The Founder

Jesus was born into a pious Jewish home, brought up with the Scriptures and prayer books of the Jews. Mary was his mother and Joseph his legal father.

Formation And Struggles: The Birth of the Church Ad 33-200, by Veselin Kesich

At the time of Jesus’s birth, there was a surge of messianic expectations in Judea – brought on by the Roman conquest of Palestine in 63 BC. Rebellions were increasing, destroying royal palaces at Sepphoris and Jericho right around the time of His birth. After Jesus’s death and resurrection, two Jewish-Roman wars would prove particularly bloody – around 67 AD and 132 AD.

What we know of Jesus comes to us primarily from the four Gospels, describing what Jesus said and did. These were written quite early – close to the time of the events being described. It is generally accepted that these were written between 65 – 95 AD, and that Mark was the first written and John the last.

There is debate regarding the accuracy of these Gospels – for example, what did Jesus actually say vs. what is recorded. Such debates are irrelevant to me: God has delivered to the Church what it is He intended to convey; the Church has accepted these and preserved these.

Around AD 27 Jesus withdrew into the Judean desert and was baptized by John, known as “the Baptist” in Jewish and Christian sources.

There were several Jewish sects baptizing in the Jordan River at the time. While the baptisms by others were considered purification acts the need be repeated, baptism by John was considered a one-time act. John called Israel to repentance, to bear good fruit. Those who repent will be spared the fire awaiting those who do not bear good fruit.

Jesus, like John, went into the wilderness; in Jesus’s case, for forty days and to temptation. After this, He returned to Galilee to preach the gospel of God and the joy of salvation.

Jesus proclaimed the message of salvation to the excluded. He had meals with tax collectors and sinners, as well as with his followers. He ate with those working for the Roman authorities as well as with those who did not submit entirely to the Jewish law and its demands.

Jesus was criticized for this, yet He came to heal the sick – they are the ones who need a physician. Unlike other Jewish religious leaders, Jesus would have contact with Gentiles, with women, and with Samaritans (and even a Samaritan woman!).

He would speak of the possibility of salvation even for the Gentiles. In this, He followed in the line of the prophets:

Isaiah 45: 22 “Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.”

Of course, the early church extended this mission to the Gentiles. The line of separation was no longer Jew or Gentile, but based on one’s relationship to the crucified and risen Christ.

Jesus, without formal teaching, spoke as one who had authority. He would teach in synagogues, in houses of His disciples, and even in the houses of Pharisees. He taught indoors and out, on hills and on plains.

Jesus addressed God as “abba” – Father. Among Jews at the time, it was customary to call upon God as “abinu,” our Father. Abba was not used in synagogue worship – it was a term used only in the circle of the family. Jesus was speaking of His relationship to God as one would speak of his relationship to an earthly father.

By confessing the resurrected Christ as “Son of God,” the early Christians did not ascribe a new identity to Jesus but recognized what was implied in his regular use of abba.

During His time, some tried to understand who He was by calling Him a prophet – which to others made Him a false prophet. Yet Jesus never used the introductory words of a prophet, “Thus saith the LORD….” Instead, He opened with “I say to you….” He spoke on His own authority.

My aside: consider how this had to have been received at the time. Jesus is offering teaching in His own authority and not from God. He was describing the intention of the law, in His voice, not as one speaking on God’s behalf. Would this have been enough to infer that He was making the claim to be God – in the eyes of those who would ultimately demand His crucifixion?

Others saw Him as a rabbi – in His time, a word used to address scribes and lawyers. In other words those well and formally taught (later, the word rabbi would come to mean an ordained spiritual leader). But neither prophet nor rabbi are sufficient descriptions – even taken together – of who Jesus was.

Romans 1: 1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. 5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ

Christ…Messiah. Jesus would repudiate the idea that the Messiah was to be a political leader or leader of a revolution against an earthly power. In the place of such a triumphant leader, He presented suffering and death.

Isaiah 53: 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

Post-resurrection Christians saw this prophecy as being fulfilled in Jesus. By this, the title “messiah” was removed from any political consideration. He was the Christ, sent and glorified by God; to share in this glory meant for them to share in His suffering and death….and life.

Central to an understanding of Jesus was the title “Son of Man,” which He applied to Himself. In Daniel, we read of one like the Son of Man who was given authority and dominion by the Ancient of Days. Evidence suggests that this title was not interpreted as applying to an individual prior to Jesus’s doing so. However, after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, this passage in Daniel was understood as a Messianic vision. The book of 1 Enoch would also use Son of Man and Messiah almost interchangeably.

Conclusion

Yet even with the Messianic understanding of Daniel 7 – and even the two-person Godhead that this implied – the title “Son of Man” was not sufficient to describe who Jesus was. After His death and resurrection, the titles “Christ,” “Son of God,” and “Lord” were most often applied.