Where is it from? (Jo 19. 9)
This was the question that Pilate, governor of the Roman province of Judea, asked Jesus when he was in question. Jesus had told Pilate that his kingdom was not of this world and that the purpose of his coming was to bear witness to the truth. The governor, with a tone of skepticism, asks: “What is the truth?” (18: 37-38).
- The reason Pilate questioned Jesus’ origin is that the accusation of Jewish leaders was that he claimed to be the Son of God.
- Which required the death penalty in his law (19.
- 7).
- Pilate’s question therefore follows a logic: if this man has a different nature (as he himself claims).
- He must necessarily have a different origin.
- That’s why he asks.
- “Where are you from?”.
We learn from Pilate that understanding the origin of Jesus is necessary because it has a different nature, if its nature is divine, it must have a different origin from that of all other men, on the other hand, if we hardly understand its origin, or if it does not believe it, we compromise his Person and his work.
This question: where does it come from? it has always been present in the Gospels. On one occasion, shortly after Jesus claimed to have “descended from heaven,” the unbelieving Jews responded, “Isn’t it Jesus, the son of Joseph?” Do we know his father and mother? ? How do you say now: “I came down from heaven?” (Jo 6,38-42) The discussion about the origin of Jesus has always been important!
The Evangelist Mark tells another story when Jesus was teaching in a synagogue and surprised everyone with the authority of his teaching. The religious question was, “Where does all this come from?Isn’t he the carpenter, son of Mary, and brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon?Your sisters don’t live here with us? (Mk 6:2-3). See the logic again here. If Jesus does things differently, his origin should be different.
Another example is the healing of the blind by birth (until then, this had never happened in Israel). After the blind man testified of his healing to the Jewish leaders, they asked, “We know that God spoke to Moses, but you don’t even know where he came from?”(Jn 9:29). For them, it was necessary to know the origin to believe in these miracles!
The four Gospels refer to the origin of Jesus. The Apostle John, in the first verse, says: “In the beginning it was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Was he in the beginning with God?” (Jo 1. 1-2) At the beginning of all things, Jesus was already there, always existing as the Son of God.
Mark opens his gospel in the same way:? Gospel Principle of Jesus Christ, Son of God. How is it written in Isaiah’s prophecy?(Mk 1. 1-2). When we talk about the principle? (????), the authors of the Gospels remind us of Genesis. Here is at stake a new creation, a new humanity that is now happening in the Son of God. That’s the new Adam!
Luke puts Jesus’ genealogy in chapter three and says he was the son of seven, son of Adam, son of God?(Verse 38).
In short, he has always existed as the Son of God, being God
Matthew is no different, he is also interested in the origin of Jesus. He begins his gospel as follows:?Book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham?(1. 1). King Jesus appears only in the first verse of the book, the true “son of David,” who would keep the promise of 2 Samuel 7 that says david’s heir would reign forever. That is why Matthew closes his gospel with a quote from King Jesus that says, “Have I received all authority in heaven and on earth?(Mt 28. 18). He is the king at the beginning and end of the book. Is that him, too? Son of Abraham?” Bible). As a true descendant of Abraham (Galatians 3:16), his work must reach all nations. For this reason, Matthew quotes Jesus’ talk: “Go and make disciples of all nations?(28:19). Matthew opens and closes his gospel with a “golden key. “
The most surprising thing about Matthew’s genealogy is how he ends it (see Matthew 1:15-16:
15 Elied begat Eleazar; Eleazar begat Mato; He begat Jacob
16 And Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, from whom Jesus was born, called the Christ.
Did you notice anything different in verse 16? Matthew interrupted the pattern he had followed in genealogy when Jesus entered the scene. He was expected to say, “Jacob begat Joseph, Mary’s husband, Joseph begat Jesus. “But he doesn’t say that, he can’t say that, because it didn’t happen!The whole universe created depends on this verse 16 of Mateo. Si he said that Joseph was the father of Jesus, we would have a great problem with the nature and work of Christ, but does the Holy Ghost teach us anything different about his origin?was not generated by jose!
Matthew, therefore, owes us an answer: “Where does it come from?”If Jesus was not begat by Joseph, who begat him?Why wasn’t he raised by a father and a mother?What’s so different and special about it?
Contrary to what we think, Matthew does not finish his genealogy in verse 16, he needs to tell us more about this Jesus of different origin, is that exactly what he will do in the next story, describing the greatest miracle in history?of the Son of God.
But is this an issue for the next article?
[1] I am indebted to the idea of the title and part of the introduction of this article to Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI) in his wonderful book “The Childhood of Jesus”.
By: Thiago Guerra. © Return to the Gospel. Website: voltemosaoevangelho. com All rights are reserved. Original: “Where are you from ??? The Need for the Incarnation of the Son of God (1/2)