Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making, vol. 1

THE MISSION OF JESUS §13.3
13.3. To Israel
To whom was the call directed? To the people as a whole, to groups, to individuals,
to individuals as Israelites, or what? We have already noted some distinction
between a call to repentance and trust broadcast more widely and a call to discipleship
directed to particular individuals, though the talk of 'following' Jesus
made the distinction somewhat less clear. 78 But greater clarity is possible when
we take seriously the recent recognition that Jesus entertained some hope for the
restoration of Israel and directed his mission, in at least some measure, to that
end. 79
a. The Call to Return
If it is indeed the case that behind the Greek metanoeo is the Hebrew sub
(§ 13.2a), then it should not escape notice that the call to 'repent' was a call to 'return'
. This was a frequent appeal in the prophets, 80 including but by no means
only the return necessary if the scattered of Israel were to be restored to the
land. 81 Particularly poignant was the repeated call of Jeremiah 3: 'return, apostate
Israel', 'return, apostate sons' (3.12, 14, 22). 82 In all cases the appeal was to
Israel as a whole, to the covenant people failing as a whole to keep covenant with
their God, though we should also note Ps. 22.27: 'All the ends of the earth shall
remember and turn to the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship
before you/him'. Similarly, the call to 'trust' (§ 13.2b) has covenantal overtones:
to rely on Yahweh, on his commitment to his people. 83 The covenantal implications
are evident in all the biblical passages cited above (n. 62) and Deut. 32.20,
though, as with Ps. 22.27, we should again note the reminder to Israel that other
nations could also trust in Israel's God (Jonah 3.5). We may conclude confidently,
then, that any call of Jesus to 'repent and believe' would have been heard
by his hearers as a reiteration of the prophetic call to the people of Israel to return
to their God and to trust him afresh.
78. The same issue has been highlighted by Hengel, Charismatic Leader 59-63, and
Sanders, Jesus 222-27.
79. See above, chapter 12 nn. 34, 35.
80. Isa. 44.22; 55.7; Ezek. 18.30; Hos. 3.5; 6.1; 14.2; Joel 2.12-13; Zech. 1.3; Mai. 3.7.
But note again the enigmatic Isa. 6.10: '... lest... they turn and be healed' (see above, §13.1).
81. Deut. 30.2-5, 10; Jer. 24.5-7. Wright again focuses the motif too narrowly on return
from exile (Jesus 246-58).
82. Jer. 3.12: subä rrfsuba yisra'el (literally 'turn back, turned-away Israel'); 3.14, 22:
subu banim subabim (literally 'turn back, turned-away sons').
83. Cf. Wright, Jesus 258-64; McKnight, New Vision 164-66.
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