becoming

For those of you who are interested in how the New Exodus motif played out in NT and especially in the Pauline letters, Peter Leithart is pointing us to an very interesting paper by his student Lisa Beyeler on Jeremiah’s New Exodus in Galatians.

[link: leithart.com]

Recent studies on the political nature of Jesus’ ministry often begins with the Isaianic New Exodus. Rome is the new Egypt, where as Jesus, the new Moses (or the embodiment of Israel). It is further suggested that the Exodus is the principle story of the OT and as a result, God is a God who liberates. The poor and the oppressed are the ones that the Lord truly cares about, therefore the Ekklesia and Empire are constantly in opposition and competition until the New Heaven and New Earth etc…

Similar to the presupposition of Liberation theology, what fall to the background with such reading are the promise and covenant of God. Before God is a God who liberates, He is a God who keeps His word. Faithfulness precedes Liberation; Love before Justice.

Isn’t it interesting that the Jews decided to begin their story with Creation and not with Exodus? (Yes, I do understand that the Exodus is foundational to them as ONE people of God). The Lord listens to the cries of the Israelites both because they are in misery AND because that they are “my people”.

從埃及召出我兒來

馬太福音2:13-23

馬太所要向我們介紹認識的這個耶穌，正是重踏過去的那一位。以色列是上主的「兒子，我的長子」（出4.22），是被神所召脫離埃及的；現在耶穌，這個真的、忠心的新以色列，神的兒子，是被召重申走過一切以色列所走過，而又曾經失敗的地方。

換句話說，耶穌，是馬太福音中的新以色列。祂來是要成就藉亞伯拉罕和他的一家，成為世上所有人再得福，回到神創造本意的這應許上。

講道錄音：

[audio:sermons/matthew/Matt_2_13-23.mp3]

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延伸閱讀：

1. 要了解耶穌作為新以色列的意義，不能不讀 Peter Leithart 的 Jesus as Israel: The Typological Structure of Matthew’s Gospel。
2. 另外Scot McKnight 近日一系列的 Keys of the Kingdom 的 posts，也很有幫助。