By Brant Pitre
The introduction of this text illustrates the reasons and importance of rediscovering the Eucharist and Last Supper in ancient jewish traditional context. Essentially, this is how Jesus saw his institution of the Eucharist.
Pitre states: “If you really want to know who Jesus was and what he was saying and doing, then you need to interpret his words and deeds in their historical context. And that means becoming familiar with not just ancient Christianity, but also with ancient Judaism.” After all, Jesus was a Jew. “Jesus’ Jewish context has been repeatedly ignored, and as a result, many readers of the Gospels have not understood him.” (p. 8-9)
The first Chapter explains the question Pitre plans to answer with this study. And different books outside the Bible he references. The question is essentially this: The old Testament forbids the drinking of blood many times. “As a Jew, how could he have ever commanded his disciples to eat his flesh and drink his blood?” His references include The Dead Sea Scrolls, The Works of Josephus, the Mishnah, The Targums, the Babylonian Talmud, and the Midrashim. All of these are Jewish texts which show the mindset of the Jews of Jesus’s time.
Chapter two is where things get exciting!
It is titled : “What were the Jewish People waiting for?
Most people today, if asked that question, will respond with something like: “an earthly, political Messiah to come and set them free from the Roman Empire.” This is only partially true. The Jews were really looking forward to the “restoration of Israel in a new Exodus.” (p. 23)
The Jews were looking for a type of exodus which mirrored the Exodus from egypt to the promised land, led by Moses. But what would this entail? “The essentials of this new Exodus can be summarized by four key events: (1) the coming of a new Moses; (2) the making of a new covenant; (3) the building of a new Temple; and (4) the journey into a new promised land.
1. The New Moses
In the first Exodus, God saved the people using a deliverer: Moses. In the new exodus, God would one day save the people with a new Messiah. Deuteronomy 18 lays this out perfectly. In verse 18, God says to Moses: “I will raise up for them, a prophet like you from among their kinsmen, and will put my words into his mouth; he shall tell them all I commanded him.” And yet, Deuteronomy 34:10-11 says, “Since then no prophet has arisen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. He had no equal in all the signs and wonders the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh and all his servants and against all his land.”
In addition to this, ancient Jewish traditions state, “As the first redeemer [Moses] was, so shall the latter Redeemer [the messiah] be.” They further state that just as in Exodus 4:20, when Moses took his wife and sons and set them upon an ass, so will the latter Redeemer, as it is stated in Zechariah 9:9 be “lowly and riding upon an ass” (see Matt 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-10, Luke 19:29-38, and John 12:12-18) This particular tradition (Ecclesiastes Rabbah 1:28) goes on to state, “As the former redeemer caused manna to descend, (Exodus 16:4)... , so will the latter Redeemer cause manna to descend, as it is stated, ‘May he be as a rich grainfield in the land’ (Ps. 72:16).” That’s interesting, the new Messiah will bring bread from heaven.
In addition to this, ancient Jewish traditions state, “As the first redeemer [Moses] was, so shall the latter Redeemer [the messiah] be.” They further state that just as in Exodus 4:20, when Moses took his wife and sons and set them upon an ass, so will the latter Redeemer, as it is stated in Zechariah 9:9 be “lowly and riding upon an ass” (see Matt 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-10, Luke 19:29-38, and John 12:12-18) This particular tradition (Ecclesiastes Rabbah 1:28) goes on to state, “As the former redeemer caused manna to descend, (Exodus 16:4)... , so will the latter Redeemer cause manna to descend, as it is stated, ‘May he be as a rich grainfield in the land’ (Ps. 72:16).” That’s interesting, the new Messiah will bring bread from heaven.
2. The New Covenant
Pitre states, “In the first exodus, God had made a covenant - a sacred family bond - between himself and the people of Israel.” Exodus 24:5-11 shows this covenant being made. Two things stand out from that passage: 1. The covenant is sealed with blood, making God (represented by the altar) and Israel (represented by the people) one family; Israel is God’s own “flesh and blood.” 2. Notice, also, that the covenant doesn’t end with the sacrifice, but with a heavenly banquet. After all, what do families do if not eat meals together? But, another key point to note is that, in the history of Israel, nothing like this will ever happen again.
A new covenant is predicted to be similar, but greater. Jeremiah 31:31-33 predicts that all the tribes of Israel will be in the covenant (similar to the one made on Mt. Sinai), and that it will be greater than the old. The Babylonian Talmud (Jewish tradition) states that in the new world created by God, the righteous will be “feasting on the brightness of the divine presence” and ties it into Exodus 24:11.
3. The New Temple
A HUGE portion of the book of Exodus is devoted to how the temple was to be built, often in excruciating detail (Ex. 25-40). It was a giant, but movable tent and consisted of three parts: (a) The Outer Court, with a bronze altar used for bloody sacrifice. (b) The Holy Place, with a gold lampstand (mennorah), gold altar of incense, and a gold table with 12 cakes of the bread of the presence (see Exodus 25). This is where unbloody sacrifices of incense, bread, and wine took place. (c) The Holy of Holies, housing the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the ten commandments, some manna from heaven, and the priestly staff of Aaron (Hebrews 9:1-5).
A few hundred years later the Jews, led by King Solomon, built a massive, permanent, elaborate, and expensive version of this same temple, with all the same areas (1 Kings 6-8). It was the pride and joy of all Israel. Then, during a Babylonian siege, it was torn to the ground. The Jews were conquered, and then conquered again, like their history has always been. Later, (Ezra 1), their rulers allowed a new temple to be built. Though it did not even compare to the greatness of Solomon’s. This is greatly exhibited in Ezra 3:10-13.
Again, prophesies were made of a new fulfillment. Micah 4:1-2, Isaiah 56:6-7 and 60:1-7, Ezekiel 37:24-28, and Haggai 2:6-9 all point toward a new temple, a new temple mount, and a new “sanctuary” which will be “greater than the former.” Jewish Tradition points to the same conclusion.
4. The New Promised Land
The old promised land was Canaan, promised to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3. His sons lived there, and later his descendants moved to Egypt and became slaves. They were led out via Moses’ Exodus, and back to the promised land. Amos 9:14-15, Hosea 1:10-11 and 2:16-23, and Jeremiah 3:15-19 all promise a new land, “most beautiful among all nations” which they will not be “plucked out of.”
2 Samuel chapter 7 explains that God will “appoint” a place for Israel. This place cannot be the old promised land because at the time 2 Samuel was written, all of Israel was living there. Ezekiel 36 says it will be like the garden of Eden, and ties the return of the 12 tribes to the resurrection of the dead.
“By now it should be clear that while some Jews may have been waiting for a merely military Messiah, this was not necessarily the case for all. According to the Jewish Scriptures and certain ancient Jewish traditions, for others, the hope for the future consisted of much, much more. It was a hope for the coming of the Messiah, who would not just be a king, but a prophet and a miracle worker like Moses. It was a hope for the making of a new and everlasting covenant, which would climax in a heavenly banquet where the righteous would see God, and feast on the divine presence, It was the hope for the building of a glorious new Temple, where God would be worshiped forever and ever. Finally it was a hope for the ingathering of God’s people into the promised land of a world made new.” (p. 41-42)
Brant Pitre concludes Chapter two with a short comparison of Jesus and Moses, as predicted in Deuteronomy 18.
2 Samuel chapter 7 explains that God will “appoint” a place for Israel. This place cannot be the old promised land because at the time 2 Samuel was written, all of Israel was living there. Ezekiel 36 says it will be like the garden of Eden, and ties the return of the 12 tribes to the resurrection of the dead.
“By now it should be clear that while some Jews may have been waiting for a merely military Messiah, this was not necessarily the case for all. According to the Jewish Scriptures and certain ancient Jewish traditions, for others, the hope for the future consisted of much, much more. It was a hope for the coming of the Messiah, who would not just be a king, but a prophet and a miracle worker like Moses. It was a hope for the making of a new and everlasting covenant, which would climax in a heavenly banquet where the righteous would see God, and feast on the divine presence, It was the hope for the building of a glorious new Temple, where God would be worshiped forever and ever. Finally it was a hope for the ingathering of God’s people into the promised land of a world made new.” (p. 41-42)
Brant Pitre concludes Chapter two with a short comparison of Jesus and Moses, as predicted in Deuteronomy 18.
Moses
-Exodus 34:28
Jesus
-Began ministry by fasting for 40 days.
Moses
-His fist sign against Pharaoh was turning the river water into blood.
Jesus
-His first sign was turning water into wine at Cana.
Promise of new covenant
-Jeremiah 31:31-32
Fulfilled promise
-Luke 22:20, 1 Corinthians 11:25
Prophesy
-Isaiah 35:5-10
Jesus
-Matt 11:4-5, Luke 4:18-19
Luke 9:28-31 ("exodus, departure")
The next few chapters are soon to follow!!
I ask that you please pray for me, as I am always praying for my readers.
Thanks and God bless!
Luke
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