A RANSOM FOR ISRAEL

In this study of the Gospel of Matthew, Nicholas J. Schaser proposes that Matthew intended to narrate the corporate salvation of ethnic Israel rather than its replacement by an ethnically diverse Christian church. Matthew highlights Jesus’s salvific value in exchange for the nation of Israel when he dies as a ransom for their sins. Although later Christian tradition would assert that Jews must follow Jesus to reap the benefits of his ransoming death, Matthew maintains that the people of Israel should follow Jesus because he provides the salvation through which they can avoid exile from the future kingdom of God. Schaser’s compelling reading has the potential to open new dialogue between Jews and Christians.