David B. Capes

Summary: A commentary on the Gospel of Matthew showing both obvious and subtle references to the Old Testament of how the life and ministry of Jesus fulfilled the plan of God articulated in these passages.

The Gospel of Matthew would seem the ideal book to look at “through Old Testament eyes.” Matthew wrote for a primarily Jewish audience and cites numerous OT passages and alludes to others. This commentary draws all that out, including a very helpful chart on the twelve fulfillment quotations (yes, the number is significant) (pp. 136-137). Through inline verse by verse commentary, sections on the structure, passage overviews “through Old Testament Eyes” and “Going Deeper” discussions on particular passages, David Capes helps the reader of Matthew understand how Jesus, in his life and ministry, fulfilled the redemptive purposes of God, glimpsed by the writers of the former Testament.

In my review, I want to highlight some of the fresh insights I gained from this study:

Capes notes the chiastic structure of the genealogy that highlights Jesus as Messiah, son of David and Son of Abraham.
He ties Herod into the bad shepherds of Micah.
He notes the connection of the servant song (Isaiah 42) to the Father’s “with him I am well pleased” at the baptism of Jesus.
The beatitude form is one found throughout the Old Testament.
The idea of the Two Ways restates themes found in Deuteronomy and elsewhere.
The three clusters of three miracles in Mt. 8-9 each end with teaching on some aspect of discipleship
The promise of rest in Matthew 11:28-30 sounds much like that in Jeremiah 6:16.
Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is intentional, even premeditated, and not accidental.
Capes sees parallels between King Ahasuerus and his oaths to Esther and Herod’s oath to his daughter at the banquet. A fascinating comparison!
Only Matthew uses the term “church” in the “on this rock” promise to Peter.
The elevation of children as models of discipleship is highlighted.
Jesus arrival in Jerusalem on a donkey harks to Zechariah 9:9 and signifies the kind of king he is.
Jesus is clear about his identity as the cornerstone, his rejection, and its consequences.
Capes offers a helpful outline of the apocalyptic discourse of Matthew 24-25.
It was not blasphemy for Jesus to claim he was Messiah, but rather to sit at God’s right hand and come on the clouds.
Psalm 22 underlies the account of the torture, humiliation, and crucifixion, and Jesus cry of dereliction.
Jesus Great Commission recapitulates his whole ministry–he exemplified what he commands.

This is only a selection. Capes helps us see the large structure of the five sermons and the bookends of Matthew as well as smaller details, such as parable or miracle groupings and their significance. Most of all, he helps us recognize in the story of Jesus the realization of the story of God’s history with Israel. Capes also helps us see how this gospel is a manual of discipleship, both for the first followers of Jesus and those of us coming along centuries later.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.… (plus d'informations)

David Capes, Rodney Reeves, and E. Randolph Richards are three biblical scholars from three different institutions (Houston Baptist University, Southwest Baptist University, and Palm Beach Atlantic Univerisity, respectively). They have previously collaborated on a book about the apostle Paul, Rediscovering Paul: an Introduction to His World, Letters and Theology (IVP Academic, 2007). They are back at it. Their new book from IVP Academic is Rediscovering Jesus: An Introduction to Biblical, Religious and Cultural Perspectives on Christ.

Don't let the academic publisher or their resumés scare you. This is an engaging and interesting and accessible read! I had fun with this book. To me, this is really two books in one. Part I is a romp through the biblical images of Jesus, uncovering what is distinctive about the portrait of Jesus in Mark, Matthew, Luke and Acts, John, Paul's epistles, Hebrews, in the non-Pauline epistles and Revelation. Part II examines extra-biblical images of Jesus. Capes, Reeves & Richards look at the Gnostic Jesus, the Muslim Jesus, the Historical, demythologized Jesus, the Mormon Jesus, the American Jesus and the Cinematic Jesus. In each chapter, after exploring the distinctive portrait of Jesus in the Bible or culture, they ask, "What if this were the only Jesus?" The result is they showcase the important contribution of each Bible writers picture of Christ, and show how cultural depictions of Jesus, while sometimes illuminating, often obscure our perception of who the Jesus really is.

While there is some first-rate biblical theology and cultural analysis here, this is a completely practical and non-technical text about Jesus, appropriate for undergrads (or even a Christian high school). Part I is helpful because it reveals how the entire New Testament, all the books together, gives us our picture of who Jesus is. The Jesus of Mark appears on the scene, binding the strong man and fighting the religious establishment, but there is no mention of Jesus' virgin birth, his post resurrection appearances, his great commission or ascension. Luke's Jesus was more politicized, and didn't even give a theological account of the atonement (71). Matthew's Jesus is firmly connected with Israel's God and has the most developed ethic. John's Jesus is not of this world and focuses more on the after life than this life. "Christians who read too much of John's Gospel and not enough of Matthew's might talk abut eternal life but not about caring for the least of these" (86). Paul's high Christology is almost devoid of biography (how Jesus lived). If the Priestly Jesus of Hebrews were our only Jesus we'd focus on purity, perfection and completion. The non-Pauline epistles are immersed in Jesus' teaching but without the Gospels you wouldn't know that the origins of John, Jude, Peter and James' words are found in Christ's teaching. The apocalyptic Jesus is the disquieting image of the warrior lamb and the glorified Christ. Each of these images enlarge our picture of Christ. Any image that is excluded from our portrait of Jesus would result in bias and incomplete vision.

What of Jesus' cultural images? Capes, Reeves and Richards focus on images of Jesus that have a great deal of cultural pull. They profile the esoteric gnositic Jesus, the localized prophet of Islam, the Post-Enlightenment historical Jesus, the American hero, and the movie star. They observe (writing as one voice):

Jesus outside the Bible can on occasion help us rediscover some aspect of Jesus that has been ignored or sidelined. More commonly, though, these nonbiblical images influence and color our biblical image. Understanding these images helps reveal ideas that need to be expunged from 'my Jesus.' While I found themes and emphases from the various biblical images of Jesus that needed to be reintroduced into my picture of Jesus, I also found other themes and emphases from nonbiblical images that needed to be extracted from my portrait of Jesus. both of these processes help me to rediscover Jesus. (261)

The disparity between cultural images of Jesus and the Jesus of the Bible is highlighted well throughout part II. Perhaps it is the 'Cinematic Jesus' which highlights how much a depiction of Jesus for a particular era says more about that culture and time than it does about the real Jesus (244-245).

This is a fun, thought-provoking book that deserves a wide readership beyond the classroom. I give it five stars

Notice of material connection: I received this book from IVP Academic in exchange for my honest review.
… (plus d'informations)

The church today has more than an image problem; it has an attitude problem. The attitude turns judgmental too often and too quickly. Sure, truth must be spoken. God invites us to judge and to help correct wrongs from a place of understanding. In Slow to Judge : Sometimes It's OK to Listen, scholar David B. Capes urges his readers to listen more, talk less. You may learn something important. Don't label other people or try to fit them into nice, neat little boxes. Don't pretend you have all the answers. Put yourself in the other's place. Be authentic. Recognize when you are trying to push your agenda on others. Be a true with no other motives.
King Solomon asked God for a listening heart. Jesus' teaching says that the prerequisite for judging another is humility. Capes spends a lot of time on interfaith and intercultural dialogue. Without discomfort and fundamental disagreement, there can be no such thing as tolerance. And the reason for 'sometimes okay to listen'? There are some ideas that are not worth your time and certain people to whom you need not listen. It takes wisdom to know the difference. Both the interesting perspectives of Fethullah Güllen and C.S. Lewis may teach you valuable lessons.
Various themes from Scripture are explored next to wisdom and a listening heart. Correction in the church is necessary. Judging by appearances is dangerous. Respect, love, and forgiveness are core to establish meaningful and lasting relationships. Hospitality, practicing an open soul, and authentic tolerance fuel the church's mission.
Each chapter ends with questions to discuss in small groups.… (plus d'informations)