Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.
Jesus has died and risen, and he’s accompanying a few along the road to Emmaus, although they don’t recognize him. He tries to explain, by starting back with Moses to explain things about himself. He grounds himself first in the Hebrew Scriptures. The accompanying reflection is by N.T. Wright, who writes that Jesus explains himself rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures. Similarly the early Christian church began to understand Jesus by what was written in the Hebrew Scripture, as Jesus himself did.
How is my understanding of Jesus rooted in Hebrew Scripture or does his story just begin in the manger?
I must admit that I am nervous reading Hebrew Scripture and presuming that it’s all written about Jesus. There’s a part of that feels like the worst kind of appropriation. Beloved modern day Jewish children of God do not believe that Moses’s words were all pointing to Jesus. They are their words. How do I get to ascribe my understanding to what they meant all along, when I’m in a different culture, country, era?
When Jesus had come to save the oppressed people and said things about how would free them, many believed him to mean that he was going to kick the Romans to curb, and be their warrior hero. Their understanding of Jesus’ words did not make it so. Our understanding of Hebrew words does not make it so.
Now, having said that, I do believe that Jesus is God-made-man, and God made those words, and I believe that the prophets spoke of a messiah coming, and I believe that messiah is Jesus.
More than the Hebrew Scriptures clearing up my understanding of Jesus, I am far more comfortable and confident saying that my read of the Hebrew Scriptures clears up my understanding of one thing – of the Hebrew people’s understanding of God. Everything we read in Hebrew Scripture is written by a human being who cannot help but filter words through their world experience and understanding. Everything I write is filtered through my world experience and understanding.
Everything written tells you something about the event itself, and the writer. That’s what I take from the Hebrew Scripture. I understand more about what occurred, and I understand much more about the authors.
I understand what the writers and prophets understood about God. I believe their accounts, I’m less certain about their presumed motives of actions of God.
Where does this leave me? When I read any of the prophets’ accounts of God’s reactions of the people’s actions, there is always something to learn, about people’s actions and God. In the beginning was the Word, and Jesus is that Word. I don’t understand how, but I believe Jesus is imbued in the Hebrew Scriptures. And I am just very cautious to ascribe Jesus explanations to words written by people who didn’t and don’t believe Jesus was present.
This morning I’m thinking that I need a second cup of coffee. My brain is tired from all of this heavy thinking.
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