Jesus ConcealmentEssay Preview: Jesus ConcealmentReport this essayOn the surface, Jesus is saying in this passage that he is going to be turned over to people who will kill him. In order to understand the âhiddenâ meaning of this passage, it is important to look at the events which both lead up to this moment and the events which followed.
This passage comes at the end of a string of miracles that Jesus has performed. Jesus first feeds 5,000 men (Luke 9:10-15) and then he heals a demon-possessed boy (Luke 9:37). The passage then goes on to say that the disciples were âmarveling at all the things which Jesus didâ (Luke 9:43). This crowd had been following Jesus and they had been amazed at all they had seen him do. The tone changes when Jesus says âlet these words sink down into your earsâ (Luke 9:44). He is essentially saying, âif you are going to focus on one thing that I do here, donât let it be that I raised a child from the dead, and donât focus on the fact that I fed 5,000 men.â He is saying that, if you will let one thing seep into your hearts, let it be this: âthe Son of Man is to be given up to the power of menâ (Luke 9:44).
This interpretation of the Gospel is the result of a new paradigm in the field of biblical interpretation by one scholar: Paul D. Reicher, an expert on ancient Greek and Roman literature, who wrote about the “messianic” and “messianic” Greek, and Greek mythology in the 1990s. When we see this interpretation, we also see the work of Reicher. He presents various theories which attempt to take on the Greek and Roman myths and the Christian religions that inspired the Greeks and Romans in the first place. However, he seems almost exclusively interested in the myths, rather than what was to be said in the Greek text (Heidegger and Gramsci are of little interest here). Reicher uses various sources, such as a Hebrewic source of Greek, and his method to explain the meanings of various Greek and Roman sources is, it seems, incomplete.
Many are interested in the “Hilary story” (Matthew 27, Matthew 25; Galatians 9:1-6, Luke 24:33). The two “discoveries” of this story which Reicher presents show that the Romans knew and understood the Hilary story, for it is one of the earliest surviving Christian accounts. In that account Luke refers to the Devil as he appears to Jesus, who tells him about this event. In that account an angel (Aman and Abed) comes out of Heaven to give the demon an angelic cure because he is sick.[12]
The Bible states in some form or another that Jesus was the one who raised the man who was in heaven. But this story is the only one that has been fulfilled. For according to Reicher, what he calls the “messianic” version of the story is completely different from what was before and is only the form of the first Gospel book and does not refer to the Hilary story. But Reicher is of the belief that the Hilary story takes place over thousands of years, not more. Rather, it would be written over time by the same authors, those who were inspired by Jesus before he entered Paradise. This is not the case on the other hand, because Reicher’s account contains at least a fifth of the Old Testament. In the original Bible, the Hilary story takes place over thousands of years. In this reconstruction, the Jesus story takes place over the centuries.
In other words, Reicher’s new interpretation, even though it is identical to the original, does not apply to all of the biblical sources. What is needed is a unified, original interpretation of what the Biblical stories have been about â all of the sources that have fulfilled and been fulfilled this day. In addition, there must be a sense given to the fact that all these things relate to this date (not to the time of
This interpretation of the Gospel is the result of a new paradigm in the field of biblical interpretation by one scholar: Paul D. Reicher, an expert on ancient Greek and Roman literature, who wrote about the “messianic” and “messianic” Greek, and Greek mythology in the 1990s. When we see this interpretation, we also see the work of Reicher. He presents various theories which attempt to take on the Greek and Roman myths and the Christian religions that inspired the Greeks and Romans in the first place. However, he seems almost exclusively interested in the myths, rather than what was to be said in the Greek text (Heidegger and Gramsci are of little interest here). Reicher uses various sources, such as a Hebrewic source of Greek, and his method to explain the meanings of various Greek and Roman sources is, it seems, incomplete.
Many are interested in the “Hilary story” (Matthew 27, Matthew 25; Galatians 9:1-6, Luke 24:33). The two “discoveries” of this story which Reicher presents show that the Romans knew and understood the Hilary story, for it is one of the earliest surviving Christian accounts. In that account Luke refers to the Devil as he appears to Jesus, who tells him about this event. In that account an angel (Aman and Abed) comes out of Heaven to give the demon an angelic cure because he is sick.[12]
The Bible states in some form or another that Jesus was the one who raised the man who was in heaven. But this story is the only one that has been fulfilled. For according to Reicher, what he calls the “messianic” version of the story is completely different from what was before and is only the form of the first Gospel book and does not refer to the Hilary story. But Reicher is of the belief that the Hilary story takes place over thousands of years, not more. Rather, it would be written over time by the same authors, those who were inspired by Jesus before he entered Paradise. This is not the case on the other hand, because Reicher’s account contains at least a fifth of the Old Testament. In the original Bible, the Hilary story takes place over thousands of years. In this reconstruction, the Jesus story takes place over the centuries.
In other words, Reicher’s new interpretation, even though it is identical to the original, does not apply to all of the biblical sources. What is needed is a unified, original interpretation of what the Biblical stories have been about â all of the sources that have fulfilled and been fulfilled this day. In addition, there must be a sense given to the fact that all these things relate to this date (not to the time of
Jesus could have let all of these men continue to praise him and all of his miracles. But he puts it all to a halt and says, âthere is something here that you really need to pay attention to, something far greater than all of these miracles. The Son of God is about to be delivered into the hands of men.â He is commanding them to pay attention and listen to him. If there is one great thing that Jesus wanted his disciples focus on, it is his death and his resurrection.
On Peterâs great address on the Pentecost, he tells the people, âFellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by Godâs deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the crossâ(Acts 2:22-24). This passage is saying that this great crucifixion event didnât just happen; it had been Godâs plan from the beginning of time. All along this sinless Son of God was supposed to be handed over and crucified by wicked men according to His definite, sovereign plan. Jesus says, âif there is one thing that you need to focus on, it is this event that I will be crucified and raised up.â This tells us that Jesus knew absolutely everything that was about to happen to him, yet he did it anyway. Jesus wants this idea to âsink into our ears.â This idea that he would be beaten, mocked, and strung up naked on a tree to be humiliated before his people. Jesus knew that all of these things were going to take place, and he did it anyway: there is no greater love than that. Jesus knows that his end is coming, and itâs coming from God; and he doesnt react, he takes it in stride.
Essentially he is saying âno one is taking my life, I am giving it.â It wasnât the Romans who killed Jesus. No one took his life, he gave it. He knew all of these things were going to take place, but Jesus loves his people so much that he would do it anyway. So while his disciples might be amazed by all of the miracles that Jesus is doing – feeding the 5,000 men, healing the sick, raising the dead – if there is one thing to wrap their lives around and focus on, it has to be the death and resurrection of Jesus. That is Godâs central focus, that is Jesusâ central focus, and from this passage we are shown that it should be the central focus of the disciples. Even after finding the hidden meaning of the passage, however, one cannot fully understand it until he understands why the passage has a hidden meaning in the first place.
There are two possibilities as to why there is a hidden meaning in this passage. First, perhaps the disciples were in denial and refused to hear it, ultimately hiding it from themselves. They were denying what they didnât like and agree with. âBut they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them that they might not perceive itâ (Luke 9:45). Jesus did say a lot of things that were difficult to understand, but this didnât seem like one of them. âThe son of man is about to be handed over into the power of manâ seems like a very self-explanatory statement. Yet it was âconcealedâ from them. It was concealed from them by their own refusal to relinquish their concept of messiah and his purposes. It was their own refusal; caused by too much of their own preconceived notions and dreams and too little of the reality that Jesus was trying to teach to them and impart to them in order to prepare them for what was coming. They didnt like the message, so they refused it, showing their lack of belief.
The second possible reason why the message was hidden was because the disciples would have tried to prevent the crucifixion of Jesus from happening. âBut they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them, so that they may not perceive it, and they were afraid to ask.â The text says it was âconcealed from them.â Perhaps God conceals this matter from them âso that they might not perceive it.â Why does God not want them to perceive it at that moment? We do know they perceive it later because in Luke 22, when they do understand what is happening, they are still going to try to prevent Jesus from being killed. We know that because when Jesus is handed over to the soldiers, a disciple takes out his sword and swings at the soldier and cuts off his ear. And Jesus says: âNo more of this.â And he touched the manâs ear and healed himâ (Luke 22:51). Then Jesus heals the soldier and says willingly: âWhy didnât you arrest me in the Temple? I was there every day. But this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reignsâ (Luke 22:53). This shows that while they brought all of these soldiers to take Jesus, he would have gone along willingly. But God conceals it from the disciples, because had they understood, they would have tried to prevent it. They would have tried to prevent Jesus from accomplishing the greatest thing that he could accomplish for them, and they would have missed the one event that they are supposed to wrap their minds around and make the core of their hearts.
âAnd they were afraid to ask him about itâ (Luke 9:43) perhaps because they were afraid that this all might be true. They may have feared that suffering and death were all part of Godâs plan and they didnt want that to be true. Rebellion in their hearts kept the meaning of redemption hidden from them. They feared the truth, that which they didnât want to know, that which they were afraid to know, and so they actually didnât know.
The disciples asked Jesus the meaning of this parable, so Jesus explained it to them. But in the case of