1) An Introduction to The Jewish Narrative of Redemptive History - Part 1
Introduction
In a previous lesson, we looked at the Jewish redemptive narrative related to understanding the context within the Bible. In this lesson and subsequent posts, we will dive deeper into this Jewish redemptive narrative by discussing five redemptive categories. In future modules, these five redemptive categories and their events will be explored in more detail. For now, we will just focus on an overview of the redemptive categories. I curated this lesson using content from John Harrigan’s book, The Gospel of Christ Crucified: A Theology of Suffering before Glory.
Importance of a Solid Foundation
As a disciple of Jesus, and especially true for a new disciple, you must start reading scripture based on a solid foundation. This entails sufficient background knowledge about language, history, and context. Reviewing all the things we discussed in Module One will help lay a good foundation. I often hear about new believers being given a Bible and told to start reading in the New Testament with one of the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. Without proper context and foundational understanding, this advice opens up many doors for interpretation. My approach to laying a good foundation in New Testament studies starts with focusing on the historical context in Second Temple Judaism.
Modern Christianity Comes from Second Temple Judaism
Modern-day Christianity was birthed out of first-century Second Temple Judaism. The early followers of Jesus were Jewish men and women who practiced Judaism and chose to follow Jesus, a fellow Jew who also practiced Judaism. As a disciple of Jesus, your Master was a Jewish rabbi named the Son of the God of Israel and Messiah to the Jewish people. You must understand that what Jesus and his disciples were doing was not trying to start a new religion called Christianity. They practiced a sect of Judaism centered around the belief that Jesus was the chosen Messiah of Israel. As further study will reveal, not all Jews believed that Jesus was the Messiah, and this is why early followers of Jesus represented a sect within greater Judaism.
To properly read and interpret scripture, we must realize that Jesus, the disciples, and the subsequent apostles all had pre-existing narratives and understandings of Judaism in their day, and the hopes and expectations of what the future holds heavily influenced their writings and interpretation of the events that were going on around them. Understanding how most Jews in the first century viewed life and existence is paramount for interpreting the New Testament. Thus, the general trend over the last century within biblical studies has been to increasingly read Jesus and the apostles within their first-century Jewish context. Distanced by time and culture, we are at the added disadvantage of speculating about many of the concepts discussed within the New Testament.
Identifying the Jewish Worldview
To lay a proper foundation of understanding in the New Testament, we must identify the Jewish worldview within it. How did most Jews in the first century understand God, humanity, and redemptive history? What was God's mission within that first-century worldview? Furthermore, how did the particular novelties of Paul's writings (especially concerning the cross, the Holy Spirit, and the Gentiles) fit into that picture? Finally, how did Paul disciple his Gentile congregations concerning that worldview? How, then, did Paul understand God's mission to the nations?
The Jewish Narrative constitutes a Jewish worldview. How did the Jews in the first century see the world? What was their understanding of history up to that point, and where was it heading? Further, how did all the significant events within their scriptures factor into the greater narrative up to that point? How did the death and resurrection of Jesus play into that greater narrative and understanding?
The Apostolic Witness of the New Testament and the Five Redemptive Categories
When Jesus commissioned the apostles to be his "witnesses," he asked them to testify to specific truths. We often think these truths are only related to the cross and the death of Jesus, but the Bible reveals that it was much more than that. The apostles sought to testify faithfully to the acts of God throughout redemptive history. The Bible is not just a story of random events throughout history. It tells a very linear story; each part is integral to the overall narrative.
As part of their witness, the apostles communicated a simple, linear view of history that begins with creation. It then recognizes the Jewish election and the covenants God made with Israel. The apostolic witness recognizes expectations for the future and how the covenants and the promises therein will be delivered by God. Further, their witness includes the present realities they experienced in the first century, specifically, the atoning implications of the cross and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Their witness also included their expectations for the future, namely, the day of the Lord.
In his book, The Gospel of Christ Crucified, John Harrigan has placed these sections or elements of the apostolic witness into five redemptive categories: creational, covenantal, sacrificial, charismatic, and apocalyptic. From start to finish, this comprehensive view of redemptive history compromises the complete gospel message and characterizes the apostolic witness.
This study aims to lay a solid foundation that imparts a concise, comprehensive explanation of the gospel message. Unlike the simple message preached in many churches today, "Jesus died for your sins so you can go to heaven when you die," there is much more to the redemptive narrative that you must understand if you are to understand and see the death of Jesus in its proper context. For this reason, we will outline redemptive history as a whole and focus on the five major redemptive categories: creational, covenantal, sacrificial, charismatic, and apocalyptic.
In the next few posts, we will overview each of the five major redemptive categories. In future modules, the events and topics related to each of these categories will be explored.