Provided, A Ram: The Leadership of Jesus in Gethsemane

Ralph E. Johnson 427 Cedarcrest Drive Brandenburg, KY 40108 ralpjoh@regent.edu 270-945-5778

Abstract
The story of the Aqedah is centuries old and held in varied esteem. It tells of the Offering of Isaac as a sacrifice at the command of Yahweh. It is known that Isaac is considered the promised child; the one through whom Yahweh will bless Abraham by making his family into a nation that will be Gods chosen people. What will be revealed in this paper is the unique history of the Aqedah and the parallel that exists between it and the Matthean story of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Found between these two events, thousands of years apart, yet contemporary for today, are the leadership traits of Jesus that are exhibited as he proves himself willing to stand resolute to the tragic end in order to complete the task set before him. Jesus exemplifies servant leadership and love for followers by his actions. He models for all ages the leadership that places others above oneself.

Exegetical Context
The account of Jesus prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane and the events immediately surrounding it are a narrative amplification of a Jewish tradition known as the Aqedah. The Aqedah is the narrative of the potential sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham in response to the command of God. This account is indicative that Jesus is a type of Isaac, or, that Isaac is a forerunner, in Matthean thought, of Jesus. Indeed, the Matthean Jesus and the Isaac of ancient Jewish tradition resemble each other to a remarkable degree: both are promised children conceived under extraordinary circumstances, beloved sons who, for redemptive purposes, willingly face their sacrifices at the season of Passover in obedience to their respective fathers.1 The Genesis passage (xxii. 1-19) recounts the events surrounding Gods direction to Abraham to sacrifice his son. This offers great sorrow for the previous chapter (xxi.12) had exhibited Gods desire to fulfill his promises to Abraham through his son, Isaac. To be tested by means of sacrificing the hope and promise offered by this child is testament indeed to the obedience of Abraham, and, in certain traditions (Huizenga), to that of Isaac as well. The Matthean passage (xxvi.31-56) depicts the mood and atmosphere just following Jesus final Passover celebration with his disciples. Opening with Jesus prediction of the abandonment of his followers and closing with the fulfillment of that prophecy, the events that took place in Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives are eerily reminiscent of Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah.

Huizenga, 508. This article offers extensive insight into the comparison of the Aqedah and Jesus time of prayer in Gethsemane. See also Davies and Chilton, The Aqedah: A Revised Tradition History

3 Covenantal traditions abound within these stories of sacrifice from the opening books of both the Old and New Testaments. Covenants imply a trust between parties, a confidence that each will uphold their side of the agreement and stipulate to specified punishments for failure to do so. [I]t is Yahweh Himself who swears to certain promises to be carried out in the future. It is not often enough seen that no obligations are imposed upon Abraham.2 The events recorded in the passages under consideration reflect this one-sided covenantal promise that Yahweh will provide. In the Hebrew cultural milieu, covenants are typically completed by virtue of a sacrifice, symbolic of the agreed-upon punishment for failure to honor said covenant. The covenantal ingredient of sacrifice is seen in both Isaac and Jesus. This is also indicative of what Robbins (viz. Malina) terms a patron-client contract. It ties persons of significantly different social statuses; hence the goods and services in the ongoing reciprocal relationship are different.3 Therefore, the system of reward and punishment, honor and obligation is different when it is between Abraham and Yahweh than if this was a covenant between Abraham and a peer. Likewise, this is the case for the covenant between humanity and Yahweh. The reward and punishment, the goods and services are significantly dissimilar.

Exegesis and Intertextual Analysis

Intertextual analysis looks at the words of the ancient texts and from that thorough examination seeks to determine contextual meaning and contemporary application. The text configures phenomena outside the text in a particular language environment.4 One particular passage from the New Testament book of Matthew is promising on this front. Matthew xxvi.31-

2 3

Mendenhall, 62. Robbins, 79. 4 Robbins, 40.

4 56, the account of the betrayal of Judas and the trial in the Garden of Gethsemane are acutely beneficial to intertexture study. A number of studies have been done (Huizenga, Rubenstein, Mayes, Davies and Chilton, Vermes, Daly, and others) to explore the various understandings, both biblically and extrabiblically, pre-Christian and of the Christian era, of the requested sacrifice of Isaac in Genesis xxii, to be referred to as the Aqedah for this paper, and the relationship of that Old Testament story and the Gethsemane trials of Christ alluded above. Different authors refer to the Aqedah differently, supposing to differentiate between the biblical passage of Genesis xxii, the particular legendary embellishments of rabbinic midrashic statements and the desire of early Christian writers to typify Isaac in Christ and vice versa.5 However, it is better to employ the term Aqedah as a convenient collective designation encompassing all its permutations.6 This is the stance this paper will take. Table One, below, outlines the story of the Aqedah as it relates to the Gethsemane narrative in Matthew. The comparison and contrast of the two stories, along with their intertextual analysis is clearly delineated in this table. Therefore, this exegetical paper will delve more deeply into certain aspects of the intertextual analysis of the two passages with what may be at least one new insight into the two. The Aqedah starts with the voice of Yahweh calling out to his servant, Abraham. Yahweh and Abraham have quite a long-standing relationship. They have entered into covenant together with the Divine promising Abraham to make him into a great nation even though he was, as yet, without progeny. The voice of God cries out to Abraham, and our first inkling as to the motif of
5 6

See Davies and Chilton, 536. Huizenga, 509.

5 obedience that will dominate in the Aqedah shines through as Abraham answers, Here I am! (All Scripture is from the Holman Christian Standard Bible unless otherwise noted.) Abraham recognizes the voice of the One who calls and is immediate in his answer for such is his desire to please the LORD. Yahweh then gives to Abraham a command to take his favored son, Isaac, and make of him a sacrifice to Yahweh on a mountain near Moriah. This is an unimaginable request as Yahweh has specifically named Isaac as the son of hope and promise, the child through whom Abrahams blessing would come. Yet, Genesis xxii gives us no indication that Abraham was slow to accept or unreceptive in any way. The Gethsemane passage, as I have chosen to express it, begins with Jesus warning his disciples that they will desert him. Jesus makes a direct quote of Zechariah xiii.7 as proof of his declaration. While the Old Testament quote is a referent of Yahweh speaking through the prophet to the leaders of Israel; Jesus adopts a new rendering, casting himself as the shepherd to be struck, God as the One who strikes, and the followers of Christ as those who scatter. This scene takes place following the institution of the Last Supper, or Lords Supper, and the close of the Passover celebration Jesus shared with his disciples. Once Jesus has made this prediction and Peter (along with the other disciples later) makes a customary denial and boast, Jesus moves on to a divine appointment, a time of prayer with His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. As the story of the Aqedah moves inexorably toward the mount of Moriah, and thence, to the sacrifice of Isaac; so moves the story of Jesus in Gethsemane toward his arrest, his trial, and toward the mount of Calvary. The account of the arrest likewise presents significant syntactical parallelism with Genesis 22. Most remarkable is the phrase meta. macairwn kai xvvvnlwn (with swords

6 and clubs) found in both Matt 26:47 and 55. In Gen 22: 6 and 10 we find macaira (knife), while in Gen 22:3, 6, 7, and 9 we find xnla (wood). Only in Genesis 22 and the Synoptic accounts of the arrest are these nouns found in such close collocation; although translated differently in English versions of Matt 26:47-56 and Genesis 22, in both passages they are instruments of violent death. Further, in Matt 26:50, after Judas greets Jesus, the crowd epebalon taj ceiraj epe ton Ihsoun (laid hands on Jesus), while the angel in Gen 22:12 instructs Abraham, mh epbalhc xeira sou epi to paidarion (do not lay your hand on the boy [i.e., Isaac]). Finally, in Matt 26:51 a nameless disciple ekteinac thv xeira apespasev thv macairav autou (stretched forth his hand to draw his sword), while Gen 22:10 relates that exeteivev Abraam thv ceira autou labein thv macairav (Abraham stretched forth his hand to take the knife) to slay Isaac.7 These parallels notwithstanding, there exists some scholarship that sees the Aqedah as a construct to make Isaac more important than Jesus. These scholars cite extra-biblical sources from the first and second centuries with little intrusion of the Aqedah into the New Testament at all. It is their contention that the Offering of Isaac in Genesis xxii became the Aqedah around the second century C.E. with some editorial additions in order to make it more acceptable to the Jewish mind. For example, there are rituals and haggadah that represent Isaac as having died and been resurrected, as having been burnt as an offering and his ashes being endowed with atoning power, as being a precursor to the paschal lamb at the Passover and that indicate that it was Isaacs cheerful, indeed joyful, acceptance of martyrdom that served to include his offspring as the chosen people of God as opposed to the obedience of Abraham. If we accept as the only plausible explanation that the introduction of the story of the Offering of Isaac at Passover was to

Ibid, 520

7 counter the Christian proclamation of the death of Jesus, we shall also be able to understand some of the doctrinal shifts that take place in the Aqedah.8 As the Aqedah draws to a close, the Voice speaks and tells Abraham, Now I know that you fear God. There is no question that everything that remains now dwells in the majestic reign of Yahweh. He will provide the substitute, He will bless Abraham and Isaac and He will care for his people. The remark stands at the climax of the narrative. It is the point of resolution of the tension in the plot.9 So it is with the finality in the Gethsemane passage. With the words, here comes my betrayer, Jesus signals that all that remains now dwells in the purview of God. The will of God will be done, just as Jesus prayed. From here on, Christ is resolute. He is the silent, suffering servant. Yahweh provided the ram as a substitute for Isaac; for Jesus there is no substitute; He alone is enough. By providing the substitute for humanity, God has provided all that is needed and that is enough. There is one allusion that I would present that has not been considered in any of these extensive undertakings of the Aqedah. It is commonly understood that when Yahweh wanted to provide a substitute for the offering of Isaac, that Abraham looked and saw a ram caught by its horns in the thicket nearby. This ram was then slaughtered on Isaacs behalf, meeting Gods requirement of sacrifice while maintaining the child of promise and hope. In response to Abrahams obedience, God stayed Abrahams hand as he was about to slaughter Isaac and provided a substitutionary sacrifice. The word that is translated, ram, is the Hebrew ayil. According to Lust and Hauspie, the Hebrew ayil, while commonly translated as rams, stags, or lambs, can also be translated as mighty one or son of God as shown in Psalm xxviii, Psalm

8 9

Davies and Chilton, 537. Mays, 520.

8 xxix, Ezekiel xv, and Ezekiel xxxi.10 Might it be worthy of consideration to suggest that this alternate meaning of ayil is relevant to the parallax between the Aqedah and the Gethsemane events, as such: It was a ram (ayil) that God provided (Jehovah Jireh) in Genesis xxii just as it was a mighty man and son of God (ayil III) that God provided (Jehovah Jireh) just before the Judas kiss? Table One Old Testament Referent Zechariah 13:7 Sword, awake against My shepherd, Against the man who is my associatethis is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts. Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; Intertextual analysis Recitation Though the texts are identical as required by the definition of recitation, the direction of the conversation is different. The Zechariah passage is a warning against the leadership of Israel, where God is declaring that He will strike the shepherds (leaders) of Israel. In Jesus recitation, He is legitimizing His place both as the Son of God and as the Son of Man, the Shepherd of Humanity Genesis 22:2 Take your Matthew 26:36 The Jesus Narrative amplification As the son, He said, your only came with them to a place story of the Aqedah opens, son Isaac, whom you love, go called Gethsemane God directs Abraham to to the land of Moriah take Isaac to Moriah and a mountain there. As Jesus finalizes the Passover and begins the first steps toward His Passion, He follows divine intuition and heads to a place familiar to him, a garden on the Mount of Olives known as Gethsemane. Genesis 22:3 So Abraham Matthew 26:36 He told the Narrative amplification got up early in the morning, disciples, Sit here while I go Abraham took three people saddled his donkey, and took over there and pray. Taking with him as did Jesus
10

Matthean text Matthew 26:31 Then Jesus said to them, Tonight all of you will run away because of Me, for it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.

Lust and Hauspie, Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, ayil See also Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, ayilIII mighty leader

9 with him two of his young men and his son Isaac. Genesis 22:5 Then Abraham said to his young men, Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship; then well come back to you. along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee Matthew 26:36 He told the disciples, Sit here while I go over there and pray. Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee

Genesis 22: 6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac. In his hand he took the fire and the sacrificial knife

Narrative amplification Abraham leaves some of his party behind while he takes Isaac to the place of worship. Undoubtedly this would include prayer. Also Abraham indicates that both he and Isaac will return, even though he is the only one who knows the true direction of the worship: to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham was exhibiting a faith in God without measure as he took Isaac to worship. Jesus left some of his party behind as well, and though he takes the three with him, it is obvious that the only subject to be considered was Jesus himself. Jesus, too, exhibits inestimable faith as he is the only one who knows the true direction of their worship: his sacrifice on the cross. Echo An echo would soon occur in the Matthean text (27:32-35) as Jesus is crucified. A man (Simon of Cyrene) is called upon to carry the wood for the offering on Jesus behalf, but only after Jesus has carried it himself. It is possible that there would have been those on the Via Dolorosa who remembered the Aqedah and how Isaac carried the wood for his own sacrificial offering. It is of further interest that in the Abrahamic passage, Abraham carries the knife and the fire, the two

10 elements that could cause damage to Isaac, even though they are intended to be used to slaughter him. Narrative amplification Though the text is not explicit, it can be implied that as the two, Abraham and Isaac, father and son, walked along; the elder was praying to Yahweh for some other means by which he could prove his faith. Jesus is seeking an alternate method for accomplishing the same goal: the redemption of humanity. Narrative amplification Jesus continues to pray (with interruptions to check on the disciples); continuing to seek an alternative, but always insisting on the Fathers imperative.

Genesis 22: 7-10 As Abraham and Isaac walk along the path to Moriah

Matthew 26: 39 Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.

Genesis 22: 13 Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. Genesis 22: 14 And Abraham named that place The LORD Will Provide

Matthew 26: 42, 44 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, Your will be done. After leaving them, He went away again and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. Matthew 26: 45b-46 Look, the time is near. The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up; lets go! See, My betrayer is near.

Matthew 26: 55 At that time Jesus said to the crowds, Have you come out with swords and clubs, as if I were a criminal, to capture Me? Matthew 26: 45-56, quoting 56b Then all the disciples deserted Him and ran

Reconfiguration In the Isaac story, Yahweh provides a substitute for the beloved son of promise and hope. There is no substitute for the Son of God and the Son of Man. He IS the substitute. As Yahweh provided for Isaac in his day; through Jesus, Yahweh still provides for his children today. Fulfillment As Jesus had recited the prophecy of Zechariah, the people come out with swords to capture Jesus, there is a scuffle, an ear is severed and repaired, Fulfillment and the sheep are scattered.

11 away.

Exegetical and Analytical Results

Jesus demonstrates the ultimate in sacrificial and servant leadership. He gives himself fully to the task before him, honoring others before himself and being completely devoted to the goal that he has accepted. Complete and utter devotion to a task or series of tasks is seldom seen. However, it is only through such devotion that true organizational change can occur. Jesus came into the world with the goal of redeeming the world. Redemption is a word that signifies change; change of purpose, change of ownership, change of value. Seeking redemption as a goal, Jesus entered into the trials of Gethsemane. Jesus faced the trials of leadership with focus and devotion. He did not shirk his duties. He did not seek to abdicate or substitute. His words, Yet not as I will, but as You will, resonate with the devotion to task, the devotion to customer, consumer or colleague that one would expect from a leader that says, My greatest desire is to place the customer first. It is through the living out of the example of sacrificial servanthood that a leader expresses the preference of the follower over herself. Jesus never indicated that one should do as I say do, not as I do. Instead, he taught that the greatest was the least and that true servanthood was expressed through a leader doing those things expected out of her followers. Jesus also proved himself to be a forerunner of contemporary leadership theory. Recent research on virtual teams stresses the importance of a cognitive model that focuses first on

12 building of team relationships even before focusing on task problems.11 While Jesus has invested in his team (the apostolic band), he has also modeled behavior for them. From the Johannine telling of the prayer in Gethsemane, we know that after he prayed for the cup to pass, Jesus prayed for his followers (John xvi. 6-26).

A Contemporary Global Context to Jesus Leadership

Todays global leadership is sorely lacking in the very qualities Jesus demonstrated. As the news is continually reporting examples of corporate greed and malfeasance; as globally astute companies extort the public and themselves; as global fortunes rise meteorically and decline just as rapidly; so the need for sacrificially devoted leadership increases. Focus on the goal and consistency in understanding and valuing the task are key components to successful global leadership. In other words, the mental model must match the reality. If it does not, one of two outcomes is assured: either the mental model must adapt to the reality, or, the proponents of the commonly held mental model will crash and burn.12 To lead like Jesus is to remain focused on the realities of the task or goal at hand to the exclusion of anything else that would inhibit the accomplishment of said goal. In the Garden of Gethsemane, one sees that Jesus would prefer to not lead in this way. He would prefer for God to provide redemption through some source other than his death. But when it is apparent that God will not allow for this basic tenet to change, Jesus modifies his thinking to focus himself on the goal.

11

Northouse, 213.The gospels highlight this team-building effort as Jesus first calls his team, then addresses them (Sermon on the Mount), then assesses them (disciples mission) and then models for them (in many ways, but particularly in the subject of this account). 12 Chafkin and Lo. These authors examine a book entitled, Deep Survival, which illustrates this principle by virtue of a mountain-climbing story, where failure to focus and remain on task resulted in a fall from Mount Hood after they had reached the summit and were headed into their descent.

13 Lastly, leading like Jesus in todays global context, is to be a servant to all. This is not an example to be practiced solely by the leader, but by the followers as well. Followership must be modeled by the leader, just as leadership is modeled. Jesus did both of these. Jesus was a leadership model for his followers in the way that he demonstrated focus and clarity in the achievement of goals. He also modeled followership as those around him had the opportunity to witness his dedication to the Father. It is this love of others through authentic servant leadership that will reach across cultural and global boundaries, will be understood regardless of any language barrier, and will result in partnership by which all will benefit.

14

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15 Rubenstein, Richard L. What Was At Stake in the Parting of the Ways between Judaism and Christianity? Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies, 28, no 3 (2010) 78 102. Thomas, R. L. New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries: Updated Edition. Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc. (1998) Wolf, H. in R. L. Harris, G.L. Archer, Jr. & B.K. Waltke, (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament: 45 ayil, Chicago: Moody Press (electronic edition: 22) 1999.