Israel / Judaism
Subtopics
Time and time again, the First Gospel bears witness to the fact that Jesus is the true Israel. He is the seed of Abraham and David, Matthew 1:1-17. The exodus is reenacted when he returns from Egypt to the Promised Land, Matthew 2:13-15. His temptation for forty days in the wilderness echoes Israel's temptations during the forty wilderness years, Matthew 4:1-11. Jesus is the Servant of the Lord who brings light and salvation to the nations in a way that Israel failed to do, Matthew 12:18-21 cf. Isaiah 42:1-4, 18-20. In the Gospel According to Matthew, Jesus recapitulates Israel's history and as he does so, fulfils Israel's destiny. - Exiled Preacher
Some scholars believe the first five chapters of Matthew feature four re-enacted episodes from the history of Israel in the OT. The most direct link between Israel’s history and Jesus’ life is the quotation of the exodus passage Hosea 11:1 in Matthew 2:15 [“Out of Egypt I called my son”]. From this direct link, scholars believe Matthew has set the stage for four re-enacted episodes:
• The exodus from Egypt (Matt 2:19–20).
• The crossing of the Red Sea (Matt 3:13–17).
• The desert temptations (Matt 4:1–11).
• The arrival upon Mt. Sinai to receive the Law (Matt 5:1–2).
If this re-enactment motif is accurate, “Jesus appears, not just as the Savior of Israel in fulfillment of prophetic expectation, but also as an embodiment of Israel as they should be” [S. Motyer, New Dictionary of Biblical Theology (IVP, 2000) pp. 584].
Pages
