WE ARE now standing with Jesus on the threshold of his ministry, as he began to follow that course of action which should accomplish what the will of God, as revealed to him from the Scriptures, demanded as the first phase of the work of the Messiah. In this phase he was called to function as the Teacher of Righteousness of the Last Days, as the Prophet like Moses, to preach repentance to Israel and reveal the character of the Kingdom of God in which the redeemed would participate. Elijah had come in John the Baptist to present him with the very words to signal the opening of his campaign, ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’
The Gospels look back on the activities of Jesus with the help afforded by the prophetic testimonies which the Nazoreans had zealously assembled as proof that he was the Messiah, while we with Jesus are seeking to look forward. The positions are not wholly different, because many of the same testimonies, we may be confident, had long been present to the mind of Jesus and directed his planning. His followers, afterwards, could see a prophetic significance in almost everything he did, and find texts to fit it: they could even by this means heighten estimation of the quality of Jesus by the introduction of miracles and marvels.1 But we may consider that his own findings related to passages which could be understood to have a more direct and less imaginative bearing upon the Messiah's work and experiences.
As an indication of his immediate function Jesus could use the word of Isaiah, ‘The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord....’2 But the compilers of the testimonies could go much further. When Jesus abandoned Nazareth and made his headquarters at Capernaum by the Sea of Galilee, this for them was a fulfilment of the prophecy: ‘The land of Zebulon and the land of Naphtali . . . the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.’3 Similarly, when Jesus addressed the crowds in parables, this was seen to fulfil what the psalmist had said, ‘I will open my mouth in parables: I will utter dark sayings of old.’4 Yet these measures on the part of Jesus were dictated by other necessities, as we can appreciate.
The region in which Jesus began to proclaim his message was in his native Galilee, among people of strongly independent spirit, whose faith and love of liberty made it hard for them to stomach the heathen domination of Rome and the immediate government of Antipas, son of their old enemy King Herod. Galileans were in the forefront of rebellious movements, and though at this time the zealots among them were relatively quiescent, they were ever ready to demonstrate passionately whenever a situation outraged their sentiments, and to resort to armed violence. If at this stage of his mission Jesus let it be known in Galilee that he was the Messiah the consequences could well be disastrous. To be the Messiah the Son of David, we must remember, meant that he was the legitimate king of Israel, to whom the militant elements would readily have rallied. He would openly be committing an act of treasonable sedition which would not be tolerated by Rome and its representatives. However peaceful were his intentions, there would be outbreaks of violence. He would be hunted down by the Government forces, and either killed or seized and crucified. Even if by luck he managed to make his escape abroad the result would still have been complete failure. He would have been Messiah for a day, and patently a false Messiah into the bargain.
All this had long been known to Jesus, though most Christians even today have never given serious thought to the situation he faced. They simply have not realised the political implications, and how explosive the conditions were. But Jesus was well aware of them and proceeded circumspectly. He chose as his headquarters a small town on the shores of the Sea of Galilee which was essentially a commercial centre with a fairly mixed population, including Roman and Jewish government officials. Capernaum was not the sort of place where the disaffected and those zealous for the Law of Moses congregated, which a conspirator would be likely to use as his base. When Jesus travelled round the country preaching on the highly political as well as spiritual theme of the Kingdom of God he spoke in parables, so that the spies and informers who made it their business to be present wherever crowds gathered round a public speaker would be unable to detect anything subversive or inflammatory in what he said. He conveyed that he was speaking cryptically in his parables by adding, ‘He who hath an ear to hear, let him hear,’ in other words, ‘He who can catch my meaning, let him do so.’
Jesus was not interfered with at this time because so far as the State was concerned he gave the impression of being a harmless religious enthusiast. Some of his sayings, indeed, would meet with the full approval of the authorities. His instructions were excellent for these stubborn rebellious Galileans, and might help to keep them in order. ‘Resist not evil,’ the preacher declared, ‘and whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And whosoever shall force thee to go a mile, go with him two.’ This was with reference to the angaria, military requisitioning of labour and transport. ‘Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.’
But Jesus was not acting as an unpaid Government agent, though he was intentionally warning the people against taking the law into their own hands and retaliating. If they resorted to violence, if they even nourished hatred in their hearts, not only would they be playing into the hands of their enemies to their own undoing, they would be abandoning the path God had marked out for them as a ‘kingdom of priests and a holy nation’ to win the heathen to God. They would be behaving like the rest of the nations, and would be unworthy to share in the Kingdom of God. Many of the Pharisees taught in the same vein.
While his call to repentance was going out to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, Jesus had to take double precautions. He had to prevent the abrupt interruption of his activities, as those of John the Baptist had been cut short, by getting himself arrested and imprisoned as a menace to public security. He had also to guard against some ill-advised contrivance by his followers, or spontaneous outburst by the people, to acclaim him as king. He was to meet with narrow escapes in this connection. In the early part of his ministry, when anyone most unwisely hailed him as Son of David, he silenced him immediately. He was in any case walking on a knife-edge by creating faith in his powers of healing. What he was doing could not fail to cause excited speculation about who he was. The people were expecting a deliverer, and flocked to anyone who might be the medium of the fulfilment of their hopes. Jesus denounced the hypocrites and false prophets, and the false Messiahs as well, as much as he did the men of violence. All were misleading the nation and diverting it from carrying out the will of God, trading on the people's emotions and longings. ‘Wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. But narrow is the gate and constricted the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.’
Jesus chose to refer to himself as the Son of Man (i.e. the Man), a term which gave him external anonymity without having to deny his true identity. Only to the communities of the Saints, who were no danger to him, did the description have messianic significance. Many might be intrigued and ask, ‘Who is this Son of Man?’ But comparatively few, and these not communicative, could answer, ‘He is the Messiah.’ Otherwise, as in his reply to the emissaries of John the Baptist,5 Jesus left it to those who knew the prophecies to infer who he was from his activities.
Another step Jesus took was to enlist a small band of close disciples. The first group were fishermen from the lakeside township of Bethsaida. We do not know for certain whether Jesus was previously acquainted with some of them, though this is stated in the Fourth Gospel. Men like the brothers Simon and Andrew, James and John, were valuable recruits. They were patriotic and had a simple direct faith: they were physically strong and their personal loyalty could be counted on. Jesus nicknamed Simon ‘the Rock’ (Kepha, Peter), and James and John ‘the Stormy Ones’ (Boane-ragsha, Boanerges). They would make a useful bodyguard. They also had boats; so that if danger threatened, or the attentions of the crowds became too overwhelming, a line of escape or retreat was open across the lake to the independent territory of the Decapolis, a league of ten self-governing mainly Greek cities.
By these various devices and tactics Jesus assured for himself, so far as he could, safety and freedom of movement, and opportunity to deliver his message without hindrance. Already he was proving, and we should remark this, a skilful strategist and planner, alert and resourceful. He could be very gentle, but there was nothing meek about him. He is revealed as a man of inflexible determination and keen perception with all the qualities of the born leader. The glimpse we have here of his character shows him to be one who was fully capable of conceiving and carrying out, as will be demonstrated later, what we have termed the Passover Plot.
There was one thing, however, which Jesus may not sufficiently have taken into account, the extent of his fame as a wonder-worker. As the days passed into weeks it speedily became evident that his mission was being gravely hampered by the multitudes who thronged to him, not primarily to listen to his teaching, but to be cured of their complaints or bring their relations for healing. Sometimes he had the utmost difficulty in getting about because of the press of people. He was aware that the time available to him was short, and at his present rate of progress the ground he would be able to cover would be very limited.
Some of the things Jesus had to say in defence of his conduct were beginning to antagonise a small but influential section of his audience, the local Pharisees. At great pains this fraternity of devout Jews had laboured for upwards of a century to promote a stricter obedience to the Law (the Torah) among the people, so that they might merit God's favour and salvation. It was uphill work because there was an ingrained resistance, especially in Galilee, to being told what to do and what not to do. Like the Essenes, the Pharisees among other things regarded the rigid keeping of the Sabbath as imperative, for it was a divine institution marking the difference between the holy and the profane, between Israel and the nations. It was written: ‘If thou call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words; then . . . I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.’6 The Essenes had abandoned all present hope of converting the people to the exact performance of the requirements of the Torah, and had withdrawn into their own disciplined camps and communities. But the Pharisees struggled gamely on with their missionary and educational work. Sometimes in their zeal, as is often the way, they lost sight of the spirit of an institution in stressing its strict observance; but their intentions were good.
Now here was this teacher, who had the ear of the multitude, undermining their efforts, casting off the yoke of the commandments as they had carefully defined them, violating their Sabbath injunctions, eating with defiled hands and with publicans and sinners, setting the worst possible example. How could his influence be checked? How could he be got out of the way? These were two different propositions, and initially only the first was considered. Jesus was repeatedly challenged, and when this proved unavailing learned Scribes from Jerusalem were sent for. As we have seen, when they arrived they pronounced Jesus to be demon-possessed: but this did not stop the people coming to him for cures, and Jesus took prompt action to quash the accusation. How could Satan cast out Satan? Were the Pharisees also demon-possessed when they like himself cured the sick? Let them be their own judges. Some of them felt driven to take a graver step. They had no love for the Jewishly lax Government, but now, we are told, they conferred with the Herodians. If what Jesus said could be construed to indicate that he had subversive or seditious intentions he would be arrested. Spies listened acutely to catch some incautious words; but Jesus was on his guard, and, again as we have seen, they were defeated by his circumspection and parabolic teaching. We must not suppose that these more hostile Pharisees, contrary to all their principles, were plotting the death of Jesus. They simply wanted him locked up and out of commission, like John the Baptist, another thorn in their flesh. In fact, they greatly overestimated the effects of the teaching of Jesus. The people listened gladly, but only a meagre handful responded. But Jesus was now plainly warned.
The essential problem which Jesus had to overcome was the difficulty created by the crowds which everywhere surrounded him and besought his help, and made it hard for him to extend quickly enough the areas in which he could hope to deliver his message personally. What with teaching and healing, and people struggling frantically to reach him, to touch even the sacred fringe of his robe as he passed, by the end of most days he was utterly exhausted. At one time by the lake to gain freedom to speak he used a boat moored off-shore as his pulpit. He even crossed to the other side for a brief respite. But the people ran round the coast to meet him as he landed, or followed in other boats. He could not get away.
The decision Jesus took was to appoint twelve of his more intimate followers as envoys (apostles). Their number was symbolic of the twelve tribes of Israel. They were to travel through the country on his behalf. He gave them precise instructions. They were to confine their mission to Israelites, and not visit Gentile territory or enter any city of the Samaritans. They were to travel light and in poverty, as the Essenes did. They were to stay where they were welcomed, but only long enough to deliver their message. Where they were not received they were not to delay, but shake the dust of that house or city from their feet. ‘I tell you positively,’ he said, ‘it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of Judgement than for that city.’ They must exercise the utmost care in their speech and conduct. ‘Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.’
This action on the part of Jesus reveals his recognition of the urgency of his task and that the time available to him was short. Despite these endeavours to make every minute work, however, he had soon to admit to himself that his message had largely fallen on deaf ears. The apostles when they reported back told of demons being subject to them, but not of any other success. It was evident that the call to repentance had largely gone unheeded. By failing in Galilee, his own land, Jesus had lost the whole country.
According to the Fourth Gospel Jesus made one or two early incursions into Judea at festival seasons, the Passover and probably Pentecost. John claims that he taught and performed cures on these occasions. The synoptic tradition says nothing of these visits, and it is likely that John has overemphasised their significance in his endeavour to establish that Jesus had made his messiahship evident from the beginning. But between Pentecost in May and Tabernacles in October there is no indication that Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and this is the period with which we are at present concerned.
Through his study of the Scriptures Jesus must have believed that his message would probably be rejected.7 But he was in duty bound to proclaim it. There was always the hope of a miracle. He spoke more than once of the Prophet Jonah, born at Gath-Hepher in Galilee not very far from Nazareth, whose tomb was a place of pilgrimage. Though God had declared by Jonah that in forty days Nineveh would be overthrown, yet the people repented and turned from their evil way; and God had spared Nineveh and the prophecy did not come to pass. The same thing could happen again.
But it was not to be. Nevertheless Jesus was deeply moved and hurt at his failure, even though it had not really looked as if he would succeed. And being human he was angry too, angry at the stupidity, the senseless waste, the awful suffering that was bound to come upon his nation. Contemplating this fearful prospect the certainty now of his own fate paled into insignificance. Inwardly, through his distress, he could even welcome it; for if God would accept his suffering as an atonement for the sins of his people he would give his life gladly. And if they would then heed, the worst that was in store for them might not happen. It was written: ‘All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all . . .’8
Jesus found vent for his feelings in bitter and scathing words. Momentous matters were being side-tracked by petty disputes, and the situation was deteriorating into a slanging-match.
‘O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things?
‘An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of Man be to this generation. The queen of the south shall rise up in the Judgement with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, what is greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the Judgement with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and, behold, what is greater than Jonah is here.
‘Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the Day of Judgement, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shall be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the Day of Judgement than for thee.
‘Whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a wine-bibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.’9
Yet it was of no avail for Jesus to be searingly reproachful, and useless to repine. Luke alone reports a final effort in sending out seventy disciples to preach as previously he had sent out the twelve; but we have to treat this as an intentional duplication by the author to foreshadow the calling of the Gentiles, since the world was supposed to consist of seventy nations. The fact had to be faced that the first phase of the work of Jesus was finished. The Teacher of Righteousness had been rejected. Unhappily it had come to pass as foretold, ‘By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: for this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should turn again, and I should heal them.’10
Now, as the prophecies had indicated to Jesus, the second phase of the work of the Messiah would come into operation. There was no time to be wasted in vain regrets. Sadly but resolutely he braced himself to face the future, and carry out God's will to the end. Did people think he was harsh when he refused one would-be follower's request to be permitted first to bury his father, and another's to take leave of his family? The words were drawn from an aching heart when he said, ‘Leave the dead to bury their dead,’ and, ‘No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God.’
1. See Part Two, Chapter 6, Some Gospel Mysteries.
2. Isa. lxi. 1–2.
3. Isa. ix. 1–2.
4. Ps. lxxviii. 2.
5. Mt. xi. 2–6.
6. Isa. lviii. 13–14.
7. Several passages in the Prophets seemed to foreshadow such rejection of the call to repentance. Cp. Isa. vi. 9–10, quoted in the text at the end of the present chapter.
8. Isa. liii. 6.
9. See Mt. xi. 16–19, 21–3, xii. 39–42, Lk. x. 13–15, xi. 29–32.
10. Isa. vi. 9–10; Mt. xiii. 13–15.