Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making, vol. 1

§12.4 The Kingdom of God
the near future. 179 There will be a reversal of status: those who expect high recognition
will be disappointed and those held in low esteem will be shown to be
highly esteemed by God. 180 The motif is by no means uniform. Nor is there
much indication that this reversal might/will take place very soon; in these cases
the future kingdom could well be conceived as a post-mortem state. 181 At the
least, however, some final turning-of-the-tables is presumably in view, whether
near or distant, whether at an individual or universal level. At all events, where
we find such a consistent emphasis within the Jesus tradition we can scarcely
doubt that it was an emphasis in Jesus' own preaching, leaving as it has such a
mark in the tradition. 182
d. Expectations of Suffering
The various strands of the reversal theme are evident apart from the theme itself.
First the expectation of suffering. As we have already seen (§ 12.4b), the Lord's
Prayer included a petition to escape the peirasmos (Matt. 6.13a/Luke 11.4b).
And the final beatitude (Matt. 5.11-12/Luke 6.22-23) certainly assumes that disciples
of Jesus should expect suffering. The latter was no doubt much pondered
on and reused (as the many textual variants also indicate) and the divergent forms
of the Matthean and Lukan forms probably reflect various situations of persecution
in the early churches. 183 But Matthew's retention of the 'you' form (also
Thomas) and the likelihood that Jesus knew well the tradition of prophet rejection
and persecution (the Baptist had been executed) 184 strengthen the likelihood
that he foresaw rejection and persecution for his disciples and uttered a blessing
on them in anticipation.
These are part of a more widespread motif, which has provided a basic element
for Mark's 'little apocalypse' (Mark 13.1-37) and Matthew's mission instructions
(Matt. 10.16-39). The traditions drawn on in both have almost certainly
179. 'One does not envision a twelve-tribe "Israel" without the conviction that something
stupendous is imminent' (Keck, Who Is Jesus? 51).
180. See also Allison, Jesus of Nazareth 131-34.
181. So Matthew seems to assume: following the final judgment, 'the righteous will
shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father' (Matt. 13.43).
182. Keck observes that the theme of 'eschatological reversal' 'shows just how far offbase
is the portrayal of Jesus as a Cynic' since a life of poverty was a Cynic desideratum in itself
(Who Is Jesus? 80).
183. See particularly Betz, Sermon on the Mount 147-53.
184. 2 Chron. 24.19; 36.15-16; Neh. 9.26; Jub. 1.12; 4Q166 (= 4QpHos a ) 2.3-5; Mart,
ha. 5; Liv. Pro.; Mark 12.2-5 pars.; Matt. 23.37/Luke 13.34; Matt. 23.29-31, 34-35/Luke
11.47-51; Luke 13.33. See again Steck, Israel und das gewaltsame Geschick der Propheten.
All