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POSTED
03 APRIL, 2007
VIRTUAL PASSOVER
The Historical Jesus Controversies
and Future Things on Our Theological Horizon
by
J.K. McKee
editor@tnnonline.net
http://tnnonline.net/biblical-studies/controversies-future-things/index.html
This Spring has historically been
a time when Biblical scholars have released
their newest “findings” on the life of Yeshua
(Jesus) and what they have concluded concerning
His ministry, and indeed His existence. Over
three years ago, it was during this season that
the controversial Mel Gibson film “The Passion
of the Christ” was released. Following this came
Dan Brown’s “The DaVinci Code.” More recently,
director James Cameron released a series on the
life of our Messiah, including the “revelation”
that His tomb and remains may have been found.
When one surveys the modern phenomenon commonly known as “the
historical Jesus,” he or she will typically find that the Spring
time, when most of the Christian world is commemorating Easter,
is when it gets its most publicity. So-called findings that have
been known to scholastics for decades are released to the public
to prey on their naïveté and ignorance of the facts. The common
person sees pictures of Christ on the cover of Time Magazine.
The undiscerning churchgoer or even Messianic Believer
sees criticism of the life of Yeshua that he or she had never
heard before. Some have their faith challenged, while others
seek second and third opinions—clearly realizing that some
information has been hyped or doctored to fit a particular
agenda.
Let’s face it, no person has had more books or articles written
about Him than Yeshua the Messiah. Anyone attempting to write
his own book about Yeshua has a great amount of information and
opinions to survey from conservative to liberal, modernist,
post-modernist, feminist, liberationist, and now gay and
lesbian—in addition to a whole host of other viewpoints on the
life of our Lord. Some of these perspectives help us understand
the life of Yeshua better, while others clearly detract from who
He is as depicted in the Scriptures and legitimate history.
The quest known as “the historical Jesus” has actually helped
the growth of the Messianic movement, particularly as scholars
have investigated the Jewish background of His teachings and
ministry. Furthermore, the New Perspective in Pauline studies
has helped ask some questions that have given scholars today a
more well-rounded picture of Judaism and Paul’s life. Of course,
whether or not all of the conclusions of these trends are valid
is another subject altogether. The good thing is that
information previously not brought into the discussion is now
being considered.
But while a great deal of attention is often given to the life
of Yeshua, with a person at least once a year finding Him on the
cover of Time, Newsweek, or sometimes even The Economist—what
about other areas of Biblical Studies that are under fire? While
we know the life of Yeshua is a lightning rod—in fact it is a
lightning rod even in our own Messianic community—what about
other Biblical characters and events? How do these play into our
Messianic handling of Scripture? In the coming days, are you
aware of the fact that today’s Messianic movement will have to
acknowledge the various criticisms out there against the Tanach
(Old Testament)—as well as the Apostolic Scriptures (New
Testament)?
We should all be familiar in passing with the various debates
over the Creation stories of Genesis 1 and 2. Did it take place
in six 24-hour days, six long periods of time, or did God simply
intervene in the evolutionary process? There are well meaning
Christians and Jews who adhere to Young Earth Creationism, Old
Earth Creationism, and Theistic Evolution. I have encountered
all three views expressed by Messianics today. For those of you
who follow the annual Torah cycle, do not be surprised if these
issues start to come up in your future examinations of
Bereisheet and Noach. Do not expect everyone to hold
to your view, and expect the emerging Messianic movement to be
engaged in some conversations that have been going on for a very
long time on how God made the world.
During this Passover season, a great deal of attention is given
to Ancient Israel’s Exodus from Egypt—and it should. In the
Bible, after Yeshua’s death and resurrection, I believe
that there is no event more important than the Exodus. Without
the plagues delivered upon Egypt, the sacrifice of the Passover
lamb, and the deliverance of Israel through the Red Sea—you have
no significant prophetic typology for Yeshua to fulfill. But
would it surprise you if I told you that there is controversy
surrounding the Exodus as well? Liberal theologians for
centuries have considered the Exodus at best to be the movement
of a few hundred slaves from Egypt to Canaan, and at worst a
total myth. Even among those who accept the fact that an Exodus
from Egypt took place with many there are debates over when it
took place in Egyptian history, whether there were several
hundred thousand or several million, and where the crossing of
the Red Sea occurred. Likewise, for a Messianic movement that
places a great deal of attention to the Exodus, should we be
avoiding controversies that exist? Why is there no Egyptian
record of the Exodus? How many people were involved? In the
future, today’s Messianic community will have to engage with the
criticism against the Exodus—another hot topic that often
receives great publicity this time of year.
It does not stop there. Some liberal scholars even deny the
Conquest of Canaan by Ancient Israel. They say that the
archaeological evidence of the Conquest is scant at best.
Conservatives have had to rightly respond to this criticism by
pointing out that archaeological data has to be interpreted, and
that many archaeological sites are inaccessible due to today’s
unstable political climate in the region. Conservatives point
out things like there being three Jerichos: one spoken about in
the Old Testament, one spoken about in the New Testament, and
another modern city today. How many of us as Messianics are not
even aware of such debates? Are we even ready to hear about
this?
Finally, do you know that today there is an emerging sector of
radical liberal theologians who deny that King David was an
historical person? In response to some of the legitimate
conservative criticism against their liberal views, some have
taken an extreme response and are proposing that everything
prior to Ezra-Nehemiah was total mythology. These liberals
propose that a group of nomads approached the Persian king with
a religious document (i.e., the Torah) that indicated that they
had a promised land their God had given them forever. The
Persian king granted their request and helped them found a new
life in Palestine. Everything that we hold dear in Scripture
including the accounts of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses,
Joshua, Samuel, and David is nothing more than a story to these
people. So when are we going to see David on the cover of Time?
Significant parts of today’s Messianic movement are being
plagued by the rotten fruit of the Jewish anti-missionary
organizations. Jewish anti-missionaries have targeted naïve
people who are unsure about the life and ministry of Yeshua and
have enabled many to deny Him as Messiah. There have been many
Messianics disturbed about this issue—and rightfully so. Many
have stood up against this and have demonstrated anti-missionary
arguments to be theologically and ideologically flawed. Many
have been stopped from committing apostasy.
I believe, however, that the theological questions posed by
anti-missionaries are only some of a few that will be
forced out into the light in the next decade. The life of Yeshua
the Messiah, commonly discussed this time of year, is only one
of a few of the controversial subjects that have existed in
Biblical scholasticism for centuries. The anti-missionary
phenomenon is going to open up a whole host of other issues
pertaining to not just the reliability of the Apostolic
Scriptures, but even more so the Tanach itself. Trends that have
been allowed to go on in the Messianic movement like people
saying that they really do not know how much of the New
Testament can be trusted, but that the Torah has been perfectly
preserved since Mount Sinai, will simply not be allowed to go
on any more.
As we engage with these controversies, be assured that there are
conservative, reasonable answers to them that affirm the
reliability of the Scriptures. I believe that God created
humanity ex nihilo without any kind of evolution. I
believe that plagues were delivered upon Egypt and that many,
many people were led via the Red Sea to Mount Sinai to be given
the Law. I believe that the Israelites conquered Canaan and that
King David was a real person. Most of all, I believe that Yeshua
the Messiah entered into the world at just the right time and
paid the penalty for our sins. But likewise, I recognize the
criticism against these things and am not afraid to say that as
Messianics we cannot avoid it any longer, because there are
answers!
The faith of some will be challenged by the things on the
horizon. Some of our popular teachers and leaders will be
exposed to views that they have never heard—but have been around
for several hundred years in both Judaism
and
Christianity. There will undoubtedly be some tension—but in the
end we should emerge stronger as a people who can affect a
positive difference in our fallen world—as we answer the
questions that they are asking about the Bible. Most
importantly we will recognize our need to be tempered by a
profound supernatural and life-changing experience with God via
His Son—something that any critic of the Holy Scriptures—Jewish,
Christian, or Messianic often does not have. It is that
experience of salvation that is to testify to us of the
reliability and trustworthiness of God’s Word, and guide our
motives for upholding it as a standard of truth and instruction.
J.K. McKee
(B.A., University of Oklahoma; M.A., Asbury
Theological Seminary) is the editor of TNN
Online (www.tnnonline.net) and is a Messianic
apologist.
He is a 2009 recipient of the Zondervan Biblical
Languages Award for Greek.
He
is author of
numerous books, dealing with a wide range of
topics that are important for today’s
Messianic Believers. He has also written many articles on
theological issues,
and is presently focusing his attention on Messianic commentaries
of various books of the Bible.
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