The Most Important Context
Resources on how to do Bible study will typically teach the importance of context. Reading a Bible passage in context means considering the text that comes before and after the passage, as well as the book of the Bible in which the passage is found. It also means taking into account historical, cultural, and literary factors. For the proper interpretation of Scripture, context is obviously crucial. But in some settings, such as a short personal devotional or group Bible study, a thorough review of the context of a passage might not be practically feasible. Thus it is common to study individual passages in isolation. This is advantageous for its simplicity and practicality, but it does increase the risk of interpretive error as well as interpretive shallowness.
There is, however, one particular context that provides background for an overwhelming number of Bible passages, which, if understood and applied, can help significantly with contextual study, especially where there might be practical difficulties such as time limitations or unfamiliarity with the Bible. We can call this context—take a breath—Jewish apocalyptic expectation. This is a technical term for what Jews believed about what would happen at the end of history. They looked forward to the coming of the Messiah, who would establish the kingdom of God, resurrect the dead, and execute judgment. They also believed in a future regathering, redemption, and restoration of the nation of Israel, followed by the administration of blessing from Israel to the nations, culminating in the restoration of creation to a new heavens and new earth. These ideas were developed over Israel’s history and form the grand conclusion to the Bible’s “big picture” narrative.
Because of its contextual relevance to significant portions of the Bible, this is the most important context for the study of Scripture. Jewish apocalyptic expectation is thus “need-to-know” for consistent Bible reading. In the following posts, I will give several examples that show how this one context can be applied to different passages to help bring out their meaning and contribute interpretive accuracy and depth.
Example #1 - The Birth of Jesus
The birth of Jesus was absolutely rife with Jewish apocalyptic expectation. Zechariah, Elizabeth, Joseph, Mary, the shepherds, and the wise men were all full of joy and excitement in anticipation of the long-awaited Messiah who would fulfill God’s promises to Israel. When Jesus is presented in the temple, Simeon, who was “waiting for the consolation of Israel” (Lk 2:25), proclaims blessing and prophesies while Anna “began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem” (Lk 2:38). Understanding the Jewish apocalyptic background helps us appreciate what the excitement was all about. The Son of God not only took on human form, but he assumed Jewish flesh as the Messiah, “to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs” (Rom 15:8).
Let us look more closely at Gabriel’s announcement to Mary: “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Lk 1:32-33). Without proper context, we might not understand what exactly Gabriel is saying here. In fact, these concepts are not clearly explained in the surrounding text, nor anywhere in the gospel of Luke for that matter. What is the throne of David? How exactly does Jesus reign over the house of Jacob? What kingdom is he talking about? Is he saying that Jesus will rule in heaven? Or is he speaking of Jesus’ power to perform miracles? Or are these simply symbols of his glory and authority?
Without context, our interpretation of these verses can go in all sorts of different directions. A "safe" conclusion would be that the angel is saying that Jesus will rule the world. That is true. But such a summary dilutes the passage. That was not all Mary took away from the announcement. Rather, the angel is proclaiming that Jesus will rule the world as the king of Israel—as king in Israel, for he will sit on David’s throne in Jerusalem, and king over Israel, reigning over the house of Jacob. Within a Jewish apocalyptic context, all this is very normal and straightforward. This is what the Messiah would do. Thus, this passage is speaking not of Jesus' ruling in heaven or his power and authority in general terms, but of something much more specific and concrete: an actual future kingdom ruled by the Messiah from Jerusalem over a redeemed nation of Israel in accordance with divine promise. As a Jew, Mary understood and envisioned this, and with a proper grasp of the context we are better equipped to do the same.
Example #2 - A Psalm
Jewish apocalyptic ideas also permeate the Psalms. To help demonstrate this, I chose Psalm 85 at random. The beginning verses are remarkably clear: “Lord, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. You forgave the iniquity of your people; you covered all their sin” (vv. 1-2). Here we have an example of what is called “prophetic perfect” language, which describes future events as if they have already been completed to convey the certainty that they will occur. Thus, the psalmist is declaring that God will surely restore Israel, establish Israel in the land, and atone for the nation’s sins. This, of course, was a central feature of Jewish eschatological expectation. Believing in God’s promises to Israel, the psalmist expresses his confidence in Israel’s future fulfillment.
In the meantime, however, Israel continues to fall short and incur God’s judgment. Hence the psalmist intercedes, “Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us!” (v. 4). He questions whether God’s anger toward Israel will last forever (v. 5)—this, of course, is rhetorical. Though Israel does seem to be caught in continual rebellion, the psalmist believes this to be ultimately temporary. Thus, he petitions God for mercy and salvation (v. 7) and resumes declaring and anticipating God’s promises in the final section of the psalm. God will “speak peace to his people, to his saints” (v. 8). He will act in steadfast love and faithfulness, securing righteousness and peace (v. 10-11). God will cleanse Israel of sin and establish the nation in righteousness, so that “glory may dwell in our land” (v. 9) and “our land will yield its increase” (v. 12).
Jewish apocalyptic expectation forms the contextual background for many psalms. One could argue it is the background for all psalms, because the whole point of Israel's faith was to believe in and live for God's promised future for Israel and the nations. This is especially important because the Psalms are notorious for being excessively interpreted as speaking about the personal, individual life of the believer. While we certainly may extrapolate principles—after all, the same God who forgives and restores Israel also forgives and restores us—that does not mean passages that speak about Israel, Jerusalem, Zion, the land, and so on are actually speaking about us. So when Psalm 85 says, "You restored the fortunes of Jacob," it is describing not God’s restorative work in the spiritual life of the individual believer, though God certainly does do that, but God’s restoration of Israel. However, this does not make such passages irrelevant to our lives. They still speak to us, encouraging us to believe in God’s promises and to put our hope in their future fulfillment.
Example #3 - Peter’s Sermon in Acts 3
An important question to ask when we come to the New Testament is how the ministry of Jesus in his first coming relates to the Jewish apocalyptic context that we have been exploring. While some believe that it altered or even overturned previous Jewish expectations concerning the future, I would like to argue that Jesus’ ministry too ought to be situated and understood within this “most important context.” The apostles continued to hold to the same Jewish apocalyptic expectations as before and incorporated the life, death, and resurrection of the Jewish Messiah into their theology as the ultimate means by which God's promises to Israel would be fulfilled. Peter’s speech in Acts 3 is an excellent example of this apostolic formulation of the gospel.
Acts 3 begins with Peter and John healing a lame beggar and attracting an amazed crowd. Peter then explains to the Jews gathered there that the beggar was healed in the name of Jesus, whom they rejected and crucified (Acts 3:12-18). In light of this, he tells them, “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago” (vv. 19-21). The apostle viewed the death of the Messiah as instrumental to producing repentance in Israel that would lead to the return of Jesus and the restoration promised by the prophets. Thus, we can see that he maintained the same eschatological expectations that his predecessors had and understood Jesus' redemptive work as a key part of God's plan in bringing those hopes to fruition.
The rest of his sermon confirms that this was Peter’s thought process. He references Deuteronomy 18:18-19, pointing out that Jesus is the prophet whom the people of Israel must listen to and those who do not will be cut off (vv. 22-23). This reinforces that Israel’s salvation turns upon faith in Jesus. The apostle then states that all the prophets since Samuel “proclaimed these days” (v. 24). He is most likely referring to the “last days” (cf. Acts 2:17), which he believed were happening because he expected Jesus’ death and resurrection to bring about Israel’s national repentance and restoration and the return of the Messiah. Next, he reminds the audience that they are “the sons of the prophets and of the covenant” and are called to bring blessing to the nations (v. 25). Thus, it was all the more necessary for Jesus to be sent to them, that they might come to corporate repentance and fulfill their covenant calling: “God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness” (v. 26).
Of course, the national repentance and return that the apostles envisioned did not happen in their day. Instead, Israel was divided, with some believing in Jesus but many rejecting him. Moreover, God opened the door for the gospel to go to the Gentiles. However, did all this mean that God's plans for Israel were canceled? As Paul emphatically insists, “By no means!” (Rom 11:1, 11). Yes, “a partial hardening has come upon Israel” (Rom 11:25) and “salvation has come to the Gentiles” (Rom 11:11), but this serves “to make Israel jealous” (Rom 11:11) in the anticipation that one day “all Israel will be saved” (Rom 11:26). Therefore, even as we proclaim repentance and faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins to all nations (Lk 24:47), we continue to look forward to “the hope of Israel” (Acts 28:20) as the ultimate end goal in accordance with Jewish apocalyptic expectation.
Appendix - An Assortment of Verses
I hope that this study has demonstrated the potency of Jewish apocalypticism as a context for Bible study. To provide additional examples and reinforce the point, here is an assortment of individual verses, interpreted in light of Jewish apocalyptic expectation.
“And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 12:3). God is speaking to Abraham, whom he promises to make into a great nation through which the rest of the world will be blessed. This has not been fulfilled yet. Israel has yet to become that great nation that will bring blessing to the other nations. Both Jews and Gentiles can look forward to the day that becomes reality.
“I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill” (Psa 2:6). Jesus the Messiah will be king in Zion. He will rule the nations from his throne in Jerusalem. We do not see this happening yet. Jesus is in heaven, not on the earth. He is not king in Jerusalem right now. But one day he will be.
“I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Eze 36:26). Here God is speaking to the house of Israel. Even though they have profaned his name, he still promises to gather them from the nations, bring them into their land, and cleanse them of their sin. Moreover, God will put his Spirit within them and give them a new heart, enabling them to follow and obey him. Thus, the gift of the Spirit and newness of life that believers receive when they put their faith in Jesus can be regarded as an advance enactment of what Israel will corporately experience at the end of the age.
“They brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them” (Matt 4:24). There are many stories of healing in the gospels. Healings did not merely prove that God exists or that Jesus is powerful; they also confirmed Jesus’ identity as the Messiah. They convinced the people that he really was the one appointed by God to bring the kingdom, raise the dead, and judge the wicked in the future.
“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matt 6:33). What is the kingdom? Gentile Christians have come up with all sorts of ideas throughout the ages. Within a Jewish apocalyptic understanding, however, the kingdom retains its most natural meaning as an actual geopolitical entity, headed by a king, ruling over a people and land. When Jesus returns, he will set up a kingdom that will govern from Jerusalem to the nations. We are to seek first this kingdom by eagerly anticipating it and also by living our lives in a worthy manner, that is, by also seeking first his righteousness.
“Always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Pet 3:15). We should be able to explain why we believe that in the future the Messiah will come and fulfill the promises God gave to Israel in the Law and the Prophets.
“Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him” (Rev 1:7). Referencing Daniel 7:13 and Zechariah 12:10, this verse describes the coming of the Messiah and Israel’s profound repentance upon beholding the one whom they crucified. Revelation details the events leading up to this climactic conclusion to redemptive history and the glorious aftermath.