The Angel of the Covenant

As I noted in the previous post, John the Baptist sends messengers to Jesus, asking him if he is "the coming One," and Jesus sends a message back to John listing his credentials as "the coming One." Then Jesus turns to the crowds who are following him now and he appeals to the prophecy of Malachi 3 & 4 to explain why John's ministry was important for them to discern now that they have decided to leave John and follow him. But Jesus' reference of Malachi 3 & 4 is actually alluding to something more what ordinarily meets the eye. Jesus didn't merely want his disciples to know that John is the "Elijah" mentioned in Malachi 4; nor did he merely want them to know who would visit Israel before the Lord does, as mentioned in Malachi 3. Referencing Malachi 3:1, Jesus tells them explicitly: 

[John] is he of whom it is written, "Behold! I send my messenger (angel) before your face, who will prepare your way before you!"

But Malachi 3:1 actually doesn't say that. Malachi 3:1 says this:

Behold! I send my messenger (angel), and he will prepare the way before Me.

But there is more. If we were to look at the Greek text which underlies these passages of Scripture, the words of Jesus are much closer to the words of Yahweh in Exodus 23:20,1 than they are to Malachi 3. In Exodus 23:20, Yahweh says:

Behold, I send an angel (messenger) before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.

But what does Exodus 23 have to do with Jesus' words about John the Baptist? Many evangelical commentators don't realize this, but Malachi's prophecy is a clear allusion to the promise of conquest mentioned in Exodus 23. Notice the parallels between the two promises of God. Malachi prophesied to the people of Israel, saying:

And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold!, He is coming, says Yahweh of armies! But who can endure the day of his coming? And who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. ...Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts. For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts. Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb [Sinai] for all Israel.2

In parallel with this, notice carefully what Yahweh spoke to the people of Israel at Mount Sinai, immediately before Israel ratified their covenant with Yahweh:

“Behold, I send an angel (messenger) before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.  Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him. But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.

When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out,  you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces.  You shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you. None shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. I will send my terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. …You shall make no covenant with them and their gods. They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.  

[Then] Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.” And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.3

The message of utter destruction upon Yahweh's enemies in the Promised Land is consistent with both prophecies, only the difference between them is that in Exodus 23-24, Yahweh's "angel" (or messenger) of the covenant is going to come and purge the promised land of God's enemies who inhabit the land: the Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, the evildoers, adulterers, and oppressors  who don't fear the Lord; whereas in Malachi's prophecy, the angel of the covenant is going to come and purge the promised land of Scribes, Pharisees, and other Israelites who are just as evil, idolatrous, and oppressive as the Canaanites, Jebusites, and Hivites. 

According to Jesus, John the Baptist was the angel of God who would prepare Israel's way before them. John was the messenger of God who would prepare a highway for Jesus' own arrival in the midst of Israel. Now that Israel's Lord had arrived in their midst, the people of Israel are left with a choice: Do they follow the rulers of Israel and their traditions, while rejecting Jesus and his credentials as the Messiah, or do they follow Jesus and reject the rulers of Israel along with their traditions? Jesus was the lawful King of Israel and the angel of the covenant sent from Yahweh of armies into the midst of the land to conquer and purge out it's idolatrous worship, thereby giving the people true rest. 

But how would Israel respond? 

Jesus explains to the crowds around him how some had responded, saying, "To what shall I compare this generation?" (Matt. 11:16). For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they accused him of having a devil. Jesus comes eating and drinking and the Pharisees accused him of being a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of unclean tax collectors and sinners (11:19). The children of that generation piped a happy tune to them, but neither John nor Jesus danced. And so they played a mournful song instead, but neither John nor Jesus mourned (11:17). Why not? Jesus gives them the answer: All the prophets until John prophesied about the Kingdom of heaven and it's coming-King (11:13), yet many Israelites didn't have ears to hear or eyes to see his credentials. At least, many rulers of Israel didn't see it. The Pharisees were certainly not convinced by Jesus' deeds.

John, at least, heard about the "deeds of the Messiah" and sent a message to Jesus, confirming his faith in the coming-One (11:1-2). And we can imagine that the message which Jesus sent back to him about his miraculous deeds was sufficient to strengthen John's faith (11:4-6). From this we learn that Jesus' closing words were more relevant to his audience than ever: Wisdom is indeed justified by her deeds (11:19). 

1.  See the parallels in Greek below:

Matthew 11:10 -- Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you. Ἰδού, ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω τὸν ἄγγελόν μου πρὸ προσώπου σου, ὃς κατασκευάσει τὴν ὁδόν σου ἔμπροσθέν σου

Exodus 23:20 -- Behold, I send my messenger before your face, that he may keep you in the way, that he may bring you into the land which I have prepared for you. Ἰδοὺ, ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω τὸν ἄγγελόν μου πρὸ προσώπου σου ἵνα φυλάξῃ σε ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ, ὅπως εἰσαγάγῃ σε εἰς τὴν γῆν ἣν ἡτοίμασά σοι

Malachi 3:1 -- Behold, I send my messenger, and he will observe the way before my face. Ἰδοὺ, ἐξαποστέλλω τὸν ἄγγελόν μου, καὶ ἐπιβλέψεται ὁδὸν πρὸ προσώπου μου

2.  Malachi 3:1-2, 5, 4:1-4
3.  Exodus 23:20-33; 24:3-8

Who is greater than John the Baptist? (Matt. 11:1-19)

In chapter 11 the theme of wilderness wandering comes to an end and the theme of Israel's rest in the land along with the subsequent rise of their promised King begins. But because I have already commented in an earlier post about how this theme of wilderness wandering begins and ends with Jesus' response to John the Baptist, I will move on to discuss the following statements within chapter 11 which concern the relationship between John and Jesus. 

Matthew 11:7-15 says:

As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold! Those who wear soft clothing are in king's houses! What then did you go out to see? A Prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written,

"Behold! I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you."

Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

When John came baptizing in the wilderness, every Jew around the region of Judea understood that he was a true prophet of Yahweh. His ministry and message was very influential among the Jews. Even Josephus, the Jewish historian and contemporary of Jesus' apostles, comments about the great influence of John the Baptist in his day. Commenting on a war between Aretas, the king of Arabia, and Herod the Tetrarch, and how Aretas’ armies destroyed the forces of Herod, Josephus writes:

Now, some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod’s army came from God, and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptizer; for Herod slew him, who was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness toward one another, and piety towards God, and so to come to baptism; for that washing would be acceptable to him, if they made use of it…

…Now, when many others came to crowd about him, for they were greatly moved by hearing his words, Herod, who feared lest the great influence John had over the people might put it in to his power and inclination to raise a rebellion, (for they seemed ready to do anything he should advise,) thought it best, by putting him to death, to prevent any mischief he might cause, and not bring himself in to difficulties, by sparing a man who might make him repent of it when it should be too late. Accordingly he was sent a prisoner, out of Herod’s suspicious temper, to Macherus, the castle I before mentioned, and was there put to death. Now the Jews had an opinion that the destruction of this army was sent as a punishment upon Herod, and a mark of God’s displeasure against him.1

When Jesus asks rhetorically, "What did you go out to see?", he knows that many among the crowds who are following him once followed John "the Baptizer" also. Jesus also knows that they didn't go out into the wilderness to see something ordinary and weak, like a reed shaken by the wind; nor did they go out to see an ordinary ruler dressed in expensive "soft" fabrics. They went out into the wilderness to see something unique and rare in first century Israel. They went out to see a prophet of the Lord. But Jesus reminds those who have ears to hear that John was much more than a prophet. He was an angel. And as an angel, John was commissioned to prepare the way for the great procession of Israel's King. John was he of whom it is written,

"Behold! I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you."

This "messenger" is angelos in Greek. It's the word from which we translate the word "angel" in English. Angel means messenger though. Sometimes it refers to an angelic creature, but most often in the Scriptures the word simply refers to a messenger. Even the word "gospel" is derived from this word, meaning the "good message" or "good news" (evangellion in Greek). In this case, John is the "messenger" referred to in Malachai 3 and the destined-one whom Jesus confirmed as "Elijah to come." Malachai 3:1-5 says,

Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.  But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?

According to Malachi's own prophesy to Israel, Yahweh promises a "messenger" who would prepare the way for Him (Yahweh). And then, immediately after this, we find out that the Lord, whom the people of Israel are seeking, is promised to "suddenly come to his temple" after this messenger arrives. The Lord who comes to his temple is then given a descriptive title. The Lord is described as "the messenger of the covenant in whom you (the people of Israel) delight." This, according to Jesus' own enigmatic words, is the direction in which Jesus was aiming his rhetorical questions about John. Jesus knows that among his own crowd there are many Israelites who once followed John. And those who stopped following John and started following Jesus are doing so for a very good reason. They know John was a prophet of the Lord. But Jesus declares that he is actually more than a prophet. He is the messenger of almighty God who would prepare Israel to meet their Lord, the messenger of the covenant.

Jesus confirmed this when he said, "For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

This reference to Elijah also comes from Malachi. Malachai 4:1-6 says:

For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.  But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.  And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts …Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.  And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.

What we learn from Malachi's prophecy is that a Prophet like Elijah (i.e. John the baptizer) would be sent by Yahweh to “turn the hearts” of Israel (i.e. call them to repentance) before “the awesome day of the Lord comes…[to] strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” And the Lord himself is that angel of the covenant who “will suddenly come to his temple” and “strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” This is consistent with the themes of soon-coming judgment upon the land of Israel and its temple which we have already learned from Jesus elsewhere in Matthew's gospel (here, here, here, here, here, and here). John was a messenger of God's good news for the people of Israel. He was a messenger sent from God to turn the hearts of Israel back to Yahweh, away from Herod's idolatrous temple, it's illegitimate priesthood, and it's Christless Judaism, and towards the face of Jesus Christ. This is what Jesus meant when he said, "Among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

Jesus did not mean that Christians in the 21st century would be greater prophets than John. Nor did he mean to infer that no human being in history  had greater dignity than John the Baptist. Some scholars have suggested instead that Jesus was referring to John's spiritual understanding, and that those who are least in the kingdom of heaven were promised to have greater spiritual intimacy with Christ through the pentecostal outpouring of the Spirit, which John never experienced because of his death prior to that event. But I think that's an embarrassing exegesis of the text itself because that's not even remotely alluded to in the text itself. 

Jesus says explicitly that John is the messenger whom Yahweh had prepared for the revelation of the Lord and his coming in judgment upon the idolatrous land of Israel. And so, when Jesus said that "the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he," he was referring to those Jewish disciples in his day who were following him and heralding his good news. They would be greater than John the Baptist. They would be greater messengers than John before the Lord suddenly comes to his temple, striking the land with a decree of utter destruction. Their message would have a greater impact upon the people of Israel than John the Baptist. 

How do we know this is the case? How do we know that Jesus is referring to Jews in his own generation? Because in the same paragraph, Jesus says that the "kingdom of heaven" had already begun with John. Jesus said: "From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence..." (present tense). The kingdom of heaven began with Yahweh's messenger, John, who was born within the same year as Jesus.2 Jesus was referring to Christian Jews who were messengers of his gospel, living in the kingdom of heaven within that generation, while awaiting the coming of the Son of Man in 70 A.D.

We now know, as a matter of historical fact and consistent biblical exegesis, that Jesus did come in 70 A.D. to judge Israel, end the old covenant age, and restore the godly people of Israel as he promised; and all those faithful, spirit-filled Jews who followed their Messiah, Jesus, were much greater messengers of the gospel than John ever could have achieved in his lifetime. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

1.  Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 18.5.2
2.  Mary and Elizabeth were pregnant at the same time. See Luke 1:39-45

Warnings of Kingdom Division: Matthew 11-12 (A and A')

As noted in the previous post, chapters 11 and 12 of Matthew's gospel revolve around a central theme of Sabbath rest, but that theme is first bracketed by warnings of kingdom division, a sign from God concerning soon-coming judgment upon the land, and a brief exhortation about God's true family. The first section concerning the warnings of kingdom division are found in 11:1-19, section (A):

When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.

Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written,

“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’

Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

“But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”

The corresponding section is found in 12:22-37 (section A') as seen below:

Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, "Can this be the Son of David?" But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons." Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.

Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age, or in the age to come. Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. 

A few things are noteworthy about these parallel passages. First, John the Baptist arrives on the scene, so to speak (even though he's in prison), and he sends a message to Jesus. He asks Jesus if he is "the Coming-One" or if his disciples should look for another One? Jesus doesn't respond with an affirmative yes or no. He responds with credentials which only Yahweh himself could provide, credentials listed throughout the prophecies of Isaiah (61:1-2; 26:1-19; 35).

After responding to John's disciples, Jesus turns to the crowd which followed him, asking them why they left John to follow him. And Jesus knows that they left John to follow him because John was "much more" than a mere prophet. John was the messenger --the angel-- of whom Yahweh spoke in Malachi 3, saying, "Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you." John the baptist is the "Elijah" spoken of in Malachi 4. And because there were faithful Jews who understood that John's ministry was paving the way for Israel's Messiah, Jesus describes his own generation of Jews (i.e. "this generation") as being clearly divided. But the division is not between John the messenger and Jesus the Messiah; rather, the division is between the disciples of Jesus and the disciples of the Israel's rulers. (This is a pattern which we saw throughout the last section of narratives, chapters 8 & 9.) John came neither eating or drinking and they accused him of having a demon. Now Jesus comes eating and drinking and they accuse him of gluttony and lawlessness. Clearly John had disciples who were anticipating The Coming-One, Jesus. And so, Jesus and John have disciples who are on the same side of this battlefield. Those who accuse both Jesus and John of demon possession are the disciples of those who rule Israel. 

Matthew provides a similar message in the parallel section (A'). There we find Jesus healing a demon-oppressed man, but because of these works the Pharisees accuse Jesus of allegiance to the prince of demons (similar to their treatment of John). Perceiving their thoughts, and why they would be saying such evil things about his miraculous "deeds," Jesus then describes their kingdom --the kingdom of Israel-- as being divided. "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste. ...Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters."  Either Jesus is under the influence of the prince of demons, or the Pharisees are. Either Jesus' disciples are wise, and the disciples of the pharisees are not, or Jesus's disciples are fools and will stand condemned by their allegiance to false prophets (both John and Jesus). But, as Jesus says, wisdom is justified by her deeds, and the real fools will be justified by their own words against the Holy Spirit of Wisdom incarnate.