Simply Jesus - Chapter 7a "The Campaign Starts Here"

In chapter seven, Wright continues dealing with Jesus' proclamation that God's kingdom was arriving in Him, and people need to turn back and believe the good news (Mark 1:15).

In that day and in that society this proclamation that God himself was becoming king would have been offensive to two groups at least: one was Herod Antipas who was located in the north where Jesus started His campaign; the other group was the chief priests located in the south. Both of these groups were appointed and kept in place by Rome. They were Rome's power brokers who were charged with collecting taxes for Rome and keeping the people under control. If either Herod or the high priest (head of the chief priests) caught word of someone walking around announcing that God was becoming king, they knew it would spell big trouble.

Just like one of Caesar's heralds would do when a new emperor was taking over, Jesus was going around proclaiming that God was now becoming king. He wasn't making this announcement in a vacuum. He was making it while someone else was in charge so was virtually saying, "The campaign is starting here." 

What did this mean? The complete fulfillment of what He was saying was not yet, but meanwhile He was demonstrating, up close and personal, what it looks like for God to be in charge - His healings and celebrations were part of what it meant. Healing and celebration were directly connected with the Exodus theme of justice and peace. "...he was concerned not just with outward structures, but with realities that would involve the entire person, the entire community. No point putting the world right if the people are still broken." 

And parties! The parties were celebrations over the fact that God was finally taking charge! And Jesus seemed to always party with the wrong people! This was because they were the ones who saw the error of their ways while the religious people thought they were just fine. These celebrations with Jesus at the center of them in the streets or in Matthew's house or Zacchaeus's house or in a tavern or with Mary Magdalene and her friends were all ways of showing that the campaign was under way.

Forgiveness

One other important element in Jesus' ministry was forgiveness; "forgiveness transforms like nothing else." And when Jesus forgave the man lying on the stretcher in Mark 2:1-2, it was like "walking into town and declaring that we have a new emperor." Forgiveness was what you got in the Temple under the authority of the chief priests! ...but something new is going on; and when Jesus went on to heal the man, "the crowd in the house, which wouldn't part to let the sick man in, now parts, like the Red Sea, to let the healed man out."

"Forgiveness and healing! The two go closely together, personally and socially." The significance of forgiveness can be better understood by looking further into Israel's history at her exile; they were taken captive by Babylon because of their sin and idolatry. "In a culture where honor and shame were everything, the exile brought deep, deadly shame upon Israel. And, in the eyes of the watching world, on Israel's God. But if that is so, then forgiveness must mean that exile is now over (Isaiah 40:1-2)...Just as physical healing is the up-close-and-personal version of what it looks like when God takes charge, to fix and mend the whole world, so individual forgiveness is the up-close-and-personal version of what it looks like when God does what he promised and restores his exiled people."

I'll finish covering this chapter in a day or so...