Biblical Theology 7: Biblical Theology of the Gospels 3

Biblical Theology of Jesus and the Gospels- Survey in Matthew Contd
  • Jesus is the new latter day Moses who leads Israel back to God
  • Matthew 8:1-4
    • Jesus heals a leper like Moses did
  • Matthew 8:4 'offer the gift Moses commanded'
    • Moses is named identifying Jesus and Moses
  • Jesus quietens storms and does miracles over the sea like Moses does
  • The beatitudes begin and end with the Kingdom
  • The tone of the Lord's prayer is the Kingdom
  • The kingdom never fully came in the gospels:
    • Mat 3:2 'repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand'- or the Kingdom of heaven is near
    • Mat 4:17 'repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand'
      • the idea of nearness in the verses means that something has started but isn't fully in operation
    • Is 9:2, 3, 6 'people who walked in darkness... you have multiplied the nation... for to us a child is born'
      • Is 9 is quoted in Mat 4 to say that Jesus has begun to fulfill the prophecy. Is 9 is not yet completely fulfilled as the passage refers to subduing the earth, something that Jesus started to do by casing out demons and extending the Kingdom. 
    • Mark 1:14- Jesus says 'the time has fulfilled and the Kingdom of God has drawn near'
  • Matthew 8:1-17
    • Jesus comes down from the mountain like Moses did, he cleanses a leper and heals a paralyzed person when asked by a Centurion. 
      • Abraham is connected to a Centurion who was charged with picking up the seed promises from Genesis 3
    • Jesus' healing are proof that he is reversing the curse that brought sickness
How 'Son of Man' and 'Son of God' relate to each other
  • Jesus's two favourite names for himself are 'Son of Man' and 'Son of God' but Paul never refers to Jesus as the 'Son of Man'. Why?
    • Both phrases are two ways of saying the same thing- two sides of one coin.
    • Son of Man comes from Daniel 7 where it describes all people serving the SoM. 
    • Dan 7:13-14. SoM comes on the clouds. The Rabbi's refer to YHWH as the cloud rider
      • SoM is a divine being getting authority from God
      • The SoM comes after 4 beast are defeated (Dan7:2-). The beast represents a King and a Kingdom. The SoM is the opposite of this so Jesus is a King with a Kingdom.
      • He is the SoM because he does was true humanity should do- trust and obey God. 
      • This person is divine because he comes 'as the ancient of days'- in one version of the greek OT
  • In Origen there is a heavenly being called Israel and 'the first born'
  • Fourth Ezra is a commentary that contains vision that can help to interpret Daniel 7
    • the son of Man comes from the sea- the son of Man must go to the sea to destroy the beast (beasts come from the sea in Revelation). 
  • Matthew 16:13-17
    • 'Who is the son of man?' the response is 'you are the messiah, the son of God'. Jesus verifies this. The true Son of Man is the Son of God
  • Mark 8:38 
    • 'whoever is ashamed... I will be ashamed when he comes in the glory of His Father' 'this is my son in whom I am well pleased'
    • The son of Man/son of God is true humanity who pleases the Father
  • Rev 1:13
    • 'one like a son of Man...and his hair was white like wool and snow'
    • White to show that Jesus is divine
  • Other texts: Mark 14:61-62, John 1:49-51, John 5:25-27
  • The son of man phrase is uniquely appropriate and a subtle way to reveal Jesus' identity
    • In first century Aramaic 'the son of man' and 'son of man' was considered the same
    • Jesus uses 'the son of Man' but it could have sounded like an idiom to describe hardship
      • Those who had ears to hear would have accepted it. 'He who has ears, let him hear'
    • They wouldn't have attributed Daniel 7 to Jesus because Jesus doesn't look like a King with angels. He looked like a poor sufferer. 
  • Why doesn't Paul use 'son of man'?
    • Paul said 'son of God' which implies 'son of Man'
    • 'Son of Man' was Jesus' phrase used during his veiled ministry. Post-cross Jesus is exalted and so Paul uses the more explicit version 'son of God'. 
    • Another reason: Paul is talking to a gentile audience. The phrase 'son of Man' makes less sense to Gentiles due to it's OT significance. 
  • 3 types of Son of Man sayings
    • Earthly ministry 
    • Suffering and rising
    • Final future coming

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