The Gospel of Christ Crucified - Chapter 5_The Hope of the Christ

7/31/2019 The Gospel of Christ Crucified - Chapter 5_The Hope of the Christ

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5. The Hope of the Christ

Immediately upon his conversion, Paul began to preach in the synagogues of

Damascus that Jesus is the Christ. (Acts 9:22, NIV) Everywhere he went, the

cutting edge of his message was, This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the

Christ. (17:3) For he often devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying

to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. (18:5, NIV) Likewise, Apollos powerfully

refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.

(18:28) In fact this was the general theme of the apostolic witness (cf. 2:36; 3:20;

8:5; 10:36; etc.), for every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did

not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. (5:42)

The presentation of Jesus as the Christ (Mt. 1:17; Lk. 3:15; Jn. 4:29), i.e. the

one who is called Christ (Mt. 1:16), is the primary purpose of the recorded

Gospels. So John says, these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the

Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (Jn.

20:31) As the angel told the shepherds, Today in the town of David a Savior hasbeen born to you; he is Christ the Lord. (Lk. 2:11, NIV) Accordingly, Peters

confession is, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. (Mt. 16:16) So also

Martha declares, I believe you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming

into the world. (Jn. 11:27) Even the demons knew that he was the Christ. (Lk.

4:41) However, Jesus warned them and his disciples to tell no one that he was

the Christ. (Mt. 16:20)

Many questioned if John the Baptist might be the Christ (Lk. 3:15), but heconfessed freely, I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him. (Jn. 3:28;

cf. 1:20) Likewise, the ministry of Jesus was marked by the controversy of the

people asking, Can this be the Christ? (Jn. 4:29) Some said, This is the Christ

(7:41), because they reasoned, When the Christ appears, will he do more signs

than this man has done? (7:31) However, many wondered, Have the

authorities really concluded that he is the Christ? (7:26, NIV) And they were

afraid because anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would beput out of the synagogue. (9:22, NIV)


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On occasion the Jews confronted Jesus directly, If you are the Christ, tell us

plainly. (Jn. 10:24) To which Jesus responded, I told you, and you do not

believe. (v. 25) Likewise, at his trial they demanded, tell us if you are the

Christ, the Son of God. (Mt. 26:63) To which he replied, Yes, it is as you say.

(v. 64, NIV) Pilate later asked the crowd, Whom do you want me to release foryou: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ? (Mt. 27:17) Even on the Cross,

people passed by and hurled insults saying, He saved others; let him save

himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One! (Lk. 23:35) So also the

criminals being crucified with him questioned, Are you not the Christ? Save

yourself and us! (v. 39) These are examples of the spirit of the antichrist, which

denies that Jesus is the Christ (1 Jn. 2:22). Conversely, everyone who believes

that Jesus is the Christ has beenborn of God (1 Jn. 5:1).

The purpose for listing all of these interactions is this: no one questioned the

meaning of Christ. No one stopped and asked, What are we expecting of the

Christ? It was generally common knowledge who the Expected One (Mt. 11:3;

Lk. 7:19f, NASB) was and what he was going to doa Jewish Zeitgeist, more or

less.1 Unfortunately, in the modern church the term Christ means little more

than a sort of last name for Jesus (his proper name actually being Jesus son of

Joseph from Nazareth [Jn. 1:45, NRSV; cf. Mt. 26:71; Lk. 24:19; Jn. 19:19]). When

his followers ascribed to him the name Jesus Christ, or Jesus the Messiah

(Mt. 1:1, 18; Mk. 1:1, NLT), they had in mind a whole host of things which are

almost completely absent from todays consciousness.2

1 For an overview of first-century Jewish messianism, see James H. Charlesworth, From Jewish

Messianology to Christian Christology: Some Caveats and Perspectives, inJudaisms and Their

Messiahs at the Turn of the Christian Era, ed. J. Neusner, W. S. Green, and E. Frerichs (Cambridge:Cambridge University Press, 1987), 225-64 (Jewish Zeitgeist, p. 251).

2 For an introduction to the arduous debate in recent scholarship concerning Christology (the study of

Christ) and Messianology (the study of Messiah), see Joseph Klausner, The Messianic Idea in Israel,

trans. W. F. Stinespring (New York: Macmillan, 1955); Sigmund Mowinckel, He That Cometh: The

Messiah Concept in the Old Testament and Later Judaism, trans. by G. W. Anderson (New York:

Abingdon Press, 1956); Oscar Cullmann, The Christology of the New Testament, trans. by S. C. Guthrie

and C. A. M. Hall (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1963); R. H. Fuller, Foundations of New Testament

Christology (New York: Scribner, 1965); Richard N. Longenecker, The Christology of Early Jewish

Christianity (London: SCM, 1970); I. Howard Marshall, The Origins of New Testament Christology

(Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1976); J. H. Charlesworth, ed., The Messiah: Developments in EarliestJudaism and Christianity (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1992); Martin Hengel, Studies in Early Christology

(London: T. & T. Clark, 1995); Hans Schwarz, Christology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998); and

Richard N. Longenecker, ed., Contours of Christology in the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Wm. B.

Eerdmans, 2005).


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The English words Messiah and Christ are derived from the Hebrew

mashiach, which is translated into the Greek christos. Both words simply mean

anointed one or consecrated one.3 Thus there are various messiahs or

christs in the Old Testament anointed for different roles and functions, e.g.

prophets (1 Ki. 19:16), priests (Ex. 29:7; Lev. 4:3ff), and kings (1 Sam. 10:1; 1 Ki.1:39; 2 Ki. 9:6). In this way there is an etymological overlap between anointing

and appointing (cf. Num. 1:50; 3:10; 27:16; 1 Sam. 8:1; Ps. 89:27; etc.) .

In context to a biblical worldview, and the subsequent theology of a new

heavens and new earth, the Scriptures describe a unique and singular Messiah

who is anointed as the ultimate agent of salvation (cf. Acts 3:20f; 1 Cor. 15:20-26;

Heb. 9:28). If biblical salvation is the restoration of all things, then the Messiah

is understood as the Restorer of all things, so to speak (see Fig. 5.1).4 As the

agent of salvation, he is simply referred to as Savior (Lk. 2:11; Jn. 4:42; Acts

13:23; Phil. 3:20; 1 Tim. 4:10; 2 Tim. 1:10; 1 Jn. 4:14).

3

See V. P. Hamilton, 1255 (ma), TWOT, 530-32; and , BDAG, 1091.4We have seen that it is characteristic of New Testament Christology that Christ is connected with

the total history of revelation and salvation, beginning with creation. There can be no Heilsgeschichte

without Christology; no Christology without a Heilsgeschichte which unfolds in time. Christology is

the doctrine of an event, not a doctrine of natures. (Cullmann, Christology of the New Testament, 9)


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Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out< 20 that

he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive

until the timefor restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth

of his holy prophets long ago. (Acts 3:19-21)

And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comesjudgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many,

will appeara second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who

eagerly await Him. (Heb. 9:27-28, NASB)5

Thus, Jesus declares himself as the agent of the resurrection to Martha, I am

the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he

live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe

this? (Jn. 11:25-26) To which Martha affirms, Yes, Lord; I believe thatyou are theChrist, the Son of God, who is coming into the world. (v. 27). And to the crowds

who followed him after the miraculous feeding of five thousand, Jesus declared,

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise

him up on the last day. (Jn. 6:44) Of course God would raise the dead on the last

day, but here is seen the assumed mediatorial role of the Messiah on that day.

Likewise Jesus would have been understood when he said,

The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may

honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son

does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever

hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life< For as the

Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.

And he hasgiven him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of

Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the

tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to theresurrection of life, and those who have done evil tothe resurrection of judgment.

(Jn. 5:22-29)

Since the new heavens and new earth were believed to be initiated at the Day

of the Lord, then the Messiah was also understood as the agent of divine justice

(see Fig. 5.2). He is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living

5 Note the logic of the authorjust as there is a two-part appointment (Gk. apokeimai) for sinfulman (death and judgment), so also is there a corresponding two-part appointment for the

Righteous Man (sacrifice and salvation). Moreover, both appointments are equally emphasized, the

first appointment being in reference to bearing sin and the second appointment being without

reference to sin.


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and the dead (Acts 10:42,NASB), which will happen on the day when God will

judge men's secrets through JesusChrist (Rom. 2:16, NIV).For God has set aday

when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. (Acts

17:31, NIV) Thus, divine judgment and messianic expectation are conflated, so

that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one mayreceive what is due (2 Cor. 5:10), for it is Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living

and the dead (2 Tim. 4:1). This conflation is also inherently evident in the

phraseology of the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 1:8), the day of Jesus

Christ (Phil. 1:6), andthe day of Christ (Phil. 1:10; 2:16).

Not only is the Messiah the general means by which righteousness is

established at the Day of the Lord, but also the Messiah carries out the specific

functions of that day. Gods royal honor is vindicated, and his wrath spent upon

the wicked by means of the Messiah (cf. Ps. 2:5; 110:5; Rom. 2:5-16; Rev. 19:5).6

Thus, the day of wrath is mediated through the Messiah.

6In response to the announcement of the birth of Jesus as Christ the Lord (Lk. 2:11), the declaration

of the heavenly host is stunning: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with

whom he is pleased!(v. 14) The terrifying assumption is that there is no peace for the wicked (Is.

48:22; 57:21; cf. Rev. 14:11), and thus the host is prophesying the future destiny of the child to execute

divine vengeance, i.e. glory (doxa) to God in highest, and that of the eschatological peace on earth

are nothing but a summary of the future bliss that will be realized in and by the coming of the


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The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against

the LORD and against his Anointed One [Hb. mashiach+< The One enthroned

in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger

and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, I have installedmy King on Zion, my

holy hill< [He] will rule them with an iron scepter; [he] will dash them to

pieces like pottery. (Ps. 2:2-9, NIV)

The LORD says to my Lord: Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a

footstool for your feet.< The Lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings

on the day of his wrath. He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and

crushing the rulers of the whole earth. (Ps. 110:1-6, NIV)

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is

called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war


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son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in

heaven< For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his

angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done ." (Mt.

16:13-27, NIV)

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then hewill sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and

he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from

the goats< Then the King will say to those on his right, Come, you who are

blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the

foundation of the world. < Then he will say to those on his left, Depart

from me,you cursed [cf. by my Father], into the eternal fire prepared for the

devil and his angels. (Mt. 25:31-41)

Thus the messianic background is clearly understood when Jesus announces,

I am coming soon, bringing my recompensewith me, to repay everyone for what

he has done. (Rev. 22:12) As suchJesus declares himself the divine arbitrator of

redemptive history, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the

beginning and the end. (v. 13)7

Throughout the Scriptures, creation and redemptive history are described as

the work(s) of God.8 Thus, the Messiah is also pictured as the agent of divine

work (cf. Jn. 5:17-37; 6:30-40; 10:25-38; 14:8-14; 15:23f; 17:4). The Messiah is the one

7 Note the correspondence of the pseudepigraphic Testament of Levi, And then the Lord will raise up

a new priest to whom all the words of the Lord will be revealed. He shall effect the judgment of truth

over the earth for many days. And his star shall rise in heaven like a king; kindling the light of

knowledge as day is illumined by the sun. And he shall be extolled by the whole inhabited world.This one will shine forth like the sun in the earth; he shall take away all darkness from under heaven,

and there shall be peace in all the earth. The heavens shall greatly rejoice in his days and the earth

shall be glad; the clouds will be filled with joy and the knowledge of the Lord will be poured out on

the earth like the water of the seas. And the angels of glory of the Lords presence will be made glad

by him. The heavens will be opened, and from the temple of glory sanctification will come upon him,

with a fatherly voice, as from Abraham to Isaac. And the glory of the Most High shall burst forth

upon him. And the spirit of understanding and sanctification shall rest upon him< And he shall

open the gates of paradise; he shall remove the sword that has threatened since Adam, and he will

grant to the saints to eat of the tree of life. The spirit of holiness shall be upon them. And Beliar shall

be bound by him. And he shall grant to his children the authority to trample on wicked spirits. (18.2-12; OTP, 1:794-95)

8 Cf. Gen. 2:2f; Ex. 34:10; Deut. 11:7; Jdg. 2:7; 1 Sam. 14:6; Ps. 19:1; 28:5; 33:4; 92:4; 102:25; 145:4f; Prov.

8:21; Is. 5:12; 10:12; 19:25; 28:1; 45:11; 64:8; Jer. 50:25; 51:10; Dan. 4:37; 9:14; Hab. 1:5; 3:2; Mt. 11:20ff; Jn.

4:34; 5:17, 36; 9:3f; 10:37f; 14:10; Rom. 14:20; Phil. 2:13; Col. 2:12; Heb. 4:3f; 13:21.


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that does and accomplishes the will of God. Thus Jesus messianic claim would

have been clearly heard,

My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working< I tell you

the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his

Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. (Jn. 5:17-19,NIV)

Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words

that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells

in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me,

or else believe on account of the works themselves. (Jn. 14:10-11)

In the ancient world, a man would strip for work (cf. Jn. 21:7) by taking off

his outer garment, thus baring his arms (cf. Is. 52:10; Eze. 4:7). Since God is the

archetypal Worker, then his Messiah is the functional extension of himself,

pictured as the arm of the Lord (Is. 51:9; 53:1; Jn. 12:38), as seen in the Suffering

Servant passage:

Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices, together they sing for joy; for in

plain sight they see the return of the LORD to Zion< The LORD has bared his

holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall

see the salvation of our God< See, my servant shall prosper; he shall be

exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. Just as there were many who

were astonished at himso marred was his appearance, beyond human

semblance, and his form beyond that of mortalsso he shall startle many

nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which had not

been told them they shall see, and that which they had not heard they shall

contemplate. Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm

of the LORD been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and

like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look

at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. (Is. 52:8-53:2,

NRSV)

In this passage we see the equation of the Day of the Lord (the return of the

Lord to Zion, cf. vv. 1-7), the resurrection (see the salvation of our God), and

the Messiah (my servant), who is understood to be the arm of the Lordhe

came up like a young plant, out of dry ground, without form or majesty, etc.

Thus, referencing Jesus, John quotes the same passage,


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Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they

still would not believe in him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:

Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been

revealed? < Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about

him. (Jn. 12:37-42, NIV)

It is the miraculous signs done through Jesus that are understood to be the

work of God, and thus he is the arm of the Lord, i.e. the Christ (v. 34). As

such,Jesus cries out in response to the unbelief of the Jews, Whoever believes in

me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who

sent me. (12:44-45) Jesus is simply referencing the Old Testament passages that

portray God and his messianic Arm functioning together as one (cf. Is. 30:30;

40:10; 52:10; 59:16; 63:5).9

The LORD will cause men to hear his majestic voice and will make them see

his arm coming down with raging anger and consuming fire, with cloudburst,

thunderstorm and hail< Every stroke the LORD lays on them with his

punishing rod will be to the music of tambourines and harps, as he fights

them in battle with the blows of his arm. (Is. 30:30-32, NIV)

You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift

it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, Here is your God! See, the

Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward

is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. (Is. 40:9-10, NIV)

The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that

there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his

own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. (Is.

59:15-16, NIV)

Thus we have the broad theological framework for understanding the

messianic mediation of divine redemption. God could have simply come in

power and restored creation directly, but he chose to do it through a man, his

chosen one, the Messiah. This is the golden thread woven through the Scriptures.

But how specifically did this thread of messianic expectation develop? Did the

prophets, being carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21), speak arbitrarily

9Because of the temporal nature of the Scriptures, the historical working of the arm of the Lord indivine sovereignty, which is not directly messianic (cf. Ex. 6:6; Deut. 4:34; 1 Ki. 8:42; Ps. 44:3; 77:15;

89:10; Is. 63:12),points to the eschatological working of the messianic Arm of the Lord. In this way the

activity of divine sovereignty in the Exodus, and similar events, inform the activity of divine

sovereignty at the end of the age (cf. esp. Is. 51:9ff; 63:12ff).


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of an anointed man whom God would use to fix everything? Or was there a

more intuitive and organic process to this expectation? Indeed it is the latter,

based upon the inherent nature and relationship between God and manand

the covenants made between themthrough which the hope of the Messiah

develops.

THE GENESIS OF MESSIANIC HOPE

The hope of salvation and a restored heavens and earth in the Scriptures

begins immediately after the sin of Adam and Eve.10 Speaking to the serpent in

the Garden later explicitly identified as Satan (cf. 2 Cor. 11:14; Rev. 12:9; 20:2),11

God says,Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will

crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will

put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring [Hb.

zera] and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. (Gen. 3:14-15,

NIV)

10 Unfortunately, a large contingent of modern scholarship believes Jewish messianism simply arose

as a response to social oppression out of the post-exilic milieu, hoping for the restoration of the

former glory of the Davidic kingdom. However, Davids own confession of Israel being aliens and

strangers< as were all our forefathers (2 Chr. 29:15) and the numerous Psalms written by David

himself being anchored in a coming Messiah (e.g. 2, 21, 37, etc.) argue for a pervasive messianic hope

to the Scriptures, even protologically. Moreover, to relegate messianism as such is to violate the very

nature of the Scriptures, viz., Messianic prophecy was thus not a product of a human yearning for a

better life, but the result of a supernatural revelation. *John H. Sailhamer, The Messiah and the

Hebrew Bible,JETS 44/1 (March 2001): 6.] Messianism is the whole reason the Scriptures exist, asSailhamer summarizes, What I have tried to suggest is that it can be argued that the books of the OT

are messianic in the full NT sense of the word. The OT is the light that points the way to the NT. The

NT is not only to cast its light back on the Old, but more importantly, the light of the OT is to be cast

on the New. The books of the OT were written as the embodiment of a real, messianic hopea hope

in a future miraculous work of God in sending a promised Redeemer. This was not an afterthought in

the Hebrew Bible. This was not the work of final redactors. I believe the messianic thrust of the OT

was the whole reason the books of the Hebrew Bible were written. In other words, the Hebrew Bible

was not written as the national literature of Israel. It probably also was not written to the nation of

Israel as such. It was rather written, in my opinion, as the expression of the deep-seated messianic

hope of a small group of faithful prophets and their followers. (ibid., 23)11 Intertestamental literature clearly identifies the Edenic serpent as Satan (cf. Jub. 3:17ff; 4 Macc. 18:8;

Ps. Sol. 4:11). Apoc. Moses 16:4-5 also relates the serpent as the vessel of Satan: The devil said to

him *the serpent+, Do not fear; only become my vessel, and I will speak a word through your mouth

by which you will be able to deceive him [Adam]. (OTP 2:277)


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Here God makes an indirect promise to Adam and Eve, and their progeny,

concerning the crushing of Satans head. This passage is often referred to as the

mother promise from which all future messianic promises proceed.12 It is also

called the proto-evangelium, or first-gospel, since it is the first reference of

good news to man in his fallen state.13

A singular, masculine pronoun, he, is used to describe the offspring or

seed (Hb. zera) of the woman.14 This Seed of the woman will crush the

head (Hb. rosh) of the serpent.15 In this way, we have the birth of the basic

messianic realitya human being will be born who will mediate the wrath of

God toward Satan and those who belong to him.16 The messianic hope is thus

12 See Hoekema, The Bible and the Future, 5.

13 The referencing of Genesis 3:15 as the Proto-evangel is attributed to Irenaeus of Lyons (c.135-202),

Against Heresies, 3:23.7 and 5:21.1. However, a messianic reading of Gen. 3:15 is seen in the translation

of the Septuagint [see R. A. Martin, The Earliest Messianic Interpretation of Gen 3:15.JBL 84 (1965):

425-27) and the earliest Aramaic translations of Genesis, cf. Jewish Targums of Pseudo-Jonathan,

Neofiti,and Fragmentary*see John Skinner, The Protevangelium, Genesis, ICC (New York: Scribner,

1910), 80-88] where Satan is defeated in the age of the messianic kingdom [see also M. B. Shepherd,

Targums, the New Testament, and Biblical Theology of the Messiah,JETS 51/1 (Mar. 2008): 45-58].These early readings suggest a common messianic interpretation of the Old Testament stemming

from Genesis.

14 Since the word zera is always in singular form in the Hebrew Bible, Gen. 3:15 also introduces us to

the idea of corporate solidarity, i.e. the one who represents the group and the many who are

represented are equally a part of the same single meaning intended by the author. *Walter C. Kaiser,

Jr., The Messiah in the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995), 25.] In other words, many

offspring can be represented by the single Offspring of Adam and Eve, which is then carried through

the rest of the OT covenants (cf. Gen. 17:7; 2 Sam. 7:12; Gal. 3:16, 29). Thus, the English word

offspring, being a collective singular noun, is an adequate translation for zera*vs. descendant(s)+.

Unfortunately, offspring is the best translation of the Greekgenos, which is also used as a messianic

title, i.e. Offspring of David (Rev. 22:16). In my opinion, the translation of Hb. zera and Gk. sperma

is best left as seed, leaving the interpretation of its quality and quantity unrestricted. Seed also

carries with it cosmogenical associations (cf. Gen. 1:11, 12, 29) which were assumed in the mind of the

ancient reader.

15The Hebrew language does not have a word specifically for head, but rather rosh refers to the

upper part, cf. the headsof the mountains (Gen. 8:5), the head of the Tower of Babel (Gen.

11:4), the headsof the clans of Israel (Num. 1:16); the head of the tribes of Israel (1 Sam. 15:17),

etc. Thus, the head of the serpent could naturally be interpreted governmentally (see W. White,

2097 (r

),TWOT, 825-26).16See Sailhamers insightful discussion of this passage in The Pentateuch as Narrative (Grand Rapids:

Zondervan, 1992), 106-109; Consequently, more is at stake in this brief passage than the reader is at

first aware. A program is set forth. A plot is established that will take the author far beyond this or

that snake and his seed. (p. 107)


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fundamentally genealogical in nature, which creates a baseline of expectation for

future covenants and prophetic oracles.17

The relationship of the satanic head to the messianic heel also portrays

an image of military conquest commonly used in the Old Testament (cf. Josh.

10:24; 2 Sam. 22:38f; Ps. 47:2f; 89:23).18 Thus, we have a vision for the rebellion of

Satan being brought intoforceful submission.19

And when they brought those kings out to Joshua, Joshua summoned all the

men of Israel and said to the chiefs of the men of war who had gone with

him, Come near;put your feet on the necks of these kings. (Jos. 10:24)

I pursued my enemies and crushed them; I did not turn back till they were

destroyed. I crushed them completely, and they could not rise; they fell beneath

my feet. (2 Sam. 22:38-39, NIV)

With a clear reference to that ancient serpent (Rev. 20:2), the Scriptures

prophesy the fulfillment of Genesis 3:15 in the age to come and more specifically

in Gehenna (cf. Rev. 20:1-10). As the Christ (Rev. 20:4, 6), Jesus will bring Satan

into forceful submission by binding him in Hades for a thousand years and then

throwing him, with the wicked, into the Lake of Fire forever (cf. Rev. 20:10, 14f;

21:8; 22:15). This is the ultimate head-crushing of Satan.

17Thus messianism is characterized by Walter Kaiser as epigenetical, a biological term meaning

the progressive development of an embryo from an undifferentiated egg cell *Concise Oxford

English Dictionary, 11th ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004), s.v. epigenesis+; so, The unity

that Scripture exhibited was not statica flat-Bible type of uniformity; it had an organic or

epigenetical aspect to it that defied an easy categorization or simplification. Even in its earliest OT

statements, that divine word< had within it seminal ideas that only later amplifications would

unfold from the germs of thought that were just barely visible when first announced. That is why the

metaphor from biology is an apt one: prophetic truth had an organic, epigenetical nature. The fixed

core of ideas connected with the promise-plan of God and the representative of that promise

remained constant. But as time went on, the content of that given word of blessing, promise, or

judgment grew in accordance with seed thoughts that were contained within its earliest statements,

much as a seed is uniquely related to the plant that it will become if it has life at all. (Kaiser,Messiah

in the Old Testament, 27)

18 See also the fuller discussion of OT language that references Genesis 3:15including head

crushing, broken enemies, stricken serpents, and those who lick the dust and are trampled

underfootin James Hamilton, The Skull Crushing Seed of the Woman: Inner-BiblicalInterpretation of Genesis 3:15, Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 10/2 (Summer 2006): 30-54.

19 For more on the hermeneutical issues surrounding Gen. 3:15, see T. D. Alexander, Messianic

Ideology in the Book of Genesis, in The Lords Anointed: Interpretation of the Old Testament Messianic

Texts, eds. P. E. Satterthwaite, R. S. Hess and G. J. Wenham (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1995), 19-39.


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And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss

and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient

serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years< And

the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where

the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day

and night for ever and ever. (Rev. 20:1-10, NIV)

Moreover, Jesus identifies himself cosmogenically as the alpha (22:13) and

the offspring (Rev. 22:16) who will give to everyone according to what he has

done (22:12). Thus, we see the germ of Genesis 3:15 progress to maturity in

the Day of the Lord, Gehenna, and the resurrection.20 It is the messianic Seed of

Adam and Eve that will be the agent of divine justice and restoration (see Fig.

5.3).21

20As Jewish theologian Adolph Saphir summarized, The Protoevangelion; the first promise is justly

so called, because it contains the Gospel in germ. Scripture, or rather the Revelation, of which it is a

record, is an organic growth; not an aggregate of successive teaching, added in a mechanical way, but

a development of living seed. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world;

especially His central work of Redemption. Hence every part of Gods revelation is complete,

containing the seed< And so far from our having fully comprehended it, only the end will explain

the beginning; only the Millennial age will disclose Genesis. When Satan is finally bruised under ourfeet we shall understand the Protoevangelion. *Christ Crucified: Lectures on I Corinthians II(London:

James Nisbet, 1873), 2-3]

21 See also the timeless exposition of Gen. 3:15 by E. W. Hengstenberg, Christology of the Old Testament,

trans. T. Meyer and J. Martin, vol. 1 (orig. 1872; Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1956), 14-29.


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The Old Testament is rife with messianic imagery which references and

builds upon Genesis 3:15. Balaam prophesies concerning Israel, A star will come

out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab,the skulls of all the sons of Sheth. (Num. 24:17, NIV) Likewise, Habakkuk

prophesies, You went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of

your anointed. You crushed the head of the house of the wicked, laying him bare

from thigh to neck. (3:13) Jeremiah warns, Behold, the storm of the LORD!

Wrath has gone forth, a whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the

wicked. (23:19) And David forsees the messianic Lord who will crush kings

on the day of his wrath (Ps. 110:5,NIV), and he will shatter heads over the wholeearth. (v. 6,NLT) Thus, the Messiah will be the means by which God willcrush

the headsof his enemies, the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins. (Ps.

68:21, NIV) And according to the cursing language of Gen. 3:14 (dust you shall

eat), Solomon says of the Messiah, He will rule from sea to sea and from the

River to the ends of the earth. The desert tribes will bow before him and his

enemies will lick the dust. (Ps. 72:8-9, NIV) This Edenic metaphor is reiterated in

Isaiahs vision of the new heavens and new earth (65:17-25) when, The wolf andthe lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be

the serpent's food. (v. 25) Likewise, Micah prophesies the Day of the Lord,


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The earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants, as the result of their

deeds< Nations will see and be ashamed, deprived of all their power. They

will lay their hands on their mouths and their ears will become deaf. They will

lick dust like a snake, like creatures that crawl on the ground. They will come

trembling out of their dens; they will turn in fear to the LORD our God and

will be afraid of you. (7:13-17, NIV; cf. Is. 49:23)

Moreover, the heel-to-head imagery is seen when the Messiah treads the

winepress of the nations on the day of vengeance, saying, In my anger I

have trampled my enemies as if they were grapes. In my fury I have trampled my

foes. (Is. 63:3,NLT) Similarly, it is through the messianic Sun of Righteousness

that the arrogant and the wicked will be burned up like straw, for the Lord

says to the righteous, you will tread upon the wicked as if they were dust underyour feet. (Mal. 4:1-3, NLT)

References and allusions to Genesis 3:15 also abound in the New Testament.

Jesus tells his disciples, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I

have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power

of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. (Luke 10:18-19). And no one would

have missed the implications of Johns imprecatory preaching, You brood of

vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (Mt. 3:7; Lk. 3:7, NASB).

Jesus reiterates this accusation against the Pharisees (cf. Mt. 12:34) and relates

their common destiny with the Devil in Gehenna: You serpents, you brood of

vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? (Mt. 23:33). Likewise, the

Pharisees are condemned as sons of the evil one (Mt. 13:38), cf. children of the

devil (1 Jn. 3:10), whom Jesus exposes as descendents of the lying Serpent in the

Garden:

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He

was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth,

because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own

character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (Jn. 8:44)

Moreover, Revelation 12-13 is an apocalyptic recapitulation of Genesis 3:15,

with a woman giving birth (12:2) to a male child (12:5) and a great dragon

(12:3), i.e. that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan (12:9, cf. v.


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14f), seeking to devour the child (12:4).22 However, the beast (13:1) who is

given authority by the dragon/serpent (13:4) receives a fatal head wound

(13:3) as a sign of the ultimate and final head-crushing pictured in 14:9ff:23

If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the

forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which hasbeen poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with

burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the

smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. (Rev. 14:9-11, NIV)24

Paul also exhorts the Roman church to resist wicked deceiversakin to the

smooth talk and flattery (16:18) of Satan in the Gardenand to be wise as to

what is good and innocent as to what is evil (v. 19), an obvious reference to the

22 Here it seems that drakn megas (Rev. 12:3) draws from use in the LXX where drakn translates Hb.

tannin, i.e. serpent (Ex. 7:9ff; Deut. 32:33;Job 7:12 [cf. 20:16; 26:13]; Ps. 74:13; 91:13; Amos 9:3; Jer.

51:34). See the discussion of Old Testament usage in W. Foerster, , TDNT, 2:281-83.

23As Beale notes, God must be the unmentioned agent of the beasts wound< Such a wound on

the head of the grand nemesis of Gods people reflects Gen. 3:15, especially when seen together with

Rev. 12:17. *Gregory K. Beale, The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text, NIGTC (Grand

Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), 687-88].

24Note that the worship of the Serpent (13:4), and vicarious worship of the Beast (13:4, 8, 12, 15;14:9, 11), is the culmination of sin, which reinforces the account of original satanic sin in The Life of

Adam and Eve, 12-16: And the devil sighed and said, O Adam, all my enmity and envy and sorrow

concern you, since because of you I am expelled and deprived of my glory which I had in the heavens

in the midst of angels, and because of you I was cast out onto the earth. 2 Adam answered, What

have I done to you, and what is my blame with you? Since you are neither harmed nor hurt by us,

why do you pursue us? 13:1 The devil replied, Adam, what are you telling me? It is because of you

that I have been thrown out of there. 2 When you were created, I was cast out from the presence of

God and was sent out from the fellowship of the angels. 3 When God blew into you the breath of life

and your countenance and likeness were made in the image of God, Michael brought you and made

(us) worship you in the sight of God, and the LORDGod said, Behold Adam! I have made you in ourimage and likeness. 14:1And Michael went out and called all the angels, saying, Worship the image

of the LORD God, as the LORDGod has instructed. 2 And Michael himself worshiped first, and called

me and said, Worship the image of God, Yahweh. 3 And I answered, I do not worship Adam.

And when Michael kept forcing me to worship, I said to him, Why do you compel me? I will not

worship one inferior and subsequent to me. I am prior to him in creation; before he was made, I was

already made. He ought to worship me. 15:1 When they heard this, other angels who were under me

refused to worship him. 2 And Michael asserted, Worship the image of God. But if now you will not

worship, the LORDGod will be wrathful with you. 3And I said, If he be wrathful with me, I will set

my throne above the stars of heaven and will be like the Most High. 16:1 And the LORD God was

angry with me and sent me with my angels out from our glory; and because of you, we were expelledinto this world from our dwellings and have been cast onto the earth. 2 And immediately we were

made to grieve, since we had been deprived of so great glory. And we were pained to see you in such

bliss of delights. 3 So with deceit I assailed your wife and made you to be expelled through her from

the joys of your bliss, as I have been expelled from my glory. (OTP,2:262)


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forbidden tree, for the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. (v. 20)

Here the God of peace is understood in light of the messianic passages

wherein peace is proclaimed and established upon the earth under the Messiahs

rule (cf. Ps. 37:11; Is. 9:6f; 26:12; 52:7; 54:10; 60:17; 66:12; Hag. 2:9; Zech. 9:10), and

the wicked are tormented forever without peace (cf. Is. 48:22; 57:21; 66:24).

Similarly, Paul asserts that in Adam death came through a man (1 Cor.

15:21), and its reversal in the resurrection of the dead will come in Christ (v.

22). This will initiate the destroying of all dominion, authority and power (v.

24), as Christ will reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet (v. 25), a

clear reference (in light of the discussion of Adam and the entrance of sin) to the

heel of Gen. 3:15. Paul then goes on (v. 27) to quote Psalm 8:6, which is poetic

commentary on Genesis 1:

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the

stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him,

and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little

lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You

have given him dominion over the works of your hands;you have put all things under

his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the

heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

(Ps. 8:3-8)

The reference to Psalm 8 here assumes a redemptive logic of sorts. If God

created everything with perfection and righteousness under Adam, then he will

restore all things to perfection and righteousness under the last Adam (1 Cor.

15:45). Adam then is a type of Him who was to comeand viz., For if by the

transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who

receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life

through the One, Jesus Christ. (Rom. 5:14, 17,NASB) It is the reigning in life that

constitutes the crushing of the head of Satan by bringing all the enemies of God

under the heel of the Christ.

Psalm 8:4-6 is also quoted redemptively in Hebrews 2:6-8. It is clear that

putting everything in subjection under his feet (v. 8) references Gods

subjection of the world to come (v. 5)by the Messiah. The bringing many sonsto glory (v. 10) and the forceful submission of Satan under the heel of the Christ

will surely come to pass, even though at present, we do not yet see everything

in subjection to him (v. 8).


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Genesis 3:15 is also the backdrop to another well known passage in the New

Testament. In Ephesians 1:9-10, Paul summarizes the hope of the believer in the

headship of Christ:

He made known to us the mystery of His will according to his kind intention

which he purposed in Christ, that in the fullness of the times of the householdadministration, all things in the heavens and on the earth would again be

brought together under headship in Christ. (Eph. 1:10, AT)

The household administration, Gk. oikonomia,25 is clearly in reference to God

(since he is the agent of vv. 3-8) ruling over the heavens and the earth, which are

elsewhere inferred as Gods house (cf. 1 Ki. 8:27; 2 Chr. 2:6; Is. 66:1; Acts 7:48).26

The fullness of the times, Gk. kairos, are understood in terms of the appointed

times of redemptive history, climaxing in the Day of the Lord (cf. Ps. 102:13;

Dan. 8:19; Hab. 2:3; Acts 1:7; 1 Cor. 4:5; Rev. 11:18). 27 The all things in the

heavens and on the earth is a direct reference to Creation, within which the

bringing together under the head of ChristGk. anakephalaio (the root of

which is kephal, i.e. head)clearly invokes the imagery of Genesis 3:15, since

the world in this age is under the usurpative headship of Satan (cf. Eph. 2:2; 1 Jn.

5:19; Rev. 12:9).28All of this is rearticulated in Pauls following prayer, wherein

the church would know Christ and the hope of her calling (vv. 17-18), know the

power of the resurrection of Christ as a firstfruits (vv. 19-20), and know the

enduring dominance of Christ over all creation, i.e. far above all rule and

authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only

25 Sadly the translation of the ESV/NRSV/NLT, plan, provides little contextual meaning, and the logic

of the NIV does not follow: The NIV put into effect represents a Greek word that depicts the wisegoverning or administration over a household. *Kenneth L. Boles, Galatians & Ephesians, The College

Press NIV Commentary (Joplin: College Press, 1993), s.v.]

26So, In the Greek world was regularly used for Gods ordering and administration of the

universe. Here in 1:10 it also appears to have that active force (cf. also 3:9). (A. T. Lincoln, Ephesians,

WBC, 42:31-32) Note also the same logic in 3:14-15, For this reason I kneel before the Father, from

whom his whole family in heaven [Gk: dat. masc. pl.+ and on earth derives its name. (NIV)

27See esp. John H. P. Reumann, Oikonomia= Covenant: Terms for Heilsgeschichte in Early Christian

Usage, Novum Testamentum 3 (1959): 282-92.

28The translation of this passage has a long history of debate (see H. Schlier, ,TDNT3:681-82), though within a biblical worldview and theology its meaning is simple. The NASB,

administration, most accurately translates the governmental reality of oikonomia, while the NIV is

the only prominent translation that emphasizes the root of head in anakephalaio (though the NLT

does incorporate authority).


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in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and

gave him as head over all things (vv. 21-22).

Psalm 8:4f also provides a simple cosmogenical context for the common New

Testament phrase Son of Man, used messianically some 80 times in the Gospels

by Jesus to refer to himself.29Since the Hebrew word for man and Adam are

the same, the literal phrase was Son of Adam (Hb. ben adam).30 Thus Psalm 8

gives us a clear and simple approach to this messianic title which cuts through

all the academic debate and confusion.31 The phrase is commonly used in relation

to cosmogenical restoration (cf. Mt. 19:28; 25:31; Jn. 1:51; 5:25) and eschatological

judgment (cf. Mt. 9:6; 12:32; 13:41; 16:27; 24:30, 37; Lk. 17:24; Jn. 5:27).32 Thus, it is

the righteous Son of Adami.e. the Last Adam or Second Man (1 Cor.

15:45, 47)33who will be appointed the heir of all things (Heb. 1:2), that which

was originally allotted to Adam,34 and who will be anointed judge of the living

29 The cosmogenical context also explains its varied usage in the OT, both messianic (cf. Dan. 7:13; Ps.

80:17; 144:3) and non-messianic (cf. Num. 23:19; Job 25:6; Dan. 8:17; and some 90 references in

Ezekiel). Just as the OT prophet is ason of Adam, so also is the Messiah theSon of Adam.

30E.g., the phrase ben dmcan be understood not only as a human being but also as son of

Adam (D. E. Aune, Son of Man,ISBE, 4:578).31 Debate over the origin and meaning of this phrase is part and parcel with the debate over

Christology itself; see e.g. Ladd, Theology of the New Testament, 143-57; C. Colpe, ,TDNT8:400-477; and Adela Yarbro Collins, Cosmology and Eschatology in Jewish and Christian

Apocalypticism (Leiden: Brill Academic, 1996), 139-197.

32Thus resolves the seeming contradiction of usage between Old and New Testaments, We have

already seen that son of man is not an uncommon idiom in the Old Testament, simply designating

humanity. This usage has frequently been appealed to, to explain some of the gospel idioms

The Gospel of Christ Crucified - Chapter 5_The Hope of the Christ

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