Here [Burton] Mack has put his finger on the classic problem that has confronted interpreters since scholarly life of Jesus research got underway: If Jesus was a teacher and miracle worker and no more, then how do we explain his arrest and crucifixion? But if Jesus was a revolutionary, and so got himself executed for acts of sedition, how do we explain the ancient and widespread portrait of him as a teacher and healer? It is the temple action that provides the vital historical link between Jesus the teacher and miracle worker, on the one hand, and Jesus the crucified criminal, on the other. Jesus’ miracles, teaching, and temple action, as will be shown in the second part of this paper, were all part of a coherent mission and ministry that make sense in and are to a great extent clarified by the Jewish context. His miracles and teaching were not simply acts of kindness and mercy, but were part of an agenda which had the restoration of Israel as its goal. The miracles and teaching anticipated the temple action, which formed Jesus’ final and climactic public teaching. The temple action was not a random, accidental event, but a deliberate and calculated demonstration.
The restoration of Israel as a major motif in Jesus' kingdom proclamation is a theme I hope to explore here more, time willing. It seems to me that when Jesus teachings and actions are put within this broader thought world it become much harder to separate the personal ethic from the national ethic in Jesus' teachings. This has serious consequences for how we today go about both our personal and corporate/national lives and suggests some ways that the church must engage the 'powers of the world' if we want to remain true to Jesus' Kingdom proclamation. It also raises some serious questions about the relation of the Old Testament to the New especially in light of Jesus teaching on non-violence.
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