If it has been adequately
established, both historically from the Scriptures and the tradition that they inform
and by which they are informed and with which Jesus would have been familiar,
as well as within the context of the sermon on the mount, that purity of heart
is related to money (treasure) and its use, it is possible to then go on to
discern, based on that understanding, what it might mean to “see God.”
To determine what
this means, it is necessary to look outside the sermon on the mount, realizing
that the sermon of chapters five, six, and seven serve as the foundation of
what is going to be seen and hear from Jesus throughout the remainder of
Matthew’s Gospel. That is a completely understandable and plausible
assertion, as when one read a story that is presented in narrative form, as
Matthew’s presentation of Jesus most certainly is, the reader knows that the
things that are seen and heard and read early in the story will inform an understanding
of what comes later, just as what comes later generally allows a reader to
interpret that which has already been encountered.
With that said, it is
possible to turn to the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew. In the
thirty-first verse of this chapter, Jesus is heard speaking. He says
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the angels with Him, then He
will sit on His glorious throne.” Now it is obvious that Jesus is here
speaking of Himself. Prior to this, Matthew presents Jesus speaking of
Himself as the Son of Man on twenty-three occasions. After this usage,
there will be an additional four, all found in the twenty-sixth chapter, thus
making for a total of twenty-eight self-references by Jesus as the Son of
Man.
When Jesus speaks of
the Son of Man in conjunction with coming in glory, angels, and a throne, He is
making explicit reference to the Son of Man of Daniel chapter seven.
Looking to Daniel, one finds “I was watching in the night visions, And with the
clouds of the sky one like a son of man was approaching. He went up to
the Ancient of Days and was escorted before Him. To Him was given ruling
authority, honor, and sovereignty. All peoples, nations, and language
groups were serving Him. His authority is eternal and will not pass
away. His kingdom will not be destroyed” (7:13-14).
When one hears
reference to the Son of Man, especially at this juncture in Matthew’s work
(though really throughout the entirety of the work), the reference demands to
be heard in the context of and in connection with the kingdom of heaven.
This Son of Man is given rule over all. He rules over the kingdom of the
Creator God, which is an interchangeable term with kingdom of heaven, with both
meaning the same thing (the Creator God’s will being done on earth as in
heaven, through the agency of covenant members). Since it is the Creator God
Himself that is understood to ultimately rule His kingdom, then it is quite
safe to say (though this probably needs far more qualifications and
explanations), that the Son of Man, though not the Ancient of Days, and though He
is not necessarily supposed to be looked to as “God the Father” (to use a Trinitarian
term), is of a piece with the Creator God.
Naturally, as the
Matthean narrative is compiled from a post-Resurrection perspective in which
Jesus is worshiped as the Son of God and the Messiah (the manifestation of the
Creator God in the flesh), the term “Son of Man” is quite naturally and overtly
bestowed with divine attributes. Put simply, if Jesus is understood to be
the manifestation of the Creator God, and if He calls Himself the Son of Man,
then the Son of Man can be understood to be the Creator God.
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