Christology in the Synoptic Gospels: God or God's Servant

Christology in the Synoptic Gospels: God or God's Servant by Grindheim, Sigurd. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780567246578.

When Mark, Matthew, and Luke decided to give a written account of Jesus Christ, they were faced with a formidable challenge. How could they tell the story of the man who spoke and acted like God? They used several titles, such as prophet, Messiah, Son of God, Son of Man, Servant of the Lord, and even Lord itself. But none of these really did justice to the person of Jesus. Through a carefully crafted narrative, the synoptic evangelists painted pictures of Jesus that went beyond all of Israels expectations and showed a man who was Gods humble, suffering servant and at the same time Gods equal. Sigurd Grindheim shows how the Synoptic Evangelists reinterpreted Israels hopes in light of the Jesus story. He shows how they went beyond Old Testament and Jewish material regarding the messiah, drawing heavily upon the expectations of Gods own intervention in history. The result is a picture of Jesus who fulfills all of Israels hopes, not only those relating to Gods eschatological agent, but also those pertaining to God himself.