Jesus King of the Jews and the Messiah

‘Jesus, King of the Jews and the Messiah for the gentiles’ ICEL, Leuven September 14, 2014 Pieter Boersema

1. Introduction The stories in the Gospels are about Jesus’ life and his words. Acts is the story about the start of the ‘N. T. ’ church. Luke is a writer with a strong organisation of the stories in Acts but he also put layers in his use of language. Which barrier is Luke trying to take away in the story of Philip and the Ethiopian ? The barrier between the Jews and the Gentiles. ‘Jesus, King of the Jews and the Messiah for the gentiles’. Jesus died at the cross as the King of the Jews. Pentecost was a Jewish gathering for the feast of the First fruits. ICEL

2. Jew and Gentile Reconciled Through Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2 11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” …………. 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the ICEL dividing wall of hostility.

3. The search for the treasure: the story • Who is ‘the Ethiopian’? • The treasurer of Candace (Queen of the Ethiopians ) • A visitor to Jerusalem to worship, looking for ‘the pearl of great value’ (Matth. 13: 45, 46). • A Eunuch, a castrated man. • The problematic situation of a Eunuch (ritually impure: Lev. 21: 20). • Driving back on the desert(ed) road to Gaza, to the South, to Africa. • Reading the scroll of Isaiah. ICEL

‘The Baptism of the Ethiopian’ Pieter Lastman, 1623 ICEL

4. Open our eyes Lord Do you understand what you are reading? How can I unless someone explains it to me? Philip explained that passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. He was reading Isaiah 53: The silent suffering servant o The evangelist Philip explains that it is not Isaiah but Jesus the servant who suffered unjustly (vs. 35) • After reading Isaiah 53 the eunuch saw water and asked ‘Why shouldn’t I be baptised? ’ • This question is based on Isaiah 55 and 56. ICEL

The explanation continued after Isaiah 53 • Isaiah 54: The future glory of Zion. • Isaiah 55: Invitation to the thirsty. ‘Come buy wine and milk. Water and bread without money’. See also the Gospel of John: Water and Bread: Jesus. • ‘Salvation for others’ Isaiah 56: 3 -5 3 Let no foreigner who is bound to the Lord say, “The Lord will surely exclude me from his people. ” And let no eunuch complain, “I am only a dry tree. ” ICEL

‘Salvation for others’ (2) For this is what the Lord says: “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant— 5 to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will endure forever. • Jesus crucifixion fulfilled the prophecy in Isaiah. 4 ICEL

Comparing painting Lastman, 1623 with Rembrandt, 1626 ICEL

Rembrandt van Rijn museum Catharijneconvent Utrecht 1626 Explained by Gerda-Hoekveld. Meijer ‘De God van Rembrandt’, 2005. ICEL

‘Does the church understand what she reads? ’ • Rembrandt was a pupil of Lastman. • In the centre, the 3 essential parts of the story: The open book, Head and heart of the Ethiopian, Philip. • The line of the whip (symbol of the passion of Christ) stands squarely on the book of Isaiah. • Luke wrote about Jesus who made peace between the people of Israel and the Gentiles by His grace. • Rembrandt shows the importance of seeing that in Jesus there are no differences between the believers. • A very different painting with Africa in the middle. ICEL

5. Jesus is our peace For the eunuch all the barriers are down. Many stories in Acts start with ‘stand up’: Luke’s way of referring to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This story is also a comprehension of Easter: from Death (the Lamb slaughtered), risen from the dead to the joy of the rapture at Pentecost’. The hesitation of the Jews against the gentiles can be easy transmitted to us today in our context. The story of the Ethiopian Eunuch is also our story about reconciliation. In Jesus Christ there is unity in diversity. ICEL