Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making, vol. 1

THE MISSION OF JESUS §14.9
strong impression left by Jesus on his disciples in regard to what he expected
from them.
a. His message of the kingdom oriented discipleship firmly by reference to
God, God as both king and Father. Life was to be lived out of reverence for, fear
before, trust in, and whole-hearted love for God. The generosity of God as Creator
in bountiful provision, as the Lord who forgives unpayable debts, and as the
Father who responds unfailingly to his children was also to be the pattern for Jesus'
disciples. To give God first place would require a reorientation of any ambitions
for social advance and wealth accumulation, a willingness to endure rejection
and suffering, and, for some at least, disruption and renunciation of family
life. In all this the eschatological note (chapter 12 above), while not always
clearly evident, can usually be assumed as a reverberating echo-chamber in
which the teaching was first heard. There are no real grounds for playing off
'sapiential' against 'eschatological' as motives for Jesus' ethical teaching. 294 The
Creator is also the king, and the coming kingdom is always there as an integral
presupposition. It would be merely playing games to oppose the 'first' of Matt.
6.33 ('Seek first the kingdom of God') to the 'first' (and 'second') of the love
command(s) in Mark 12.28-31.
b. Jesus' message was directed to Israel. He called, as the prophets of old
called, for his people to return to their Lord, but now, in view of the kingdom to
come. The social values he preached were those long ago laid down in Torah and
urged by prophet, particularly God's priority for the poor. 295 But he also protested
against those whose claim to righteousness was divisive and dismissive of
those who interpreted Torah righteousness in different terms. Characteristic of
his fellowship was its openness to those normally regarded as unsuitable table
companions. Not that he had much realistic hope of his message winning a widespread
hearing. But neither did he speak in terms of a remnant, erect boundaries
round his group, or turn his back on Israel, despite repeated frustration. His call
was rather for his followers to be Israel, to live as Israel should before God.
c. The evidence gives little support for any suggestion that Jesus set out to
renew local community 296 or to rebuild peasant community. 297 His teaching
294. Cf. Schräge, Ethics 30-37.
295. There are Cynic parallels, some close (chapter 13 n. 148; as elsewhere chapter 14
nn. 50, 195, 199), but they are better seen as parallel responses to equivalent situations in the
Greco-Roman world rather than lines of influence. The Jewishness of Jesus is as clear here as
anywhere.
296. Horsley, Jesus chs. 8-9 (above, §4.6b), though he is justified in characterizing Jesus'
strategy in terms more of local community than of Theissen's wandering charismatics
(228-40); similarly Herzog, Jesus 208-16.
297. Crossan, Historical Jesus 344; Birth 330-31; Crossan and Reed, Excavating Jesus
126.
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