Last week we saw how the birth of John the Baptist to the
aged Zechariah and the previously barren Elizabeth was—despite its exceptional
nature—on par with the conceptions of biblical heroes such as Isaac and Samson.
The story concerning the angelic announcement of the conception of Jesus
alongside that of John provides an instance of a literary pattern known as step
parallelism or climactic parallelism. The miraculous nature of Jesus’
conception is parallel to but exceeds that of John’s conception, for Jesus is
born not to a barren woman but to a virgin. In at least one sense, you could
say that Jesus is John 2.0. And for Luke, it is on account of Jesus’ virginal
conception and divine parentage that “he will be called Son of God” (v. 35).
While Matthew also relates an account of the virginal
conception, other New Testament authors link Jesus’ identity as God’s son with
different events. Mark, our earliest Gospel, lacks an account of the virginal
conception and instead identifies Jesus as God’s Son at his baptism by John the
Baptist. When Jesus emerges from the Jordan River, he hears the voice of God
saying, “You are my Son, the beloved.” If this is meant to echo Psalm 2:7—“You
are my son; today I have begotten you”—Mark seems to associate the begetting of
Jesus as God’s son with the day of his baptism. Paul, an even earlier writer,
says Jesus “was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of
holiness by resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:3–4). So for Paul, Jesus’
sonship is associated not with his conception or his baptism, but with his
resurrection.
As we move from earlier to later sources (Paul ->
Mark ->
Matthew ->
Luke), the identification of Jesus as God’s son appears to
move from later to earlier events (resurrection ->
baptism ->
conception). This trajectory continues into the latest New Testament Gospel
(John), which identifies Jesus as the pre-existent son sent from above by the
father (see John 1:1; 10:36).
One can read this evidence in two different ways. Some look
at this developing tradition and conclude that belief in Jesus as God’s son
originated with his resurrection and that this resurrection belief inspired the
story of the virginal conception. Other interpreters will suggest, to the
contrary, that this trajectory is a reflection of the early church’s coming to
a fuller and truer understanding of Jesus’ identity as the Son of God. You may
want to discuss with your study groups which interpretation makes the most
sense to you. |
