Faith Rooted in History

Perhaps all too often our understanding of the divinity of Christ jumped rather haphazardly from Matthew 1 to John 1. We forget at once to root this Christ in the historical person of Jesus who was born of Mary in Joseph’s house, whose ancestry may be traced, whose family line may be determined. It was no coincidence that God went through the trouble of establishing the house of Israel. If anything, the creation of Israel was the preparation for the coming of the Christ into history. God was in Israel, through the Abrahamic promise, reconciling the nations (i.e. world) to himself. And Paul recognized that the marvelous act was realized in person of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 5:19; Col 1:19-20). If you asked me, the laborious recording of Israel’s story or rather history in the OT was critically necessary for establishing our faith on solid ground. Precisely because the patriarchs were historical, Israel’s experience was historical, Israel was historical, we can know for sure this great reconciliatory work of God in the world. It is not some unseen, unheard of event accomplished by some mumbo-jumbo in the sky.

Jesus' Vocation and Israel's Destiny

The genealogy of Jesus in the gospels became evident to two important matters, namely, one, Jesus was a real person who walked the dusty Palestine and two, Jesus’ birth was a point in Israel’s history, and if Israel’s destiny was to be the channel of Yahweh’s blessing to all the world, then when Jesus claimed that his mission was to do what Israel was meant to do but failed and when his disciples testified to that claim, they did not make that claim in the air, but rather in history, in a well-established, long awaited promise within Israel. The prophets of old did not merely foresee the Messiah’s activities, but Israel herself was given the messianic role in anticipation of those activities. The Messiah was not merely foretold (like the gods and saints of other religions), but he succeeded a role long acted in history by Israel, though she perhaps failed to perform it well. This is crucial not only to show that Christianity is historical, but also that it is not an after-thought, not a plan B. We did not suddenly need a new prophet because the old congregation of God has corrupted the holy scripture, like in some other religions. We did not suddenly need a saviour because mankind has become so evil beyond help found in typical religious observations, like in some other religions. Jesus, the prophet and saviour came to accomplish what God has planned from the beginning. The incarnation was not only the focal point of God’s work, but also the finality of God’s salvific plan. This plan was rooted in God in the beginning before the Creation, deposited into time and space in Israel’s national history and now finalized or completed in Jesus who walked dusty Palestine.

But how do we come to identify the man who walked dusty Palestine as the God of Mt. Sinai? Until and unless we began to see Jesus as flesh and blood, we cannot find a solid ground for our faith and for all our faith-in-the-air, we cannot and are not able to understand the wonderful revelation of God in the incarnation. What for the condescension if the Nazarene was dispensable in our attempt to know God? Now in order to understand the incarnation and thereafter the revelation of the Godhead in Jesus, we must not be too naïve to think that Jesus had meant that by looking at his face or the way he dressed, Philip and the others will know what God looked like. Surely that Jesus who walked dusty Palestine looked like any other Jews he had bumped into. The whole essence of the incarnation was rooted instead in the life and work of Jesus. By accomplishing what Israel could not accomplish, i.e. reconciling the world to God, Jesus showed that he was the true Israel. And in playing that messianic role which was till then acted by Israel, Jesus proved to be the real Messiah. Yet, we have just one problem, the Messiah don't die, but Jesus died. He said his death was for others, but this claim would go with him to the grave, silent and forgotten, if not for the Resurrection. All his actions were approved and vindicated by God when Jesus was raised from the dead three days after his crucifixion. He was crucified, in NT Wright’s words, a would-be Messiah, and precisely because of this, when he was raised, Jesus’ claim was substantiated. Israel knew God would not raise one who died a hoax-of-a-messiah. A hoax maybe, but not a hoax-of-a-messiah, and if a hoax, the resurrection, may just be, in Wright’s words again, an odd event.

Not Just Any Messiah

Of course, the messiah may not be necessarily divine. This explains why the acceptance of Jesus as the Christ was easier than the acceptance of him as God. And we do know that messiahs (messiah wannabes, in our language) were aplenty in Palestine of that era of Israel’s subjugation by pagan nations and the decline of observations of the torah etc. These events really showed that Israel was never indeed fully restored from the exile. The temple was rebuilt but foreign soldiers with their blasphemous pagan emblems were practically guarding its entrance. It was like the Babylon dispersion experience all over. Israel’s enemies towered over her like Goliath. She was meek and hid behind the tents awaiting the Davidic saviour. It was like the Babylon dispersion experience all over. Israel was still in exile. And they jolly well knew that the exile was a sign of disapproval by God over Israel’s sins. Messiahs after messiahs (or messiah wannabes) tried to turn Israel’s fortune to no avail. But when Jesus came, he declared that as the prodigal son return in shame, the love-stricken father was already awaiting eagerly to embrace him. Israel’s exile was coming to an end, if only they would return to God. Jesus, on his own authority, in accepting sinners, in forgiving them their sins, and in embracing them had reenacted the story of the prodigal son. He was, in essence, doing to Israel, what, according to Scripture, only Yahweh can do. And in doing that, Jesus was becoming to Israel, what, according to Scripture, only the one true God, Yahweh would be, i.e. a father eagerly awaiting the prodigal son. That was the incarnation. The man who walked dusty Palestine now identified himself with and as the God of Mt. Sinai who covenanted with Israel. Israel was now faced with this incredible fact, and she was left with a limited choice of responses; either he was true and thereafter his judgment on Israel, signified by his judgment on the temple and its system – Mat 12; Jn 2 - was true, which the high priests could not accept, or he was a blasphemous fraud, which would earn him a death penalty.

The man who walked dusty Palestine,

Who strolled along the streets of Jerusalem;

Hear Israel, He is thy God of Mt. Sinai,

Now come to fulfill His great covenant.