Jesus in Context: God’s Holy Man and the Angels & Demons

The first two Gospel readings for the month of January walk us through the remainder of Christmas – The Solemnity of the Mother of God (Jan.1), and Epiphany (Jan. 8).  At Luke 2:16-21 we read the touching narrative about some peasant Galilean shepherds rushing to Bethlehem to see the Holy Family, and telling Mary about their vision of the angel who brought to them the word “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news…”, and about the congregation of the heavenly host, praising God saying “Glory to God in the highest…” (Luke 2:8-14).  What kind of experience was that?  “Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart” (2:19).  Likewise, the Gospel reading for Epiphany (Matthew 2:1-12) relates the story of the visit of the magi (astrologers) from the east, Herod’s plan to kill the Christ, and the magi’s dream-vision warning them away from Herod.  The birth of our Lord is witnessed by both simple peasant Galileans, and by pagan Gentiles.  The testimonies of these final two readings of the Christmas season prepare for the first three Sundays of Ordinary Time (Jan. 15, 22, 29), and the beginning of Jesus’ ministry witnessed to quite distinctively by John the Baptist.

Our Gospel from John places the reader in the midst of a text that offers a grand display of titles for Jesus – at least, the faithful reader/auditor recognizes the floury of titles as referring to Jesus: the Word (1:1); the light (1:5); the only Son (1:17); the Lamb of God (1:29, 35); the Son of God (1:34, 45); Rabbi – which means “teacher” (1:38); the Messiah – which means “Christ” (1:41); him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote (1:45); Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Joseph (1:45); Rabbi (1:49); the King of Israel (1:49); the Son of Man (uttered by Jesus at 1:51, though it is not clear if Jesus was referring to himself, or not).  What might be the reason for such a flourish of titles – especially in a Gospel wherein what one knows or does not know is so important?  Using a concordance to track down the verb “to know” through John’s Gospel might be a rewarding task – certainly an interesting one.

In our reading though, John refers to Jesus as “the Lamb of God” (1:35).  In the ancient Judaic mind, such a title would have evoked images of the constellation Aries.  Indeed, the magi who visited the baby Jesus (Mt. 2:1-12) would have known the Lamb of God, Aries, as the first created cosmic being – the first constellation of the Zodiac – pinnacle of the cosmos.  [Although the ancient Greek cosmologies have Aries as a Ram, other ancient near eastern cultures would have recognized Aries the Lamb.  Indeed, the 6th century Beit Alpha Synagogue at Kibbutz Hephziba in Israel boasts a beautiful floor mosaic of the Zodiac – with Aries the Lamb].

More importantly though, the title “Lamb of God” would have evoked recollections of the celebration of Passover at the beginning of the harvest season, recalling the Exodus from Egypt – so, Jesus, the Passover Lamb. 

Now, putting the two together, according to some ancient near-eastern cosmologies, when the vault of the heavens returns to the original position it held at creation, the Lamb will stand at the head of the cosmos.  With the coming of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn 1:29), what is implied is the new beginning, the advent of a new created order wherein the cosmic Lamb does away with previous things – all debts are not merely settled, but rather are set aside.  In clear Johannine language, as the Lamb of God takes away the sin of the world, so too “light does away with darkness, just as life does away with death.”*

Our Gospel readings for the second and third Sundays of Ordinary Time nicely follow John’s titular flourish with Mark’s portrait of the first events of Jesus’ ministry in the Galilee (Mk 1:14-20 & 1:21-28).  It is only after John’s arrest that Jesus comes to Galilee to proclaim the “gospel of God: This is the time of fulfillment.  The kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel” (1:14-15).  Jesus’ calling of Simon, Andrew, James, and John – each away from their livelihood of fishing – is surprising as it is a call away from their responsibilities to their families as well. The first four disciples’ immediate response to Jesus’ call to leave everything behind likely resulted in considerable hardship for their families who depended heavily on their labor to make their already meager ends meet.  What was it about Jesus and his message that drew them out of their intricate family matrixes and away from the important roles they played in them?

The next episode has Jesus and his new disciples entering the synagogue at Capernaum on the north end of the Sea of Galilee. [The photograph that embellishes the Jesus in Context webpage is a close-up of benches along one wall of a 4th century synagogue at Capernaum.  Below that ancient ruin lie the ruins of another synagogue dating to the 1st century, very near Jesus’ time!].  Mark is careful to narrate that it was “on the Sabbath” that Jesus entered the synagogue (1:21) and “astounded” those present with his teaching (1:22a).  It is not that they were expecting Jesus to teach with the authority of “the scribes” that caused their astonishment.  Rather it was likely because of Jesus’ station in society – a carpenter’s son, not expected to teach – that those present were thrown a curve.  But Jesus has already been established by Mark as a legitimate Holy Man – called “Son of God” (1:1), possessed by the Spirit and “cast out” into the wilderness to be in company with spiritual beings, indeed angels and demons (1:9-12).  As a Holy Man, he teaches with authority that moves and shakes – even moving and shaking a demon out of a man possessed; a demon who recognizes Jesus for who and what he is – “the Holy One of God” (1:24).  By contrast, those who witness this encounter between Jesus and a demon of the spirit-world, remain (only) astounded at his teaching with authority, and his authority over the “unclean spirits” (1:26).  Did they see anything more than that about Jesus?  Why are the demons able to recognize Jesus as God’s Holy One?

At any rate, after the announcement of the nearness of God’s kingdom (1:15), Jesus goes about the Galilee enacting the presence of this kingdom, first, by teaching and casting out a demon.  What will the Son of God do next?

Cumulative Bibliography:
Catechism of the Catholic Church, Urbi et orbi Communications, 1994.

The Babylonian Talmud, Soncino Press, 1990.

The Midrash Rabbah, IV, Soncino Press, 1983.

Yaacov David Herzog, The Mishnah: Berakoth – Peah – Demai, Soncino Press, 1980.

Hyman Maccoby, Jesus the Pharisee, SCM Press, 2003.

Bruce Malina & Richard Rohrbaugh, Social-Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels, Fortress, 2003.

*Bruce Malina & Richard Rohrbaugh, Social-Science Commentary on the Gospel of John, Fortress, 1998.

Jacob Neusner, The Mishnah: A New Translation, Yale University Press, 1988.

John Paul II, Crossing the Threshold of Hope, Knopf, 1995.

Jonathan L. Reed, Archaeology and the Galilean Jesus: A Re-Examination of the Evidence, Trinity Press International, 2002.

E P Sanders, Jewish Law from Jesus to the Mishnah, SCM Press, 1990.