Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Letter To Laodicea (part 46)

Though this messianic banquet, as presented by Isaiah, is clearly intended to be for all peoples, by Jesus’ day, it’s all-encompassing promise had been dramatically narrowed through national exclusion.  Though Isaiah had cast a broad vision, centuries of conflict with the surrounding nations were the source of the exclusive attitudes that were being attached to the messianic banquet.  Though there were conflicts with the people of the promised land from the days of Abraham on, the substantial ordeals of the people began with the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel in 722BC by the Assyrians.  This was followed by the devastation of the southern kingdom of Judah in 586BC, the rather brutal program of hellenization that had been introduced into Judaea by Antiochus Epiphanes in 165BC, and the crushing oppression of Rome which began 64BC.  This consistent conflict and resulting oppressions would create the prevalent first century situation in which Isaiah’s vision was drastically narrowed and re-interpreted. 

Writings that are roughly contemporary with Jesus give us a glimpse into the narrowing and exclusion that was taking place surrounding entrance into the messianic banquet.  One such documents records that “No man, defiled by any impurities of a man, shall enter the assembly of these; and no-one who is defiled by these should be established in his office amongst the congregation: everyone who is defiled in his flesh, paralyzed in his feet or in his hands, lame, blind, deaf, dumb, or defiled in his flesh with a blemish visible to the eyes, or the tottering old man who cannot keep upright in the midst of the assembly; these shall not enter to take their place among the congregation of the men of renown for the angels of holiness are among their congregation” (1 QSa 2:3-9).  As we think about this statement in terms of what it means for the early church and the church at Laodicea, we are also forced to recount Jesus’ first words in Luke that are uttered in support of His mission as Israel’s Messiah, in which He speaks of the poor, the captives, the blind, and the oppressed (4:18).  More to the point, there are the words that Jesus spoke at this meal (with Luke having provided the messianic banquet contextual structuring), immediately after offering His advice to the His host as to who he should or should not invite.  Jesus says, “when you host an elaborate meal, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind” (14:13).  Jesus might as well have added “tax collectors, sinners, and Gentiles” into this list, which would cause it to stand in even starker contrast to that which was in the air in His day. 

Other sentiments that were in existence are expressed by statements such as “And then the messiah of Israel shall come and the chiefs of the clans of Israel shall sit before him, each in the order of his dignity, according to his place in their camps and marches” (1 QSa 2:11-22).  Reading this within the context of the choosing of seats provides us with additional insights, while it demonstrates the narrowing and excluding from the covenant that was taking place.  A Targum translation of Isaiah goes even further, as it not only limits the messianic banquet to national Israel alone, but turns the feast into a terror.  We read: “the Lord of hosts will make for all the peoples in this mountain a meal.  And although they supposed it is an honor, it will be a shame for them and great plagues, plagues from which they will be unable to escape, plagues whereby they will come to their end.”  Needless to say, by the first century, Isaiah’s glorious vision of an eschatological world-encompassing feast had been restricted to those that could be defined and identified as the faithful among national, ethnic Israel.  Whereas Isaiah envisioned the invitation of all peoples, which would naturally included Gentiles, the Gentile invitation, owing to the constant conflicts with oppressive regimes, had been reduced to nothing more than a divine subterfuge that would lead to an end-times massacre.      

After re-opening the messianic table, and thereby the kingdom of God, Jesus then adds “Then you will be blessed” (14:14a).  The use of “blessed” gives the statement inescapable Abrahamic covenant connotations, especially with the recent mention of Abraham (and Isaac and Jacob) in the thirteenth chapter.  This also reinforces the “all peoples” conception that was the thrust of the original covenant.  Jesus follows up the insistence upon blessedness, saying “because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous” (14:14b).  The resurrection of the righteous, of course, was the eschatological hope of God’s people; and it was understood that this is what would accompany the presence of the kingdom of God, which would be marked by Isaiah’s messianic banquet and the elimination of death.  

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