Session 3 How Jesus Became Christian - by Barrie Wilson
Chapter 5 & 6 The Challenge and Promises of Jesus
"What Christianity achieved in the post-Constantine fourth-century era represented the marketing victory of all times. It is especially ironic that a movement that started off as a radical challenge to the Pax Romana succeeded in becoming the official religion of the Roman Empire. ... But the victory came at a tremendous price. Simply put, the teachings of Jesus himself were smothered by the religion of Paul." ... p255

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Index Commentary Discussion
Commentary - (Chapters 5 & 6) "The Challenge and Promises of Jesus" - Wayne
Session Theme:
Live Torah. Accept the Kingdom of God which will come to those who follow me. It will happen soon. It will happen here." ... Jesus

Key Points of Chapter Five - The Challenge of Jesus

1. Jesus was a teacher of Torah in the classic sense.

Wilson continues to repeat an important point he wants to make clear. Jesus was a teacher, a rabbi, of the classic Hebrew Torah.

2. After Jesus and his main followers died, four major interpretations of his life and teachings emerged. We call them the Gospels.

When Jesus and his first disciples were no longer on the scene, various written interpretations (not histories per se) of Jesus' message emerged in the Christian biblical canon.

3. Matthew's Jesus was a close reflection of the Jewish Jesus, written primarily for Jewish followers of the Jesus Movement.

The first three Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) were written early, the last (John) quite late. Each reflected a different theological/spiritual perspective and each was written for a difference audience. Matthew, according to Wilson, was the closest to the "authentic, Jewish Jesus" and would appeal to Jesus' Jewish followers. The other Gospels were interpreted and presented to appeal primarily to non-Jewish audiences.

4. Matthew's Jesus focused on his youth; his relationship with John;    his mission; and his death.

Wilson says that Matthew centered on four main themes and interpreted them in ways that members of the Jewish followers of Jesus would like.

5. Jesus was, and remained a Jew.

Jesus made no effort to appeal to non-Jews, (even though he did not hesitate to relate to non-Jews like the Samaritan and Syro-Phoenician women as various texts confirm.) His true mission, however, was "to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

6. He followed orthodox, authentic Judaism, as demonstrated in his teachings about Torah (the Law) the Sabbath, and the foundational statements of the faith such as the Shema Israel ("Hear O Israel").

Carefull attention to the themes of his teaching suggest Jesus' focus was on Torah, Sabbath and Shema. This places him directly in mainstream Judaism, not on its fringes.

7  Jesus did not seek to replace Torah, but to enhance its observance,    pointing always to a "higher righteousness" - a "Torah plus"

"I have not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it" but "unless your righteousness excedes that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the Kingdom of God" - summarizes a good deal of his teaching. He called his followers to live beyond the letter - in the spirit - of the Law, and to a "higher righteousness" than that which was demonstrated by their religious leaders.



Key Points of Chapter Six - The Promises of Jesus

1. Jesus focused on the Kingdom of God and its imminent arrival.

2. He was not unique here, but followed the prophetic tradition of Judaism.

Reaching into classic Hebrew rabbinic thinking (the Law and the Prophets) Jesus proclaimed the coming and imminent arrival of God's rule on earth. What was unique was that (unlike John) he wrote himself into the messianic scenerio.

3. His teachings frequently took the form of parables - challenging conventional thinking.

Jesus' hearers were intrigued with his formidable gift as a teacher. He taught "as one having authority, and not as their scribes." His basic lessons were contained in the parables he told. Frequently, he did not explain the meaning of his story, but left this to his hearers to sort through for themselves.

4. He taught about two key aspects in preparation for the Kingdom - right attitude combined with right action. His was a religion of    "doing" not primarily "believing" as a sign of faithfulness (this is reflected more in the New Testament Letter of James than in the Letter of Romans).

As we have already learned from Wilson, the essence of Jewish faith is in how it is lived, not what people claim to believe. From a Jesus Movement perspective, this meant a focus on James, not Paul.

5. The challenge of Torah plus the promise of the Kingdom were Jesus' two-fold strategies for dealing with the foreign domination of Hellenistic culture and Roman imperialism.

Jesus sought to help Jewish people live their faith amid the difficulties that foreign occupation presented.

6. The dreams and hopes he inspired in the people were considered dangerous by the Sadducees and the Romans who saw in his "spiritual" message a profoundly "political" one.

On the surface, it might seem that Jesus' message was "spiritual." But fearful, defensive hearers detected a strongly political message in what he said. He proclaimed a prophetic Hebrew God of justice for the poor and oppressed.

7. Jesus was a threat because he made the Kingdom real for people.

Jesus gave the people a sense of their own power that would threaten political elements like the Saduccees and Romans. They were soon plotting ways to get rid of him.
Summary of Discussion Notes
Questions for Group Discussion:

1. In what ways do you agree with Wilson's interpretation of Jesus?
2. In what ways do you disagree with these interpretations?

Feedback from Group Discussion:

Wilson provides a rationale for some of Jesus' sayings: "I do not come to abolish, but to fulfill..." but he is selective here. Besides, we do not know for sure that these are authentic quotes from Jesus.

Jesus sought to humanize the Jewish tradition, but there is something missing in Wilson's work about Jesus' true power.

Jesus is making points that we have not heard before. Is this because we have not heard Jesus described from a Jewish perspective? or is Wilson interpreting Jesus in his own biased way?

Wilson whitewashes James and the Jesus Movement For example, he demonizes the Hellenist threat too much. Hellenization brought many benefits too.
Clicking the icon left will activate the e-mail on your machine and direct your comments to us. Comments are welcome and will be posted with usual editorial courtesies. St. David's United Church.Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Jan 2008