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INTRODUCTION

Mention the end-times, the rapture, or apocalypse and watch peoples ears perk up

immediately. Whether it is Tim Lahayes rapture theology or the 2012 1 craze, every generation

loves discussions about the end of the world. In the midst of all of these ideas, where do Jesus

teachings land on the wide spectrum of possibilities? It is the thesis of this paper that Jesus

teachings on eschatology 2 display a post-millennial 3 tendency that is thoroughly affected by his

view of Isaiah 53. To prove this thesis a brief overview of eschatology will be presented

followed by an examination of the Kingdom motif in Jesus teachings. Following this

examination will be a careful exegesis of three of Jesus parables with particular emphasis on the

theological and eschatological meanings of them. Finally, a look into how Jesus seemed to have

read Isaiah 53 and how it influenced his view of his vocation and the Kingdom in general will

suffice to conclude this study.

ESCHATOLOGY

The Christian term for the doctrine of end-times is eschatology. This word comes from

the greek escato (last) and means the study of last things. The term eschatology is tricky for

multiple reasons. The first is that most Westerners view eschatology as the end of the space-time

continuum while it is mo r e correct to see eschatolo gy as the expectation for a new state or age.

This will be discussed further below. Another is that it is a relatively new term that was coined

The Kingdom, Isaiah 53, and Jesus Teachings on Eschatology 1

1 "21.12.2012 Prophecy End of time End of the world." 21.12.2012 Prophe cy End of time End of theworld. 1 Oct. 2008 < http://www.endoftime2012.com >.2 Further discussion of this term, including a history and denition, to be provided below.3 By post-millennial I intend to connote a non-literal millennium and the expectation that the Kingdom willgradually grow until fruition. However, I use this word in somewhat disassociation with normal use.Further explanation below.
http://www.endoftime2012.com/http://www.endoftime2012.com/


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around the late 1700s. 4 Another reason is that the word eschatology is currently an umbrella

term for many different doctrines including: heaven and hell, the final resurrection of the dead,

the renewal of creation, the last judgement, and the establishment of the kingdom of God. 5

Granted that the term eschatology was not in play during the time of Jesus ministry, it is still

apparent to most scholars that Jesus teachings and ministry itself were highly eschatological. 6

The quest ion of how Jesus and his contemporaries viewed eschatology is of vital importance

before a study of his particular teachings on it can begin. In order to understand how Jesus

viewed eschatology, it is imperative that one understands the historical-sociological background

from which Jesus emerges. Jesus was a first century Jew who lived and operated within second-

temple Judaism, and any attempt to understand his motives or teaching must begin with a correct

understanding of that particular frame of reference.

At the core of second-temple Judaism stood two doctrines: monotheism and election. 7

These two doctrines together birthed what is known as second-temple Jewish eschatology.

Monotheism is the belief that there is one God and that all other gods are idols. Jewish texts

abound in support of this belief. For example, Deuteronomy 4:39 states, Know therefore today,

and lay it to your heart, that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is

no other. 8 Likewise Malachi 2:10 states, Do we not all have one father? Did not one God

create us? Isaiah 45:6 declares, That people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the


4 Arland J. Hultgren. Eschatology in the New Testament: The Current Debate, in The Last Things:Biblical and Theological Perspectives on Escatology , Carl. E. Braaten and Robert W. Jenson, eds.

(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002), 68.5Benedict T. Viviano. Eschatology and the Quest for the Historical Jesus, in The Oxford Handbo o k of Eschatology , Jerry L. Walls, ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, USA, 2007), 74.6 Among whom are Johannes Weiss, Albert Schweitzer, C.H. Dodd, Joachim Jeremias, Oscar Cullmann,E.P. Sanders, and N.T. Wright, among others.7 N. T. Wright. The New T estament and the People of God (Christian Origins and the Question of God).(Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 1992), 247.8 All scripture quotations are presented in the English Standard Version (ESV) unless stated otherwise.


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west, that there is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other. Various scholars

have made the case that Judaism originally began as a monolatristic religion- meaning that early

Yahwists did not hold to a firmly defined doctrine of one real God, only one God above all other

gods. 9 Regardless of the validity of said studies, it is clear that by the first century most Jews

held onto a firm belief in monotheism. Jewish monotheism was not an abstract theological

theory about the ontological nature of YHWH, but rather was a radical affirmation that their God

was the only true God and all others were false and worthless. In a sense it was a very political,

and sometimes violent, declaration that all other gods were mere figments of human imagination

and were completely powerless. 10

The other central doctrine of second-temple Judaism was the doctrine of election. The

Jews held that as descendants of Abraham they were Gods chosen people, a holy nation called

out from among the world. This finds its roots all the way back in Genesis 12:2 when God tells

Abraham, I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so

that you will be a blessing. Lik ewise Deuteronomy 7:6 states that, You are a people holy to

the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured

possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It is important to note the

final part of the Genesis call to Abraham- so that you will be a blessing. The Jews believed

that their call as Gods chosen people was a central part of Gods plan to overcome the sin and

death that was imposed on creation in Genesis 3 and that whatever happened to Israel was of

cosmic importance.


9 C.f. Julius Wellhausen s work.10 Wright, New Testament and The People of God, p 248.


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Second-temple Judaism saw the Jews returned home from exile in Babylon but still under

Roman oppression. Obviously a state of political servitude and cultural domination 11 is not fit

for Gods chosen people! The Jews earnestly expected that God would act within history to

vindicate his chosen people and put everything to rights. Monotheism and election give rise to

the doctrine of eschatology, or the expectation that history is going somewhere and that God will

soon act decisively. 12 Jesus firmly stood and operated within this understanding of hope and

expectation from YHWH.

Jesus began his public ministry and teachings in Galilee proclaiming that the time is

fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel. 13 Jesus

languag e for eschatology was hJbasileia touv qeouv. Kingdom of God, as N.T. Wright

states, was simply a Jewish way of talking about Israels God becoming king. And when this

God becomes king, the whole world, the world of space and time, would at last be put to

rights. 14 If it is true that there is one God and that this one God has called out a people to bless

all the nations, then the eager expectation by his people would be the anticipati on of his reign

being inaugurated. It is this hope and worldview that Jesus spoke of and challenged at the same

time. Jesus saw eschatology through a Kingdom-lens. As Joseph Blair states, The king and

his kingdom, Jesus and his rule, is the event of the New Testament, the eschatological event. 15

Granted that Jesus was a first century Jew who saw eschatology in terms of the Kingdom

of God, and furthermore, believed that through his work and ministry the kingdom was being


11 Marcus J. Borg and N.T. Wright. The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions . (New York: Harperone, 2007), 32.12 Wright, New Testament and the People of God, pg 247.13 Mark 1:1514 N. T. Wright. Jesus and the Victory of God (Christian Origins and the Question of God, Volume 2).(Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 1996), 203.15 Joseph Blair. The Gospels, Acts, and the Kingdom . (Unpublished Manuscript), 27.


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inaugurated, how did he speak and teach about the Kingdom? More specifically, what were his

teachings on what shape the Kingdom would take and how it would arrive at its fullness?

THE KINGDOM

Jesus characteristically taught in parables and this style of teaching was extremely

unique. 16 In fact, if the Gospels are a good indication it seems that Jesus taught most of his

lessons in parables. It is no surprise then that to find Jesus teachings on eschatology the

parables of the Kingdom must be studied. Parables are stories developed to prove a point or to

communicate an idea or teaching. There are many different types and purposes of Jesus

parables. Some parables intend to teach the value of the Kingdom of God, 17 while some offer a

defense to Jesus ministry of associating with tax collectors and sinners. 18 The three parables

dealt with in this brief study concern the manner of the coming of the Kingdom- that is, in what

way it will come about. Generally when Jesus teachings on the eschatological coming of the

Kingdom are studied, Mark 13 and its parallels in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 are the focus of the

study. While these passages are highly eschatological, they are grossly mi sinterpreted when

applied to the second coming of Christ and some sort of cosmic tribulation. Instead, these

passages should be read as a prediction of the fall of the Temple- a prediction that came true in

70 A.D. 19 The reasons for this are manyfold and it is not possible to set them out in this context.

Howev er if one wishes to read the Gospels with any historical credibility this viewpoint seems

unavoidable. 20 The three parables to be examined now have something to say about the manner

of how the Kingdom would come and the means by which it would be inaugurated.


16 Joachim Jeremias. The Parables of Jesus . (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1954), 12.17 Mathew 13:44-4618 Most notably the three parables found in Luke 15.19 Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God , pg 343.20 Refer to the above mentioned work by N.T. Wright, particularly Part II Chapter 8 section 4.


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The first parable to look at is found in Mark 4:26-29 and has no other parallels in

Matthew or Luke. Here is the greek text:

Kaielegen: outw e stin hJbasileia touv qeouvwJ anqrwpo balhto\n spo/ron e pithv ghv kai kaqeu/dhkaiegeirhtai nu/ kta kai hJmeran, kai oJspo/ro blasta kaimhku/nhtai wJ oujk oiden

aujto/.aujtomath hJ ghvkarpoforei , prw ton co/rton eita sta cun eita plh/ rh[] si ton e n tw stacui. otan de paradoi oJkarpo/ , eujqu\ apostellei to\ drepanon, oti paresthken oJ

qerismo/.

While this parable has no corollaries in the other synoptic gospels, a fragment of it is found in

the gospel of Thomas from the Nag Hammadi library (saying 21d). This greatly increases the

historical credibility of the saying. The context found in the Thomas document is of Mary asking

Jesus what his disciples are like. Immediately before that (saying 20), the disciples ask Jesus

what the Kingdom is like. In the Markan passage, Jesus is teaching the crowds from a boat in the

lake and the parable is put after the parable of the sower, the sayings about a lamp and its stand

and before .the parable of the mustard seed.

Commentators on this parable of the growing seed have suggested that this parable

deals with spiritual growth and the development of ones relationship with God. However, as we

have seen, the phrase Kingdom of God is highly eschatological and any attempt to spiritualize

it or separate it from its historical-sociological Jewish expectations does the text great damage.

The parable seems to be about the manner in which the Kingdom of God is inaugurated. The

story goes like this: A man scatters seed on the ground, the seed sprouts and progressively grows

until it is a full plant, and the man puts the sickle to it to harvest. The reference to the sickle and

the harvest seems to be a clear echo of the final eschatological judgement described in Joel

3:12-13. Thus, the parable begins and ends with highly charged eschatological phrases. In this

parable Jesus teaches that through his work and ministry the Kingdom is being inaugurated and



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that the seed that he is sowing will grow and grow until its consummation. 21This seems to

imply an almost evolutionary pattern for the inauguration of the Kingdom of God. David

Wenham is correct in noting that the parable places an intense amount of focus on the process of

growth of the Kingdom, but he is mistaken to so quickly discount the idea that this is in fact

what Jesus intended by the parable. 22 Citing human experience as a reason why this cannot be is

ontologically debatable, highly subjective, and, in the end, poor exegesis. Perhaps of importance

to the understanding of this parable is the one presented directly after it in the Gospel of Mark.

It is found in Mark 4:30-32 with parallels in Matthew 13:31-32, Luke 13:18-19, and

Thomas 20. Here is the Greek text from the gospel of Mark:

Kaielegen: pw oJmoiwswmen th\n basilei an touv qeouvhen tini aujth\n parabolh vqw men; wJ ko/kkwsinapew, o otan sparh vepithv ghv, mikro/teron on pantwn tw n spermatwn tw n epi

thv ghv, kaiotan sparh v, anabainei kaiginetai mei zon pantwn tw n laca nwn kaipoiei kladou megalou, wste du/ nasqai uJ po\ th\n skian aujtouv ta peteina touv ouj ranouv

kataskhnouv n.

The Matthian and Markan texts are remarkably similar while Lukes and Thomas versions of

this parable is briefer. The main difference is that Matthew and Mark include explanatory phrases

about the smallness of the seed and the largeness of the full-grown tree. Matthew substitutes the

phrase kingdom of heaven for kingdom of God though the phrases are synonymous. 23 As

mentioned, this parable is presented to the reader in Mark directly after the parable of the seed

growing secretly while Jesus was teaching from the boat. Perhaps Mark expects this parable to

expand on the idea taught in the pre vious parable. In Matthew, the parable is presented directly

after the parable of the sower, its explanation, and the parable of the weeds. The context in

Matthew has Jesus speaking to the crowds from a boat in the lake, presumably the same event


21 Jeremias, Parables of Jesus, pg 151-152.22 David Wenham. Parables of Jesus . (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 198 9), 52.23 Robert H. Stein. The Method and Message of Jesus Teachings . (Philadelphia: T he Westminister Press,1977), 62.


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that Mark describes. In Luke Jesus is teaching in the synagogues as he puts forth this parable.

This change in scenery is not particularly a problem since Jesus had an itinerant ministry and

probably taught this parable often.

Jesus starts off the parable by asking a question- with what can we compare the Kingdom

of God? To continue to beat a dead horse: this is an extremely eschatological question. The

crowds would have known very well th e meta-narrative and expectations brought forth by the

use of this phrase. Jesus uses this question to spark their interest and capture their attention. He

then says that the Kingdom is like a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds on earth, but when

sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants with branches so large the birds

of the air make nests in its shade. The mustard seed referred to is the brassica nigra of the

extremely valuable black mustard. 24 It is remarkably tiny- approximately a millimeter in

diameter. From this humble start, the mustard plant grows up to anywhere between six and

twelve feet, becoming sturdy enough for birds to come and perch and make nests. The reference

to a tree in the Matthew and Mark accounts stirs echoes of other kingdoms that were described as

trees in the Hebrew scriptures: Ezekiel 17:22-23; 31:1-14 and Daniel 4:11-12. J. Jeremias also

points out that the form kataskhnouv n is a technical eschatological term for the incorporation

of the Gentiles into the people of God. 25 Just as the parable of the seed growing secretly, this

parable is bracketed by eschatological phrases.

This parable serves to teach two points, both of them intertwined and connected. The first

is that the seemingly small start of Jesus ministry was indeed the Kingdom of God being

inaugurated. This point- that the Kingdom starts out small- serves to answer Jesus doubters who


24 Wenham, Parables of Jesus , pg 53.25 Jermias, Parables of Jesus, pg 147.


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were expecting an all-embracing and powerful revolution. However, a point rising out of the

first lesson is that while the Kin gdom starts small it grows gradually into a flou rishing tree. It

teaches that the Kingdom will gradually grow until it reaches maturity. Some note that in the

context of the parables the presence of the birds should be seen as a negative addition to the

scene. 26 Typically, attracting birds to a garden is a bad thing, as the birds eat up all the seed and

hinder growth. With this in mind, many attribute the parable to teaching the growth of the

Kingdom along with the growth of corruption, evil, or false teachers. This interpretation reads

too much into the parable of the must ar d seed which serves, like all parables, to communicate

one main point. 27 The intended point is that the Kingdom is present in Jesus ministry and will

grow until its consummation.

The third and final parable to be considered is found directly after the parable of the

mustard seed in Matthew and Luke, with a version of it found in Thomas 96. Here is the Greek

text from Matthew 13:33:

Allhn parabolh\ n elalhsen auj toi

: oJmoia e stin hJbasileia tw

n oujranw

n zu/mh, hn labouvsagunh\enekruyen ei aleu/rou sa ta tri a ew ou ezumwqh olon.

This parable is the second of a pair, 28 reminiscent of the treasure and pearl pair or the lost

sheep and coin pair, and it is presented in the same order in both Matthew and Luke. It is

interesting that in both scenes (Matthew with the crowd and Luke at the synagogue) the parables

are fo und together and in the same order. This is either a reflection noticeable for source critics

or an indication that Jesus taught with these two parables together often.


26 KJV Study Bible. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2002); Larry Gerndt. "Emerging Truths - TwoLittle Parables." Emerging Truths. http://www.emergingtruths.com/two_little_parables/ two_little_parables.html (accessed Sep. 20, 2008).27 Stein, The Method and Message of Jesus Teachings, pg. 5128 Jeremias, Parables of Jesus, pg 90.
http://www.emergingtruths.com/two_little_parables/two_little_parables.htmlhttp://www.emergingtruths.com/two_little_parables/two_little_parables.htmlhttp://www.emergingtruths.com/two_little_parables/two_little_parables.htmlhttp://www.emergingtruths.com/two_little_parables/two_little_parables.htmlhttp://www.emergingtruths.com/two_little_parables/two_little_parables.html


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The analogy is fairly simple and would have been understood by all present. A woman

took some leaven, or yeast, and hid it in three satas of flour until the whole batch of dough was

leavened. A couple remarkable things stand out in this parable. The fi rst is that three satas of

flour is roughly fifty pounds and could feed around 100 people- much more than a common

meal. 29 However, it is likely that Jesus takes this particular measurement from the story in

Genesis 18:6. In the story, Abraham and Sarah entertain three angels at the Oaks of Mamre and

bake and Sarah bakes this amount of bread for them. The second significant thing that stands out

in the parable is the use of leaven for the analogy. Leaven was a symbol for corruption or sin in

Jewish imagery and even in Jesus own teachings 30. It seems likely that comparing Gods

kingdom to a little leaven would be shocking and possibly even offensive to many of the Jews

listening. Because of this many have argued that the parable has a negative connotation and

represents false doctrine or evil being mixed in with the Kingdom of God. This seems to stretch

the meaning of the parable- the simple truth that something that starts out small can have an

abundant yield in due time. The teaching is that t he eschatological breaking in of the new age of

God is a movement that starts out small but over time comes to permeates everything.

An honest reading of these three parables strongly suggests that Jesus saw the Kingdom as

a movement that would start out small in his own ministry and gradually grow until it reached its

culmi nation. As C.H. Dodd said, The predominant interpretation of these parables makes them

refer to the future history of the Kingdom of God in the world. 31 This is a view that is

sometimes labeled post-millennialism or even opti-millennialism. 32 The millennial part


29 Wenham, Parables of Jesus , pg 56.30 c.f. Matthew 16:6-1231 C. H. Dodd. The Parables of the Kingdom . (London: Nisbet & Co. Ltd., 1952), 175.32 Opti-millennialism is a reference to the apparent optimism present in a post-mill theology.


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of the label must be assumed to be non-literal, as such language is foreign to Jesus. 33 However,

it seems apparent that there was an eschatological wrinkle to Jesus understanding of the

Kingd om, particularly as it relates to his own vocation. To this, the study now turns.

ISAIAH 53

If Jesus did in fact believe that through his work and life the eschatological Kingdom of

God was breaking into the world, the question of how he saw his death, if at all, must be tackled.

Did Jesus expect to die in Jerusalem? Was this some strange twist to his Messianic vocation in

which the victory of God was accomplished? Or was this the failed end to a hopeful Messianic-

kingdom movement much like that of Simeon ben-Kishoba in 132 A.D.? It is a sub-thesis of this

paper that Jesus expected his death upon arrival at Jerusalem and further saw his death as the

eschatological-Kingdom event that for so long had been the hope of Israel. To arrive at this

conclusion it will be shown that Jesus interpreted his own vocation, and indeed the Kingdom,

through the lens of Isaiah 53 (and surrounding texts). It will be assumed in this study that the

Gospels present accurate historical representations of Jesus teachings and life.

The fourth servant song of Isaiah begins in 52:13 and continues through chapter 53. The

last of the four songs of the Suffering Servant, it wraps up the story of the Suffering Servant- a

story about suffering and divine vindication. A story about Gods justice being brought into

reality through the vicarious suffering of the elect. Interpretations vary as to how the servant was

viewed historically, but the traditional Jewish interpretation is that the servant is the nation of

Israel. 34 Other interpretations have been put forth including Zerubbabel, Jehoiachin, or even


33 The millennial part of the classic labels are derived from the Apocalypse of John s declaration of themillennium of the Messiah.34 Hans-Jurgen Hermission. The Fourth Servant Song in the Context of Second Isaiah. i n The Suffering Servant: Isaiah 53 in Jewish and Christian Sources , eds. Bernard Janowski and Peter Stu hlmacher,16-47. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 2004), 16.


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Isaiah himself. 35 As J. Jeramias points out, the Servant Songs must not be taken into account

apart from the rest of Isaiah. 36 Before it is seen how Jesus interpreted Isaiah, it will be useful to

survey how Isaiah was interpreted before the Christian period. To do this a look at its impact

upon Daniel and an Isaiah scroll from Qumran will be undertaken.

The book of Daniel originates approximately 150 years after the formation of Isaiah and

has many traces of Isaiah apparent in it. For example, in Daniel 12:2 the phrase many of those

who sleep in the dust of the earth will wake is taken from Isaiah 26:1 9, the dwellers in the dust

will awake and shout for joy. 37 More traces of Isaiah are to be found in the Son of Man

passage in Daniel 7:9-15. In this particular scene of judgement, the son of man is exalted

while before the throne of YHWH the kings of the world are judged. This corr es ponds to Isaiah

52:15 with the startling of the nations and the mouths of the kings being shut- manifested as

judgement in Daniel 7. 38 These traces prove that by the composition of Daniel the scroll of

Isaiah was being understood eschatologically and possibly even Messianically. 39

Perhaps the strongest evidence available for a pre-Christian messianic interpretation of

Isaiah 53 is present in 1QIsa a. This text originated in the middle or late second century B.C. and

shows intentional changes that point to clear messianic interpretations. 40 The most striking

example of this is found in the differences between the Masoretic Text and the Qumran scrolls in

Isaiah 51:5. The Masoretic Text reads my arms will judge the peoples... the coastlands will wait


35

The

Isaiah

who wrote the fourth Servant Song- commonly called Second Isaiah.36 Martin Hengel. The Effective History of Isaiah 53 in the Pre-Christian Period. in The Suffering Servant: Isaiah 53 in Jewish and Christian Sources , eds. Bernard Janowski and Peter Stuhlmacher, 75-146.(Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 2004), 79.37 Ibid,, pg 90.38 Ibid., pg 98.39 The question of whether or n ot Daniel 7 was interpreted Messianically is too broad of a topic to evenbegin to approa ch in this paper. However, it is safe to say that Jesus himself saw Daniel ( son of man ) aseschatological a nd Messianic- as it was his favorite self-title.40 Ibid., pg 101.


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for me, and in my arm they will hope while the Qumran text reads his arms will judge the

peoples; the coastlands will wait for him, and in his arm they will hope. As is apparent, the

Qumran text changes the first-person suffixes for third-person suffixes, demonstrating a clear

Messianic strain of thought that many scholars believes goes beyond mere scribal errors. 41 These

two examples from Daniel and Qumran are but a minute survey of the evidence that Isaiah had

far reaching eschatological, and even Messianic, influenc e before the time of Jesus. A look at the

specific sayings of Jesus will now be helpful.

The first scene to be examined has Jesus entering the district of Caesarea Philippi with

his disciples in Luke 9:18-22 and its parallels. 42 This is a crucial point in Jesus ministry,

especially as it is presented to us in the synoptics. The scene is pregnant with imagery- a

revolutionary and eschatological Jewish proph et and his band of followers in a city named after

the Emperor and the regional political puppet. 43 Jesus asks his disciples, Who do the crowds

say I am? They answered, Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others that one of

the prophets of old has risen. Jesus then refo cuses the question on the disciples. Who do you

say that I am? Peter then famously declares The Messiah of YHWH! It is important to

remember that Messiah, or Christ, is a royal Jewish title that is extremely eschatological. If

Gods Kingdom was breaking in, who would be the king? 44 Why, the son of David of course, the

Messiah of YHWH. This scene lies at the heart of the synoptic narrative- the declaration of the

man Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah sent from God to break in the Kingdom. But the s cene is

not over, and Jesus is not finished teaching. He then strictly charged and commanded them to


41 Ibid.42 c.f. Matthew 16:13-23; Mark 8:27-3343 Craig A. Evans. Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 34b, Mark 8:27-16:20 (evans). (Waco, TX: ThomasNelson, 2001), 10.44 c.f. 2 Samuel 7 and Psalm 110


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tell this to no one, saying, The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the

elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 45 It is

obvious that by this point in Jesus ministry he has a somewhat firm and developed belief about

his future. It appears that Jesus held the concept of Mess iahship in close contact with his

vocation to suffer and be vindicated. This is a concept that comes almost directly out of the

fourth Servant Song. In the same breath as the exhilarating declaration of his Messiahship Jesus

begins teaching his disciples about the journey south to Jerusalem, to suffering and death, and to

eventual victory. This, he says, is how the Kingdom will break in. This is how the Messiah of

YHWH will win the victory over the forces of evil.

The second scene to be presented is in Luke 9:44-45 and its parallels. 46 Jesus and the

disciples are passing through Galilee, and he is privately instructing them on the way to

Jerusalem. The passion prediction is eerily similar to the first in Matthew and Mark, while

Lukes is shorter and contains an introductory phrase that is quite interesting. Luke presents

Jesus introducing the prediction with the phrase qesqe uJmei

ei ta wta uJmw

n tou\ lo/gou tou/tou -

literally Put these words into your ears! Jesus is pleading with the disciples to understand the

concept that is so crucial to his self-understanding of his vocation. Jesus then instructs the

disciples that the Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men. J. Jeremias holds

firmly that the same enigmatic saying from Mark 9:31 is an authentic saying from Jesus that

forms the foundation of the Jesuanic passion predictions. 47 The passive verb here in the Greek,


45 Luke 9:21-2246 Matthew 17:22-23; Mark 9:30-3247 Peter Stuhlmacher. Isaiah 53 in the Gospels and Acts. in The Suffering Servant: Isaiah 53 in Jewish and Christian Sources , eds. Bernard Janowski and Peter Stuhlmacher, 148-172. (Grand Rapids,Michigan: Eerdmans, 2004), pg 150.


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paradidosqai, should be read as a divine passive with God as the obvious agent. 48 Thus,

Jesus held that the deliverance of the Son of Man should be understood from the perspective of

Isaiah 43:3-5 and 53:5-6,11-12. 49 Jesus understood himself as being crushed by the Father for

the redemption of Gods people. It seems that Jesus held an eschatological vocation that was

shaped in the form of a cross.

The third passion prediction is presented in Luke 18:31-34 and its parallels. 50 This

scene has Jesus and his disciples again on the way to Jerusalem, the place where our Lord would

lay down his life. The scene presented in Mark 10:32 is almost comical in nature and paints

Jesus leading the group at the front to the amazement of all and the fear of some. 51 Obviously it

was understood that heading to Jerusalem surely meant suffering if not death. In light of this

amazement and fear Jesus takes the Twelve aside and once again tells them what is soon to

unfold. In Lukes painting of the scene, Jesus declares that at Jerusalem everything that is

written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. He then explains what that

is: for he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefu lly treated and

spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise. What

writings of the prophets could he be referring to? It seems that Jesus is here referring to the

fourth Servant Song of Isaiah (and referencing the book of Isaiah as a whole at the sa me time). It

is interesting that Jesus fully expects to be vindicated, to be raised on the third day. Jesus held

the view that his suffering was the means of the Kingdom, and the way of the cross was the


48 Daniel B. Wallace. Greek Gram m ar Beyond the Basics . (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1997),437-8; Stuhlmacher, Isaiah 53 in the Gospels and Acts, pg 150.49 Stulmacher, Isaiah 53 in the Gospels and Acts, pg 150.50 Matthew 20:17-19; Mark 10:32-3451 If this scene is not worthy for Hollywood, I don t know what is, A Jewish revolutionary marc hing towardhis destruction with his loyal band of follows tagging along at a distance in amazement at th eir trajectory.


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means of ushering in Gods rule. He faithfully expected YHWH to vindicate his servant and

deliver the Son of Man over his enemies.

In Matthew 20:28 and Mark 10:45 Jesus is shown teaching the disciples that the Son of

Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. The Greek

word here is lu/tron and BDAG classifies it as the price of release or ransom. 52 This saying

has Jesus seemingly directly interpreting his mission from the lens of Isaiah 43:3-4 and 53:11-1 2.

Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem to be offered up as the ransom for many. Jesus in fact quotes

Isaiah 53:12 in Luke 22:37, proving that the fourth Servant Song (and indeed all of Isaiah) was a

vital part of his understanding of the call and mission of his life as YH WHs Messiah.

The final scene to be considered is the Last Supper teaching found in Matthew 26:26-29

and its synoptic parallels. 53 Jesus, reclining at the dinner table with his disciples, takes some

wine and bread, blesses t hem, and begins to teach. This is my body...This is my blood.

Whether or not the bread saying is a reference to Isaiah 53 is disputed, but Lukes addition of the

phrase which is given for you has clear echoes of Isaiah 53:6 and 12. 54 The cup saying in

Matthew references both Exodus 24:8 and Isaiah 53:10-12, and this dual allusion shows that

Jesus saw his suffering as an event of atonement, the end of exile, the forgiveness of sins. 55

Isaiah 53:10 states that the Servants life was given as an MDvDa , a means of wiping out guilt. 56


52 Walter Bauer. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature.(Chicago: University Of Chicago Press, 2001), 605.53 Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:15-2054 Stulmacher, Isaiah 53 in the Gospels and Acts, pg 152.55 Ibid.56 Janowski, Bernd. He Bore Our Sins: Isaiah 53 and the Drama of Taking Another s Place. in The Suffering Servant: Isaiah 53 in Jewish and Christian Sources , eds. Bernard Janowski and PeterStuhlmacher, 16-47. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 2004), 67-69.


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Jesus then sees himself as Gods servant, the Messiah, who is called to vicariously suffer for

forgiveness of sins and removal of guilt of Gods people.

Jesus clearly saw his vocation as that of the Messiah of YHWH, called to fulfill the

Prophets and inaugurate the eschatological Kingdom through his own suffering in Jerusalem.

It also seems likely that he regarded his suffering and death as, like that of the Servant,

vicarious and redemptive. 57 As the Synoptics present Jesus on his way to Jerusalem, he is seen

as having a firm interpretation of Isaiah 53- a view that influenced his understanding of his own

vocation as well as how the Kingdom would be ushered into reality.

CONCLUSION

It has been shown by exegesis of three of Jesus kingdom parables that he believed and

taught that the Kingdom of God was being launched through his own ministry and would

continue to grow until it reached fruition. This seems to be the only interpretation that takes

seriously the texts the Synoptics present us from the parables to the risen Jesus declaration that

all authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. It is obvious that Jesus, and

subsequently his earliest followers, believed that the victory over evil was won and that he was

now the ruling Lord over the cosmos. This position also takes seriously Jesus command to go

and make disciples of all nations- a command that seems hard to fit into eschatological

doctrines that reduce the call of the Body of Christ to a mere surviving of the current world.

However, there was a twist to Jesus eschatological views about the Kingdom, stemming

significantly from his view and interpretation of the fourth Servant Song of Isaiah. Jesus

understood that the Kingdom would be inaugurated, that YHWHs Messiah would be vindicated,


57 R. T. France. Jesus and the Old Testament . (Ann Arbor: Regent College Publishing, 1992),103.


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through suffering and death at the hands of evil. This view led Jesus to travel to Jerusalem,

prophetically speak and act out against the temple, and give his life as an act of divine sacrifice.

For Jesus, the Kingdom bursts into the world through the medium of a Roman cross. This was

an unbelievably significant development to normal Jewish eschatological views.

The Church should take a cue from the life and teaching of Jesus its Lord. Jesus both

taught and modeled the life of one living in the perfect image of YHWH. How then, is there

surprise at the reality of suffering for the kingdom? Jesus defeated evil by completely submitting

to it. He knelt down, let evil do its worst, and trusted YWHH to vindicate him and give the

victory. How then is the Church surprised that she possesses the same calling? At this point it

will be helpful to introduce a new term to label this eschatological viewpoint- resurrection

millennialism .

Resurrection millennialism is a proposed option to the classic terminology of pre-mill,

a-mill, and post-mill. Resurrection millennialism is the belief that the Church will prevail

and accomplish the mission given by her Lord, just as a mustard seed growing into a beautiful

and far-reaching tree. However, the means of the kingdom has not changed since the time and

life of Jesus- that of suffering. The Church must submit to evil, and be killed (in every sense) for

the kingdom to be brought to fruition. YHWH will vindicate his servant, the Church, as he has

done already for the faithful one Jesus Christ.

A quick look at history proves these points- that the Kingdom is growing and indeed

grows by and through suffering. The disciples grew in number and force in Jerusalem until the

stoning of Stephen inaugurated persecution that forced them into Judea and then Samaria where

the Kingdom exponentially grew. Centuries later Christian suffering in Europe led many to flee



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to the New World and an expansion of the Kingdom into the previously uncharted territories of

the West. A look around the world also proves that the Churchs victory lies in suffering. The

churches in China, Nepal, India, North and South Korea, and other such places are growing

exponentially as persecution increases. As Tertullian said, The blood of the martyrs is the seed

of the church. May the Church attain to the high calling of suffering given to her by the

Messiah- and find that true victory lies in apparent defeat.



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