The Suffering Son Of David In Matthew S Passion Narrative

In this book, Nathan C. Johnson offers the first full-scale study of David traditions in the Gospel of Matthew's story of Jesus's death. He offers a solution to the tension between Matthew's assertion that Jesus is the Davidic messiah and his humiliating death. To convince readers of his claim that Jesus was the Davidic messiah, Matthew would have to bridge the gap between messianic status and disgraceful execution. Johnson's proposed solution to this conundrum is widely overlooked yet refreshingly simple. He shows how Matthew makes his case for Jesus as the Davidic messiah in the passion narrative by alluding to texts in which David, too, suffered. Matthew thereby participates in a common intertextual, Jewish approach to messianism. Indeed, by alluding to suffering David texts, Matthew attempts to turn the tables of the problem of a crucified messiah by portraying Jesus as the Davidic messiah not despite, but because of his suffering.

Drawing on David texts, Matthew makes the narrative case for an unexpected messiah--one who does not kill but is instead killed by the Romans.

Although the Gospel of Matthew emphasizes Jesus as the son of David, no one has systematically investigated how 1-2 Samuel influence Matthew's portrayal of Jesus as the son of David. This work addresses that lacuna and shows how the sustained use of 1-2 Samuel in Matthew evokes the themes of mercy and righteousness as the hallmarks of a proper Davidic shepherd. The book's systematic intertextual and narrative approach offers another way to understand Matthew’s Christology and portrayal of the kingdom of heaven. It helps the reader appreciate the justice-focused nature of Jesus’ rule and its religious and political implications.

H. Daniel Zacharias presents a literary-critical analysis of the Gospel of Matthew and its interaction with Davidic tradition and use of Davidic typology. Throughout the narrative, the evangelist makes pervasive use of Davidic tradition from the Old Testament in his portrayal of Jesus. This begins from the first verse and the declaration that Jesus is the Son of David, and culminates in Jesus' usage of Psalm 22's Davidic lament on the cross. Davidic material is present throughout Matthew, in allusion, in specific citations, in thematic material. In addition, Matthew makes use of Davidic typology numerous times, with David as type and Jesus as anti-type. Zacharias shows how the use of Davidic material presents to the reader a scripturally-grounded redefinition of what it means for Jesus to be the Son of David: not as a violent militant leader, as some expected, but as a physical descendant of David, a healing shepherd, and a humble king. Within the Gospel, Matthew utilizes Davidic typology to show how the Son of David even has similar experiences as his royal predecessor. Even David's own words from the psalms are utilized as testimony to the legitimacy of Jesus as the Davidic Messiah.

H. Daniel Zacharias presents a literary-critical analysis of the Gospel of Matthew and its interaction with Davidic tradition and use of Davidic typology. Throughout the narrative, the evangelist makes pervasive use of Davidic tradition from the Old Testament in his portrayal of Jesus. This begins from the first verse and the declaration that Jesus is the Son of David, and culminates in Jesus' usage of Psalm 22's Davidic lament on the cross. Davidic material is present throughout Matthew, in allusion, in specific citations, in thematic material. In addition, Matthew makes use of Davidic typology numerous times, with David as type and Jesus as anti-type. Zacharias shows how the use of Davidic material presents to the reader a scripturally-grounded redefinition of what it means for Jesus to be the Son of David: not as a violent militant leader, as some expected, but as a physical descendant of David, a healing shepherd, and a humble king. Within the Gospel, Matthew utilizes Davidic typology to show how the Son of David even has similar experiences as his royal predecessor. Even David's own words from the psalms are utilized as testimony to the legitimacy of Jesus as the Davidic Messiah.

Professor Donahue here argues that "the parables of Jesus" offer a Gospel in miniature, while at the same time giving shape, direction, and meaning to the Gospels in which they appear. "To study the parables of the Gospels is to study the gospel in parable." After surveying recent discussions of parable, metaphor, and narrative, Donahue examines and interprets the parables of Mark, Matthew, and Luke as texts in the context of the theology of each of these Gospels. Finally, he outlines what "The Gospel in Parable" looks like and offers suggestions for the proclamation of parables today.

Investigates Jesus's teaching about the temple through a fresh methodology, drawing also from new developments in Matthew research.

The high point of the Christian year is Passion week. The suffering and death of Christ is the focal point in salvation history, and the Passion narratives of our Gospel writers comprise the very heart of the gospel. The gospel is called "the word of the cross" (1 Cor 1:18). In his brief summary of the gospel in his first letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul writes, "For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures (15:3,4). For a religion to mark its beginning with the crucifixion of its founder is exceedingly strange. But for the past two millennia the story of Christ's suffering and death has fascinated people all over the world. From every angle that people might look at the Passion story, it grabs them. In his massive work on The Death of the Messiah (p. viii), Raymond Brown illustrates the centrality and significance of the Passion narrative: Seen from the aesthetic side, there is nothing in the Gospels that has given us such glorious music, or has inspired such magnificent art, as the Passion story. From the literary point of view, this story has even entered our everyday language. People still speak of a "Judas kiss," of selling Christ for 30 pieces of silver, of washing our hands of an embarrassing situation - all found in the Passion story. From the historical standpoint, no event in Christ's public life was seen by so many eye witnesses. From the first century up to the present, churches around the world have recited the Apostles Creed, in which they affirm that Christ "suffered under Pontius Pilate." The death of Christ is an unassailable historical event on which the Christian faith rests. Seen from a theological point of view, the Passion story assures us that through the death of Christ our sins have been atoned for, and that we have been delivered from death and despair through the death of an innocent substitute. That Jesus of Nazareth was crucified under Pontius Pilate can be discovered also from the Roman historian, Tacitus, but that he died for our sins is something only the gospel can tell us. Moreover, the Passion story has always been at the centre of Christian devotion and meditation, and the church loses much, if it overlooks the wonderful opportunity to proclaim the message of the cross, especially at Eastertide. Preaching from narrative material, however, is not always easy, and the following chapters were written, in part, to illustrate how this moving story of Christ's suffering and death can be presented in sermon form. However, these meditations were written also with the Christian reader in mind, who may not have access to some of the rich literature that is available in this area of NT studies. There is some disagreement among scholars over where precisely the Passion narrative begins. Not all would include, as I have, the anointing of Jesus at Bethany and the Last Supper. However, even though the actual sufferings of Christ began in Gethsemane, these accounts are an integral part of the Passion story. We will follow basically the Marcan account of Christ's suffering but weave in some materials from other Gospels to round out the picture. It is our hope and prayer that these studies will serve as a handbook for teachers and preachers as they expound the Passion narrative. However, these reflections on the accounts of Christ's suffering, death and resurrection, may also be of help to serious Bible readers who are interested in a devotional approach to the biblical text. Although I have refrained from injecting bibliographical information into these studies, I am indebted to many scholars who have painstakingly examined Mark's account of our Lord's Passion.