The central scandal of Christianity is the confession that Jesus Christ is a person and an event of such extraordinary character that in him we are assured of the living and saving reality of God: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Mt 16.16). This confession is as scandalous to people of our age as it was to those living in the first century. In our contemporary world, if people think about Jesus at all, there is little difficulty in venerating Jesus according to ideas and ideals that are familiar: as a great teacher; as one who founded a religion; as a moral example; as an opponent of the establishment; as a friend of the oppressed; and so on. In all of this, Jesus is characterized according to categories which are known through history or experience. And in comparison with those categories Jesus is considered as a great if not the greatest human being.
In the New Testament, however, Jesus is confessed as the one who is beyond all comparison. But this confession did not come as an obvious first response to Jesus. In fact, it appears as if some of Jesus' followers did not come to this confession until after his death and resurrection. Prior to those events, Jesus' followers developed opinions of him using categories similar to our contemporary world. That is, they characterized Jesus according to comparisons between him and people they heard about or knew from experience. Thus, some said Jesus belonged to the category of the prophets, an Isaiah type maybe, or even someone as great as John the Baptist (cf. Mt 16.14). That is who people "say that I am".
But that opinion proved to be unacceptable. Why? Because Jesus proved to be different from all experienced categories. His relation to God, his love and compassion, his authority and freedom went beyond all comparisons with other people. The decisive moment of awareness for his followers came at the time of his resurrection. In light of that event, Jesus' followers remembered that they, in fact, never were satisfied with what other people said about him according to the "law of comparison". After the resurrection they knew with certainty that Jesus is in a category that is unique, particular, singular, never known before - or since. And his singularity lies neither in his teaching nor his example, but in his person: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God".
In this confession, Peter identifies Jesus with the "messenger of the covenant" in Malachi 3.1, thus claiming that in Jesus we see the guarantee that God is faithful to God's covenant promises. The title "Christ" in fact means "anointed one", and affirms that Jesus fulfils the Old Testament prophecies pointing to the coming of the messiah. The name "son of God" is equally messianic, and designates Jesus as God's partner and instrument in fulfilling the covenant (cf. Mt 4.3,6; 11.27; Mk 1.11; Lk 1.35; Jn 20.31; Rom 1.3; 8.3f; Gal 4.4; Heb. 1.2).
Perhaps we should pause here to raise a question about the title "son of God". In the long history of Christian faith there has been a great deal of controversy about the time when Jesus' sonship began. Did Jesus become the "son of God" at the time of his exaltation (cf. Acts 2.36), or through the resurrection (Rom 1.3f), or at his baptism (Mk 1.11), or with his conception and birth (Lk 1.35), or before creation (Col 1.16), or was he already Son from eternity (Jn 1.1-17; Rom 8.3; Phil. 2.6; Heb. 1.2f)? This variety in time designations in the New Testament is because all the writers want to maintain two crucial points at the same time: Jesus' sonship is from eternity; and it realizes itself in a history of growth, struggle and obedience. The deity and humanity of Jesus must be held together when we join Peter in confessing, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."
In the New Testament, however, Jesus is confessed as the one who is beyond all comparison. But this confession did not come as an obvious first response to Jesus. In fact, it appears as if some of Jesus' followers did not come to this confession until after his death and resurrection. Prior to those events, Jesus' followers developed opinions of him using categories similar to our contemporary world. That is, they characterized Jesus according to comparisons between him and people they heard about or knew from experience. Thus, some said Jesus belonged to the category of the prophets, an Isaiah type maybe, or even someone as great as John the Baptist (cf. Mt 16.14). That is who people "say that I am".
But that opinion proved to be unacceptable. Why? Because Jesus proved to be different from all experienced categories. His relation to God, his love and compassion, his authority and freedom went beyond all comparisons with other people. The decisive moment of awareness for his followers came at the time of his resurrection. In light of that event, Jesus' followers remembered that they, in fact, never were satisfied with what other people said about him according to the "law of comparison". After the resurrection they knew with certainty that Jesus is in a category that is unique, particular, singular, never known before - or since. And his singularity lies neither in his teaching nor his example, but in his person: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God".
In this confession, Peter identifies Jesus with the "messenger of the covenant" in Malachi 3.1, thus claiming that in Jesus we see the guarantee that God is faithful to God's covenant promises. The title "Christ" in fact means "anointed one", and affirms that Jesus fulfils the Old Testament prophecies pointing to the coming of the messiah. The name "son of God" is equally messianic, and designates Jesus as God's partner and instrument in fulfilling the covenant (cf. Mt 4.3,6; 11.27; Mk 1.11; Lk 1.35; Jn 20.31; Rom 1.3; 8.3f; Gal 4.4; Heb. 1.2).
Perhaps we should pause here to raise a question about the title "son of God". In the long history of Christian faith there has been a great deal of controversy about the time when Jesus' sonship began. Did Jesus become the "son of God" at the time of his exaltation (cf. Acts 2.36), or through the resurrection (Rom 1.3f), or at his baptism (Mk 1.11), or with his conception and birth (Lk 1.35), or before creation (Col 1.16), or was he already Son from eternity (Jn 1.1-17; Rom 8.3; Phil. 2.6; Heb. 1.2f)? This variety in time designations in the New Testament is because all the writers want to maintain two crucial points at the same time: Jesus' sonship is from eternity; and it realizes itself in a history of growth, struggle and obedience. The deity and humanity of Jesus must be held together when we join Peter in confessing, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."
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