Israel Redux: The Messiah Begins His Ministry
Texts: Luke 3:21-22; Luke 4:1-2a, Luke 4:16-21; Matthew 4:13-17
Days 33-36 in Around the Bible in Eighty Days.
Israel needed a do-over. Humanity needed a do-over. The Messiah comes to recapitulate the story of humanity through the story of Israel.
This lesson is the beginning of the Messiah’s participation in the story of Israel in such a way that it constitutes a do-over. The Messiah relives and fulfills Israel’s life and history with God.
- Jesus crosses the Reed Sea with Israel through his baptism.
- Jesus goes into the wilderness with Israel for 40 days.
- Jesus, like Israel, enters the land of promise to bring light in the darkness.
- Jesus proclaims Jubilee for Israel in the words of the prophet Isaiah in fulfillment of the mission of Israel.
From the water to the wilderness, from the wilderness into the land, Jesus relives the history of Israel to fully embody the life of God among the nations. The Messiah takes up the mission of God and invites us to participate in it with him.