N.T. Wright on Jesus

"My proposal is that Jesus took his own story seriously- so seriously that, having recommended to his followers a particular way of being Israel-for-the-sake-of-the-world, he made that way thematic for his own sense of vocation, his own belief about how the kingdom would come through his own work. He would turn the other cheek; he would go the second mile; he would take up cross. He would be the light of the world, the salt of the earth. He would be Israel for the sake of the world. He would defeat evil once and for all. But the way in which we would defeat evil would be the way consistent with the deeply subversive nature of his own kingdom-announcement. He would defeat evil by letting it do its worst to him."
-N.T. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God, 564-65.

Davidic and Solomonic Parallels in Jesus' Ministry

"Challenged about his activity, Jesus responded with a parallel: when David was roaming the country with his group of followers, he had the right as the anointed (but not yet enthroned) king to override the normal code of practice. The parallel makes sense only if Jesus somehow believed himself to be in an analogous situation. He had anointed by YHWH in John's baptism; those hunting him were cast in the role of Saul and his men. The fact that the messianic implication is not drawn out more explicitly by the evangelists (who have no inhibitions about the idea) speaks strongly in its favour - as well as suggesting that the concluding phrase, ' the son of man is lord of the sabbath', may also be intended to carry cryptic messianic meaning.

The second saying compares Jesus and Solomon. The setting is an announcement of judgment on Jesus' contemporaries, comparing them unfavourably with characters from biblical history. The men of Nineveh will denounce this generation, because they repented at Jonah's preaching, and something greater than Jonah is here; the Queen of the South will denounce this generation, because she came from far off to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and something greater than Solomon is here. Solomon, the temple builder, is an obvious messianic model. To claim that Jesus is greater than him is to claim that he is the true Messiah; that he will build the eschatological Temple; that through him the Davidic kingdom will be restored. The context also suggests that this Messiah will be the one to whom the nations will come and bow in obedience: through his kingdom the prophecies of messianic worldwide restoration will be fulfilled."

-N.T. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God, 535.

Christopher Wright on Creation

"Creation is not just the disposable backdrop to the lives of human creatures who were really intended to live somewhere else, and some day will do so. We are not redeemed out of creation but as part of the redeemed creation itself- a creation that will again be fully and eternally for God's glory, for our joy and benefit, and forever."

- Christopher Wright

D. I. Block on the Rock in Daniel 2

"The reference to the rock in Daniel 2 is admittedly vague, and may simply allude to the reign of God in general, or the kingdom of Jewish people in particular. However, it is certainly capable of a more specific anticipation of a Messianic figure, especially in the face of what is to come in chapters 7 and 9. Jesus seems to have interpreted the rock messianically. Following his parable of the vineyard and the tenants who impiously killed the son of the owner (Luke 20:9-18), he identified himself with the son and his audience with the wicked tenants. In a surprise move, Jesus referred first to the stone that the builders rejected in Psalm 118:22, and then, with a clear allusion to Daniel 2:35 and 45, he added, “Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” This interpretation is not so farfetched if one recalls another event when a rock struck down a colossal figure, viz, David’s defeat of Goliath (1 Sam. 17:41-51). The cosmic significance of this event is suggested by David’s taunt of the Philistine:

You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of Yahweh of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day Yahweh will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that Yahweh saves not with sword and spear. For the bat- tle is Yahweh’s, and he will give you into our hand.

Just as the colossal Philistine was defeated by David as a representative of the kingdom of Israel, so this Rock represents the kingdom of God in demolishing the colossus of human kingship."

D. I. Block, "Preaching Old Testament Apocalyptic to a New Testament Church", CJT 41.

Lately I've been digging into the book of Daniel and struggling with how to teach it in a house church setting. Lacking a good commentary on Daniel (or a good bookstore to buy one at), I've been searching the internet for good, free sources. Two journal articles have been theological gold mines. Of course the first one is the aforementioned article from which I copied and pasted a lengthy quote. But I actually found Block's brilliant article in a footnote in Peter Gentry's article "Daniel's Seventy Weeks and the New Exodus" in SBJT V14 #1- by far the most straightforward interpretation I've ever come across on a difficult text.

Both are incredible examples of meticulous research and Christocentric scholarship. I commend them both to you.

Wright on Mark 13

"Most popular Christian readings of the text, not least within fundamentalism, have shared Schweitzer's understanding that Jesus predicted the end of the world, but have said that, since this did not happen within a generation, Jesus must have meant something different by 'this generation'. Here we have the solution to the problem of the timing of the kingdom, which of course is also raised by such verses as Matthew 10.23 and Mark 9.1. Already present in Jesus' ministry, and climatically inaugurated in his death and resurrection, the divine kingdom will be manifest within a generation, when Jesus and his followers are vindicated in and though the destruction of Jerusalem. The generation that rejects Jesus must be the last before the great cataclysm. There can be no other, because if there were they would need another warning prophet; once the father has sent the son to the vineyard, he can send nobody else. To reject the son is to reject the last chance. "

N.T. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God, 365.

Revelation

Revelation is an amazing book. Unfortunately, most evangelicals either abuse it with preposterous interpretations or completely ignore it in fear of being like those other guys. This is really a shame because Revelation is a bookend for the entire canon, tying together numerous strands of biblical theology. Also it's about Jesus, which makes it really important.

Thankfully my church, Sojourn, is trying to find a third way. Starting today, Sojourn is working through the book of Revelation, wrapping up a year-long overview of the entire New Testament. In keeping with the cinematic feel/apocalyptic genre of Revelation, this month's devotional is in comic book form. It's very cool.

Wright on Salvation and Exile

"From the point of view of a first-century Jew, 'forgiveness of sins' could never simply by a private blessing, though to be sure it was that as well, as Qumran amply testifies. Overarching the situation of the individual was the state of the nation as a whole; and, as long as Israel remained under the rule of the pagans, as long as Torah was not observed perfectly, as long as the Temple was not properly restored, so Israel longed for 'forgiveness of sins' as the great, unrepeatable, eschatological and national blessing promised by her god. In the light of this, the meaning which Mark and Luke both give to John's baptism ought to be clear. It was 'for the forgiveness of sins', in other words, to bring about the redemption for which Israel was longing."

-N.T. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God, 271.

Wright on Colossians 1

The small house church I am apart of here is working through the book of Colossians (which I might add, was originally written to a small group of Christians not far from here, 2000 years ago) and this Friday it is my turn to teach. Whenever I have the opportunity to teach from the scriptures I always try to spend most of my time studying the actual source material. But after I think I have an idea of what the text is saying consulting commentaries can be really helpful. For Colossians, I especially love Peter O'Brien and N. T. Wright's commentaries (both are older than I am, but have stood the test of time!).

Here's a great application point from Colossians 1 from Wright's.

"The task... is therefore best understood as the proclamation that Jesus is already Lord, that in him God's new creation has broken into history, and that all people are therefore summoned to submit to him in love, worship and obedience. The logic of this message requires that those who announce it should be seeking to bring Christ's Lordships to bear on every area of human and worldly existence. Christians must work to help create conditions in which human beings, and the whole created world, can live as God always intended. There is a whole range of ethical norms which God built into his world: a respect for persons and property, maintenance of family life and of the ecological order of creation, justice between individuals and groups. Christians must be in the forefront of those working to promote such causes. Many opportunities to speak about Jesus will occur in the undertaking of such work, as it becomes clear that the gospel provides a coherent and satisfying underpinning for those standards which uphold and enhance a truly human life."

-N.T. Wright, Colossians and Philemon, 83-84.

Wright on the Prodigal Son

"Years of scholarship have produced many commentaries on Luke, and many books on the parables. But none that I have been able to consult has noted the feature which seems to me most striking and obvious. Consider: here is a son who goes off in disgrace into a far country and then comes back, only to find the welcome challenge by another son who has stayed put. The overtones are so strong that we surely cannot ignore them. This is the story of Israel, in particular of exile and restoration. It corresponds more or less exactly to the narrative grammar which underlies the exilic prophets, and the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, and a good deal of subsequent Jewish literature, and which must therefore be seen as formative for second-Temple Judaism. The exodus itself is the ultimate backdrop: Israel goes off into a pagan country, becomes a slave, and then is brought back to her own land. But exile and restoration is the main theme. This is what the parable is about."

"Exile and restoration: this is the central drama that Israel believed herself to be acting out. And the story of the prodigal says, quite simply: this hope is now being fulfilled - but it does not look like what was expected. Israel went into exile because of her own folly and disobedience, and is now returning simply because of the fantastically generous, indeed prodigal, love of her god. But this is a highly subversive retelling. The real return from exile, including the real resurrection from the dead, is taking place, in an extremely paradoxical fashion, in Jesus' own ministry... Israel's history is turning it's long-awaited corner; this is happening within the ministry of Jesus himself; and those who oppose it are the enemies of the true people of god."

N.T. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God, 126, 127.

No One Holy Like the Lord

Dr. Peter Gentry's recent faculty address "No One Holy, Like the Lord" at SBTS is a remarkable piece of biblical scholarship with enormous implications for how we read and teach the Bible. I've had to listen to it two times just to wrap my mind around it. If nothing else, listen to it out of respect for his fantastic beard.

Wright on Parallelisms in Luke and Acts

"The shape of the narrative in the closing chapters of Acts is also most instructive. A quick comparison with Luke's gospel reveals a close parallel: Paul, like Jesus, goes on a long journey, ending up being tried before both Jews and Romans. The equivalent of the crucifixion, however, is not Paul's own death. Luke has no intention of making Paul a second redeemer, dying for the sins of the world. The crucifixion narrative in the gospel is echoed by the storm and shipwreck in Acts; the resurrection, by the safe arrival of Paul and his party in Rome, leading to the open and unhindered proclamation of the kingdom of Israel's god, the god now revealed in the risen Lord Jesus. The gospel of Jesus advances by the same means as Jesus himself had done; the cross and resurrection are stamped upon the life of the church that bears witness to them. But the work of the church derives from that of Jesus, and is not merely parallel to it."
-N.T. Wright, The New Testament and the People of God, 375.

Wright on Luke 24

"The first meal mentioned in the Bible is the moment when Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit. The direct result is new and unwelcome knowledge: 'the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked'. Now this other couple, Cleopas and his companion (most likely his wife, one of the many Marys in the gospel story), are at table, and are confronted with new and deeply welcome knowledge: 'their eyes were opened, and they recognized him'. This, Luke is saying, is the ultimate redemption; this is the meal which signifies that the long exile of the human race, not just of Israel, is over at last. This is the start of the new creation. This is why 'repentance and forgiveness of sins are to announced to all nations' (24.47)."

-N.T. Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God, 653.

WRL: Resurrection of the Son of God by Wright

Having polished off my first semester at SBTS, I now am free to pursue my now annual tradition of the Winter Reading List (WRL).

First up is finishing The Resurrection of the Son of God by N. T. Wright. I started this book some time ago, but sadly required reading invariably eclipses elective reading, at least when there's a grade involved, and Southern's work load doesn't permit a lot of spare time for further theological study.

Anyway, I am excited to dig back into this book, as the first 300 pages were very compelling, and I'm very interested to see what the remaining 450 pages have in store. The following quote on resurrection in 1 & 2 Corinthians is an excellent sound bite:

"Paul seldom addresses ... the question of what precisely happened at Easter, of what Jesus' own resurrection actually consisted in. However, since he uses Jesus' resurrection again and again as the model both for the ultimate future, and for the present anticipation of the future, we can conclude that, as far as he was concerned, Jesus' resurrection consisted in a new bodily life which was more than mere resuscitation. It was a life in which the corruptibility of the flesh had been left behind; a life in which Jesus would now be equally at home in both dimensions of the good creation, in 'heaven' and 'earth'." 310.

G.K. Beale on Christ and the Church as the True Temple

"To see Christ and the church as the true end-time temple is neither an allegorical spiritualization of the Old Testament temple nor of prophecies of an eschatological temple, but is an identification of the temple's real meaning. While it is true that Christ fulfills what the temple stands for, it is better to say 'Christ is the meaning for which the temple existed' (Clowney 1972:177). This is well expressed by Jesus himself when he says 'something greater than the temple is here.' (Matt. 12:6)"

- G.K. Beale, The Temple and the Church's Mission 374-375.

Terry Wright on the Johannine Prologue

"If the opening verses of the Prologue allude to its Genesis counterparts, then its latter section, 1:14-18, may be said to find its antecedent in Exodus 33-34, where Moses met with God's presence insight the tent of meeting and there beheld God's glory (Ex. 33:9, 11a, 18-20, 34:29, 33-35). John suggests that Jesus, the Word made flesh, has surpasses and superseded Moses and all that he represented: Jesus himself is the 'place' where God's people meet with him (cf. John 1:14); Jesus himself is 'full of grace and truth', whereas only the law was given through Moses (John 1:14, 17); Jesus himself is the one facing (pros) God the the father as his Son, making him known, whereas Moses could only see God's back (John 1:18, Exodus 33:23).

Terry J. Wright, "How is Christ Present in the World?"

Beale on Jesus as the New Temple

"This discussion of Jesus as the beginning of the new temple in replacement of the old in Matthew 21 may also be the best context within which to understand Matthew 27:40, where, in virtual repetition of 26:21, those mocking Jesus say, 'you who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross' (See parallels in Mark 14:58 and 15:29). Then, after Jesus 'yielded up his spirit' on the cross, Matthew discloses that 'the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook; and the rocks were split, and the tombs opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised' (Matthew 27:50-52."
Irony is neatly woven throughout this passage. Jesus is mocked because he said that he would tear down the temple and rebuild it in three days, and at virtually the same time Matthew tells us that Jesus actually was in the process of destroying the temple when he died.... Christ was recreating the temple in himself so that it would finally fulfil its world-encompassing purpose."

-G.K. Beale, The Temple and the Church's Mission