Jesus of Nazareth once had no teeth, but over time he grew some, lost them, and grew some more. There was a point in his life when he couldn’t walk, but through trial and error he eventually managed to scamper around on his own two feet. Despite the romanticism of certain carols, there can be little doubt that he cried when he wanted to be fed, until finally he was able to feed himself.
Jesus spoke his first word (which, if he’s anything like my second youngest nephew, was “camouflage” in Aramaic) and learned to do all sorts of things that human beings learn to do over the passage of time.
Most importantly for present purposes, he learned how to read. And not only to read the 1st Century equivalent of Ann and Barry, but to read the stories of Adam and Eve, Moses and Pharaoh, David and Goliath, Israel and her exile. In short, he learned to read Israel’s Scriptures, and developed a way to interpret and apply them throughout his history-defining ministry.
How one reads, interprets and applies Scripture is of great importance, whether Christian, Jew, agnostic or other. We all have our ways to engage in these tasks, and these ways help shape the kind of people we are and the kind of lives we lead. We can be moved to trust in a gracious God and joyful obedience to his word, or at the opposite end of the spectrum, we can be moved to contempt for this primitive, fictitious God of the Old Testament and disregard for what his (often volatile) word says.
My aim is to explore the ways Jesus read and interpreted Scripture. Since he’s a pretty big deal for Christians, I thought it might be interesting to look at gospels’ portrait of the one called the Messiah in terms of his use of what we have dubbed ‘The Old Testament’.
Do we have something to learn from Jesus in this regard? Might his interpretations of Scripture be instructive for us, or did different rules apply to him? Was there a “centre” or a “focus” to his reading, both in terms of belief and behaviour? Are there places where our understanding of Scripture is in conflict with Jesus’ understanding? What about the whole area of "authority"?
I don’t know the answers to these questions and more, but I hope to somewhat rectify that through examining some relevant gospel passages and through dialogue with those of you interested in such things for one reason or another.
Jesus spoke his first word (which, if he’s anything like my second youngest nephew, was “camouflage” in Aramaic) and learned to do all sorts of things that human beings learn to do over the passage of time.
Most importantly for present purposes, he learned how to read. And not only to read the 1st Century equivalent of Ann and Barry, but to read the stories of Adam and Eve, Moses and Pharaoh, David and Goliath, Israel and her exile. In short, he learned to read Israel’s Scriptures, and developed a way to interpret and apply them throughout his history-defining ministry.
How one reads, interprets and applies Scripture is of great importance, whether Christian, Jew, agnostic or other. We all have our ways to engage in these tasks, and these ways help shape the kind of people we are and the kind of lives we lead. We can be moved to trust in a gracious God and joyful obedience to his word, or at the opposite end of the spectrum, we can be moved to contempt for this primitive, fictitious God of the Old Testament and disregard for what his (often volatile) word says.
My aim is to explore the ways Jesus read and interpreted Scripture. Since he’s a pretty big deal for Christians, I thought it might be interesting to look at gospels’ portrait of the one called the Messiah in terms of his use of what we have dubbed ‘The Old Testament’.
Do we have something to learn from Jesus in this regard? Might his interpretations of Scripture be instructive for us, or did different rules apply to him? Was there a “centre” or a “focus” to his reading, both in terms of belief and behaviour? Are there places where our understanding of Scripture is in conflict with Jesus’ understanding? What about the whole area of "authority"?
I don’t know the answers to these questions and more, but I hope to somewhat rectify that through examining some relevant gospel passages and through dialogue with those of you interested in such things for one reason or another.
Count me in Brother..just tell me the rules..i am very interested in this historical character called Jesus of Nazareth...what makes Him unique...why does the mention of His name get such a respone..positive or negative...I am personally drawn to Him....yet I can never say I really know Him....tell me more..
ReplyDeleteshouldn't i be saying 'brother'??
ReplyDeletehow does it feel to have all family commenting.
ah, there is Rover Lechter! Cute.
I am pressing th 'like' button on this one. I'm intrigued.
Well written post.
Let's keep it hush hush on the family ties there folks. You're ruining the illusion that people other than my immediate family are interested in this blog.
ReplyDeleteNot sure how intriguing this will turn out to be, so please do give me some guidance in terms of what you'd be interested in reading under the general topic of "Jesus as interpreter of Israel's Scriptures". My agent told me I need to listen to my audience more, so I'm working on that.