blessed are the…
‣Not commands(!) but statements of fact and
invitations to a new perspective on the world.
‣This is how God views the world.

Jesus:
- Two Parts:
1.Beatitudes— Blessed are the…
‣Not commands(!) but statements of fact and
invitations to a new perspective on the world.
‣This is how God views the world.
2.You have heard it said…
‣New Covenant/Kingdom Ethics
‣Deepening the Covenant Commands
‣Note the “mount” symbolism (Moses)

Jesus:
Cross and Resurrection:
- Since we’ve had an entire course on the Atonement,
this section must be abbreviated.
‣Key Themes:
1.Exodus/Passover:
• John, Christ killed at same time as lamb.
• Synoptics, Last supper as Passover meal.

Jesus:
‣Key Themes:
2.Kingship Redefined.
• “King of the Jews” (titulus).
• “right & left” when you enter kingdom (Mt. 20).
• “Remember me…” (Lk. 23).

Jesus:
‣Key Themes:
3.A Substitutionary Sacrifice
• “as a ransom for many”
• “this is my body/blood”

Jesus:
‣Key Themes:
4.A Strange Victory
• John: cross as “glorification” / “exaltation”
• Paul view it is his “triumph” (Col. 2).

Jesus:
‣Key Themes:
1.Exodus/Passover
2.Kingship Redefined
3.A Substitutionary Sacrifice
4.A Strange Victory

Jesus:
- So also, his resurrection is viewed as the inauguration
of God’s new creation, breaking into this one:
‣In a garden (e.g. Jn. 20)
‣The first day of a new week (Jn. 20)
‣Jesus named as “gardener” (Jn. 20)
‣The eighth sign(?), corresponding to 8th day (Jn.)
Thus we prepare to enter a new “chapter” in the Story…

Week 6 Theological interpretation of Jesus

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