McKnight and Wright (2)

I find the emphasis of McKnight and Wright that Jesus is the fulfilment of Israel’s story really helpful, but it does not provide a full explanation. An important question is left hanging. The big question is this. Why did God choose to work through Israel, if he knew it was going to fail to fulfil its calling, and that he would have to send his son to get the job done anyway.

The problem the gospels are resolving is the authority one. Who is in charge on earth. The Gospel message is that God will be back in charge again. Once we understand that the issue is authority on earth it becomes much clearer why the history of Israel is so important for the gospels.

I would couch the problem that the Gospels are resolving this way. When God created the earth, he delegated authority over it to humans, without recourse. When humans sinned, they handed authority over the earth to the forces of evil. We underestimate the significance of this authority shift. God was outlawed from his own world, by the people he created and empowered. He could only intervene in the world, if humans gave him permission, and not many did, because they were captivated by evil.

God chose Abraham and Israel, because he needed a people to give him authority to act on earth, and to provide him with a place where he could launch his plans to redeem the world, without the constant risk of being squeezed out, before he was finished. Abraham and his descendants provided him (intermittently) with the authority he needed. Israel provided a place from which he could expand out his work of restoration.

God needed a place where he could operate a bit more freely than he usually can. Israel was not ideal, but it provides something that he could work with (This is explained more fully at Gods Big Strategy). When Jesus came to earth as a baby, he came to a place where God had permission to intervene to support his life and ministry. Israel made the incarnation possible.

The church now gives God authority to operate on earth. I will explain the implications for Israel in the next post.