Christmas in Jewish Context, Part 2
Other Jewish Eschatological Elements in Matthew’s Christmas Story
(avg. read time: 3–5 mins.)
The next context to explore over the middle entries of this series is the context of Jewish eschatology outside of the particular textual citations. The eschatological visions in the aforementioned texts—and the eschatological bent of the genealogies (especially Matthew’s)—have already been analyzed, but there is much more to the eschatological context here. There is, of course, the identification of Jesus with an eschatological character who had come to be known as “Messiah” (for some of the bases of what follows, see Isa 9:1–7; 25:9–10; 35:3–6, 10; 40:3–5, 9–11; 42:1–7; 49:5–13; 52:7–10; 59:15–21; 60:1–3; 62:10–11; Jer 33:14–16; Ezek 37:24–28; Zeph 3:14–20; Zech 8; Mal 3:1–4). There were diverse notions of messianic figures, but in the Latter Prophets and afterwards a messianic (anointed) figure is typically associated with eschatological events in some way (1 En. 48:10; 52:4; 91:11–17; 2 En. 45:5; Sib. Or. 5:414–433; 4 Ezra 7:28–29; 11:36–46; 12:31–34; 2 Bar. 29:1–30:5; 39:7–40:4; 72–74; T. Sim. 7:2; T. Lev. 8:14–15; 18; T. Jud. 24; T. Dan 5:10–11; T. Naph. 8:2–3; T. Gad 8:1; T. Jos. 19:8–12; T. Benj. 9:2; 11; Pss. Sol. 17:21–46; 18:5, 7–9). In some way, the Messiah (or even multiple Messiahs) was expected to be a prophet, priest, or king who played some divinely appointed/anointed salvific, restorative, judgmental, reconciliatory, and/or renewing role. In the contexts in which Matthew and Luke refer to Jesus as Messiah/Christ, it becomes clear that they are evoking some form of these traditions (Matt 1:1, 16–18; 2:4; Luke 2:11, 26).
Matthew 1:21 is the first nod to the eschatological context outside of the genealogy. In this text, the angel defines Jesus’s mission as saving his people from their sins. This statement of Jesus’s mission resonates with eschatological expectations of forgiveness for Israel’s sins and the consequent restoration of their status in covenantal relationship with God with all of the blessings that therefore flow (Deut 30; Isa 40; 44:21–28; 52:13–53:12; Jer 31:31–34; 33:6–26; Ezek 36:25–38; 37:23–28; Dan 9:24; Mic 7:18–20; Zech 13–14). Of course, as the rest of the Gospel will show (even as early as the beginning of the next chapter), the vision extends beyond Israel, but it starts with Israel. Not all descendants of Israel are Israel according to the heart and the people who receive salvation from their sins—“his people”—include more than the Jews. Even so, like the other texts heretofore examined, the Gospel authors use motifs of Israel’s eschatological visions as the frameworks for understanding Jesus.
This connection between the covenantal context, the need for salvation, and the nature of salvation also brings up another dimension to the eschatology here, which is inherent in Jesus’s name. As is well known, “Jesus” is a practical transliteration of the Greek name which is in turn a translation of Yeshua or Joshua. It is a theophoric name meaning “God saves.” The original Joshua of Jewish history was part of the exodus event, was on the mountain with Moses at the giving of the Decalogue and other decrees of the covenant, was there at the construction of the tabernacle (which represented the presence of YHWH) and was the one YHWH used to bring the promise of the exodus to fruition in establishing Israel in the promised land while driving out the enemies. As noted earlier in reference to Isa 7–8, Jesus has come to defeat a greater enemy, bring a greater salvation, and embody a superior presence of God among God’s people. In his name and in his action, Jesus is the new Joshua. He becomes the focal point of the new exodus, the new covenant, and the “new” presence of God as well as—though Matthew does not explicitly note as much—the focal point of the new creation that expands the promised land.
The next element of eschatology not already analyzed in Matthew is in 2:2. The association of this event with Mic 5 shows the eschatological character, but it comes out as well in the Magi recognizing Jesus as the king of the Jews with the rising star accompanying his birth. The star recalls Num 24:17, a text that played some role in messianic expectations of the time, as demonstrated especially by Simon ben Kosiba becoming Simon bar Kochba (“son of the star”) to announce the fulfillment of this promise. The presence of these representatives from a nation in the east (likely Parthia/Persia) because of the light of the star could also evoke passages such as Isa 2:2–5; 11:10–16; 42:1–7; 49:1–6; 60; 66:18–20; Mic 4:1–5; Zech 14:6–19. The reference to him as the king of the Jews could also have eschatological resonance, especially since this king is born in the hometown of David (besides Mic 5, see Ps 132; Isa 9:1–7; 11; 16:1–5; 55:1–5; Jer 23:5–8; 30; 33:14–26; Ezek 34:23–31; 37:23–28; Hos 3:4–5; Amos 9:11–15; T. Sim. 7:2; T. Jud. 24; T. Naph. 5:1–3; 8:2–3; Pss. Sol. 17 [especially vv. 21–46]; 4QFlor/4Q174 1 I, 11–14; 4QDibHam[a]/4Q504 IV, 5–8). Even when the Jews had their own rulers for approximately a century, they initially were invested with at least semi-eschatological significance (though there was an awareness that the victories of the Hasmoneans were not lasting in the way they expected from the promises given in the Latter Prophets). In line with some messianic expectations, there was supposed to be a king who would arise and liberate Israel from its enemies as well as restore and expand the glory of Israel as the covenant people of God, especially by covenantal renewal and restoration of the temple. If nothing else, the Hasmoneans—in their early days—showed a glimpse of how this situation could look and authors described what they accomplished in terms of the early monarchy and of some promises featuring a salvific king (1 Macc 14:4-15 [cf. Lev 26:3–4; 1 Kgs 4:25; Isa 11:3–4; Mic 4:4; Zech 3:10; 8:4, 12]). With these contexts in mind, as well as the concerns of usurpation from Herod and of conflict with Caesar’s claim, it seems clear that this verse is packed with eschatological significance that informs the meaning of the original Christmas.