Isn’t it remarkable: the occasions that Jesus’ own people want to kill him follow instances when He quotes Scripture couplets to them? Of course it’s remarkable; let’s look at three cases.
In Luke 4 (edited), Jesus begins his public ministry after 40 days in the desert:
“Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and a report concerning him went out through all the surrounding country. 16 And he came to Nazareth…on the sabbath day. And he read from…Isaiah. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” And he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 And all spoke well of him: “Is not this Joseph’s son?” 23 And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself; what we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here also in your own country.'” 24 And he said, “Truly…no prophet is acceptable in his own country. 25 But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when …there came a great famine over all the land; 26 and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 29 And they rose up and put him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw him off a precipice. 30 But passing through the midst of them he went away.”
Mark 11:
And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons; 16 and he would not allow any one to carry anything through the temple. 17 And he taught, and said to them, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations. But you have made it a den of thieves.” 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and sought a way to kill him.”
Mark 14:
The high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” 62 And Jesus said, “I AM; and you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” 63 And the high priest tore his garments, and said, “Why do we still need witnesses? 64 You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they all condemned him as deserving death.”
Jesus expected at least some of his hearers to be very familiar with the Scriptures; familiar enough to figure out Jesus’ meaning behind the verses.
In Luke 4, these are the fightin’ words:
“…there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when …there came a great famine over all the land; 26 and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
What Jesus means is, “Y’all know these stories, right? Then ya betta not bank on the Messiah doin’ ya any favors. On two prior famous occasions, God overlooked the Chosen People and helped pagans instead. So get wit’ John da Baptis’ program, an’ produce good fruit before the axe cuts ya down, an’ in the fire ya go.”
Oh dear, they did not take that very well.
In Mark 11, Jesus quotes Isaiah and Jeremiah:
“My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations. But you have made it a den of thieves.”
That is, “Let me remind you Temple bigshots that Isaiah prophesied that someday strangers and foreigners, not just Sons of Abraham, would be welcome in God’s house. And Jeremiah says your disrespect for the Temple is so bad that God will abandon Jerusalem just as he abandoned Shiloh. Someday everyone will pray in God’s house, but his house won’t be here.”Ouch.
In Mark 14, Jesus probably answers the high chief in Hebrew, saying I AM as a reference to this bit of Exodus 3:
“Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I AM I AM/ הָיָה הָיָה.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM/ הָיָה has sent me to you.'”
Thus Jesus identifies himself with God/ YHWH/ יְהֹוָה (You can see how close YHWH is to I AM in Hebrew). That’s bad enough, but then Jesus quotes from this passage in Daniel 7:
“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”
Now Jesus is really askin’ for it. “You? You’re I AM? You preposterous bumpkin. You’re going get power and dominion and lord it over us in your kingdom?” Utterly aggravated, Caiaphas tears his robe in frustration.
Copyright 2015, Christian LeBlanc
Image courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum
Christian LeBlanc
Christian LeBlanc is a revert whose pre-Vatican II childhood was spent in South Louisiana, where he marinated in a Catholic universe and acquired a Catholic imagination. During his middle school years in South Carolina, Christian was catechized under the benevolent dictatorship of Sister Mary Alphonsus, who frequently admonished him using the nickname "Little Pagan." After four years of teaching Adult Ed and RCIA, he returned to Sr. Alphonsus' old classroom to teach Catechism himself. Married to Janet, the LeBlancs have five children and two grandsons. Christian and Janet belong to St. Mary's Parish in Greenville, South Carolina. Christian also posts at Amazing Catechists and his blog, Smaller Manhattans. He is the author of The Bible Tells Me So: A Year of Catechizing Directly from Scripture.
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