Gospel of Sonship

I want you to think of the Gospels differently. Instead of an early candidate of an existing clear concept of ‘Messiah’, whether false or true, think of the Gospels as a pivotal moment in the development of the concept ‘Messiah’. 

This is a tough point to prove, but I will try to show it through reading passages from the Gospel of Mark. We will read Mark looking to see if this theory plays out - if it seems more like the concept of ‘Messiah’ and its main traditional elements came together during and through the ‘career’ of Jesus. 

Disclaimer: Again, if you are a believing Christian follower of Jesus, what I am writing is definitely not meant to mess with your faith. I hope it will not. If you are Jewish with a ‘traditional’ perspective, it is not meant to mess with your faith either, nor provoke. It is what it is…

As a reminder, we gathered that the traditional classic ‘Messiah’ is of the line of DAVID, or at least associated with David, he is coined Messiah, so that word has significance in this context, and the Son of Man apocalyptic figure of Daniel 7. This is according to Christian and Jewish sources - as we shall see more of. 

These 3 elements are found in the Hebrew Bible, and partially overlap, but are not quite converged solidly as ONE particular concept. 

It is, in my opinion - not a matter of opinion, to assert that the New Testament, the Gospels and the Letters of Paul, are the earliest historical writings that utilize the messiah concept in an acute manner. They assert it, it is clear to them, they don’t bother to explain it. 

The next messianic movement, allegedly, is the Bar Kochva phenomenon in the second century A.D., roughly 100 years later. But even that was hardly a messianic movement, and nothing acute about it, as we shall see down the road...

Prior to the New Testament, any assertion of a messianic movement or figure is quite obscure, or at least of relatively minor significance compared to the Jesus phenomenon. Now we can read some passages from Mark.

Son of G-d, Son of Man, Son of David

Mark 1:1-5,9-11

“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 

As it is written in the Prophets: ‘Behold I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you. The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’

John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing sins… 

It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately, coming up from the water, he saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove. Then a voice came from Heaven, “You are my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Note first we have an opening, like a title. This is the narrator giving us context: Jesus Christ (Messiah), the Son of God. That is what this small book is about. And then the narrator enters into the story itself: It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth…

The context vs. the content is simple enough to understand. Note the dynamic of the titles, between context and content. In a way, the text is revealing itself to us readers: this is the story of how Jesus of Nazareth became or was recognized as Messiah Son of God. 

As a side note, notice the use of the figure of Elijah, as an eschatological figure, associated with John the Baptist. The theme of Elijah and this verse as a harbinger of the eschatological redemption is found in other literature of the 2nd Temple era. 

Also, it was not always a given, that biblical scriptures were used as if they are to be deciphered, interpreted, and explained, as precursors, futuristic, nor messianic of course. This was commonly practiced in the literature of the 2nd Temple era. But it is not a given. It is also something new and creative...

This will be particularly common with the messianic literature and ideas and prophies, to the point that many scriptures are known to us popularly as messianic content, even though when read in their original context they are not messianic and not even prophetic at times! We are so used to thinking of them this way, as messianic content. We are entirely influenced by the messianic tradition in that sense.

The New Testament, definitely the Gospels, utilize in their innovative messianic writings the practice of reinterpreting and applying scriptures, which becomes inherent to much of all messianic literature thereafter. 

Striking Young Man

Finally, and this is perhaps the most fundamental point, what we are experiencing as readers of the Gospels, is the “birth” of a great religious figure, revered, extolled and adored by his followers, that in their worldview and in their system of faith, they are associating this man with, attributing to him, applying to him - all sorts of ideas, scriptures, beliefs, and names. 

This is how I read it. There was a man. He was revered, to say the least, and is this dynamic of reverence and inspiration grew, so the descriptions and creative ideas and interpretations grew. From a religious perspective, the followers of Jesus grew in their understanding and revelation of him.

They would take ideas and scriptures and meaningful names and direct them at Jesus their Lord. And so the messianic concept was forged, as existing ideas, were converged and as such branded messianism as we know it.

The opening title is: Jesus = Messiah and Son of G-d. These are names with much meaning. Throughout the Gospels names used most are Son of G-d and Son of Man, and then Messiah, and Son of David and King. 

This is important because it is part of the literary culture of messianism, and we can follow within the Gospel narrative itself, a dynamic process in which more names are attributed to Jesus, and then there comes an interpretive practice of explaining how these are all him at once, and how these ideas work together, and do not contradict each other.