The Gospel of the Forty Days: Jesus is LORD!
So undoubtedly this was part of Jesus’
teaching during the Forty Days. Jesus had said, “I and the Father are one” (Jn
10:30). He told the Twelve at the Last Supper, “The hour is coming when I shall
... tell you plainly of the Father” (Jn 16:25). Wasn’t this “hour” the
teachings of the forty days? Matthew tells us so quite plainly when, on the
mountain in Galilee, Jesus commanded the Eleven to baptize “in the Name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:19). So Jesus taught them
“plainly” of the Father – and of the Son, and of the Spirit (e.g., see Ac
5:3-4, Peter says to lie to the Spirit is to lie to God.)
References:
Jaroslav Pelikan, Acts (part of the Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible series) (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press) p. 38-41, 116-119.
Jaroslav Pelikan, Credo, Historical and Theological Guide to Creeds and Confessions of Faith in the Christian Tradition (New Haven: Yale University Press), 374-377, 379-380.
Elements of Judaism historically, and
orthodox Judaism today, believe that God gave both a written Torah and an oral
Torah to Moses, His chosen messenger, during the forty days Moses was on Mount
Sinai. A First Century Jew reading from the beginning of the book of the Acts
of the Apostles that Jesus “had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to
the Apostles whom He had chosen,” and “during forty days” was “speaking of the
Kingdom of God” (Ac 1:2-3), could not help but see parallels to Moses on Mount
Sinai: forty days, chosen messenger(s), giving commandment/Torah and
teachings/oral Torah. And, of course, there is the parallel of God and Jesus.
So now, exactly who is Jesus?
St. Luke tells us in his Gospel that at
Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven, all those who were there “worshiped Him” (Lk
24:52). Everyone knows worship is due to God alone (Ex 20:3; Deut 5:7, 6:5).
The Shema – “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one Lord” (Deut 6:4). When
Jesus was asked which was the first, greatest commandment, that is what He
answered followed by, “and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mk
12:28-30; cf., Deut 6:5). That same Gospel of Mark earlier had related that the
Father spoke at Jesus’ baptism saying, “You are My beloved Son” (Mk 1:11) and
at Jesus’ transfiguration saying, “This is My beloved Son” (Mk 9:7). So Jesus,
who Himself affirms the primary creed of Judaism, the Shema, that “the LORD
our God is one Lord,” is at the same time affirmed by the Father as being His
“Son,” and thus God.
Then after the resurrection, which
conclusively proved Jesus’ divinity, we also have Mary Magdalen and the “other
Mary” who “worshiped Him” (Mt 28:9), and Thomas who exclaimed, “My LORD and my
God!” (Jn 20:28 – and John wrote his Gospel “that you may believe that Jesus is
the Christ, the Son of God.”) And the disciples on the mountain in Galilee who
“worshiped Him” (Mt 28:17). We also see in the Gospels and Acts that after
Jesus’ resurrection, He was only addressed or referred to as “LORD.” Peter’s
Pentecost sermon said Jesus was “exalted at the right hand of God” (Ac 2:33),
indicating divinity, and is “both LORD and Christ” (Ac 2:36). Stephen saw “the
glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God” (Ac 7:56).
In fact, the New Testament strongly
indicates that belief in Jesus’ divinity was required for Christian baptism, a
very early “rule of faith” or baptismal creed. What did the Ethiopian eunuch
profess before Phillip would baptize him? “I believe that Jesus Christ is the
Son of God.” (Ac 8:37; RSV puts in a footnote but the text is historically
strongly attested to.) Immediately upon Saul’s conversion what was the first
thing he started proclaiming? “He is the Son of God” (Ac 9:20). When Peter
spoke to Cornelius, what did he preach? Jesus Christ “is LORD of all” (Ac
10:36).
This Sunday is Trinity Sunday where we
re-affirm our faith in the Shema that God is one LORD, the only LORD, yet at
the same time we also re-affirm our faith in God’s own revelation of Himself that
He is at the same time Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – this deep, deep mystery
which Jesus not only evidenced in His resurrection, but undoubtedly also taught
about during those forty days before his Ascension into Heaven. This truth the
Apostles handed on to their successors and to us.
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church is located in California City, CA. Visit our website at ollcalcity.org.References:
Jaroslav Pelikan, Acts (part of the Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible series) (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press) p. 38-41, 116-119.
Jaroslav Pelikan, Credo, Historical and Theological Guide to Creeds and Confessions of Faith in the Christian Tradition (New Haven: Yale University Press), 374-377, 379-380.