come in the glory of his Father, using a favorite New Testament image taken
from the book of Daniel, 7:13.
Then Jesus is revealed in glory in an episode called the Trans¿ guration. He
takes Peter, James, and John up on a mountain and appears to them in radiant
glory. Moses and Elijah, representing the Law and the prophets, appear
with him. A voice from heaven says, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to
him!” This repeats what a voice from heaven had said at Jesus’s baptism,
con¿ rming his identity to the disciples: He is not just Christ, the Messiah,
but the Son of God.
Jesus’s identity is the central issue
in the narrative of his suffering
and death, or the Passion narrative.
When he comes to Jerusalem
just before his death he is greeted
as the son of David, that is, the
Messiah. He rides into Jerusalem
on a donkey, just like a king of
Judea after winning a battle, and is
hailed as the son of David, that is,
the legitimate successor of David,
King of Judea. In doing so, he
generates the kind of Messianic
buzz that makes Roman governors
very nervous, especially on festival
days when a great many Jews are
gathered in Jerusalem—a perfect
setting for a riot or the beginning of
a rebellion.
Jesus’s identity as Son of God is the reason for his death. “Son of God”
is another Messianic title, since the King of Judea was regarded in the Old
Testament as the adopted Son of God, ruling on God’s behalf. He is tried
before both Jews and Gentiles—the Jewish priests and the Roman governor,
Pilate. In both trials, it appears that he could have escaped condemnation if
he had clearly renounced any claim to be the Messiah.
Jesus rides a donkey into Jerusalem
during the Passover festival.© Photos.com/Thinkstock.