The Calling of the Twelve

I have just finished reading Scot McKnight's chapter in the book 'Key Events in the Life of the Historical Jesus'. McKnight's chapter 'Jesus and the Twelve' is, in my opinion, a re-imaginative look at what the calling of the Twelve disciples really meant. Scot is doing good exegesis and great history.
The heart of this chapter comes with its conclusion:

"Jesus' sending out the Twelve shows little parallel with the expectation of the reunification of the twelve tribes. Instead, the connotations of his choice and sending out of the Twelve show more significant parallels with Qumran leadership, and covenant reestablishment as found in Joshua 4" (McKnight 209)

As having just finished a degree at a fundamentalist dispensationalist school, it is refreshing to hear words like this. The point of the twelve is not to show that Jesus is finally putting Israel back together, but he is starting something 'New' with the 'remnant' he chose. The symbolism of the Twelve is obvious, in that it represents the Twelve tribes of Israel, but it is also clear that the Jesus did not exactly attempt to find each disciple from each different tribe (and he obviously didn't). If this is true, then it is hard to argue for the number twelve being an eschatological number (meaning Israel would finally return from exile). Jesus may have seen the final reunification of the Twelve tribes, but the text seems to tell a different story. The point of the Twelve is to start something new...maybe a 'New Israel'?

McKnight argues that the calling of the Twelve and the Baptism of Christ are both proponents of Joshua 4, and this seems very convincing. According to the gospel, Christ called the Twelve and immediately the next story is Christ at the Jordan river (hint. hint.) Jesus (or the Gospel writers) clearly identified these two acts of calling the Twelve and Baptism as a re-do of the original Joshua story (by the way Jesus and Joshua are the same name...again hint hint). Jesus seems to be re-starting Israel through his life and this is what Scot McKnight seems to be drawing out.

Do you think that Jesus was intentionally creating some kind of 'New Israel' starting with Joshua 4? I would love to hear your comments!

What Exorcisms in the Life of Christ really meant.

As I wrote a few days ago, I am currently reading through the book 'Key Events in the Life of the Historical Jesus' written in collaboration by many scholars and edited by Darrell Bock and Robert Webb. I currently finished the second chapter of the book labeled: Exorcism and the Kingdom. In this chapter Craig Evans makes a very powerful case for Kingdom and its meaning. It is not enough to think that the gospel simply means the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Christ, but it means the reclaimed Kingship of God in the world. Evans writes, "The herald of "good news" has announced the presence and reign of God, which in the language of the later Targum is understood as the revelation of the "kingdom of God" (Evans 155). So for a first century Jew, the good news would not necessarily mean 'salvation', but it would mean that God is finally going to reign as King. In early Jewish thought it was understood that God would be King over Israel and the world, and this is the expectation for a first century Jew.

So what do Exorcisms have to do with the Kingdom of God? Over and over Craig Evans uses Luke 11:20:

"If it is by the finger (hand) of God that I cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you"

Essentially when the messiah begins battling the Kingdom of Satan (through exorcisms, headings, etc) the Kingdom of God has finally arrived. There are obvious implications for this such as the fact that one must admit that Christ did do all the miracles the gospel tells, but also if Christ did indeed performed these wonders, then it must be safe to assume that the Kingdom of God is already 'upon us'.

Evans also discusses aspects of Christ sending of the twelve, and how this sending involved the same type of miracles and Kingdom of Satan combat that he himself was involved in.

So to conclude, the incoming of the Kingdom of God is in all actuality a battle of creation. Satan has staked his claim of creation, and God (through the messiah and the church) is taking this control back. I believe that it is rather obvious that exorcisms and healing no longer occur in the same capacity they did through Christ and the twelve. How today might we participate in this battle against the Kingdom of Satan?