Starting Points, Part One — Who is Jesus? — March 15, 2015 — T. C. Moore Starting Points: Exploring 3 Important Questions About Christian Faith Christian faith doesn’t require a person to check their brain at the door. No, Christian faith is strongest when one’s head and one’s heart are in agreement. We may not find all the answers for which we search, but there are some critical starting points in our quest. In this three-part seminar, we will explore three of the most important questions regarding Christian faith: Who is Jesus? Why did he die? How can we trust the Bible? Starting Point, Part One: Who is Jesus? Exercise (3-5 Minutes): On the following page, sketch what you think Jesus looks like, and then write a brief description of Jesus’s character. Include attributes you associate with Jesus. In particular, try to address at least some of the following areas: 1) What is Jesus’s relationship to violence like?! ! 2) What is Jesus’s ethnicity? 3) What is Jesus’s relationship to God, the divine, etc.? 1 Starting Points, Part One — Who is Jesus? — March 15, 2015 — T. C. Moore ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 2 Starting Points, Part One — Who is Jesus? — March 15, 2015 — T. C. Moore The vast differences in depiction of Jesus in visual art mirror the many different ways Jesus has been conceptualized in faith and practice. How are we to know who is the “real” Jesus? ! Today, we will explore the question of “Who is Jesus?” with: 1) a survey of historical Jesus research; 2) historical sources for Jesus; 3) data from the New Testament; and 4) a theological understanding of Jesus rooted in history and tradition. I. Historical Jesus Research 1. The Dark Side of the Enlightenment In the 17th and 18th centuries, from roughly the 1650s to the 1780s, Europe underwent a transformation in how people approached knowledge and truth. This period in Western history is referred to with different titles. Some of those titles are “the Age of Reason,” “the Age of Enlightenment,” or simply “the Enlightenment.” During this time, freedom was conceptualized as the ability to use one’s own reason apart from tradition. Trust in the scientific method, empiricism, and questioning of traditional religious beliefs increased exponentially. This period also gave birth to many Western values that have been enshrined in Modern U.S. culture like representative democracy, rugged individualism, free market capitalism, and the separation of Church and State. “The principles of the Enlightenment of the 1700s led to quite different approaches [from the Church Fathers] to Scripture. The Bible was studied by people, at first primarily in Germany, who were not necessarily believers or who bracketed their faith in order to leave the door open for historical conclusions quite at odds with traditional dogma. They studied the Bible like any other ancient document, not assuming in advance that everything in it was necessarily true, much less inspired.” 1 Since the so-called Enlightenment, some religion scholars have proposed a distinction between what they call the “historical Jesus” and the “Christ of faith.” It is presupposed that the Jesus worshiped by Christians is a later invention of religion, distinct from the historical person upon which Christianity is based. This theory led to what has been called “the Quest for the Historical Jesus.” ! p.88. 1 Craig L. Blomberg, Jesus and the Gospels: An Introduction and Survey (B&H Academic, 2009), 3 Starting Points, Part One — Who is Jesus? — March 15, 2015 — T. C. Moore One effect of this quest was that the miracles attributed to Jesus in the Gospels were dismissed as mythological or legendary. One of the most famous “demythologizers” was Rudolph Bultmann, a German theologian and New Testament professor. He trusted so little in the historicity of the Gospels, that he once claimed all we could know about the historical Jesus was “that he lived and died.” 2 However, some of Bultmann’s successors have not been as pessimistic, going on to affirm many of the teachings of Jesus recorded in the New Testament Gospels as historical. So, later, these works have been called a “new quest” for the historical Jesus.3 ! However, since the 1980s, a “third quest” has emerged which focuses on Jesus’s Jewishness and the Jewish context into which he came, lived, ministered, and died. The religious period (as it relates to the development of Judaism) in which Jesus lived is referred to as the “Second Temple” period. The first temple was Solomon’s temple which was destroyed in 586 BC by the Babylonians. The “second temple” was built by Herod “the Great,” and began being built in 20-19 BC.! 2. The Bright Side of Historical Jesus Research This “third quest” has been far more diverse than previous quests. Not all scholars who could be considered part of this third quest have driven a wedge between the “historical Jesus” and the “Christ of faith.” Some have instead found historical Jesus research supportive of orthodox faith in Jesus Christ. One example is N. T. Wright. ! N. T. Wright is a historian and New Testament scholar. His historical work focuses on the “second temple” period in Jewish history, the context of the Gospel stories. He is world-renowned and respected, and his work demonstrates that the truth of orthodox Christian faith is not jeopardized by historical research. It can even be supported by it. ! I’d highly recommend his popular-level book Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters (HarperOne, 2011). In it Wright does a fantastic job of filling in some of the historical context of Jesus’s life, which brings it to life and helps us understand who Jesus was, is, and what he was up to in the Gospels. If you’re nerdy like me, you might also want to read his more academic work. Two of his most popular academic works on the historical Jesus are Jesus and the Victory of God (Fortress, 1996), and The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is (InterVarsity, 1999). I’d also recommend many more of Dr. Wright’s works. His commentary series on the New Testament, called the “For Everyone” series is excellent and accessible for students of any level. Also, his book Following Jesus is a collection of excellent sermons with titles like “The Final Sacrifice” on the Letter to the Hebrews, and “The Glory of God” on the Gospel of John. 2 Blomberg notes that in Bultmann’s magum opus The History of the Synoptic Tradition, Bultmann ! does affirm a “small core of information about Jesus’ ministry that could be accepted as historical.” Ibid., p.90 fn.20. 3 Cf. E. Käsemann, “The Problem of the Historical Jesus,” in Essays on New Testament Themes ! (London: SCM; Naperville, IL: Allenson, 1964) and J. M. Robinson, A New Quest of the Historical Jesus (London: SCM; Naperville, IL: Allenson, 1959). 4 Starting Points, Part One — Who is Jesus? — March 15, 2015 — T. C. Moore 3. The Jesus Seminar There have also been some individuals and groups who have sought to recover and continue the failed first and second quests to find the historical Jesus. One example is “The Jesus Seminar.” “What is the Jesus Seminar? It is a small, self-selected association of academics who meet twice a year to debate the Historical Jesus. [...] The Jesus Seminar is not affiliated with either the Society of Biblical Literature or the other international association for New Testament scholars, the Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas. It does not, therefore, represent anything like a consensus view of scholars working in the New Testament, but only the views of a group that has been... selfselected on the basis of prior agreement concerning appropriate goals and methods for studying the Gospels and the figure of Jesus. It is, from beginning to end, an entrepreneurial venture guided by Robert Funk.” 4 At its height, the Jesus Seminar had merely 150 members, very few of whom were from reputable academic institutions. Even faculty from “liberal” schools known for their critical approach to the New Testament were not part of it.5 The members of the Jesus Seminar decided which “sayings” and deeds of Jesus are historical by voting with different-colored beads. A red bead vote means “That’s Jesus!”; a pink bead vote means “Sure sounds like Jesus”; a gray bead vote means “Well, maybe”; and a black bead vote means “There’s been some mistake.” For example, in the Jesus Seminar’s translation of the Lord’s Prayer, only the words “Our Father” are considered historical. Robert Funk, the group’s founder and president, said this: “It isn’t Jesus bashing... we want to liberate Jesus. The only Jesus people want is the mythic one. They don’t want the real Jesus. They want the one they can worship. The cultic Jesus.” 6 Even though the Jesus Seminar attempted to portray itself as objective by emphasizing the fact that they were all “scholars,” they nevertheless had a very clear bias. Their clear motive was to overturn traditional faith in Jesus and replace it with a benign historical reconstruction. For an excellent and accessible refutation of the Jesus Seminar’s claims, I highly recommend The Real Jesus: The Misguided Quest for the Historical Jesus and the Truth of the Traditional Gospels by Luke Timothy Johnson (Harper Collins, 1996). Another excellent resource I’d highly recommend (especially if you’re a little more nerdy) is: Cynic, Sage, or Son of God: Recovering the Real Jesus in an Age of Revisionist Replies (Victor Books, 1995) and Jesus Under Siege (Victor Books, 1995) by Gregory A. Boyd. 4 Luke Timothy Johnson, The Real Jesus: The Misguided Quest for the Historical Jesus and the ! Truth of the Traditional Gospels (Harper Collins, 1996), p.1-2. ! 5 Ibid., p.3. ! 6 Robert Funk, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 1994, View section. 5 Starting Points, Part One — Who is Jesus? — March 15, 2015 — T. C. Moore 4. Reza Aslan and Jesus the Zealot A more recent and popular religion scholar who has written a book claiming to uncover the “historical Jesus” is Dr. Reza Aslan.7 World-renowned for his works on globalization, Islam, and terrorism, in 2013 he wrote a book on the historical Jesus called Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth (Random House, 2013). ! When the book came out, Aslan was interviewed on the Comedy Central faux news program The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. 8 Jon Oliver was guest hosting and he said to Aslan, “Let’s be clear, this book is about Jesus the man, not so much Jesus the Christ.” To which Aslan responds, nodding his head in the affirmative: “It’s about the historical Jesus, not the Christ of faith.” He goes on to talk at length about the historical and cultural context of first-century Palestine—the setting of the Gospels. And little of that is problematic at all. Orthodox Christian historians like N. T. Wright would largely agree with Aslan’s characterizations. "[Jesus] lived in a specific time and place, and that time and place kinda matters. You know, I mean, it's like, if you really want to know who he was, you'd have to put his words and his actions in the context of the world in which he lived. The teachings have to be seen according to the social ills that he confronted, and the political forces that he confronted." "[It was] a time of apocalyptic fervor. A time when we're slowly moving toward this huge Jewish revolt against the Roman empire, that ultimately resulted in the leveling of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Temple, the exile of the Jews..." But Aslan makes the same fundamental mistake other historical Jesus questers have made. He begins with the assumption that the historical Jesus and the “Christ of faith” are mutually exclusive, and proceeds to reconstruct a benign historical Jesus that supports his presupposition and undermines orthodox Christian faith. And like The Jesus Seminar before him, whose work he largely duplicates, he builds his historical reconstruction under the guise of scholarly “objectivity.” But even in his brief interview on The Daily Show, his thin veneer of objectivity is shattered. Aslan’s journey to writing Zealot starts with his conversion to Evangelical Christianity as a teenager. During that same interview, he says of himself during that time: “I really burned with [Jesus's] Gospel message. I really felt it deep in my life.” But when confronted with critical scholarship of the New Testament in college, he he felt he had to choose between the “Christ of Faith,” whom he'd encountered, and the “Jesus of History” whom he'd begun to study in school. That choice drove a wedge between Aslan and the Jesus whom he met—the Risen Christ. 9 7 Alsan's academic religion credentials start with a BA in Religions from Santa Clara University, an ! MTh from Harvard Divinity, and a PhD in Sociology of Religion from UC Santa Barbara. Sources: [http:// rezaaslan.com/about/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reza_Aslan#Background] 8 Reza Aslan interview on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (7/18/2013) [http:// ! thedailyshow.cc.com/guests/reza-aslan/8mev1j/reza-aslan] 9 Read more at: [http://theologicalgraffiti.com/The-Real-Jesus-Why-Reza-Aslan-is-Right-and! Wrong-Jesus-the-Reign-of-God-and-Objectivity] 6 Starting Points, Part One — Who is Jesus? — March 15, 2015 — T. C. Moore 5. Bart Ehrman on the Historicity of the Gospels Aslan’s historical reductionism is so extreme, that it contrasts sharply with that of Bart Ehrman’s, a noted, agnostic New Testament scholar who is highly critical of Christian faith. Like Aslan, he too de-converted from Evangelical Christianity after encountering critical scholarship of the New Testament in college. And since has been a vocal advocate of a historical Jesus who is not the “Christ of faith.” But, in his most recent book, Did Jesus Exist? A Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth, Ehrman exposes just how unhistorical Aslan’s reconstruction is: “Sometimes the Gospels of the New Testament are separated from all other pieces of historical evidence and given a different kind of treatment because they happen to be found in the Bible, the collection of books that Christians gathered together declared sacred scripture. The Gospels are treated this way by two fundamentally opposed camps of readers, and my contention is both are wrong. [...] At one end of the spectrum, fundamentalist and conservative evangelical Christians often treat the Gospels as literature unlike anything else that has ever been produced because, in their opinion, these books were inspired by God. [...] At the other end of the spectrum is another group insisting that that the books of the Bible need to be given separate treatment. These are certain agnostics or atheists who claim that since, say, the Gospels are part of the Christian sacred scripture, they have less value than other books for establishing historical information. [...] [The] authors [of the Gospels] were human authors… they wrote in human languages and in human contexts; their books are recognizable as human books, written according to the rhetorical conventions of their historical period. They are human and historical, whatever else you may think about them, and to treat them differently is to mistreat them and to misunderstand them. [...] To dismiss the Gospels from the historical record is neither fair nor scholarly.” 10 Ehrman’s testimony alone does not ensure the historical credibility of the New Testament Gospels. We will have that discussion in Part 3 of Starting Points, when we explore the question “How can we trust the Bible?” But, for now, it does suffice to show the extreme bias of Aslan and other scholars like him, including The Jesus Seminar. As we have seen, not all historical Jesus research leads to conclusions like those of The Jesus Seminar. But under the guise of scholarly objectivity, many have created historical reconstructions of Jesus that undermine orthodox Christian faith. Discussion (3-5 Minutes): What observations did you make of historical Jesus research? Which resource(s) most interested you? What thoughts or questions do you have? 10 Bart Ehrman, Did Jesus Exist? The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth (HarperOne, ! 2012), p.71-73, emphasis mine. 7 Starting Points, Part One — Who is Jesus? — March 15, 2015 — T. C. Moore II. Non-Christian Historical Sources for Jesus 1. From Jesus to the Bible, Not the Other Way Around Even though a skeptic of Christian faith like Ehrman is ready to concede that the New Testament Gospels are worthy of consideration as historical documents, he is not ready to concede that they are “inspired” by the Holy Spirit of God, and many others aren’t either. Thankfully, a person is joined with God in salvation by one’s relationship with Jesus Christ, not one’s belief in the inspiration of the Bible. That is why Starting Points begins with “Who is Jesus?” not “How can I trust the Bible?” In part 3 of this seminar, we’ll get to reasons to believe in the trustworthiness and even inspiration of the Bible. However, for now, we will explore why trust in Jesus is the solid center of Christian faith. ! In 2013, world-renowned apologist and theologian Greg Boyd wrote Benefit of the Doubt: Breaking the Idol of Certainty (Baker, 2013). I highly recommend it. In chapter 8, “A Solid Center,” he presents the case for making Jesus the solid center of our faith, even before we believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. “...[a person doesn’t] need to rely on the Bible as the inspired Word of God in order to enter into [a saving] relationship with Christ. Rather than believing in Jesus because I believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God, as evangelicals typically do, I came to believe the Bible was the inspired Word of God because I first believe in Jesus.” 11 In this chapter, Boyd describes how he has many reasons to believe in Jesus: philosophical and existential reasons, for example. But among the most compelling reasons he has to place his trust in Jesus are historical. He argues that without relying on the New Testament accounts, we can piece together enough to reasonably justify belief in Jesus: 1) A movement of people called “Christians” exploded in the third and fourth decades of the first century. By 64 AD this movement had become so widespread that the Roman Emperor Nero could make a scapegoat out of the Christians by blaming them for a city-wide fire in Rome. 2) This Jesus movement lived scandalously loving lives, befriending “sinners.” They proclaimed that Jesus died a cursed death on the cross, rose from the dead, and was in some spiritual sense still with them. Jesus’s disciples proclaimed this message in a hostile environment, costing them their lives in most cases. This man’s mother and brother were even in their company. 3) Most surprisingly, something motivated these earliest disciples to overturn one of the most fundamental aspects of their Jewish faith: monotheism, and ascribe divine attributes to this man—even worshiping him.12 ! 11 Gregory A. Boyd, Benefit of the Doubt: Breaking the Idol of Certainty (Baker, 2013), p.159. ! 12 Ibid., p.160-161. 8 Starting Points, Part One — Who is Jesus? — March 15, 2015 — T. C. Moore 2. Non-Christian Historical Sources Before ever consulting the New Testament for its testimony about Jesus, a composite picture that corroborates the Bible’s witness can be gathered from non-Christian historical sources. 1) A man named Jesus, who had a brother named James who was killed for his faith (i.e. martyred), was called Christ. — Josephus, in Antiquities 20.9.1 2) This man was thought to be a "wise king." — Mara bar Serapion, non-Christian second-century Syrian 3) He was known to have performed miracles and exorcisms; his teachings were considered heretical to Jewish religious teachers (e.g. "led Israel astray"). He was from Nazareth. — b. Sanh 103a, Rabbinical tradition 4) He taught his disciples/followers that they were "brothers" (i.e. spiritual family). He was their "first lawgiver." He was "crucified in Palestine." And he was worshipped. — Lucian of Samosata, mid-second century Greek-speaking satirist 5) A movement of Jewish followers gathered together regularly, sang hymns, and worshipped him as a god. — Pliny the Younger, Roman "legate" early second century 6) His execution was performed under the authority of Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius. — Tacitus, Roman historian, in Annals 15:44 7) The movement of Jewish followers that resulted from the life and teachings of Messiah Jesus of Nazareth were blamed for civil unrest in the Roman empire. — Suetonius, a early second-century Roman writer 13 “The all-important historical question is, What can explain all of this?” 14 1) The disciples were lying. Problem: they lack motive, they risked and sacrificed their lives, and the Jewish authorities to whom such claims were heretical could have easily exposed them as frauds if, in fact, they were. 2) They were sincerely mistaken (a.k.a. the “legendary” hypothesis). Greg Boyd and Paul Eddy wrote two books with extensive investigations into this ! 13 Blomberg, Jesus and the Gospels, p.431-435. ! 14 Boyd, Benefit of the Doubt, p.161. 9 Starting Points, Part One — Who is Jesus? — March 15, 2015 — T. C. Moore theory called The Jesus Legend: A Case for the Historical Reliability of the Synoptic Jesus Tradition (Baker Academic, 2007) and Lord or Legend? Wrestling with the Jesus Dilemma (Baker Books, 2007). 15 3) They were telling the truth. Unless a more plausible historical argument can be formulated than the ones that have been proposed to now, the most plausible, historical argument remains that the Christian faith is true. Discussion (3-5 Minutes): What observations did you make of the non-Christian historical sources? Which sources interested you most? What questions do you have? III. The New Testament Data 1. The Good News of Jesus of Nazareth The four New Testament books known as “Gospels” tell the story of Jesus (Hebrew: Yehoshua, Greek: Iésous) of Nazareth. “Matthew,” “Mark,” “Luke,” and “John,” are called “Gospels” because that is what they contain the Good News about Jesus: His incarnation (birth), ministry, teachings, death on the cross, resurrection from the dead, and ascension to heaven. The Apostle Paul wrote this: “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.” 16 The word “gospel” (good news or glad tidings) that Paul uses here is the same word that begins Mark’s book: “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God...” 17 15 Greg Boyd delivers a lot of the content from his book The Jesus Legend in an Easter sermon ! which can be heard here: [https://vimeo.com/89287027] ! 16 First Corinthians, chapter 15, verses 1-8, NIV 2011 ! 17 Mark, chapter 1, verse 1, NIV 2011 10 Starting Points, Part One — Who is Jesus? — March 15, 2015 — T. C. Moore The story of Jesus, his birth, his ministry, his teachings, his death on the cross, and his resurrection constitute the Good News about Jesus Christ. But Jesus also uses this word to describe his message about the Kingdom of God. “After John was put in prison, Jesus went to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!’ ” 18 So the Good News about Jesus is connected to the Good News Jesus preached: “The Kingdom of God is near.” In Jesus—through his incarnation (birth), ministry, teaching, death and resurrection—God’s Kingdom has broken into the world. That is the Good News of God and the Good News about Jesus of Nazareth. 2. Jesus and First-Century Judaism The three “synoptic” 19 Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), begin the story of Jesus of Nazareth in his historical and cultural setting: first-century “Palestine.” 20 Jesus is presented as a Judean, a descendent of the people of Israel. In Modern context, we might call him Jewish. There is some debate as to the appropriateness of different descriptors for Jesus’s ethnicity (e.g. Israelite, Jew, Hebrew etc.). What is certain is that Jesus was ethnically a member of the people who traced their heritage back to Abraham through Israel. He followed the customs and faith of the people of Israel. ! At this time in Judea/Palestine, the Romans had occupied the land and the Judean people lived under their control. In 63 BC, Pompey conquered Jerusalem and incorporated Judea into the Roman republic. This meant that God’s chosen people were no longer free, but were under the power of pagan Gentiles. This led to many different responses from devout Judeans and their leaders. ! Some Judeans refused to accept the Romans as their overlords, because they were pagan Gentiles. These groups fell into three categories: Pharisees, Essenes, and a group Josephus (a first-century Judean historian) called the “fourth philosophy.” Some scholars place violent revolutionary groups like the Zealots and the Sicarii in this fourth category. While Pharisees were not likely to revolt against Rome, they certainly did not seek to cooperate with the Romans. Their response to Roman occupation was to devote themselves all the more to the Torah (the Law of Moses, or “the Pentateuch,” the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), and to demand that all Judeans be equally devout. The Essenes’ response was to retreat to the desert, form community there, and devote themselves to God and the Torah in separation from the Romans. John the Baptist attracted many ! 18 Mark, chapter 1, verses 14-15, NIV 2011 19 The description of Matthew, Mark, and Luke as “synoptic” Gospels comes from the Greek word ! synopsis which means “together look.” The idea is that the similarities between the three books allows them to be compared side-by-side. Blomberg, Jesus and the Gospels, p.89. 20 The term “Palestine” dates back at least to classical Greece (circa 5th century BC) and to ! examples like Herodotus and Aristotle. By the first century, it was in common use by the Romans. 11 Starting Points, Part One — Who is Jesus? — March 15, 2015 — T. C. Moore disciples to his Old Testament type prophetic ministry. But he gets only a passing mention in Josephus’s historical account of this time (called Antiquities). This is probably because the Pharisees and Sadducees had much more political influence, and that is what Josephus focuses on in his works. Some scholars want to lump John’s disciples in with the Essenes, but there is very little evidence for such a conclusion. ! Sadducees, over and against the Pharisees, Essenes, and John’s disciples, were willing to cooperate with the Romans. They were more connected to the political power structure of the Judean religion, which centered around the Temple. They were usually more wealthy and less connected to the poor and disenfranchised. If the Zealots can be included in the “fourth philosophy” that Josephus speaks of, then they represent the sect of Judean faith that was willing to resort to violence to overthrow their pagan oppressors. They believed that God would sanction their holy war against Rome and would frequently mount revolts against Rome that were violently struck down. After Herod “the Great” died in 4 BC, there were revolts against Rome throughout Judea, particularly in Galilee. Josephus records that the Roman legate (equivalent to a general) of Syria brutally put down the rebellion by crucifying 2,000 Judeans, many (if not most) of whom were Galileans. 3. Jesus and the Empire of Rome Jesus steps directly into the middle of this Roman-occupied, Judean powder-keg. And the message he brings is even more revolutionary than the Zealots, because it doesn’t include their violence, which is just like the Romans’. The Kingdom of God Jesus comes proclaiming stands in direct opposition to the Kingdom (empire) of Rome, including its violence. Jesus presents himself and his Kingdom as the Anti-Rome. God’s Kingdom shares nothing in common with the wickedness of Rome’s empire. ! Some people might be surprised to learn that the title “son of God” did not start with Jesus. It started with Caesar Augustus (Octavian), the adopted son of Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar was assassinated (“Et tu, Brute?”) in 44 BC. Octavian was posthumously adopted in Julius Caesar’s will and later given the honorific “Augustus” (which means “majestic” or “worthy of honor”) in 27 BC. Then, Tiberius Claudius Nero was adopted by Caesar Augustus in 4 BC. ! Emperor worship was the most mainstream form of religion in the Roman empire. Caesar Augustus took the the senior priestly role in the Roman pagan religious cult. His title was Pontifex Maximus (which means “chief priest” in Latin). In fact, the Caesars fashioned themselves as divine as well. After his death, the Roman Senate officially recognized him as a god (divinity). After that, Caesar Augustus gave himself the title Divi Filius (“son of god” or “son of divinity”). N. T. Wright, in his book, Simply Jesus, captures the first-century Roman context of the New Testament well in a section called “The Roman Storm.” “If you’d asked anybody in the Roman Empire, from Germany to Egypt, from Spain to Syria, who the ‘son of God’ might be, the obvious answer, the politically correct answer, would have been ‘Octavian’.” 21 21 N. T. Wright, Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters ! (Harper One, 2011), p.29. 12 Starting Points, Part One — Who is Jesus? — March 15, 2015 — T. C. Moore The Emperor cult also had its own way of telling the story of human history—which of course centered around Rome and Caesar in particular. “...Augustus’s court poets and historians did a great job with their propaganda. They told the thousand-year story of Rome as a long and winding narrative that had reached its great climax at last; the golden age had begun with the birth of a new child through whom peace and prosperity would spread to the whole world. [...] The message was carved in stone, on monuments and in inscriptions, around the known world: ‘Good news! We have an Emperor! Justice, Peace, Security, and Prosperity are ours forever! The Son of God has become King of the World.” 22 It’s likely that a coin like the “tribute penny” is what Jesus was presented with in Matthew 22.15-22; Mark 12.13-17; and Luke 20.20-26 when he says “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s.” By this Jesus meant that since Judeans believe graven images are idolatry, as it states in the Law of Moses, why would Judeans fight over how much of it they are to keep? Give Caesar all of his idolatrous metal, with his “image” on it. The more important concern Jesus has is: will we who bear the “image of God” give to God what belongs to God: our whole selves? ! It is into this historical and cultural milieu, with pressure from both the Judean and Roman contexts, that Jesus enters using familiar vocabulary to preach an altogether different message. The real “Good News” is that God’s Kingdom (not the empire of Rome) has come in and through Jesus of Nazareth. He alone can provide true justice, peace, security, and prosperity. He alone is the true “Son of God” and “King of the World.” 4. A Basic Outline of Jesus’s Story in the Gospels 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) ! 22 Jesus was born in Bethlehem around 4 BC 23 He was Judean (“Jewish”) He grew up in Galilee, in the town of Nazareth He spoke Aramaic, some Hebrew, and probably at least some Greek He emerged as a public figure in the context of John the Baptist’s ministry He summoned people to repent, announced the Kingdom (or Reign) of Israel’s God, using parables in particular to do so He journeyed around the villages of Galilee, announcing his message and enacting it by effecting remarkable cures, including exorcisms, and by sharing table-fellowship with a socio-culturally wide group He called a group of close disciples, among whom twelve were given special status His activities, especially one dramatic action in the Temple, incurred the wrath of some elements in Judaism, notably the high-priestly establishment Ibid., p.29-30. 23 The calculation of the BC/AD divide took place in the sixth century, based on limited ! information. 13 Starting Points, Part One — Who is Jesus? — March 15, 2015 — T. C. Moore 10) Partly as a result of this, he was handed over to the Romans and executed in the manner regularly used for insurrectionists 11) His followers claimed, soon afterwards, that he had been raised from the dead 12) They carried on his work in a new way, and some of them were persecuted for doing so, both by Jews and by pagans 24 5. Structure of the Four Gospels Blomberg provides a helpful ‘10,000-foot view’ of the structure of the Gospels. 25 We can see how the four books compare, and how they differ. We can, therefore, see the general structure of how the Jesus Story is told. 6. Probable Sequence of Events and Dates Blomberg is also helpful in developing a probable sequence of events and corresponding dates. 1) The Birth of Jesus — between 6-4 BC A. Josephus (a Judean historian for the Romans) says Herod the Great died shortly before Passover in 4 BC ! 24 Ibid., p.147-148. ! 25 Blomberg, Jesus and the Gospels, p.144. 14 Starting Points, Part One — Who is Jesus? — March 15, 2015 — T. C. Moore B. Matthew’s Gospel says Herod ordered infant boys under 2 years old killed (2.16) C. Two striking astrological phenomenon happened during that period. A conjunction of planets in 7 and 6 BC; the appearance of a comet or supernova in 5 BC 26 2) Jesus Begins His Ministry — between AD 27-28 A. “According to Luke 3:1, John the Baptist was preaching in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar. Tiberius’s rule began in AD 14, suggesting a date of either 28 or 29 for the ministry of John. But in 12, Augustus gave Tiberius joint rule in the Eastern provinces, so it is possible, though probably less likely, that Luke calculated from this date, which would yield the year 26 or 27 for John’s preaching.” B. Luke 3.23 says Jesus was “about thirty years old when he began his ministry.” C. “In John 2.20, ‘the Jews’ protest to Jesus that ‘it has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?’ According to Josephus, rebuilding the temple began in Herod’s eighteenth year, which, counting from 37 BC, would give a date of 20 or 19 BC for the beginning of the project. Adding on forty-six more years (and remembering that there was no year ‘zero’) would then yield either AD 27 or 28 for the first Passover of Christ’s ministry.” 27 3) Jesus’s Ministry — from c. AD 27-30 A. The Synoptic Gospels only mention one Passover, but John explicitly mentions three (2.13, 6.4, and 12.1). This is likely why it is traditionally proposed that Jesus ministered for 3 years B. Some have proposed categories for the three years of Jesus’s ministry: a year of Obscurity (all the events prior to Jesus’s Galilean ministry); a year of Popularity (all the events prior to the aftermath of the feeding of the five thousand); and a year of Rejection (all the events from the feeding of the five thousand until his death). These are broad generalization, but can serve as a helpful schematic for painting the ministry of Christ in broad strokes. 28 i. Passover #1 of John 2.13 — Spring 28 AD ii. Ministry in Galilee in the Synoptics — Spring-Fall 28 iii. Passover #2 of John 6.4, “Feeding of the Five Thousand” — Spring 29 iv. End of ministry in Galilee, withdrawal and return — Fall 29 ! 26 M. Kidger, The Star of Bethlehem: An Astronomer’s View (Princeton University Press, 1999). ! 27 Blomberg, p.223. ! 28 Ibid., 224. 15 Starting Points, Part One — Who is Jesus? — March 15, 2015 — T. C. Moore v. Hanukkah in Jerusalem (John 10.22) — late December 29 29 4) The Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus — the fourteenth of Nisan (April 7th) of AD 30 A. “Both John and the Synoptics actually agree that Jesus ate the Passover meal Thursday night and was crucified on Friday (this seems to best; John 13:1-2 does not refer to the Passover meal per se; 18:28 can refer to the chagigah lunchtime meal on the day after the initial sacrifice of the lambs; and 19:14, 31 probably refer to the day of preparation for the Sabbath in Passover week (cf. Mark 15:42)” 30 B. The Resurrection was the following Sunday, April 9th, 30 AD. Some people get confused when they hear someone say that Jesus rose from the grave in “three days.” They think that means three days elapsed between Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection. But that is not what the Scriptures say. They say Jesus rose from the grave “on the third day.” That means Friday, when Jesus died, was day one, Saturday was day two, and Sunday was the day three. Jesus rose from the dead “on the third day.” 7. Characteristics of Jesus’s Ministry Throughout the Gospels, Jesus’s ministry is characterized by two categories of actions: 1) Announcing the Kingdom of God; 2) Enacting the Kingdom of God. ! A. Announcing the Kingdom of God Jesus announced the Kingdom of God in at least three ways. First, he preached the Good News that the Kingdom of God was “at hand” or “near” (e.g. Mark 1.14-15). He also proclaimed that the Kingdom of God had “come upon” those in his generation (e.g. Matthew 12.28; Luke 11.20). And he proclaimed that the Kingdom of God was “among” those to whom he preached (e.g. Luke 17.21). ! Second, Jesus taught directly about the character and nature of God’s Kingdom (e.g. in the “Sermon on the Mount”: Matthew, chapters 5-7). The Kingdom of God is characterized by the integrity and righteousness Jesus commands in this sermon. While the Kingdom is “not yet,” it is also “already.” Therefore, to the extent they are realizable in this age, they are the “fruit befitting repentance” performed out of gratitude to Jesus for salvation. ! Third, Jesus proclaimed the character and nature of the Kingdom of God in parables. Parables are illustrative stories that have a kernel of teaching that is supported by all the details. Every detail is not equally instructive. Instead, the details ! 29 Ibid., 227. ! 30 Ibid., 225. 16 Starting Points, Part One — Who is Jesus? — March 15, 2015 — T. C. Moore can change while still supporting the same main point. Many of Jesus’s parables are captured in Matthew and Mark’s Gospels. Here are a few examples: 1) The Sower — Mark 4.1-9, 13-20 2) The Seed Growing Secretly — Mark 4.26-29 3) The Mustard Seed and Leaven — Mark 4.30-32 (and parallels); Matthew 13.33 (and parallel) 4) The Wheat and Weeds and the Dragnet — Matthew 13.24-30, 36-43, 47-50) 5) The Treasure and the Pearl (Matthew 13.44-46) ! B. Enacting the Kingdom of God In addition to announcing the Good News of the Kingdom of God in several ways, Jesus also demonstrates the present, in-breaking reality of God’s Kingdom. First, Jesus performs miracles (e.g. turning water into wine: John 2.1-11, and stilling the storm: Mark 4.35-41 and parallels) Jesus’s miracles were performed to inspire people to place their trust in him . However, Jesus solemnly warned that “demanding a sign” is also a sign of distrust and a lack of faith (cf. Matthew 16.4 and parallels). ! Second, Jesus also miraculously healed those who were suffering from disease or disabilities. Jesus even raised the dead! (e.g. Raising of Jairus’s daughter and Healing of the Hemorrhaging Woman: Mark 5.21-43 and parallels). Since the Kingdom of God is the restoration of shalom (i.e. wholeness, life, peace, justice, etc.), healing and raising of the dead demonstrates the presence of God’s Kingdom by reversing that which threatens or destroys shalom. ! Third, Jesus performed exorcisms (i.e. the liberating of people from demonic possession). This is both a miracle and a form of healing, but it is distinct. Examples of Jesus’s exorcisms are the freeing of the Gerasene Demoniac who was in bondage to “legion,” multiple demonic presences (Mark 5.1-20 and parallels). ! Fourth, Jesus also enacted the Kingdom of God in less dramatic, but no less meaningful ways. Jesus’s radically hospitable and inclusive table-fellowship demonstrated the Kingdom’s in-breaking by prefiguring the inclusive grace and shalom of God’s future Kingdom in the present. Jesus ate with with those in society who were particularly despised like tax collectors and prostitutes (e.g. Luke 5.27-32 and Luke 7:36-50) ! Fifth, Jesus enacted the Kingdom of God by pronouncing forgiveness of sin to people outside the Temple and without sacrifices. The shalom of the Kingdom of God includes forgiveness of sin and release from condemnation. Jesus demonstrated that the Temple sacrifices were not necessary for forgiveness; he himself had the authority to forgive sin (e.g. Matthew 9.1-8 and parallels). 8. Jesus’s Life and Teachings in Paul’s Epistles The four Gospels are not the earliest Christian documents; Paul’s epistles are. Depending on whether you take the position that the Letter to the Galatians was written to the churches in Southern Galatia during Paul’s first missionary journey (before the 17 Starting Points, Part One — Who is Jesus? — March 15, 2015 — T. C. Moore Council at Jerusalem in Acts 15 (50 AD), or to the churches in Northern Galatia during his second missionary journey (before he wrote his Letter to the Romans: 56 or 57 AD), Paul’s first Letter to the Thessalonians might be the first New Testament letter, making it the first Christian document ever written. The argument is made, however, that if Paul wrote Galatians after the Jerusalem Council, he surely would have appealed to their authority in the matter of Gentiles coming to faith in Christ, which is the primary subject addressed in the letter. Therefore, some scholars date Galatians to 48 or 49 AD, making it the first Christian document. ! Either way, it is fairly clear that Paul wrote First Thessalonians after Timothy returned to him from Macedonia (3.6). This is likely when both Timothy and Silas met Paul in Corinth (Acts 18.5). While in Corinth, Paul was tried before “Gallio” of whom inscriptions have been found in Delphi which date his proconsulship to 50-51 AD (no later than 52 because terms of office were usually 1 year, sometimes 2). Therefore, the dating of First Thessalonians must be 50-52 AD. ! If we date the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth to 30 AD, then Paul’s first Letter to the Thessalonians is written two decades after the events! Eyewitnesses to Jesus’s life and ministry are still alive for Paul to meet and talk with (which he does on multiple occasions). Jesus’s mother Mary, Mary called “Madelene,” Cyphas called “Peter,” James the brother of Jesus, and others are all still alive and carrying on Jesus’s ministry. This makes Paul’s letters are among the most historically reliable documents preserved from antiquity. ! That is why, when Paul writes his letters assuming his audience already knows the story of Jesus, his life, his teachings, his death on the cross, and his resurrection, we know that the accounts in the Gospels have been accurately preserved. So, let’s examine all that Paul reproduces in his letters. ! A. The Life of Jesus in Paul’s Letters In Paul’s epistles, he incidentally brings up an enormous amount of detail from the life of Jesus before the Gospels are written. This necessarily means the oral tradition about Jesus is so strong he can assume his readers know the story of Jesus well. He doesn’t bother rehearsing the specific stories; instead he just mentions Jesus’s life in general. “Paul clearly knew that Jesus was born and raised as a Jew (Gal. 4:4) and that he was a descendent not only of Abraham but of David (Gal. 3:16; Rom. 1:3). Jesus’ historical life, for Paul, modeled the kind of acceptance of other people his followers should aspire toward (Rom. 15:5, 7). Paul was further informed that Jesus’ life was characterized by service and humility (Phil. 2:5, 7-8) as well as meekness, gentleness, and self-sacrificial love (2 Cor. 10:1; Gal. 2:2). Paul himself sought to imitate Christ on these (and other?) matters and thus provide an example for others to follow (1 Cor. 11:1). Paul also knew that Jesus had a brother named James, who was still alive at the time of Paul’s early writings, as well as other unnamed brothers (Gal. 1:19; 1 Cor. 9:5). And he was further aware that his disciples Peter was married (1 Cor. 9:5).” 31 31 Greg Boyd, Cynic, Sage, or Son of God: Recovering the Real Jesus in an Age of Revisionist ! Replies (Victor Books, 1995), p.191-192. 18 Starting Points, Part One — Who is Jesus? — March 15, 2015 — T. C. Moore “Paul certainly knows and makes much of the fact that Jesus was executed by crucifixion (1 Cor. 1:17-18; Gal. 5:11, 6:12; Phil. 2:8, 3:18). He further knows of Jesus’ historical betrayal (1 Cor. 11:23), that certain Jews in Judea were instrumental in getting him crucified (1 Thes. 2:14-15), and that he instituted a memorial meal on the night in which he was betrayed (1 Cor. 11:23-25). He is, finally, informed that Jesus was buried, that he rose again ‘on the third day,’ and that he was seen after his resurrection on a number of occasions by a number of witnesses whom Paul and his readers know by name (Rom. 4:24-25; 1 Cor. 15:4-8; cf. 1 Cor. 6:14; 2 Cor. 4:14, 6:4-9, 8:11, 34; Gal. 1:1; 1 Thes. 4:14).” 32 ! B. The Teaching of Jesus in Paul’s Letters Not only did Paul reproduce a vast amount of Jesus’s life incidentally in his letters, he also reproduced a significant amount of his teaching as well. “When Paul tells the Romans to ‘bless those who persecute you’ (Rom. 12:14), the cultural uniqueness of the teaching and its linguistic closeness to the Q saying of Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:28 make it quite reasonable to suppose that we are dealing with a piece of the Jesus teaching tradition here. Similarly, it is nearly impossible to deny that Jesus’ very distinctive use of ‘Abba’ in prayer lies behind Paul’s use of this Aramaic term in Galatians 4:6 and Romans 8:15. A similar case could be argued for Paul’s teaching on not repaying evil for evil (Rom. 12:17), on giving tribute to whom it is due (13:6-7), on love fulfilling the law (13:8-10; Luke 10:25-28), on the Lord’s returning ‘as a thief in the night’ (1 Thes. 5:2-5; Luke 12:39-40), on not judging others (Rom. 14:4, 10; Matt. 7:1), and on eating what is set before you (1 Cor. 10:27; Luke 10:7).” 33 Discussion (3-5 Minutes): What observations did you make of the New Testament data on Jesus? Which data interested you most? What questions do you have? IV. So, Then, Who IS Jesus? We’ve now surveyed the history of “historical Jesus” research, the non-Christian historical sources for the life of Jesus, and the New Testament data. Now it’s time to bring together the information we’ve gathered with the orthodox Christian tradition, to show how the two are not at odds, but in agreement. Jesus of Nazareth fulfills the three primary offices of leadership appointed by God throughout the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament): Prophet, Priest, and King. Through each of these offices, God reveals an aspect of God’s character and nature to God’s people and to the world. In Jesus, all three are united in one person. We’ll look at each one in reverse order. ! 32 Ibid., 192. ! 33 Ibid., 195. 19 Starting Points, Part One — Who is Jesus? — March 15, 2015 — T. C. Moore 1. Jesus, the Messiah (King of Kings and Lord of Lords) “Christ” (Messiah) means “anointed one,” and refers to the sign of God’s favor and presence that was bestowed upon Israel’s kings in Hebrew Bible (e.g. David, I Sam. 16.1-13). By the time of Jesus, several Judean military and political leaders had pronounced themselves the Messiah or just carried on messianic campaigns gathering hundreds and thousands of followers. Many Judeans at the time of Jesus believed that the Messiah would user in the Kingdom (or Reign) of God, which necessarily entailed violent judgment upon their pagan Gentile oppressors—in this case, the Romans. But throughout his ministry, Jesus announces and enacts the Kingdom of God which looks very dissimilar to just another violent empire. Instead, Jesus is a very different kind of King with a very different kind of Kingdom. ! Jesus’s “Triumphal Entry” into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (Mark 11.1-11 and parallels) is a good example of the contrast. Instead of riding into Jerusalem on a traditional white, war horse like the Caesars do when they have vanquished their enemies, Jesus deliberately chooses to ride into Jerusalem on a donkey to fulfill prophecy about the Messiah and to highlight his humility in a subversive enactment of the Kingdom of God. We can see from accusations leveled against Paul and the other Christians in Thessalonica that the early proclamation of the Gospel was that Jesus was the King of the world, not Caesar (Acts 17.7). ! John stresses that the Kingdom is “not from this world”—distinguishing it explicitly, in context, from the kingdom sought by the Judean revolutionaries of the time (18.36). Paul stresses that the Kingdom is not defined in terms of food laws, but terms of “righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14.17). Luke stresses that the Kingdom’s territory is not a single piece of land, but the entire globe (Acts 1.6-8) In The Apocalypse (which we call “Revelation”), it’s the heavenly Jerusalem that counts, not the earthly one; in that new city, where the Messiah’s people “will reign for ever and ever,” there will be no Temple (21.22, 22.5).34 As Paul says, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” 35 And N. T. Wright explains: “The point of the present kingdom is that it is the first-fruits of the future kingdom; and the future kingdom involves the abolition, not of space, time, or the cosmos ! 34 N. T. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God (Fortress, 1996), p.218. ! 35 First Corinthians, chapter 15, verses 20-26, NIV 2011 20 Starting Points, Part One — Who is Jesus? — March 15, 2015 — T. C. Moore itself, but rather of that which threatens space, time, and creation, namely, sin and death.” 36 ! One of the ways Jesus indicates that he is the Messiah is with the self-referential title “Son of Man.” This is an allusion to a well-known vision given to the Hebrew prophet and statesman Daniel (Daniel 7.13-14). “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” This is echoed in Matthew 28.18, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me,” and in John 13.3, “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power.” Jesus also frequently uses the language from Daniel’s vision of “coming on the clouds of heaven” (e.g. Matthew 24.30, 26.64; Mark 14.62). In John’s Revelation, Jesus is clearly shown to the be heavenly King, the Messiah, who has conquered, but in a very different way: through the Cross—shedding his own blood (e.g. 5.12, 12.11). 2. Jesus Our Great High Priest Jesus also fulfills the role of “priest,” that is foreshadowed in the Hebrew Bible. In the wilderness, when God was leading the Israelites to the “Promised Land,” God manifested God’s presence in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple Solomon built. In those structures, Moses (and priests) served as a mediator between God and Israel. The writer of Hebrews writes of Jesus: “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” 37 First Timothy also refers to Jesus’s priestly role: “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people.” 38 ! 36 Ibid. ! 37 Letter to the Hebrews, chapter 4, verses 14-16, NIV 2011 ! 38 First Timothy, chapter 2, verses 5-6a, NIV 2011 21 Starting Points, Part One — Who is Jesus? — March 15, 2015 — T. C. Moore Israelite priests offered sacrifices in the Tabernacle and the Temple for the forgiveness of sins, but they had to offer them continually. The writer of Hebrews makes the point that as our “Great High Priest,” Jesus is unique. Instead of merely offering sacrifices on behalf of humanity, Jesus offers his fully human life as sacrifice once and for all: “When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands that is to say, is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” 39 More on the sacrificial system in Israelite religion and the Hebrew Bible will be discussed in part two of Starting Points when we explore the question: “Why did Jesus die?” For now, the important point is that Jesus fulfills the role of Great High Priest. 3. Jesus the Great Prophet Not only did Jesus fulfill the roles of King and Priest, he also fulfilled the role of Prophet. This third role is distinct from the first two in several ways. First, Hebrew kings and priests operated within the established and appropriate bounds of Isrealite religion. They maintained and promoted the Torah (Law of Moses) and the Temple. Hebrew prophets, on the other hand, operated on the margins. Second, kings and priests had official recognition. For priests: ordination; for kings: coronation. Not so for prophets. The prophet is appointed by God, but not in a public way. That is why false prophets were so common, and discerning the difference so difficult. Third, while Hebrew kings and priests promoted and celebrated the Israelite nation and religion, the prophets engaged in the dangerous business of critiquing Israelite national interests and practices—including Israelite religion.40 Jesus refers to himself as a prophet several times in the Gospels and is referred to as a prophet by the apostles. Some examples are: Matthew 13.57; Luke 13.33, 24.19. ! Throughout Jesus’s ministry, he fulfills the role of prophet in many ways. He challenges the religious authorities on their practice of keeping Torah (e.g. Matthew 23.23 and parallels). He pronounces woes over the wealthy and powerful who oppress the poor and marginalized (e.g. Luke 6.24-26; Matthew 26). And he challenges those who maintain power over the Temple and its sacrificial system (e.g. John 2.12-25). Rather than a “cleansing,” as we used to calling it, Jesus’s demonstration in the Temple was a protest! ! 39 Letter to the Hebrews, chapter 9, verses 11-14, NIV 2011 40 Brian Zahnd, “Jesus the Prophet,” Sermon: Word of Life Church (March 8, 2015) [http:// ! wolc.com/watch--listen/sermon-archives/jesus-the-prophet] 22 Starting Points, Part One — Who is Jesus? — March 15, 2015 — T. C. Moore 4. Jesus the God-Man While the roles of Prophet, Priest, and King point to Jesus’s exalted status among human beings, Jesus is more than just a highly-favored man. Jesus is truly human (entirely) and also truly God (entirely). This only seems like a contradiction if we first assume that humanity and divinity are incompatible. However, in Jesus we see that humanity and divinity can identify the same person. ! Jesus’s divinity can be seen in several passages of the New Testament. Three categories that groups these are: 1) Jesus: Uncreated — John 1.1-18, 8.58; Colossians 1. 15-20 2) Jesus: Worshiped — Matthew 14.33, 21.9; John 12.13, 20.28 3) Jesus: Divine Authority A. ‘Lord of the Sabbath‘ — Matthew 12.1-14 B. Forgives Sin — Matthew 9.1-7 C. Commands Angels — Matthew 26.52 ! In AD 325, Christian bishops and theologians from all across the Roman empire came together in Nicea (in what is modern-day Turkey) to formulate the official teaching on the nature of Jesus’s humanity and divinity. Here is an excerpt of what they concluded (which is now known as the “Nicene Creed”): ...We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made... 5. Freedom from the Academic Captivity of the Church As we’ve seen, historical research into the life of Jesus of Nazareth can undermine Christian faith or it can support it. But, ultimately, it is not historical research that Christian faith is built upon. The Academy is the servant of the Church, not vice versa! History is not the determinative factor for Christians. Because of the Resurrection, Jesus is not merely a historical figure we can puzzle about. No, Jesus is alive and active in our world through his Body (the Church) and his Spirit (the Holy Spirit)! “Christians direct their faith not to the historical figure of Jesus but to the living Lord Jesus. Yes, they assert continuity between that Jesus and this. But their faith is confirmed, not by the establishment of facts about the past, but by the reality of Christ’s power in the present. Christian faith is not directed to a human construction about the past; that would be a form of idolatry. Authentic Christian faith is a 23 Starting Points, Part One — Who is Jesus? — March 15, 2015 — T. C. Moore response to the living God, whom Christians declare is powerfully at work among them through the resurrected Jesus.” 41 “...the real Jesus for Christian faith is not simply a figure of the past but very much and above all a figure of the present, a figure, indeed, who defines believers’ present by his presence.” 42 Our faith is strongest when our heads and hearts are in agreement. So it’s important that we think through our faith. But historical reconstructions of Jesus aren’t enough to sustain Christian faith; Christian faith is a covenant relationship with the Living God made known in Christ and the Holy Spirit. Discussion (3-5 Minutes): What observations did you make of the Real Jesus? Which teaching interested you most? How has your Picture of Jesus changed? What questions do you have? _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ 41 Luke Timothy Johnson, The Real Jesus: The Misguided Quest for the Historical Jesus and the ! Truth of the Traditional Gospels (Harper Collins, 1996), p.142-143. ! 42 Ibid., p.142. 24