Reinterpretation of the Son of God
can say that the Jews are the colonized people who live in colonial context. From this kind of background then the conflict between Jesus and the Jewish authorities
can be elaborated more. Being lived in colonial situation like that make the Jews struggle to be free and get the independence of their nation. They do many things
in order to preserve their culture as the weapon of defeating colonial domination. The Jewish authorities, the Sanhedrin, are the parties which are responsible for
controlling the society. “…the Sanhedrin played the role of supreme tribunal and ideological power. The Pharisees, and the teachers of Law which are mentioned
many times in the gospels, are also the part of the authority. Both parties have religious ideology. The Pharisees establish the apocalyptical and eschatological
philosophies as they believe the existence of the afterlife Houtart, 1976:21. While the teachers of Law, the scribes, are the parties which have authority in
religious legislation and controlling the masses by the “penal code” in controlling
knowledge of Hebrew Houtart, 1976:21. It can be said that both these parties as the Jewish authorities have power in controlling the society through the
superstructure, the ideology of the Jews. Torah, as the holy scripture of the Jewish people is the guidance of the Jewish authorities. They teach the moral values in
Torah to people and make sure that the Jews live their life with the norms. This is actually the way the authorities preserve the culture. It is by uniting the Jews
through Judaism, the religion of the Jews. Torah, the scripture used in Judaism, contains a long history of the Jews. This is what the authorities do; to make the
Jews always remember their past. Hence, by the fact of being colonized, the Jews
then unite as a nation, a colonized nation, which struggle to fight against colonial domination in order to get the national liberation.
What strengthens the Jews to struggle for liberation is the covenant written in Torah. The covenant was made by Moses, the former leader of Israel who led
them away from slavery in Egypt, with Yahweh. It can be seen in Leviticus 26:1- 13, Deuteronomy 7:12-24, 28:1-14. It is written in Torah that:
If you obey the Lord your God and faithfully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, He will make you greater than any other nation on
earth..The Lord will bless your town and your towns and your fields…The Lord will defeat your enemies when they attack you. They will attack from
one di rection, but they will run from you in all directions…all the peoples
on earth will see that the Lord has chosen you to be his own people, and they will be afraid of you. The Lord your God will make you the leader
among the nations and not a follower; you will always prosper…
Deuteronomy 28:3-13. In this passage, it is clear that there is a promise from Yahweh to the Jews
that Yahweh will make the Jews a strong nation and greater than any other nations. It is also written that the Jews are the chosen people of Yahweh and they
will be the leader of many nations and not the follower. They Jews will always be a prosperous nation. The promise is always be in the mind of the Jews as Torah is
the guidance of their live. However, the reality at the time seems different from what is promised to them. The Jews, as the nation which believe in Yahweh, rely
on the faith to their God as their source of live and power. Their faithfulness to Yahweh shows their expectation for a solution to the problem they are in. As a
colonized nation, what The Jews expect is a freedom. They need to be free from the colonial domination, from being subordinated, oppressed, and colonized. This
kind of expectation then comes into existence. It is through the character of a
Messiah, the anointed one. The Jews believe that a Messiah is someone who will bring salvation to them. Bronner says that the expectation for a salvation began to
rise when the time of the kings and prophets. It was from about eight century BCE until 586 BCE when the destr
uction of the first temple took time. “The Messianic Age” is the time which was always being prophesied by the prophets such as
Amos, Isaiah, Micah, Hosea, Ezekiel, Jeremiah and others. To explain the meaning of Messiah, Bronners says that:
In biblical usage the word “messiah” mashiach referred to any person
charged with a divine office as king or priest, who was physically anointed with oil, a symbol of being chosen for a special purpose
http:www.bibleandjewishstudies.netarticlesjewishmessiah.htm. This means that Messiah is actually a man who is chosen to be a king or a
priest. Bronners says that at the time, anointing with oil is a way to install a king. For the prophets like Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah, and Zechariah, Messiah is also
presented in their hope as “an ideal human leader” who is good in spiritual and
ethical aspect. He will be the successor of David, the “righteous judge”, who
protects the weak like what Isaiah says. Bronners also ads that this Messiah was expected to reinstate the Kingdom of Israel and escort in a peaceful area
http:www.bibleandjewishstudies.netarticlesjewishmessiah.htm. This is the Jewish Messianic expectation of the Jews that they believe together. A Messiah
should be the one who reinstate the kingdom of Israel and escorts the Jews to the prosperous land. Shailer Mathews in “The Jewish Messianic Expectation in the
Time of Jesus” says that there is an expectation of a Messiah at the time of Jesus. Mathews cites the message in the Jewish scriptures which shows the expectations
of the Jews for a Messiah. It is written that:
But when Rome also Egypt rules, Having one end in view, then shall appear
The mighty kingdom of the immortal king Set over men. A holly man should come
Wielding sceptre over every land… Mathews, 1898: 439. In this oracle, it is written that there will be a great man who will come and
get rid the Roman Empire. A great man in this oracle refers to the Messiah. Who should become the ruler of the world Mathews, 1898:437. It can be said that a
Me ssiah, is an embodiment of the Jews‟ expectation for a salvation which comes
from their colonial experience. The salvation they are waiting for is the Messiah himself. The Messiah is expected to get rid the colonizer. Hence, their dream of
living in a prosperous land, where Yahweh their God is the God of the world and they can be greater than many nations in the world will become true.
Jesus himself is a Jew. In Matthew, Jesus is mentioned as the descendant of David, the king of the Jews Matthew 1:12-16. This means that as a Jew, Jesus
himself also belongs to the colonized nation. Consequently, he must feel and experience what the other Jews feel and experience too; being subordinated,
oppressed, and colonized. Taking part in this kind of society makes Jesus as a Jew also does the same thing like what the Jews do; struggling to fight for national
liberation. Jesus many times talks to people about Torah and preaches in many places. Jesus shares new concept of understanding the laws in Torah. Through his
reinterpretations, he shares the concept of forgiveness, love and charity and peace. What makes he dares to do this is his claim to be the Messiah, the anointed one,
the savior of the Jews. Jesus himself never publicly declares himself to be the Messiah. Howev
er, he does affirm what Peter says about him. “What do you say I
am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16, Mark 8:29, Luke 9:20. This is the answer Simon Peter gives to
Jesus. Responding this answer, Jesu s says, “Good for you, Simon son of John For
this truth did not come to you from any human being, but it was given to you directly by my Father in heaven.” Matthew 16:17. From how Jesus gives his
response to Peter‟s answer, it is clear that Jesus himself admits and implicitly declares that he is the Messiah. Hence, it can be said that all preaches he gives and
miraculous things he does are the part of his messianic movement. Another example that Jesus does the messianic movement can be seen when he talks about
happiness and sorrow Matthew 5:1-12, Luke6:20-23. In this sermon, Jesus gives the good news to the poor, to those who mourn, to those who are hungry, humble,
to those who have desire to do what Yahweh requires, to those who are merciful to others, those in pure heart and work for peace, and persecuted because of doing
what Yahweh requires Matthew 5:1-12, Luke 6:20-23. From this sermon, Jesus delivers the good news for the people who are in trouble of their live. What Jesus
brings is the happiness of having the God‟s mercy. It can be said that Jesus brings
spiritual revelation to those who are in pressure. Jesus also tells the sorrow to the rich, to the full, and who laugh Luke 6:20-23.
Jesus must find a certain reason why he says so. From what Jesus does, it can be said that Jesus finds a problem in the society. He finds injustice where the
rich oppress the poor. It is all related to the political and economical system that is built by the colonial system. Jesus wants to show that he is on the side of those
who are in troubles. By telling the sorrow that the rich will get, Jesus wants to
show that his presence will make the reality at the time upside down. The next example Jesus does to prove that he is Messiah is when he reads the book of the
prophet Isaiah in a synagogue in Nazareth Matthew 13:53-58, Luke 4:16-29. It is written there that:
The spirit of the Lord is Upon me,
because he has chosen me to bring the good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim Liberty to captives
And recovery sight of the blind, To set free the oppressed
and announce that the time has come when the Lord will save his people Luke 4:18-19.
This passage talks about the “me”, the one who is chosen by God, to bring good news, liberty, and free
dom to the Jews. Jesus reads this and then says “This passage of scripture has come true today, as you heard it being read” Luke 4:21.
By doing this, Jesus wants the people to know that this passage is being fulfilled through his presence. Jesus wants to
say that “me” in the passage refers to him. He will be the chosen one who brings salvation to the Jews as a colonized nation.
From what Jesus does, it is clear that he, as a Jew who experiences the colonial reality like the other Jews, does the same thing and it is to struggle to get rid of the
colonizer. Jesus dares to take role as a Messiah, the anointed one who is promised by Yahweh to come and bring revelation to the Jews, the subordinated, oppressed
and colonized nation. Hence, Jesus wants to show that he has fulfilled the messianic expectation. He plays the role as the Messiah to set the Jews free from
the colonial domination.
Both the Jewish authorities and Jesus are part of the Jewish society. They both belong to a colonized nation. Looking from what these two parties do, it can
be said that they also take part in an effort of liberation. This is what make them the same each other. They both teach about the norms in Torah. Their teachings
are based on Torah. However, these two parties have different interpretation of Torah. This is because they have different focus on how to be free from colonial
domination. In the gospels, the Jewish authorities, the Pharisees and the teachers of law, seems to formally interpret the Torah. There is no such explicit evidence
found in the gospel that they interpret Torah in another way of thinking. That is why the writer can say that they just follow what is written in Torah. While on the
other hand, Jesus interprets Torah on another way of thinking. It can be said that Jesus reinterprets Torah. His reinterpretations reveal the concept of love. Love
unites human being as it can break the obstacles that bear separation among human beings. The focus of Jesus is the Jews themselves. For Jesus, in order to
get the liberation, the people must be in a solid unity. To be united, the Jews should be able to go beyond the obstacles that separate them. They should be able
to live in peace, to forgive and love each other. It is all can be done if they have a tender love.
The writer finds another reason that becomes the starting point of Jesus and the Jewish authorities in doing their duty that finally leads to conflict. Torah
itself contains the covenant between Yahweh and the Jews. In this case, Yahweh will give salvation to the Jews, it is by giving them the promised land, Canaan, to
be possessed as long as they obey faithfully what Yahweh commands them to do
and avoid the things that he forbids Deuteronomy 8:1. If the Jews disobey what Yahweh commands then they will obtain the consequence.
But if you disobey the Lord your God and do not faithfully keep all his commands and laws I am giving you today, all these evil things will
happen to you: The Lord will curse your town and your fields… Your sons and daughter will be given as
slaves to foreigners while you look on… A foreign nation will take all the crops that you have worked so hard to
grow, while you receive nothing but constant oppression and harsh treatment Deuteronomy 28:16-33.
It is written in Torah that if the people disobey what Yahweh says then such evil things will be happened to them. The Jews will be cursed. The land will
be under the foreign nation‟s control. The Jews will plant so hard but the foreign nation will harvest. The Jews themselves get nothing but continuous oppression
and terrible treatment. It is not only these things that the Jews have to take as consequence. It is also mentioned a consequence, something that has happened to
the Jews many years ago before the Roman settlement is: The Lord will take you and your king away to a foreign land, where
neither you nor your ancestors ever lived before…Foreigners who live in your land will gain more and more power, while you gradually lose yours.
They will have money to lend you, but you will have none to lend them. In the end they will be your rulers... The Lord will bring against you a nation
from the ends of the earth, a nation whose language you do not know. They will swoop down on you like an eagle. They will be ruthless and
show no mercy to anyone, young or old. They will eat livestock and your crops, and you will starve to death. They will not leave you any grain,
wine, olive, oil, cattle or sheep; and you will die. They will attack every town in the land that the Lord your God is giving you and the high,
fortified walls in which you trust will fall Deuteronomy 28:15-52.
It is mentioned there that the Jews will be sent to a foreign land, the place where none of them even their ancestors have ever lived there before. This
passage always makes them remember their past, in the era of Babylonian Empire,
where they were sent to captivity under Nebuchadnezzar‟s control. This was a very monumental event in their history Harper, 1899: 104. During in captivity,
they mourn day and night as they were separated from their holy temple. They were afraid of being forced to worship other god by leaving their religion Barton,
1911: 370. This passage tells a set of penalties given to the Jews if they disobey what Yahweh commands them to do. The most terrible thing this passage reveals
is the condition that the Jews will be colonized. Both Jesus and the Jews must realize this thing. The reality of being colonized then always relates them to their
knowledge of this passage. The Jews have ever experience this kind of condition in the passage. It can be said that they do not want it happened again. Hence, the,
focus of Jesus and the Jewish authorities can be observed. Jesus himself wants to look inward rather than outward. Instead of observing the effect, he puts his
attention on what the cause is. For Jesus, if the Jews want to be free from colonial domination then they have to reconstruct their selves as a colonized nation. They
have to be able to destroy all obstacles that separate them all. To get rid of the colonizer, the Jews must have enough power and effort to do it. This power will
not be gained if they are separated each other. That is why they have to be united first. The Jewish authorities, on the other hand, put their focus on how to get rid of
the colonizer. They do not consider Jesus‟ reinterpretations of Torah as his effort
of liberation but threat to national identity. These different ways of liberating mind of the Jews then bears conflict between them; the messianic expectation they
have and the reality they find is different. It is by the understanding of these different focuses of the two parties than the conflict can be observed.
On the third problem formulation, the writer comes to the focus of this study; to see the conflict from Postcolonial perspective-to defend the Jewish national
identity. The writer elaborates how the conflict actually reinforces the two parties willing to defend their national identity. Firstly, the writer describes the Jewish
national identity from the status quo of the Jewish people as the colonized nation. Secondly, the writer elaborates the Jewish authorities‟ struggle of defending the
national identity which is reflected in some certain events by the time of Jesus‟ crucifixion found in the gospel.