Apologeticae sive Theologiae Fundamentalis, Tomus I: Demonstratio Christiana

At the time when Jesus, toward the end of his life, remained in Judaea and Jerusalem, he set the crowning touch upon the testimony of his messiahship: by correcting the messianic conception of the disciples, by perfecting the messianic instruction of the people, by completing the messianic confession before the judges.

1. By correcting the messianic conception of the disciples. The disciples already believed in the messiahship of the Master with full faith, although they did not yet regard Jesus as establishing a politico-messianic kingdom. Indeed, they had no doubt at all that he would soon erect this glorious kingdom of David. To correct this erroneous conception, Jesus "from that time [after the confession of Peter] began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and scribes and chief priests, and be killed, and on the third day rise"¹ and "so enter into his glory"² Hitherto he had spoken of his death only in parables.³ From then on he is wholly intent upon teaching the apostles that the Messiah was to suffer and die, and so to erect the spiritual kingdom of God.

This messianic conception, however, the disciples could scarcely, if at all, grasp. Peter rebukes Jesus when he speaks of the passion⁴ and likewise, at the time of the passion, intends to fight with the sword, thinking that the politico-messianic kingdom was at hand.⁵ The sons of Zebedee likewise desire to obtain the first places in that kingdom.⁶ Indeed, not even after the death of Jesus do the disciples understand the suffering Messiah,⁷ but rather hope that he will immediately restore the kingdom of Israel.⁸ Once the fact of the resurrection is fully understood, the apostles at last lay aside political messianism.

2. By perfecting the messianic instruction of the people. Jesus likewise, toward the end of his life, instructed the Jewish crowds more and more from day to day, publicly illustrating his messiahship by words⁹ and by wonders.¹⁰ With the greatest care, too, he warns the people believing in him¹¹ that he has not come as an earthly king of the Jews, but rather as the spiritual savior of the whole world: "For the Son of man also is not come to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a redemption for many."¹² He will not enter messianic glory except through passion and death.¹³ "For as the lightning flashing from under heaven shines upon the things that are under heaven, so will the Son of man be in his day. But first he must suffer and be rejected by this generation."¹⁴

This teaching the people did not grasp. Many indeed acclaimed Jesus as the Messiah, but as a politico-national Messiah. Therefore they lead him into Jerusalem in triumph, acclaiming: "Hosanna to the son of David!"¹⁵ "Blessed is the king who comes!"¹⁶ "Hosanna, blessed is the king of Israel!"¹⁷ "Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes!"¹⁸

3. By completing the messianic confession before the judges. The Pharisees and the scribes avail themselves of the messianic ovation of the people in order to destroy Jesus.¹⁹ Before the Jewish judges they accuse him of having preached an apolitical messianism; before the Roman judge they denounce him as one preaching a political messianism, making himself a king and stirring up the people. On both occasions Jesus professes his messiahship in the most solemn manner.

When, namely, the judges of the Sanhedrin were assembled, the high priest interrogates Jesus: "I adjure you by the living God, that you tell us whether you are the Messiah, the Son of God." Jesus says to him: "You have said; nevertheless I say to you, from now on you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of God and coming on the clouds of heaven."²⁰

Brought before the Roman governor²¹ and asked by him: "Are you the king of the Jews?" he answers: "My kingdom is not of this world",²² signifying that he possesses a kingdom above the world. Asked again: "Then you are a king?" he answers Pilate: "You say that I am a king. For this I was born and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice!" He professes, therefore, that he has been sent into this world as the teacher of absolute truth and the prince of the spiritual messianic kingdom. But such a king and such a kingdom Pilate does not grasp.²³ Hence he judges that Jesus aspired to the politico-messianic kingdom dreamed of by the Jews. And this he announces in the words written above the cross of Jesus: "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews".²⁴

In reality, however, Jesus had throughout his whole life recoiled from this messianism. To restrain his followers from this pseudo-messianism, he had devoted the most diligent effort. At the beginning, in the progress, and at the end of his preaching he professed himself the Messiah, but a Messiah foreign to the ideas of his Jewish contemporaries.