Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making, vol. 1

THE MISSION OF JESUS §12.5
news, and new life. 319 It is just such subtlety in using Scripture which is recalled
as characteristic of Jesus' teaching elsewhere. 320
Third, Matt. 11.5/Luke 7.22 is a remarkable confirmation from the sayings
tradition that Jesus was well known as a successful healer: healings of blind,
lame, and deaf are attributed to him, also restoration to life of people who had
died. We will refer back to this mutual confirmation of narrative and sayings traditions
later on. 321 Here we should note the insertion of an unexpected item in the
Isaiah listings — 'lepers are cleansed'. There is nothing in Isaiah which might
have inspired the inclusion of that item. Nor, it should be observed, is there any
record of leprosy/skin diseases being healed in the records of the earliest
churches. The item can be here only because it was generally believed (by Jesus
too!) that he had also cleansed lepers.
In short, the most obvious explanation for the emergence of this tradition is
that Jesus was remembered as giving just this answer to those who inquired on
behalf of the Baptist. The final verse of the unit, 'Blessed is anyone who takes no
offence at me' (Matt. 11.6/Luke 7.23), might also fall under the same favourable
verdict. 322 For though the formulation no doubt resonated mightily in subsequent
reflection on Jesus as a 'cause of offence', the skandalon in view here has nothing
to do with the offence of the cross. 323 Moreover, the verb (skandalizö, Aramaic
tql) is well attested in the Jesus tradition in a variety of contexts, 324 which
together probably indicate Jesus' awareness of the 'scandalous' character of his
mission (cf. Matt. 11.19a/Luke. 7.34 above). So it should occasion no surprise if
Jesus acknowledged the likelihood of the Baptist taking offence at one of his own
circle striking out on his own and with an emphasis which cut across John's (cf.
John 3.25-26). 325
(2)/(3) The striking feature of sayings 2 and 3 (Matt. 11.7-1 I/Luke 7.24-
28) is the remarkable combination of strong affirmation of the Baptist's role with
319. As so often, Wright brings the passage under the heading of 'return from exile' (Jesus
428-29) and thus obscures the richness and diversity of the prophetic images drawn upon;
see further below, § 12.6b.
320. As recalled, e.g., in the sequence Mark 12.24-27, 28-34, 35-37a pars. Contrast the
Jesus Seminar, which assumes that use of Scripture is a clear sign of Christian apologetic
(Funk, Five Gospels 177-78), as though Jesus could not have made such allusion to Scripture
on his own account, unlike Qumran.
321. See below, §15.7.
322. Cf. Bultmamr. 'What are the signs of the time? He himself! His presence, his
deeds, his message!', citing Matt. 11.5 (Theology 1.7).
323. Cf. particularly 1 Cor. 1.23; Gal. 5.11.
324. Mark 9.43, 45, 47/Matt. 5.30, 29/Matt. 18.8-9; Mark 9.42/Matt. 18.6/Luke 17.2;
Mark 14.27, 29/Matt. 26.31, 33; Matt. 17.27; 24.10; cf. Mark 6.3/Matt. 13.57; Matt. 15.12;
John 6.61.
325. Similarly Meier, Marginal Jew 2.135.
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