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| Not the momma? |
C. H. Dodd has remarked that Jewry of the first century had an almost if not complete sub-conscious understanding that since they were "Abraham's seed" that that alone would make them blessed (Brown p.360). They believed that all nations would be blessed through them (Genesis 22:17-18). Abraham had in himself the power to save. This idea can be seen in the story of Lazarus who was in the bosom of Father Abraham and the rich man prayed to Abe to "let Lazarus dip his finger in the water and come cool my tongue for I am tormented in the flame". (Note to self: Once a person has been rich and spoiled by being waited on hand and foot, its a hard to break the habit, even in hell.) Anyway, they had internalized this idea that all Jews are blessed because Abraham was chosen of God and they were Abraham's sons. Jesus had to fight this same conditioning in Nicodemus (chapter 3- Born of the Spirit). He was not a spiritual man, but earthy. Here, these Jews thought the same way. Their right to righteousness cames through a natural blood line. But Abraham had received the blessing through acts of obedience (Hebrews 11:8).
Paul attacked this same thinking in Galatians 3. "If you are Christ's then you are Abraham's seed". Interestingly the Jews base their thinking on Genesis 22:17-18. Exegetically, Paul saw the word "seed" as being singular, sperma (LXX), ergo Christ. It is in Christ that all the nations shall be blessed. Christ is the true seed of Abraham, son of God. Christ obtained the blessing the same way as Abraham, through obedience to the Father (Genesis 22:18 and Heb. 5:7-8). And we obtain sonship through obedience too. There is no blood line of the righteous, not natural anyway. You can not be born a son of God or raised a son of God. Just as the Jews could not be born a son of Abraham or God. Like them we, in and of ourselves, alone, can become a son. Who is the true Jew? Who is the true son? The one who does the will of the Father (John 5:30). {Hear more about this - Learn Obedience! }
Even in extra-Biblical material we see this persuasion of the divine right of Jewry. In the philosophical discourse of the early church, Dialogue with Trypho by apologist Justin Martyr we can see this same thinking. Trypho the Jew argued for Jewry's claim that the Jews as seeds of Abraham expected to receive the Kingdom of God, no matter what they did. It was promised to them (CXL 2; pg. 6:797). Yet in Matthew 3:7-10 John the Baptist claimed to the circumcision that God could raise up sons of Abraham from the stones on the ground. And just as pointedly Jesus threatened the Hebrews that strangers would sit at the feasting table and the children could be thrown out (Matthew 8:11-12). And more to our point here, Jesus warned that you should "call no one your father, except your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 23:9).
All these warnings, threatenings and pointed comments will lead us straight to the heart of this discourse. In the end the Jews called Jesus fatherless, a bastard. Jesus countered that they are the sons of their lying father the devil. All in all it was an ugly name calling event; an event ending with the Jews wanting to stone Jesus as they had earlier in this chapter wanted to stone the adulterous woman. Jesus miraculously slipped out from their midst going as he came to the feast, encrpto, in secret.
What does this exchange mean to me? I remember a sitcom that had a brief stent about 20 years ago. It was about dinosaurs. It began with the baby dino sitting on the shoulders of the father dino with a milk bottle in the baby's hand. If I remember correctly the baby was hitting the daddy on the head with the bottle and saying "not the momma, not the momma". I know it is "the momma" the baby is saying and not the daddy, okay. But in a strange way it reminds me of this scene. Jesus is hitting the Pharisees on the head and saying "not the daddy, not the daddy".
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