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INTRODUCTION
Mention the end-times, the rapture, or apocalypse and watch peoples ears perk up
immediately. Whether it is Tim Lahayes rapture theology or the 2012
1
craze, every generation
loves discussions about the end of the world. In the midst of all of these ideas, where do Jesus
teachings land on the wide spectrum of possibilities? It is the thesis of this paper that Jesus
teachings on eschatology
2
display a post-millennial
3
tendency that is thoroughly affected by his
view of Isaiah 53. To prove this thesis a brief overview of eschatology will be presented
followed by an examination of the Kingdom motif in Jesus teachings. Following this
examination will be a careful exegesis of three of Jesus parables with particular emphasis on the
theological and eschatological meanings of them. Finally, a look into how Jesus seemed to have
read Isaiah 53 and how it influenced his view of his vocation and the Kingdom in general will
suffice to conclude this study.
ESCHATOLOGY
The Christian term for the doctrine of end-times is eschatology. This word comes from
the greek ro,o:o (last) and means the study of last things. The term eschatology is tricky for
multiple reasons. The first is that most Westerners view eschatology as the end of the space-time
continuum while it is more correct to see eschatology as the expectation for a new state or age.
This will be discussed further below. Another is that it is a relatively new term that was coined
The Kingdom, Isaiah 53, and Jesus Teachings on Eschatology 1
1
"21.12.2012 Prophecy End of time End of the world." 21.12.2012 Prophecy End of time End of the
world. 1 Oct. 2008 <http://www.endoftime2012.com>.
2
Further discussion of this term, including a history and denition, to be provided below.
3
By post-millennial I intend to connote a non-literal millennium and the expectation that the Kingdom will
gradually grow until fruition. However, I use this word in somewhat disassociation with normal use.
Further explanation below.
around the late 1700s.
4
Another reason is that the word eschatology is currently an umbrella
term for many different doctrines including: heaven and hell, the final resurrection of the dead,
the renewal of creation, the last judgement, and the establishment of the kingdom of God.
5

Granted that the term eschatology was not in play during the time of Jesus ministry, it is still
apparent to most scholars that Jesus teachings and ministry itself were highly eschatological.
6

The question of how Jesus and his contemporaries viewed eschatology is of vital importance
before a study of his particular teachings on it can begin. In order to understand how Jesus
viewed eschatology, it is imperative that one understands the historical-sociological background
from which Jesus emerges. Jesus was a first century Jew who lived and operated within second-
temple Judaism, and any attempt to understand his motives or teaching must begin with a correct
understanding of that particular frame of reference.
At the core of second-temple Judaism stood two doctrines: monotheism and election.
7

These two doctrines together birthed what is known as second-temple Jewish eschatology.
Monotheism is the belief that there is one God and that all other gods are idols. Jewish texts
abound in support of this belief. For example, Deuteronomy 4:39 states, Know therefore today,
and lay it to your heart, that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is
no other.
8
Likewise Malachi 2:10 states, Do we not all have one father? Did not one God
create us? Isaiah 45:6 declares, That people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the
4
Arland J. Hultgren. Eschatology in the New Testament: The Current Debate, in The Last Things:
Biblical and Theological Perspectives on Escatology, Carl. E. Braaten and Robert W. Jenson, eds.
(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002), 68.
5
Benedict T. Viviano. Eschatology and the Quest for the Historical Jesus, in The Oxford Handbook of
Eschatology, Jerry L. Walls, ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, USA, 2007), 74.
6
Among whom are Johannes Weiss, Albert Schweitzer, C.H. Dodd, Joachim Jeremias, Oscar Cullmann,
E.P. Sanders, and N.T. Wright, among others.
7
N. T. Wright. The New Testament and the People of God (Christian Origins and the Question of God).
(Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 1992), 247.
8
All scripture quotations are presented in the English Standard Version (ESV) unless stated otherwise.
west, that there is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other. Various scholars
have made the case that Judaism originally began as a monolatristic religion- meaning that early
Yahwists did not hold to a firmly defined doctrine of one real God, only one God above all other
gods.
9
Regardless of the validity of said studies, it is clear that by the first century most Jews
held onto a firm belief in monotheism. Jewish monotheism was not an abstract theological
theory about the ontological nature of YHWH, but rather was a radical affirmation that their God
was the only true God and all others were false and worthless. In a sense it was a very political,
and sometimes violent, declaration that all other gods were mere figments of human imagination
and were completely powerless.
10
The other central doctrine of second-temple Judaism was the doctrine of election. The
Jews held that as descendants of Abraham they were Gods chosen people, a holy nation called
out from among the world. This finds its roots all the way back in Genesis 12:2 when God tells
Abraham, I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so
that you will be a blessing. Likewise Deuteronomy 7:6 states that, You are a people holy to
the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured
possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It is important to note the
final part of the Genesis call to Abraham- so that you will be a blessing. The Jews believed
that their call as Gods chosen people was a central part of Gods plan to overcome the sin and
death that was imposed on creation in Genesis 3 and that whatever happened to Israel was of
cosmic importance.
9
C.f. Julius Wellhausens work.
10
Wright, New Testament and The People of God, p 248.
Second-temple Judaism saw the Jews returned home from exile in Babylon but still under
Roman oppression. Obviously a state of political servitude and cultural domination
11
is not fit
for Gods chosen people! The Jews earnestly expected that God would act within history to
vindicate his chosen people and put everything to rights. Monotheism and election give rise to
the doctrine of eschatology, or the expectation that history is going somewhere and that God will
soon act decisively.
12
Jesus firmly stood and operated within this understanding of hope and
expectation from YHWH.
Jesus began his public ministry and teachings in Galilee proclaiming that the time is
fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.
13
Jesus
language for eschatology was n 0ooiirio :o 0ro. Kingdom of God, as N.T. Wright
states, was simply a Jewish way of talking about Israels God becoming king. And when this
God becomes king, the whole world, the world of space and time, would at last be put to
rights.
I4
If it is true that there is one God and that this one God has called out a people to bless
all the nations, then the eager expectation by his people would be the anticipation of his reign
being inaugurated. It is this hope and worldview that Jesus spoke of and challenged at the same
time. Jesus saw eschatology through a Kingdom-lens. As Joseph Blair states, The king and
his kingdom, Jesus and his rule, is the event of the New Testament, the eschatological event.
15
Granted that Jesus was a first century Jew who saw eschatology in terms of the Kingdom
of God, and furthermore, believed that through his work and ministry the kingdom was being
11
Marcus J. Borg and N.T. Wright. The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions. (New York: Harperone, 2007), 32.
12
Wright, New Testament and the People of God, pg 247.
13
Mark 1:15
14
N. T. Wright. Jesus and the Victory of God (Christian Origins and the Question of God, Volume 2).
(Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 1996), 203.
15
Joseph Blair. The Gospels, Acts, and the Kingdom. (Unpublished Manuscript), 27.
inaugurated, how did he speak and teach about the Kingdom? More specifically, what were his
teachings on what shape the Kingdom would take and how it would arrive at its fullness?
THE KINGDOM
Jesus characteristically taught in parables and this style of teaching was extremely
unique.
16
In fact, if the Gospels are a good indication it seems that Jesus taught most of his
lessons in parables. It is no surprise then that to find Jesus teachings on eschatology the
parables of the Kingdom must be studied. Parables are stories developed to prove a point or to
communicate an idea or teaching. There are many different types and purposes of Jesus
parables. Some parables intend to teach the value of the Kingdom of God,
17
while some offer a
defense to Jesus ministry of associating with tax collectors and sinners.
18
The three parables
dealt with in this brief study concern the manner of the coming of the Kingdom- that is, in what
way it will come about. Generally when Jesus teachings on the eschatological coming of the
Kingdom are studied, Mark 13 and its parallels in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 are the focus of the
study. While these passages are highly eschatological, they are grossly misinterpreted when
applied to the second coming of Christ and some sort of cosmic tribulation. Instead, these
passages should be read as a prediction of the fall of the Temple- a prediction that came true in
70 A.D.
19
The reasons for this are manyfold and it is not possible to set them out in this context.
However if one wishes to read the Gospels with any historical credibility this viewpoint seems
unavoidable.
20
The three parables to be examined now have something to say about the manner
of how the Kingdom would come and the means by which it would be inaugurated.
16
Joachim Jeremias. The Parables of Jesus. (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1954), 12.
17
Mathew 13:44-46
18
Most notably the three parables found in Luke 15.
19
Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God, pg 343.
20
Refer to the above mentioned work by N.T. Wright, particularly Part II Chapter 8 section 4.
The first parable to look at is found in Mark 4:26-29 and has no other parallels in
Matthew or Luke. Here is the greek text:
Koi rirvrv o:c ro:iv n 0ooiirio :o 0ro c ov0ocro 0oin :ov orooov rri :n vn xoi
xo0ron xoi rvrion:oi vx:o xoi nroov. xoi o orooo 0ioo:o xoi nxvn:oi c ox oiorv
o:o.o:oo:n n vn xoorooori. roc:ov ,oo:ov ri:o o:o,v ri:o rinon|] oi:ov rv :c
o:o,i. o:ov or roooooi o xooro. r0 oroo:riiri :o oorrovov. o:i rooro:nxrv o
0roioo.
While this parable has no corollaries in the other synoptic gospels, a fragment of it is found in
the gospel of Thomas from the Nag Hammadi library (saying 21d). This greatly increases the
historical credibility of the saying. The context found in the Thomas document is of Mary asking
Jesus what his disciples are like. Immediately before that (saying 20), the disciples ask Jesus
what the Kingdom is like. In the Markan passage, Jesus is teaching the crowds from a boat in the
lake and the parable is put after the parable of the sower, the sayings about a lamp and its stand
and before .the parable of the mustard seed.
Commentators on this parable of the growing seed have suggested that this parable
deals with spiritual growth and the development of ones relationship with God. However, as we
have seen, the phrase Kingdom of God is highly eschatological and any attempt to spiritualize
it or separate it from its historical-sociological Jewish expectations does the text great damage.
The parable seems to be about the manner in which the Kingdom of God is inaugurated. The
story goes like this: A man scatters seed on the ground, the seed sprouts and progressively grows
until it is a full plant, and the man puts the sickle to it to harvest. The reference to the sickle and
the harvest seems to be a clear echo of the final eschatological judgement described in Joel
3:12-13. Thus, the parable begins and ends with highly charged eschatological phrases. In this
parable Jesus teaches that through his work and ministry the Kingdom is being inaugurated and
that the seed that he is sowing will grow and grow until its consummation.
21
This seems to
imply an almost evolutionary pattern for the inauguration of the Kingdom of God. David
Wenham is correct in noting that the parable places an intense amount of focus on the process of
growth of the Kingdom, but he is mistaken to so quickly discount the idea that this is in fact
what Jesus intended by the parable.
22
Citing human experience as a reason why this cannot be is
ontologically debatable, highly subjective, and, in the end, poor exegesis. Perhaps of importance
to the understanding of this parable is the one presented directly after it in the Gospel of Mark.
It is found in Mark 4:30-32 with parallels in Matthew 13:31-32, Luke 13:18-19, and
Thomas 20. Here is the Greek text from the gospel of Mark:
Koi rirvrv rc ooicocrv :nv 0ooiiriov :o 0ro n rv :ivi o:nv rooo0oin 0crv. c xo
xxc oivorrc. o o:ov oroon rri :n vn. ixoo:roov ov rov:cv :cv orroo:cv :cv rri
:n vn. xoi o:ov oroon. ovo0oivri xoi vivr:oi riov rov:cv :cv io,ovcv xoi roiri
xiooo rvoio. co:r ovoo0oi ro :nv oxiov o:o ta peteina touv oujranouv
kataskhnouvn.
The Matthian and Markan texts are remarkably similar while Lukes and Thomas versions of
this parable is briefer. The main difference is that Matthew and Mark include explanatory phrases
about the smallness of the seed and the largeness of the full-grown tree. Matthew substitutes the
phrase kingdom of heaven for kingdom of God though the phrases are synonymous.
23
As
mentioned, this parable is presented to the reader in Mark directly after the parable of the seed
growing secretly while Jesus was teaching from the boat. Perhaps Mark expects this parable to
expand on the idea taught in the previous parable. In Matthew, the parable is presented directly
after the parable of the sower, its explanation, and the parable of the weeds. The context in
Matthew has Jesus speaking to the crowds from a boat in the lake, presumably the same event
21
Jeremias, Parables of Jesus, pg 151-152.
22
David Wenham. Parables of Jesus. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1989), 52.
23
Robert H. Stein. The Method and Message of Jesus Teachings. (Philadelphia: The Westminister Press,
1977), 62.
that Mark describes. In Luke Jesus is teaching in the synagogues as he puts forth this parable.
This change in scenery is not particularly a problem since Jesus had an itinerant ministry and
probably taught this parable often.
Jesus starts off the parable by asking a question- with what can we compare the Kingdom
of God? To continue to beat a dead horse: this is an extremely eschatological question. The
crowds would have known very well the meta-narrative and expectations brought forth by the
use of this phrase. Jesus uses this question to spark their interest and capture their attention. He
then says that the Kingdom is like a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds on earth, but when
sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants with branches so large the birds
of the air make nests in its shade. The mustard seed referred to is the brassica nigra of the
extremely valuable black mustard.
24
It is remarkably tiny- approximately a millimeter in
diameter. From this humble start, the mustard plant grows up to anywhere between six and
twelve feet, becoming sturdy enough for birds to come and perch and make nests. The reference
to a tree in the Matthew and Mark accounts stirs echoes of other kingdoms that were described as
trees in the Hebrew scriptures: Ezekiel 17:22-23; 31:1-14 and Daniel 4:11-12. J. Jeremias also
points out that the form kataskhnouvn is a technical eschatological term for the incorporation
of the Gentiles into the people of God.
25
Just as the parable of the seed growing secretly, this
parable is bracketed by eschatological phrases.
This parable serves to teach two points, both of them intertwined and connected. The first
is that the seemingly small start of Jesus ministry was indeed the Kingdom of God being
inaugurated. This point- that the Kingdom starts out small- serves to answer Jesus doubters who
24
Wenham, Parables of Jesus, pg 53.
25
Jermias, Parables of Jesus, pg 147.
were expecting an all-embracing and powerful revolution. However, a point rising out of the
first lesson is that while the Kingdom starts small it grows gradually into a flourishing tree. It
teaches that the Kingdom will gradually grow until it reaches maturity. Some note that in the
context of the parables the presence of the birds should be seen as a negative addition to the
scene.
26
Typically, attracting birds to a garden is a bad thing, as the birds eat up all the seed and
hinder growth. With this in mind, many attribute the parable to teaching the growth of the
Kingdom along with the growth of corruption, evil, or false teachers. This interpretation reads
too much into the parable of the mustard seed which serves, like all parables, to communicate
one main point.
27
The intended point is that the Kingdom is present in Jesus ministry and will
grow until its consummation.
The third and final parable to be considered is found directly after the parable of the
mustard seed in Matthew and Luke, with a version of it found in Thomas 96. Here is the Greek
text from Matthew 13:33:
Aiinv rooo0oinv rioinorv o:oi ooio ro:iv n 0ooiirio :cv ooovcv n. nv io0ooo
vvn rvrxovrv ri oiroo oo:o :oio rc o rc0n oiov.
This parable is the second of a pair,
28
reminiscent of the treasure and pearl pair or the lost
sheep and coin pair, and it is presented in the same order in both Matthew and Luke. It is
interesting that in both scenes (Matthew with the crowd and Luke at the synagogue) the parables
are found together and in the same order. This is either a reflection noticeable for source critics
or an indication that Jesus taught with these two parables together often.
26
KJV Study Bible. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2002); Larry Gerndt. "Emerging Truths - Two
Little Parables." Emerging Truths. http://www.emergingtruths.com/two_little_parables/
two_little_parables.html (accessed Sep. 20, 2008).
27
Stein, The Method and Message of Jesus Teachings, pg. 51
28
Jeremias, Parables of Jesus, pg 90.
The analogy is fairly simple and would have been understood by all present. A woman
took some leaven, or yeast, and hid it in three satas of flour until the whole batch of dough was
leavened. A couple remarkable things stand out in this parable. The first is that three satas of
flour is roughly fifty pounds and could feed around 100 people- much more than a common
meal.
29
However, it is likely that Jesus takes this particular measurement from the story in
Genesis 18:6. In the story, Abraham and Sarah entertain three angels at the Oaks of Mamre and
bake and Sarah bakes this amount of bread for them. The second significant thing that stands out
in the parable is the use of leaven for the analogy. Leaven was a symbol for corruption or sin in
Jewish imagery and even in Jesus own teachings
30
. It seems likely that comparing Gods
kingdom to a little leaven would be shocking and possibly even offensive to many of the Jews
listening. Because of this many have argued that the parable has a negative connotation and
represents false doctrine or evil being mixed in with the Kingdom of God. This seems to stretch
the meaning of the parable- the simple truth that something that starts out small can have an
abundant yield in due time. The teaching is that the eschatological breaking in of the new age of
God is a movement that starts out small but over time comes to permeates everything.
An honest reading of these three parables strongly suggests that Jesus saw the Kingdom as
a movement that would start out small in his own ministry and gradually grow until it reached its
culmination. As C.H. Dodd said, The predominant interpretation of these parables makes them
refer to the future history of the Kingdom of God in the world.
31
This is a view that is
sometimes labeled post-millennialism or even opti-millennialism.
32
The millennial part
29
Wenham, Parables of Jesus, pg 56.
30
c.f. Matthew 16:6-12
31
C. H. Dodd. The Parables of the Kingdom. (London: Nisbet & Co. Ltd., 1952), 175.
32
Opti-millennialism is a reference to the apparent optimism present in a post-mill theology.
of the label must be assumed to be non-literal, as such language is foreign to Jesus.
33
However,
it seems apparent that there was an eschatological wrinkle to Jesus understanding of the
Kingdom, particularly as it relates to his own vocation. To this, the study now turns.
ISAIAH 53
If Jesus did in fact believe that through his work and life the eschatological Kingdom of
God was breaking into the world, the question of how he saw his death, if at all, must be tackled.
Did Jesus expect to die in Jerusalem? Was this some strange twist to his Messianic vocation in
which the victory of God was accomplished? Or was this the failed end to a hopeful Messianic-
kingdom movement much like that of Simeon ben-Kishoba in 132 A.D.? It is a sub-thesis of this
paper that Jesus expected his death upon arrival at Jerusalem and further saw his death as the
eschatological-Kingdom event that for so long had been the hope of Israel. To arrive at this
conclusion it will be shown that Jesus interpreted his own vocation, and indeed the Kingdom,
through the lens of Isaiah 53 (and surrounding texts). It will be assumed in this study that the
Gospels present accurate historical representations of Jesus teachings and life.
The fourth servant song of Isaiah begins in 52:13 and continues through chapter 53. The
last of the four songs of the Suffering Servant, it wraps up the story of the Suffering Servant- a
story about suffering and divine vindication. A story about Gods justice being brought into
reality through the vicarious suffering of the elect. Interpretations vary as to how the servant was
viewed historically, but the traditional Jewish interpretation is that the servant is the nation of
Israel.
34
Other interpretations have been put forth including Zerubbabel, Jehoiachin, or even
33
The millennial part of the classic labels are derived from the Apocalypse of Johns declaration of the
millennium of the Messiah.
34
Hans-Jurgen Hermission. The Fourth Servant Song in the Context of Second Isaiah. in The Suffering
Servant: Isaiah 53 in Jewish and Christian Sources, eds. Bernard Janowski and Peter Stuhlmacher,
16-47. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 2004), 16.
Isaiah himself.
35
As J. Jeramias points out, the Servant Songs must not be taken into account
apart from the rest of Isaiah.
36
Before it is seen how Jesus interpreted Isaiah, it will be useful to
survey how Isaiah was interpreted before the Christian period. To do this a look at its impact
upon Daniel and an Isaiah scroll from Qumran will be undertaken.
The book of Daniel originates approximately 150 years after the formation of Isaiah and
has many traces of Isaiah apparent in it. For example, in Daniel 12:2 the phrase many of those
who sleep in the dust of the earth will wake is taken from Isaiah 26:19, the dwellers in the dust
will awake and shout for joy.
37
More traces of Isaiah are to be found in the Son of Man
passage in Daniel 7:9-15. In this particular scene of judgement, the son of man is exalted
while before the throne of YHWH the kings of the world are judged. This corresponds to Isaiah
52:15 with the startling of the nations and the mouths of the kings being shut- manifested as
judgement in Daniel 7.
38
These traces prove that by the composition of Daniel the scroll of
Isaiah was being understood eschatologically and possibly even Messianically.
39
Perhaps the strongest evidence available for a pre-Christian messianic interpretation of
Isaiah 53 is present in 1QIsa
a
. This text originated in the middle or late second century B.C. and
shows intentional changes that point to clear messianic interpretations.
40
The most striking
example of this is found in the differences between the Masoretic Text and the Qumran scrolls in
Isaiah 51:5. The Masoretic Text reads my arms will judge the peoples... the coastlands will wait
35
The Isaiah who wrote the fourth Servant Song- commonly called Second Isaiah.
36
Martin Hengel. The Effective History of Isaiah 53 in the Pre-Christian Period. in The Suffering Servant:
Isaiah 53 in Jewish and Christian Sources, eds. Bernard Janowski and Peter Stuhlmacher, 75-146.
(Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 2004), 79.
37
Ibid,, pg 90.
38
Ibid., pg 98.
39
The question of whether or not Daniel 7 was interpreted Messianically is too broad of a topic to even
begin to approach in this paper. However, it is safe to say that Jesus himself saw Daniel (son of man) as
eschatological and Messianic- as it was his favorite self-title.
40
Ibid., pg 101.
for me, and in my arm they will hope while the Qumran text reads his arms will judge the
peoples; the coastlands will wait for him, and in his arm they will hope. As is apparent, the
Qumran text changes the first-person suffixes for third-person suffixes, demonstrating a clear
Messianic strain of thought that many scholars believes goes beyond mere scribal errors.
41
These
two examples from Daniel and Qumran are but a minute survey of the evidence that Isaiah had
far reaching eschatological, and even Messianic, influence before the time of Jesus. A look at the
specific sayings of Jesus will now be helpful.
The first scene to be examined has Jesus entering the district of Caesarea Philippi with
his disciples in Luke 9:18-22 and its parallels.
42
This is a crucial point in Jesus ministry,
especially as it is presented to us in the synoptics. The scene is pregnant with imagery- a
revolutionary and eschatological Jewish prophet and his band of followers in a city named after
the Emperor and the regional political puppet.
43
Jesus asks his disciples, Who do the crowds
say I am? They answered, Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others that one of
the prophets of old has risen. Jesus then refocuses the question on the disciples. Who do you
say that I am? Peter then famously declares The Messiah of YHWH! It is important to
remember that Messiah, or Christ, is a royal Jewish title that is extremely eschatological. If
Gods Kingdom was breaking in, who would be the king?
44
Why, the son of David of course, the
Messiah of YHWH. This scene lies at the heart of the synoptic narrative- the declaration of the
man Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah sent from God to break in the Kingdom. But the scene is
not over, and Jesus is not finished teaching. He then strictly charged and commanded them to
41
Ibid.
42
c.f. Matthew 16:13-23; Mark 8:27-33
43
Craig A. Evans. Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 34b, Mark 8:27-16:20 (evans). (Waco, TX: Thomas
Nelson, 2001), 10.
44
c.f. 2 Samuel 7 and Psalm 110
tell this to no one, saying, The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the
elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.
45
It is
obvious that by this point in Jesus ministry he has a somewhat firm and developed belief about
his future. It appears that Jesus held the concept of Messiahship in close contact with his
vocation to suffer and be vindicated. This is a concept that comes almost directly out of the
fourth Servant Song. In the same breath as the exhilarating declaration of his Messiahship Jesus
begins teaching his disciples about the journey south to Jerusalem, to suffering and death, and to
eventual victory. This, he says, is how the Kingdom will break in. This is how the Messiah of
YHWH will win the victory over the forces of evil.
The second scene to be presented is in Luke 9:44-45 and its parallels.
46
Jesus and the
disciples are passing through Galilee, and he is privately instructing them on the way to
Jerusalem. The passion prediction is eerily similar to the first in Matthew and Mark, while
Lukes is shorter and contains an introductory phrase that is quite interesting. Luke presents
Jesus introducing the prediction with the phrase 0ro0r ri ri :o c:o cv :o iovo :o:o-
literally Put these words into your ears! Jesus is pleading with the disciples to understand the
concept that is so crucial to his self-understanding of his vocation. Jesus then instructs the
disciples that the Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men. J. Jeremias holds
firmly that the same enigmatic saying from Mark 9:31 is an authentic saying from Jesus that
forms the foundation of the Jesuanic passion predictions.
47
The passive verb here in the Greek,
45
Luke 9:21-22
46
Matthew 17:22-23; Mark 9:30-32
47
Peter Stuhlmacher. Isaiah 53 in the Gospels and Acts. in The Suffering Servant: Isaiah 53 in Jewish
and Christian Sources, eds. Bernard Janowski and Peter Stuhlmacher, 148-172. (Grand Rapids,
Michigan: Eerdmans, 2004), pg 150.
rooooiooo0oi. should be read as a divine passive with God as the obvious agent.
48
Thus,
Jesus held that the deliverance of the Son of Man should be understood from the perspective of
Isaiah 43:3-5 and 53:5-6,11-12.
49
Jesus understood himself as being crushed by the Father for
the redemption of Gods people. It seems that Jesus held an eschatological vocation that was
shaped in the form of a cross.
The third passion prediction is presented in Luke 18:31-34 and its parallels.
50
This
scene has Jesus and his disciples again on the way to Jerusalem, the place where our Lord would
lay down his life. The scene presented in Mark 10:32 is almost comical in nature and paints
Jesus leading the group at the front to the amazement of all and the fear of some.
51
Obviously it
was understood that heading to Jerusalem surely meant suffering if not death. In light of this
amazement and fear Jesus takes the Twelve aside and once again tells them what is soon to
unfold. In Lukes painting of the scene, Jesus declares that at Jerusalem everything that is
written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. He then explains what that
is: for he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and
spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise. What
writings of the prophets could he be referring to? It seems that Jesus is here referring to the
fourth Servant Song of Isaiah (and referencing the book of Isaiah as a whole at the same time). It
is interesting that Jesus fully expects to be vindicated, to be raised on the third day. Jesus held
the view that his suffering was the means of the Kingdom, and the way of the cross was the
48
Daniel B. Wallace. Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1997),
437-8; Stuhlmacher, Isaiah 53 in the Gospels and Acts, pg 150.
49
Stulmacher, Isaiah 53 in the Gospels and Acts, pg 150.
50
Matthew 20:17-19; Mark 10:32-34
51
If this scene is not worthy for Hollywood, I dont know what is, A Jewish revolutionary marching toward
his destruction with his loyal band of follows tagging along at a distance in amazement at their trajectory.
means of ushering in Gods rule. He faithfully expected YHWH to vindicate his servant and
deliver the Son of Man over his enemies.
In Matthew 20:28 and Mark 10:45 Jesus is shown teaching the disciples that the Son of
Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. The Greek
word here is i:oov and BDAG classifies it as the price of release or ransom.
52
This saying
has Jesus seemingly directly interpreting his mission from the lens of Isaiah 43:3-4 and 53:11-12.
Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem to be offered up as the ransom for many. Jesus in fact quotes
Isaiah 53:12 in Luke 22:37, proving that the fourth Servant Song (and indeed all of Isaiah) was a
vital part of his understanding of the call and mission of his life as YHWHs Messiah.
The final scene to be considered is the Last Supper teaching found in Matthew 26:26-29
and its synoptic parallels.
53
Jesus, reclining at the dinner table with his disciples, takes some
wine and bread, blesses them, and begins to teach. This is my body...This is my blood.
Whether or not the bread saying is a reference to Isaiah 53 is disputed, but Lukes addition of the
phrase which is given for you has clear echoes of Isaiah 53:6 and 12.
54
The cup saying in
Matthew references both Exodus 24:8 and Isaiah 53:10-12, and this dual allusion shows that
Jesus saw his suffering as an event of atonement, the end of exile, the forgiveness of sins.
55

Isaiah 53:10 states that the Servants life was given as an MDvDa , a means of wiping out guilt.
56

52
Walter Bauer. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature.
(Chicago: University Of Chicago Press, 2001), 605.
53
Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:15-20
54
Stulmacher, Isaiah 53 in the Gospels and Acts, pg 152.
55
Ibid.
56
Janowski, Bernd. He Bore Our Sins: Isaiah 53 and the Drama of Taking Anothers Place. in The
Suffering Servant: Isaiah 53 in Jewish and Christian Sources, eds. Bernard Janowski and Peter
Stuhlmacher, 16-47. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 2004), 67-69.
Jesus then sees himself as Gods servant, the Messiah, who is called to vicariously suffer for
forgiveness of sins and removal of guilt of Gods people.
Jesus clearly saw his vocation as that of the Messiah of YHWH, called to fulfill the
Prophets and inaugurate the eschatological Kingdom through his own suffering in Jerusalem.
It also seems likely that he regarded his suffering and death as, like that of the Servant,
vicarious and redemptive.
57
As the Synoptics present Jesus on his way to Jerusalem, he is seen
as having a firm interpretation of Isaiah 53- a view that influenced his understanding of his own
vocation as well as how the Kingdom would be ushered into reality.
CONCLUSION
It has been shown by exegesis of three of Jesus kingdom parables that he believed and
taught that the Kingdom of God was being launched through his own ministry and would
continue to grow until it reached fruition. This seems to be the only interpretation that takes
seriously the texts the Synoptics present us from the parables to the risen Jesus declaration that
all authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. It is obvious that Jesus, and
subsequently his earliest followers, believed that the victory over evil was won and that he was
now the ruling Lord over the cosmos. This position also takes seriously Jesus command to go
and make disciples of all nations- a command that seems hard to fit into eschatological
doctrines that reduce the call of the Body of Christ to a mere surviving of the current world.
However, there was a twist to Jesus eschatological views about the Kingdom, stemming
significantly from his view and interpretation of the fourth Servant Song of Isaiah. Jesus
understood that the Kingdom would be inaugurated, that YHWHs Messiah would be vindicated,
57
R. T. France. Jesus and the Old Testament. (Ann Arbor: Regent College Publishing, 1992),103.
through suffering and death at the hands of evil. This view led Jesus to travel to Jerusalem,
prophetically speak and act out against the temple, and give his life as an act of divine sacrifice.
For Jesus, the Kingdom bursts into the world through the medium of a Roman cross. This was
an unbelievably significant development to normal Jewish eschatological views.
The Church should take a cue from the life and teaching of Jesus its Lord. Jesus both
taught and modeled the life of one living in the perfect image of YHWH. How then, is there
surprise at the reality of suffering for the kingdom? Jesus defeated evil by completely submitting
to it. He knelt down, let evil do its worst, and trusted YWHH to vindicate him and give the
victory. How then is the Church surprised that she possesses the same calling? At this point it
will be helpful to introduce a new term to label this eschatological viewpoint- resurrection
millennialism.
Resurrection millennialism is a proposed option to the classic terminology of pre-mill,
a-mill, and post-mill. Resurrection millennialism is the belief that the Church will prevail
and accomplish the mission given by her Lord, just as a mustard seed growing into a beautiful
and far-reaching tree. However, the means of the kingdom has not changed since the time and
life of Jesus- that of suffering. The Church must submit to evil, and be killed (in every sense) for
the kingdom to be brought to fruition. YHWH will vindicate his servant, the Church, as he has
done already for the faithful one Jesus Christ.
A quick look at history proves these points- that the Kingdom is growing and indeed
grows by and through suffering. The disciples grew in number and force in Jerusalem until the
stoning of Stephen inaugurated persecution that forced them into Judea and then Samaria where
the Kingdom exponentially grew. Centuries later Christian suffering in Europe led many to flee
to the New World and an expansion of the Kingdom into the previously uncharted territories of
the West. A look around the world also proves that the Churchs victory lies in suffering. The
churches in China, Nepal, India, North and South Korea, and other such places are growing
exponentially as persecution increases. As Tertullian said, The blood of the martyrs is the seed
of the church. May the Church attain to the high calling of suffering given to her by the
Messiah- and find that true victory lies in apparent defeat.
Bibliography
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Christian Literature. Chicago: University Of Chicago Press, 2001.
Blair, Joseph. The Gospels, Acts, and the Kingdom. Unpublished Manuscript.
Borg, Marcus J., and N.T. Wright. The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions . New York:
Harperone, 2007.
Dodd, C. H.. The Parables of the Kingdom. London: Nisbet & Co. Ltd., 1952.
Evans, Craig A.. Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 34b, Mark 8:27-16:20 (evans).
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France, R. T. Jesus and the Old Testament. Ann Arbor: Regent College Publishing,
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Gerndt, Larry. "Emerging Truths - Two Little Parables." Emerging Truths.
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Hultgren, Arland J.. Eschatology in the New Testament: The Current Debate, in
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Viviano, Benedict T.. Eschatology and the Quest for the Historical Jesus, in The
Oxford Handbook of Eschatology, Jerry L. Walls, ed. New York: Oxford
University Press, USA, 2007

Wallace, Mr. Daniel B.. Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics. Grand Rapids, Michigan:
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Wenham, David. Parables of Jesus . Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1989.
Wright, N. T.. Jesus and the Victory of God (Christian Origins and the Question of
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