Paradigms in Action
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 3:2 NASB
Is at hand – John the Baptist spoke words that his audience understood. The question is whether or not we understand them. Oh, we’re familiar with the words, of that there is no doubt. But for us they are a call to personal salvation, a challenge to confess our sins and enter into the kingdom of righteousness. Is that what John meant? Klausner’s single sentence on John might cause us to re-evaluate. “Every word of this is completely Talmudic.”[1] That means John’s statement is thoroughly Jewish apocalyptic eschatology. That means John is speaking to an audience who expected certain conditions before the Messiah would initiate the glorious kingdom of God. And it wasn’t about personal salvation.
What were those conditions? First, there was the expectation that the present day sufferings were divinely appointed. Rome was not just another superpower of human origin. God was in charge of the universe and God was using the Romans to bring about afflictions because of the sins of Israel. These sins were personal and corporate. The pain and persecution of the Jews in the first century was God’s work. It had a single purpose. Repentance! The first expectation of the entrance of the Messiah was that things were very bad for human life on purpose. This is always the first expectation in Messianic thought. We should expect it today as well. As the world deteriorates, more and more teachers will come forth proclaiming the end. “Repent while you still can,” is the usual message. But Israel looked for national repentance, not individual confession. John’s message is not for you. It’s for us.
Secondly, Klausner forces us to see that John’s ministry is not Christian. It is the direct outgrowth of rabbinic thinking. Everywhere the sages and the rabbis taught the doctrine of reward and punishment, in this life and the next. Everywhere they taught individual and corporate responsibility. Everywhere they taught the total sovereignty of YHVH. And everywhere they taught that before the Messiah would arrive, the people as a whole would be chastised to bring them to repentance. The kingdom of heaven was at hand, but the population needed to open the door for its arrival by dealing with Sin, with a capital S.
Finally, John’s statement in Jewish context tells his audience that they are living in the birth pangs of the Messiah. Things will get worse! Notice that John himself experiences life getting worse, and asks Yeshua if now, when things seem as bad as they can be, does this mean the Messiah will begin his work of restoration? Punishment produces repentance which produces the dawn of the Messianic Age. At least that’s what the people thought. That’s what they were prepared to think. This has nothing to do with personal salvation. This is about national, ethnic, political resurrection. That’s what they thought. That’s what they were taught. That’s why John himself can still ask the question. And that’s why Yeshua is rejected. He didn’t do what the paradigm expected. He changed the paradigm—and only a few could see the new way. He is still changing the paradigm, and as far as I can see, only a few know it.
Perhaps you will need to reconsider John’s call to repentance as Jewish rather than Christian. Perhaps you will begin to see just how you are tied to everyone else in this call to repentance. Perhaps the Messiah waits until we all plead for forgiveness.
When you pray to the Lord today, maybe you could utter a few sentences about communal repentance and the part you play in that arena. It is so easy in our individualistic Greek paradigm to think that each of us is the center of God’s attention, forgetting that it is His people who first occupy His thoughts.
Topical Index: paradigm, Messiah, expectation, Klausner, John, Matthew 3:2
[1] Joseph Klausner, The Messianic Idea In Israel From Its Beginning To The Completion Of The Mishnab, p. 428.
Perhaps the paradigm was changed by the Jews and not Yeshua. Prophecy IS conditional, after all. Many repented, but not ALL; notably that rotten top. Yeshua was rejected before His death at the formal, national level. The top rejected Him – as well as His followers after Him – and only THEN did the nation fall, with the only ones escaping that ruin being those who remembered the prophecy (Matthew 24) predicting it.
Prophecy is at it again: Messiah is giving us another crack at it. He is coming again. We are being called by those angelic messengers to repent again (Rev. 14); this time on a planetary level, for the gospel commission was aimed at bringing that choice to the entire world this time (Matt. 24:14). What will we do? The sentence has already been written on our wall: “Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin” (Dan. 5:25) and the cry is going out: “choose you this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15). Prophecy tells us that there will be an effectively critical mass prompting that return, represented by that corporately perfect number of 144,000, who will be found “keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Rev. 14:12), even if they have to escape out of Babylon (false religions) to do it. Again. May we be found in that number.
Skip another one of those great posts that must be considered with much thought and meditation. And Miss Hayes I agree totally with your comment. The attempt skip I think is trying to approach is personal or national Israel. A few scriptures come to mind. One being all Israel will be saved I have heard it put a concern about percentages that changes the picture. I heard recently that the kingdom is here but the king is not I go along with that perspective. Someone asked me a question which I haven’t given an answer to yet I think it is in line with this topic. Is Yeshua waiting for the bride-to-be cleanse? Is that the only thing delaying his return?
Also what would be the completion of Elijah’s mission with the Passover in mind?
All My Children
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John’s message is for “whosoever will.” (Both then and now…)
Our children, btw, are not only all “ours,” but are born (one-by-one) into the Family – yes, one at at time. The message of the Messiah was directly spoken to one man — (Nicodemus) “YOU must be born from above.” Salvation is both corporate and individual, but “occurs” one by one as each are convicted of sin and convinced of a Savior. “Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.”
“Those who embraced his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to the believers that day.” The words of our Messiah still find the intended mark today: ~ Who do YOU say that I AM? ~
Thank you Carl isn’t it also true that Nicodemus was a teacher of the children of Israel. If I remember correctly Yeshua said to him. Teacher of Israel John 3. 10 Yeshua answered him and said that was Master of Israel and you do not know these things? Point I’m trying to make is Nicodemus was a teacher and had the responsibility to let Israel know in total teaching one by one but to acquire the total
Skip, how is it going?
This is the ONLY place in the Synoptics where we find the kingdom of heaven message on the lips of John the Immerser. There is some scholarly contention that it was not a part of John’s original message. I consider it very persuasive and plausible. What do think?
The kingdom of heaven message and movement is the MAIN thrust of what Yeshua declared, demonstrated, and directed his disciples to do. I believe the kingdom of heaven/God is the most critical thing the body of Messiah needs to hear and see! Have you considered teaching on THE message and demonstration of Yeshua?
I would highly recommend Dwight Pryor’s teaching on this very subject. The name of the series is: Unveiling the Kingdom of Heaven. You can find it here: http://jcstudies.com/biblical-subjects/kingdom-of-god/
YHWH is King!
I have heard of Dwight Pryor but never heard any of his messages the site you gave us for me anyway doesn’t open up any of his articles or videos I’m interested to hear the views on the kingdom of God that you want to share.
The link Brian posted worked for me. Brett if you have trouble getting to it just Google jcstudies or Center for Judaic-Christian Studies. I haven’t listened to the series Brian mentioned, but I have learned a lot from Dwight Pryor’s teachings.
Brother Brett,
How is it going? You have to purchase these materials.
I hope to give you an adequate response in the near future.
“Punishment produces repentance which produces the dawn of the Messianic Age. At least that’s what the people thought. That’s what they were prepared to think. This has nothing to do with personal salvation. This is about national, ethnic, political resurrection. That’s what they thought. That’s what they were taught. That’s why John himself can still ask the question. And that’s why Yeshua is rejected. He didn’t do what the paradigm expected. He changed the paradigm—and only a few could see the new way. He is still changing the paradigm, and as far as I can see, only a few know it.”
I am wondering if Skip or anyone can explain a little bit more as to how Yeshua changed the paradigm? I believe I understand some of the main points of this post, like the importance of corporate repentance versus individual, but this section about what they thought versus what happened, and Yeshua changing the paradigm has me confused. Was it or was it not about personal salvation? Yeshua was rejected because….their paradigm was off? I’m trying to understand.
Sister Holly I really appreciate your sensitivity to the matter of change or shift as skip is trying to relate to us it is not then versus now or one by one equaling a whole. Which made me bits and pieces. Too plainly put it. I’ve heard it said that the kingdom is so simple that we have had a lot of help making it difficult. I would like to end with the simple comment in question form. If Greek Christ equals Hebrew Messiah Christianity equals Messianic Kingdom Hebrew in Roots and and manifestation. Our new testament or Brit hadashah is.ALL based upon Messianic prophecies planted in the Roots of Jewish belief then manifested in the one that the Jews hoped for and are still hoping for the prophecy to be completed this is my thought I may have some errors help me so we all will understand more clearly. Lovingly yoursB.B. brother Brett
I agree that Christian leadership misinterpreted Scripture and have been leading their flocks astray.
Most of the problems of loneliness and isolation of people today can be traced back to Greek thinking.
This includes everyone from the homeless and desolate to the cock on top of the dung-hill.
The problem YHWH has with the Yahudim is the people (the people cause the kings to sin).
With Israel it is the leadership class (the kings cause the ten tribes to sin).
Ezechiel was sent with an offer to return to the land to the tribes in the northern exiled and the princes rejected it.
It is interesting that “in the dispersion” it seems to be the people and not the “priests” who end up finding The Way.
And often Rabies, but not the people / Jews, accept Yashua as the Messiah.
The Messiah came with the Kingdom Offer: Repent and Accept me as The KING-PRIEST and I will take over now. The Yahudim had no king, the last one was murdered by Herod and the Priesthood was sold to the highest bidders. John the Baptist was supposed to inherit the High Priest position and he baptised Yashua as his successor (John had to die, to allow Yashua to preside over His own red heifer offer – to provide the means to cleanse us from the dead)
But the people (Yahudim) would still not accept Yashua as their King and High Priest, then as now.
Just to think that humanity have been suffering for the last 2000 years as a result of these choices.
There seems to be a fair amount of tension between the idea of individual responsibility for his/her actions, and the corporate obligation to righteousness. How do we resolve this tension?
Here is an example of that tension: How do you justify national punishment for disobedience when scripture also is clear that each individual will be punished/rewarded according to that individual’s works? You don’t get punished for someone else’s sins. How do we resolve this tension?
We don’t get punished, per se, but we sure do suffer for someone else’s sins! Good question.
And I have been thinking. True punishment is only to be found either at the end of the age, or at the cross, take your pick. Everything else is curses (consequences) which seem like punishment but really are designed to be opportunities to repent. Punishment means there is no more repenting, and judgment has been rendered (sorry, purgatory). The CURSES are not punishment, however, even though in Scripture they are translated with that word sometimes. You don’t get another chance after punishment, but you always do with the curses. What this means is that there is no senseless, meaningless suffering meted out by a vengeful god, but neither is there a way to get out of the punishment (death) for sin. That is why there is a lake of fire with only ashes left. On judgment day somebody is going to be dying, one way or the other.
The reason there IS going to be an end of the age is because this earth has already been found wanting and all that is left is the punishment (death and dissolution forever) which will be at the JUDGMENT then. Nothing has ultimately been judged so far. It has been deferred by grace. Judgment has been given to the Son and He is only going to sit on that seat at the end of the age. If there was still a way to pull it out (choose again, or avert punishment, planetarily speaking) it would not be getting destroyed; however, the prophecy is clear: judgment is on its way. That is because the planet has already been irrevocably damaged and judgment is the only way to start over. The way I read it, there is no way to stop planetary judgment (which is about the unfairness done to the cosmos) because there is no other way to reverse (forgive) the damage that has already happened that has NOT been repented of by the perpetrators. At this point, we have only been given a way to hasten that promised judgment (settling of accounts), which consists not only of punishment, but rewards for those found INDIVIDUALLY faithful. And what is that way? the gospel commission, which, incidentally, was the one benediction of Yeshua to us when He left.
Its time we got together – all us individuals – and on the right side, too. It’s time to stop acting like individual lone rangers and start to circle the wagons – and obey the commission, too – like the single Body unit we have been called to be. The whore is riding the beast and this ship is going to tank. There is no other way to read it. it’s time to wrap this one up.
Thomas — what tension? The sun rises on the evil and the good. National punishment will fall on everyone who is in that place at that time. In that respect, it is not punishment for someone else’s sin; it’s about being a part of that place at the “wrong” time. If a flood rages through the land and my neighbor’s house is washed away while mine is left unscathed, can I presume that my neighbor was punished and I was not? The rain is on the just and unjust. National repentance, or lack thereof, will lead to either the blessings or the curses. When the spies returned with bad reports of the Land, all of Israel went on a 40-year walk; and Moses, Joshua, and Caleb wandered with the rest in spite of their good reports. And yet, G-d would have spared Sodom for ten righteous men. Perhaps the message is that none of us can rest on our individual laurels, nor should we give up because we think we can’t make a difference. 🙂
What a long walk to freedom. And today we just want it by attending a sermon once a week…
So the nation doesn’t (or hasn’t) repented. That nation begets children, they don’t repent and THEY have children…..yet no generational sin.
And then there is that small matter of ‘do not add or take away from’, that maybe needs to be considered.
I’d rather go w/what Scriptures say and pass on the rabbinic interpretation that is both circular and totally nonsensical.
Without a doubt – “that it is His people who first occupy His thoughts.” Israel being the First-born (Exo 4:22), the people chosen, accepting Torah at Mt. Sinai, in a weeding out process-CHOOSE, Life in obeying, or Death in disobedience. They are entrusted with the responsibility and conditions of keeping Torah, to shine as a light to the nations. We owe the Israelis / Jews for their faithfulness in preserving the Torah and Tanakh down the generations, even through the many disastrous times they went through.
The changed paradigm from Torah, worshipping NONE other than GOD Almighty to worshipping a man-god, with NO genealogy to king David’s lineage, from which THE/ HA Moshiach is to come. Jesus/ Yeshua is not of human seed, neither of father, nor mother to claim divinity, though Scriptures clearly stated THE Moshiach WILL come from the lineage of king David, the scepter will not depart from him.
With Jacob/ Yaacov’s troubles Jer 30: 7 a day, none like it, of great troubles, like the travailing of child birth v 6, but, FROM the tribulation, Yaccov/ Israel will be SAVED.
And, v 19- there will be great rejoicing, and increase. Amein! Reminding us of Job and the great restoration he had.
With the restoration of Israel, through their faithfulness and repentance of their iniquities for which the punishment came, v 15, there is the promise of peace, with health, hurts and wounds healed, v 17. a re-gathering of exiles.
AND, HA’Moshiach comes, their very own PRINCE, from among them v 21 to rule over them. Exciting times to look forward to, in spite of turbulent times ahead.
Shalom!