What is the place of mission in the theology of the New Testament? After clarifying the nature of mission, New Testament theology, and Scripture, the present essay assesses the significance of mission within the scope of the New Testament's message as a whole. The author first surveys the New Testament theologies by Rudolf Bultmann, George Ladd, and N. T. Wright, then the theologies of mission by Donald Senior and Carroll Stuhlmueller, and David Bosch. This is followed by a discussion of the biblical material focusing on John's Gospel. The article concludes with three important principles in determining the place of mission in New Testament theology.
The Synoptic Gospels make clear that the Kingdom of God was at the very heart of Jesus' proclamation. John's Gospel, on the other hand, transmutes Jesus' teaching regarding God's Kingdom into his provision of eternal life for believers (though see John 3:3, 5; 18:36). While the exact phrase “Kingdom of God” is not found in the Old Testament, the concept certainly is, harking back to the notion of God's rule over his creation and specifically as king over Israel. This divine kingship, in turn, was exercised during the days of Israel's monarchy through human kings, particularly David and his dynasty, who became the focus of future expectations centered on the hope of a coming messianic king and deliverer.
Studies of John's portrayal of Jesus usually focus on the Fourth Gospel's high Christology. The presentation of Jesus as rabbi tends to be attributed to the Synoptics. This trend prevails all the more since John is customarily viewed as less concerned about the historical aspects of Jesus' life than the Synoptic writers. The present study, while not contending that rabbi is the primary or exclusive designation of Jesus in John's Gospel, sets out to correct these stereotypes. It is argued that the Fourth Gospel shows that Jesus was perceived by his contemporaries primarily as a rabbi.
John 10:16 is one of the major Johannine mission texts that sheds significant light on Jesus' messianic consciousness during his earthly ministry. Almost exclusively, however, scholarly treatments focus on the fourth evangelist's use of the Hebrew Scriptures without entertaining questions regarding the historical Jesus. Taking its point of departure from a study of the literary and historical contexts of John 10 and an investigation of its genre, the present essay seeks to uncover the fabric of OT motifs that converge in Jesus' pronouncement in John 10:16, focusing particularly on prophetic passages in Ezekiel, Zechariah, and Isaiah as well as Davidic typology. The scope of this article also includes Qumran, the apocrypha and pseudepigrapha, and rabbinic literature. Jesus emerges as a faithful interpreter of the Hebrew Scriptures who understood himself as the eschatological Davidic messianic "shepherd." John the evangelist is found to uphold the lofty vision of a community—composed of both Jews and Gentiles—united by faith in the God-sent Messiah.
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