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Yearning for a messianic age is universal: this messianic age is a goal and
reward. The Hebrew-Judaic quest for this age is deeply rooted in its literature
and on-going. Christians have accepted Jesus as the Messiah. What
separates these two groups is, perhaps, simply a different way of viewing
eternal time and time on earth. Yes, in the messianic expectation is a
peaceful and perfected world; and yes, much of the unrest in past and current
power struggles attests to an absolute and new creation as still being
imminently or remotely future. Some expect the Kingdom of God to be established
upon earth; Christians believe heaven and earth will have fled away before
creation is renewed. Some behave passively while others work fervently to
bring about the Kingdom of God. Jesus was a radical Jew because He announced
that the Kingdom of God has come; it's here, in the heart of the committed
individual. For this, He was ultimately crucified, perhaps because Romans
viewed Him as rejecting imperial rule; or, perhaps, because His own established
religion could not accept His ending the messianic expectation of His day,
particularly the implication that the earthly imperfection and social injustice
would continue even at the same time the Kingdom of God was itself being
perfected.
John Sawyer offers the following overview of the messianic expectation (Oxford
Companion to the Bible):
Messiah.
The term denotes an expected or longed-for savior, especially in Jewish
tradition, where some applied it to the revolutionary Simon Bar Kokhba (d. 135
ce), the mystic Shabbetai Zevi (16261676), and other "false
messiahs," and in Christianity, where it is exclusively applied to Jesus
Christ.
The word is derived from the common biblical Hebrew word m ξaϊ,
meaning "anointed." In Greek it is transcribed as messias and
translated as christos. In the Hebrew Bible, the term is most often used
of kings, whose investiture was marked especially by anointing with oil (Judges
9.815; 2
Samuel 5.3; 1
Kings 1.39; Psalm
89.20; Sirach
46.13), and who were given
the title "the Lords anointed" (e.g., 1
Samuel 2.10; 1
Samuel 12.3; 2
Sam 23.1; Psalm
2.2; Psalm
20.6; Psalm
132.17; Lamentations
4.20). It is even used of
Cyrus, king of the Medes and Persians (Isaiah
45.1). There is a possibility
that some prophets may have been anointed (see 1
Kings 19.16; cf. Isaiah
61.1), and according to some
texts the investiture of priests includes anointing too (Exodus
29.7; Leviticus
4.3; Leviticus
4.5; Leviticus
4.16; Sirach
45.15), though this probably
reflects political developments after the fall of the monarchy; the title is not
normally given to priests or prophets. In a passage from Zechariah dated 520 bce,
where king and priest are described as "the two anointed ones," the
term mξaϊ
is avoided (Zech 4.14;
cf. Zechariah 6.914).
By Maccabean times, however, it is used of the high priest (Daniel
9.26).
In its primary biblical usage, then, "anointed" is,
virtually a synonym for "king," in particular David and his
descendants, and it should be understood in the context of the royal ideology
documented in the books of Samuel, Kings, and Psalms, even when it is applied
secondarily to priests and others. The king was appointed by divine command ( 1
Sam 10.1; 1
Samuel 16.113; Psalm
45.7), and he was adopted as
son of God (2 Sam 7.14;
Psalm 2.7;
cf. Psalm 89.26).
His own person was sacrosanct (1
Sam 24.6), the future of his
dynasty was divinely protected (2
Sam 7.1216; 2
Samuel 22.51; Psalm
89.4; Psalm
89.3637), and he was the
unique instrument of Gods justice on earth (2
Samuel 23.3; 1
Kings 3.28; Psalm
45.4; Psalm
72.14; cf. 2
Samuel 14.4). As with the
ideals and the realities of Zion, the Temple, the priesthood, and other
institutions, the gap between the ideals of Davidic kingship and historical
reality widened (e.g., 1
Kings 11.6; 2
Kings 16.14; 2
Kings 21.118; cf. Deuteronomy
17.1417), and eventually
royal language and imagery came to be applied primarily to a hoped-for future
king, whose reign would be characterized by everlasting justice, security, and
peace (Isaiah 11.15;
Isaiah 32.1;
Jeremiah 33.1426;
Ezekiel 37.2428).
Such a figure is popularly known as "the messiah," and biblical texts
that describe him are known as "messianic," though the term
"messiah" itself does not occur with this sense in the Hebrew Bible.
At the heart of biblical messianism is the idea that God
intervenes in history by sending a savior to deliver his people from suffering
and injustice. Influenced by the Exodus tradition (e.g., Exodus
2.19; Exodus
3.712), the stories of
Joshua and Judges (cf. Judges
2.16; Judges
2.18), and established
religious institutions, this messianic hope crystallized into several models.
The first is that of a king like David who would conquer the powers of evil by
force of arms (Gen 49.10;
Numbers 24.17;
Psalm 2.9;
Psalm 18.3142)
and establish a reign of justice and peace (Isaiah
9.27; Isaiah
11.15). In some passages
his wisdom is referred to (Isaiah
9.6; Isaiah
11.2; cf. 1
Kings 3.9; Proverbs
8.1516; Proverbs
24.56), in others his
gentleness and humility (Isaiah
42.23; Zechariah
9.910). Emphasis is on the
divine initiative (2 Samuel
7.816; Jeremiah
33.1416; Haggai
2.2123) and on the result
of the action, so that some visions of a "messianic" age make little
or no mention of the messiah himself (e.g., Isaiah
2.24; Isaiah
11.69; Isaiah
32.1; Isaiah
32.1620; Isaiah
65.1725; Amos
9.1115).
Belief in a priestly messiah, son of Aaron, who would arise
alongside the Davidic messiah to save Israel, appears in the Dead Sea Scrolls
(e.g., 1QS 9.1). The mysterious figure of Melchizedek ( Gen
14.18) provides a title for
one who is at the same time both king and priest (Psalm
110.4; Hebrews
7). A third model is that of
a prophet, anointed to "bring good news to the oppressed" (Isaiah
61.1; 11Q Melch. 18; Luke
4.18). The belief that a
prophet like Moses would arise (Deuteronomy
18.18; Acts
3.22), known as Taheb
("he who brings back"), is central to Samaritan messianism (cf. John
4.25).
Finally, the tradition that the divinely appointed savior should
suffer ( Luke 24.26;
Acts 3.18)
has its roots in numerous psalms attributed to David (e.g., Psalm
22; Psalm
55; Psalm
88), as well as in the
traditional picture of Moses and the prophets as rejected and persecuted by
their people (Exodus 16.2;
Exodus 17.24;
Jeremiah 11.1819;
Jeremiah 20.710;
Matthew 23.37).
The notion that his suffering or self-sacrifice is in itself saving (cf. Exodus
32.32; Isaiah
53.5; Isaiah
53.10; Isaiah
53.12) is given a unique
emphasis in Christian messianism (e.g.,Romans
5.68; Galatians
3.13; cf. Acts
8.32; 1
Peter 2.2425).
The messianic age is ultimately
about ending suffering and injustice. If Israel can be seen as
representing every human being who has to struggle with suffering and injustice,
then every individual has to wrestle with the eternal issues of facing the
unknown, finding meaning and value in daily life, understanding pain and
suffering, living life, and confronting death. How the individual chooses to do
this will affect ultimate beliefs about the messianic age.
Understanding the Kingdom of God
as presented by Jesus is crucial to understanding His commitment to messianic
expectation; I have outlined an approach to thinking about the Kingdom of God in
the work I have completed on Mark, and I include it here in entirety:
Jesus Radical Message: The Kingdom of God Is in the Midst
of You (Lu.17:21 nor will they say,
'Lo, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom
of
God
is in the midst of
you.")
1Co.15:50 I tell you this, brethren: flesh and blood cannot
inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
Much like the orthodox of the first century, people today devoutly
expect Gods kingdom to come; the emphasis here is that the kingdom is not
present and is to come at some future point. This leads to living in
expectation rather than with the present. For many, the end of time (which
heralds the kingdom of God) is to be preceded by tribulation. As the prophets
understood, the end is darkness and not light, at least from the temporal
perspective. Matthew calls this the 24:15 the abomination of desolation,
spoken of by Daniel the prophet. If Christ were present in human form, we
might be startled to hear him say, Mt. 22: 13:
But woe unto you, churched, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven
against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are
entering to go in. The message Christ proclaimed while on earth, after
all, was the kingdom is here now, in our midst. How differently would we
behave if we lived this truth in the present moment: the kingdom of God here
now, in the moment: the eternal in the temporal! In some ways, this is the
predictable message to come to the Hebrew-Judaic world which has been reshaped
by Greek thinking, with an emphasis upon unity, harmony, and the ideal.
Mt.12:28 But if it is by the Spirit of
God
that I cast out demons, then the kingdom
of
God
has come upon you.
Mt.19:24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of
a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom
of
God."
Mt.21:31 Which of
the two did the will of
his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them,
"Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the harlots go into the kingdom
of
God
before you.
Mt.21:43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom
of
God
will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of
it."
Mk.1:15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom
of
God
is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel."
Mk.4:11 And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of
the kingdom
of
God,
but for those outside everything is in parables; [the secret is known.]
Mk.4:26 And he said, "The kingdom
of
God
is as if a man should scatter seed upon the ground,
Mk.4:30 And he said, "With what can we compare the kingdom
of
God,
or what parable shall we use for it?
Mk.9:1 And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there are some
standing here who will not taste death before they see that the kingdom
of
God
has come with power." [need not taste death to see that the kingdom of
God has come.]
Mk.9:47 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out; it is better for
you to enter the kingdom
of
God
with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell,
Mk.10:14 But when Jesus saw it he was indignant, and said to them,
"Let the children come to me, do not hinder them; for to such belongs the
kingdom
of
God.
Mk.10:15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom
of
God
like a child shall not enter it."
Mk.10:23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard
it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom
of
God!"
Mk.10:24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them
again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom
of
God!
Mk.10:25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of
a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom
of
God."
Mk.12:34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him,
"You are not far from the kingdom
of
God." And after that no one dared to ask him any question. [not far from
kingdom of God]
Mk.14:25 Truly, I say to you, I shall not drink again of
the fruit of
the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom
of
God."
Mk.15:43 Joseph of
Arimathe'a, a respected member of
the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom
of
God,
took courage and went to Pilate, and asked for the body of
Jesus.
Lu.4:43 but he said to them, "I must preach the good news of
the kingdom
of
God
to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose."
Lu.6:20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: "Blessed
are you poor, for yours is the kingdom
of
God.
Lu.7:28 I tell you, among those born of
women none is greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom
of
God
is greater than he."
Lu.8:1 Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, preaching and
bringing the good news of
the kingdom
of
God.
And the twelve were with him, [brings the good news of the kingdom of God.]
Lu.8:10 he said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of
the kingdom
of
God;
but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and
hearing they may not understand.
Lu.9:2 and he sent them out to preach the kingdom
of
God
and to heal.
Lu.9:11 When the crowds learned it, they followed him; and he welcomed them
and spoke to them of
the kingdom
of
God,
and cured those who had need of
healing.
Lu.9:27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not
taste death before they see the kingdom
of
God."
Lu.9:60 But he said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead;
but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom
of
God."
Lu.9:62 Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and
looks back is fit for the kingdom
of
God."
Lu.10:9 heal the sick in it and say to them, 'The kingdom
of
God
has come near to you.' [has come near.]
Lu.10:11 'Even the dust of
your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off against you; nevertheless know
this, that the kingdom
of
God
has come near.'
Lu.11:20 But if it is by the finger of
God
that I cast out demons, then the kingdom
of
God
has come upon you. [kingdom of God has come.]
Lu.13:18 He said therefore, "What is the kingdom
of
God
like? And to what shall I compare it?
Lu.13:20 And again he said, "To what shall I compare the kingdom
of
God?
Lu.13:28 There you will weep and gnash your teeth, when you see Abraham and
Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom
of
God
and you yourselves thrust out.
Lu.13:29 And men will come from east and west, and from north and south,
and sit at table in the kingdom
of
God.
Lu.14:15 When one of
those who sat at table with him heard this, he said to him, "Blessed is
he who shall eat bread in the kingdom
of
God!"
Lu.16:16 "The law and the prophets were until John; since then the
good news of
the kingdom
of
God
is preached, and every one enters it violently.
Lu.17:20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom
of
God
was coming, he answered them, "The kingdom
of
God
is not coming with signs to be observed;
Lu.17:21 nor will they say, 'Lo, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom
of
God
is in the midst of
you." [The kingdom of God is in the midst of you.]
Lu.18:16 But Jesus called them to him, saying, "Let the children come
to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom
of
God.
Lu.18:17 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom
of
God
like a child shall not enter it."
Lu.18:24 Jesus looking at him said, "How hard it is for those who have
riches to enter the kingdom
of
God!
Lu.18:25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of
a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom
of
God."
Lu.18:29 And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there is no man
who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of
the kingdom
of
God,
Lu.19:11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable,
because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom
of
God
was to appear immediately.
Lu.21:31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the
kingdom
of
God
is near.
Lu.22:16 for I tell you I shall not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom
of
God."
Lu.22:18 for I tell you that from now on I shall not drink of
the fruit of
the vine until the kingdom
of
God
comes."
Lu.23:51 who had not consented to their purpose and deed, and he was
looking for the kingdom
of
God.
Jn3:1: In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of
Judaea,
2: And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Jn.3:3 Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is
born anew, he cannot see the kingdom
of
God."
Jn.3:5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born
of
water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom
of
God.
Jn.3:5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born
of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom
of God.
Mt 4:17: From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Mt 4:23: And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues,
and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness
and all manner of disease among the people.
Mt 5:3: Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.
Mt 5:10: Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mt. 9:35: And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in
their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every
sickness and every disease among the people.
Mt. 22: 13: But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye
shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves,
neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
Ac.1:3 To them he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs,
appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom
of God.
Ac.8:12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom
of God and the name of Jesus
Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
Ac.14:22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to
continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter
the kingdom of God.
Ac.19:8 And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly,
arguing and pleading about the kingdom
of God;
Ac.28:23 When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his
lodging in great numbers. And he expounded the matter to them from morning
till evening, testifying to the kingdom
of God and trying to convince them
about Jesus both from the law of Moses and from the prophets.
Ac.28:31 preaching the kingdom
of God and teaching about the Lord
Jesus Christ quite openly and unhindered.
Ro.14:17 For the kingdom
of God is not food and drink but
righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit;
1Co.4:20 For the kingdom
of God does not consist in talk but
in power.
1Co.6:9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom
of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor sexual perverts,
1Co.6:10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
robbers will inherit the kingdom
of God.
1Co.15:50 I tell you this, brethren: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom
of God, nor does the perishable
inherit the imperishable.
Ga.5:21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned
you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom
of God.
Col.4:11 and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of the
circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom
of God, and they have been a
comfort to me.
2Th.1:5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be
made worthy of the kingdom
of God, for which you are suffering
--
Rabbi Wayne Dosick in his Living
Judaism: The Complete Guide to Jewish Belief, Tradition and Practice outlines
the following evolution in the messianic expectation;
The concept of masheach entered
Judaism after the death of King Solomon (ca. 931 B.C.E.). A fellow named
Jeroboam led a rebellion against Rechoboam, the son of Solomon, which resulted
in a schism, a split in the Jewish people. Jeroboam became the king of
ten of the twelve tribes (which came to be called the Kingdom of Israel),
while Rechoboam ruled over the remaining two tribes (which came to be called
the Kingdom of Judah). In 722 B.C.E., the Kingdom of Israel was defeated in
war by the Assyrians, and disappeared from history.
It became the hope of every Jew
that one day the kingdoms would be reunited under the leadership of a
descendent of King Solomon (and his father, King David). This
"anointed one" (that is how kings were designated in those days--by
being anointed with oil), this masheach would restore the Jewish People
to wholeness and reaffirm the tranquility and greatness of earlier days.
That hope was not realized; but
the concept of an anointed one, a mascheach, who would lead the Jewish
People toward a time of peace and restoration, took hold in Jewish
consciousness.
Later, when the Greeks and
Romans began to dominate the land and the People of Israel politically and
militarily, denying rights and freedoms to the Jews, the memory of the hope
for an anointed one, a masheach who would lead a free Jewish People in
time of peace came to the force once again.
Thus, at exactly the same time
that the rabbis were creating and introducing the concept of reward and
punishment in an afterlife in Judaism, the oppressive political climate led
the people to revive the concept of mashaech, an anointed one who would
herald national unity, tranquility, and peace, a world without pain and
strife, a world healed of its ills and evils, a world transformed into
perfection.
Many of the people began to
believe that the days of the mashaech could not be far away, for how
much worse could the lives of the Jews become than they already were under
Greek-Roman oppression? (46)
Dosick argues further that a
belief in physical resurrection promised reward for those who died immediately
before the coming of the Masheach and missed out, therefore, on the
perfected world. He contends it is no accident that Christians believed Jesus as
Messiah had arisen from the dead.
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