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The Ancient World Behind the Text: Ideas
The customs, offices and ideas a first reader knew without being told, what each meant then, and the nearest thing you already know.
The Messiah, son of David
The anointed king most Jews expected from David's line, who would free Israel from its enemies. Nobody expected him to be killed.
First, in plain English
Everyone was waiting for the rightful heir to come home and drive out the invaders. Messiah means anointed one, and kings were anointed with oil. Most Jews hoped for a king from David's family who would rescue Israel from Rome and put things right.
What it meant then
Jewish people held a range of views about the Messiah. Most expected a coming king from David's house (Isaiah 9:6-7; 11:1-5; Psalms of Solomon 17:21) who would need military power to overthrow Rome. A Messiah who would be killed was not part of the usual hope at the time. A suffering Messiah, Messiah ben Joseph, appears perhaps from the second century, and there is no evidence for it earlier (Keener). Wright's glossary agrees there was no single template. Hopes often centered on defeating Israel's enemies and rebuilding or cleansing the temple, and the Dead Sea Scrolls speak of two Messiahs, a priest and a king. Son of God was already a messianic title in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Son of David implies the messianic king. For Romans, king of the Jews meant treason, since only the emperor could grant the title. Most hopes pictured the Messiah as a ruler or a warrior rather than a healer, though David was the only exorcist reported in the Old Testament. In the letters of John the confession that Jesus is the Christ becomes a test. Keener and his notes suggest that Jewish believers might deny it to remain in the synagogues. Wright and Bird note that in the teaching of Cerinthus the Christ had come to mean a divine self, a word moving away from its Jewish messianic meaning.
The bridge to today
An analogy: the heir of a deposed royal family, toasted in secret by loyalists. When he finally comes home, they expect a march on the capital, not a funeral.
What it changes in the reading
Hopes for a warrior king from David's line explain why Jesus' messiahship was misunderstood, as when Peter rebukes him in Mark 8:32. Son of David on the lips of the sick and the crowds, as in Matthew 9:27, is a royal title. On the cross, king of the Jews becomes the charge.
Where the analogy breaks
Not one known heir waiting in exile. Jewish hopes had no single template. Most looked for a king from David's line, but the Dead Sea Scrolls expect two Messiahs, a priest and a king, and many hopes centered on the temple. Son of God was a royal title for the Messiah, not yet a claim to divinity.
Passages where it appears
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/matthew-1-1-17\/","n":"Matthew 1:1-17, The family tree","s":"Matthew opens with Jesus' ancestry from Abraham through David and the exile, in three sets of fourteen generations, and names four women along the way.","r":"Matthew 1:1-17"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/matthew-1-18-25\/","n":"Matthew 1:18-25, Joseph and the betrothal","s":"Mary is found pregnant while betrothed to Joseph. He plans a quiet divorce until an angel in a dream tells him to take her as his wife and name the child Jesus.","r":"Matthew 1:18-25"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/matthew-2-1-12\/","n":"Matthew 2:1-12, Magi at Herod's court","s":"Magi from the east arrive in Jerusalem asking for the newborn king of the Jews. Herod consults his scholars, sends the visitors to Bethlehem, and they go home another way.","r":"Matthew 2:1-12"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/matthew-3-13-4-11\/","n":"Matthew 3:13-4:11, Baptism and the test in the desert","s":"Jesus is baptized and hears the voice from heaven, then is led into the wilderness for forty days, where the devil tests him three times.","r":"Matthew 3:13-4:11"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/matthew-9-18-34\/","n":"Matthew 9:18-34, A ruler's daughter, a bleeding woman, the blind and the mute","s":"A synagogue ruler asks Jesus to raise his daughter; on the way a woman touches the fringe of his cloak. Then two blind men call him Son of David, and a mute man speaks.","r":"Matthew 9:18-34"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/matthew-12-22-50\/","n":"Matthew 12:22-50, Beelzebul, the strong man, Jonah and his true family","s":"When Jesus heals a blind and mute man, the crowds wonder if he is the Son of David and the Pharisees say he works by Beelzebul. Jesus answers with the strong man, refuses a sign except Jonah's, and names his true family.","r":"Matthew 12:22-50"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/matthew-15-21-28\/","n":"Matthew 15:21-28, A Canaanite mother and the dogs","s":"In the region of Tyre and Sidon a Canaanite woman begs the Son of David to free her daughter. Jesus is silent, then speaks of bread and dogs, and her answer wins him over.","r":"Matthew 15:21-28"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/matthew-16-13-28\/","n":"Matthew 16:13-28, The rock, the keys and the cross","s":"At Caesarea Philippi Peter confesses Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the living God, and is called the rock and given the keys. When Jesus speaks of his death, Peter rebukes him and is called Satan.","r":"Matthew 16:13-28"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/matthew-21-1-11\/","n":"Matthew 21:1-11, A donkey, a colt and the Hallel","s":"Jesus sends for a donkey and her colt, rides into Jerusalem as Zechariah foretold, and the pilgrim crowds spread cloaks and branches, crying Hosanna to the Son of David.","r":"Matthew 21:1-11"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/mark-8-27-9-1\/","n":"Mark 8:27-9:1, Peter's answer at Caesarea Philippi","s":"Asked who he is, Peter says the Messiah. Jesus says the Son of Man must suffer, rebukes Peter, and calls followers to take up the cross.","r":"Mark 8:27-9:1"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/mark-11-1-11\/","n":"Mark 11:1-11, The ride into Jerusalem","s":"Jesus sends for a colt no one has ridden and rides into Jerusalem over cloaks and branches while the crowd shouts Hosanna.","r":"Mark 11:1-11"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/mark-12-13-17\/","n":"Mark 12:13-17, The coin with Caesar's face","s":"Pharisees and Herodians ask whether it is right to pay tax to Caesar. Jesus asks for a coin and asks whose image is on it.","r":"Mark 12:13-17"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/mark-14-53-72\/","n":"Mark 14:53-72, At the high priest's house","s":"The council tries Jesus at night. He says he is the Messiah and quotes the Son of Man coming with the clouds, and is condemned for blasphemy while Peter denies him in the courtyard.","r":"Mark 14:53-72"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/mark-15-1-20\/","n":"Mark 15:1-20, Before Pilate","s":"The chief priests hand Jesus to Pilate as king of the Jews. Pilate releases Barabbas to the crowd, has Jesus flogged, and the soldiers mock him as a king.","r":"Mark 15:1-20"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/luke-1-26-56\/","n":"Luke 1:26-56, A village girl, a greeting and a song of reversal","s":"Gabriel greets Mary, a betrothed girl in Nazareth, with news that she will bear the son of David. She goes to Elizabeth in the hill country and sings of God bringing down rulers and lifting up the humble.","r":"Luke 1:26-56"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/luke-2-8-20\/","n":"Luke 2:8-20, Shepherds hear of a savior","s":"Angels announce to shepherds in the fields near Bethlehem the birth of a savior who is Christ the Lord, and the shepherds find the child lying in a manger as they were told.","r":"Luke 2:8-20"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/luke-2-21-40\/","n":"Luke 2:21-40, Two birds, Simeon and Anna","s":"Jesus is circumcised and named on the eighth day. At the temple his parents make the offering the law allowed the poor, and two old people waiting for God's comfort, Simeon and the widow Anna, speak about the child.","r":"Luke 2:21-40"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/luke-18-35-19-10\/","n":"Luke 18:35-19:10, A blind beggar and Zacchaeus at Jericho","s":"Near Jericho a blind beggar calls Jesus Son of David and receives his sight. In the town Jesus invites himself to the house of Zacchaeus, a rich chief tax collector, who promises to give half his goods to the poor and repay fourfold.","r":"Luke 18:35-19:10"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/luke-23-1-25\/","n":"Luke 23:1-25, Before Pilate, before Antipas, and Barabbas","s":"The council brings Jesus to Pilate charged with forbidding tribute and claiming to be a king. Pilate sends him to Herod Antipas, who mocks him, and in the end Pilate gives in to the crowd and releases Barabbas.","r":"Luke 23:1-25"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/luke-24-13-35\/","n":"Luke 24:13-35, A stranger on the Emmaus road","s":"Two disciples walking home to Emmaus are joined by a stranger who explains the Scriptures to them. They press him to stay, and they recognize him when he breaks the bread.","r":"Luke 24:13-35"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/john-1-35-51\/","n":"John 1:35-51, Come and see","s":"Two of John's disciples follow Jesus and spend the day with him. Andrew brings his brother Simon, Philip brings Nathanael, and Jesus promises they will see heaven opened and angels going up and down on the Son of Man.","r":"John 1:35-51"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/john-2-13-25\/","n":"John 2:13-25, Tables overturned at Passover","s":"At Passover Jesus drives the animal sellers and money changers out of the temple courts. Asked for a sign, he tells them to destroy this temple and he will raise it in three days, and John explains that he meant his body.","r":"John 2:13-25"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/john-7-1-36\/","n":"John 7:1-36, Up to the Festival of Tabernacles","s":"Jesus stays in Galilee while the Judeans look for a chance to kill him, then goes up to Tabernacles privately and teaches in the temple. The crowds argue over whether he is a deceiver or the Messiah, and the chief priests send guards to arrest him.","r":"John 7:1-36"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/john-7-37-52\/","n":"John 7:37-52, Rivers of living water on the last day","s":"On the great last day of the feast Jesus cries out that the thirsty should come to him and drink. The crowd divides over whether he is the Prophet or the Messiah, and the Pharisees scorn a prophet from Galilee.","r":"John 7:37-52"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/john-10-1-21\/","n":"John 10:1-21, The good shepherd and the hired hand","s":"Jesus contrasts the shepherd who enters by the gate, calls his sheep by name and lays down his life for them with thieves who climb in another way and a hired hand who runs from the wolf.","r":"John 10:1-21"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/john-10-22-42\/","n":"John 10:22-42, In Solomon's Porch at the Festival of Dedication","s":"In winter, at the Festival of Dedication, the Judeans press Jesus to say plainly whether he is the Messiah. He says he and the Father are one, they pick up stones, and he answers from Psalm 82.","r":"John 10:22-42"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/john-12-12-19\/","n":"John 12:12-19, Palm branches and a donkey's colt","s":"The festival crowd goes out with palm branches, shouting Hosanna and hailing Jesus as King of Israel, and he rides in on a young donkey, as Zechariah had said Zion's king would come.","r":"John 12:12-19"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/john-19-16-30\/","n":"John 19:16-30, The cross, the notice in three languages, and his mother","s":"Jesus carries his own cross to Golgotha. Pilate's notice, King of the Jews, is written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek; soldiers cast lots for his seamless tunic; he gives his mother to the beloved disciple, takes the sour wine and says it is finished.","r":"John 19:16-30"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/acts-2-14-41\/","n":"Acts 2:14-41, Peter's sermon: the Spirit poured out","s":"Peter explains the scene from Joel: God has poured out his Spirit, the crucified Jesus is raised and exalted as Lord and Messiah, and three thousand are baptized in his name.","r":"Acts 2:14-41"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/acts-11-19-30\/","n":"Acts 11:19-30, Antioch, and the name Christian","s":"Scattered believers bring the message to Gentiles in Antioch, where the disciples are first called Christians. When a prophet foretells famine, the church sends relief to the elders in Judea.","r":"Acts 11:19-30"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/acts-13-13-52\/","n":"Acts 13:13-52, The synagogue at Pisidian Antioch","s":"Invited to speak after the synagogue readings in a Roman colony, Paul tells Israel's story from the exodus to Jesus. Gentiles welcome the message, and the city's leading men and women drive the apostles out.","r":"Acts 13:13-52"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/romans-1-1-7\/","n":"Romans 1:1-7, A slave of the Messiah writes to Rome","s":"Paul opens with his name and titles, a short summary of the good news about God's Son, and a greeting of grace and peace to believers in Rome he has never met.","r":"Romans 1:1-7"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/romans-9-1-5\/","n":"Romans 9:1-5, Israel's privileges","s":"Paul grieves for his own people and lists what belongs to Israel: the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the law, the worship, the promises, the patriarchs and the Messiah.","r":"Romans 9:1-5"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/colossians-1-15-20\/","n":"Colossians 1:15-20, Firstborn over creation, over thrones and powers","s":"Paul describes the Son as the image of the unseen God and firstborn over all creation, through whom and for whom everything was made, thrones and powers included, and through whose cross God makes peace with all things.","r":"Colossians 1:15-20"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/2timothy-2-1-13\/","n":"2 Timothy 2:1-13, Soldier, athlete and farmer, and a prisoner in chains","s":"Timothy is to pass on what he heard to reliable people who will teach others, and to endure hardship like a soldier, compete by the rules like an athlete and work like a farmer, remembering Jesus Christ, raised from the dead and descended from David, for whom Paul is chained like a criminal.","r":"2 Timothy 2:1-13"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/hebrews-1-1-14\/","n":"Hebrews 1:1-14, The Son above the angels","s":"God, who spoke in many ways through the prophets, has now spoken through a Son, heir of all things, who made purification for sins and sat down at the right hand of the Majesty. A chain of Scripture quotations sets the Son above the angels, who worship him and are sent to serve those who will inherit salvation.","r":"Hebrews 1:1-14"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/hebrews-4-14-5-10\/","n":"Hebrews 4:14-5:10, A high priest who can sympathize","s":"Jesus is a great high priest who has passed through the heavens and was tested in every way, yet without sin, so his people can approach the throne of grace with confidence. Like every high priest he was appointed by God, not self-chosen, and God named him a priest for ever in the order of Melchizedek.","r":"Hebrews 4:14-5:10"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/hebrews-7-11-28\/","n":"Hebrews 7:11-28, A priest from Judah, by oath, for ever","s":"If the Levitical priesthood had brought perfection, no other priest would have been promised. Jesus comes from Judah, a priest by the power of an indestructible life and by God's oath, the guarantee of a better covenant; Levitical priests died and offered daily for their own sins, but he lives for ever and offered himself once for all.","r":"Hebrews 7:11-28"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/1john-2-18-27\/","n":"1 John 2:18-27, The last hour and many antichrists","s":"It is the last hour: the readers heard that antichrist is coming, and many antichrists have already come. They went out from the community, which shows they never belonged; whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ is the liar and the antichrist. The readers have an anointing from the Holy One and need no one else to teach them.","r":"1 John 2:18-27"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/revelation-2-18-29\/","n":"Revelation 2:18-29, Thyatira, the guilds and Jezebel","s":"To Thyatira the Son of God, with eyes like fire and feet like bronze, praises a growing church but rebukes it for tolerating Jezebel, a self-styled prophetess who leads his servants into immorality and idol food. Those who hold fast are promised authority over the nations and the morning star.","r":"Revelation 2:18-29"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/revelation-5-1-14\/","n":"Revelation 5:1-14, the sealed scroll and the Lamb","s":"In God's right hand is a scroll written on both sides and sealed with seven seals, and no one is worthy to open it until the Lion of Judah, the Root of David, appears as a Lamb that looks slain. The living creatures, the elders, countless angels and all creation worship him.","r":"Revelation 5:1-14"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/revelation-11-15-19\/","n":"Revelation 11:15-19, the seventh trumpet and the ark","s":"At the seventh trumpet heaven announces that rule over the world now belongs to God and his Messiah for ever. The elders worship, the angry nations meet God's judgment, and the heavenly temple opens to reveal the ark of the covenant.","r":"Revelation 11:15-19"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/revelation-12-1-6\/","n":"Revelation 12:1-6, the woman, the child and the dragon","s":"A radiant woman, crowned with twelve stars and standing on the moon, labors to give birth while a great red dragon waits to devour her child. The child, destined to rule the nations, is caught up to God's throne, and the woman escapes to the wilderness, where she is kept safe for 1,260 days.","r":"Revelation 12:1-6"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/revelation-19-11-21\/","n":"Revelation 19:11-21, the rider on the white horse","s":"Heaven opens and a rider on a white horse, named Faithful and True and the Word of God, leads heaven's armies, his robe stained with blood and a sword coming from his mouth, his title King of kings. Birds are summoned to feast on the fallen, the beast and the false prophet are seized and cast into the fiery lake, and their armies fall to the rider's sword.","r":"Revelation 19:11-21"}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/revelation-22-6-21\/","n":"Revelation 22:6-21, I am coming soon","s":"The angel confirms that the words are trustworthy, and Jesus says he is coming soon. John is told not to seal up the prophecy, since the time is near; those who wash their robes may enter the city while dogs, sorcerers and liars stay outside. The book closes with the Spirit and the bride saying come, a warning against adding to or taking from it, and the prayer, come, Lord Jesus.","r":"Revelation 22:6-21"}
Related ideas
Sources
- NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, notes on Mark 8:29, 8:31, 10:47, 12:14 and 15:2
- N. T. Wright, Mark for Everyone, comment on Mark 14:53-72, and Glossary, entries Messiah and son of God
- ESV Study Bible, study note on Mark 8:29b-30
- Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, on Matthew 9:27-31 and 12:22-23
- Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, on 1 John 2:22-23
- NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, note on 1 John 2:22
- N. T. Wright and Michael F. Bird, The New Testament in Its World, ch. 33, Excursus: Docetism 101
