ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.
Listen "#169 | In the Footsteps of David: Mirror Reflections between Absalom's Revolt and Jesus' Passion Narrative"
Episode Synopsis
In this episode, we dig into the connections between the Absalom Revolt in 2 Samuel 15-18 and the Passion Narrative in the Gospel of Matthew, particularly the betrayal and arrest of Jesus. While Matthew's Gospel does not explicitly mention David during the Passion Narrative, it subtly portrays Jesus as walking and talking like David, employing language, themes, and narrative parallels that draw us back to David's own betrayal and suffering. By doing so, Matthew reveals Jesus as the greater David—one who fully embodies the redemptive purposes of God.
To help us see the connections, we explore the backstory of Absalom—how David's inaction in the face of grave injustice, when Amnon violated Absalom's sister Tamar, sowed seeds of bitterness that eventually led Absalom to revolt against his father. This revolt was alluded to by Nathan the prophet in 2 Samuel 12 as a consequence of David's sin with Bathsheba and Uriah.
Then we highlight six key correspondences between the Absalom Revolt and Jesus' arrest, showing how Matthew intentionally echoes David's betrayal. However, we also note three critical ways Jesus is different from David.
Finally, we reflect on how Jesus understood the things that were happening to him. For Jesus, these events were not arbitrary but were a fulfillment of Israel's Scriptures. We explore the meaning of "fulfillment" not merely as a prediction about the future, but also as a past event that prefigures a future one—an event that finds its full meaning and completion in Jesus. Jesus not only walked in the footsteps of David, as the son of David he continued the journey that his father David began, but never completed.
Key Passages:
2 Samuel 15-16
Matthew 26:30-56
Key Resources:
Article by Nathan Johnson exploring the Connections between the Absalom Revolt and Jesus' Passion Narrative.
Explainer Video on how to use www.biblehub.com and www.blueletterbible.org
Leave us a question or comment at our website podcast page.
* Intro Music: "Admirable" Carlos Herrera Music
To help us see the connections, we explore the backstory of Absalom—how David's inaction in the face of grave injustice, when Amnon violated Absalom's sister Tamar, sowed seeds of bitterness that eventually led Absalom to revolt against his father. This revolt was alluded to by Nathan the prophet in 2 Samuel 12 as a consequence of David's sin with Bathsheba and Uriah.
Then we highlight six key correspondences between the Absalom Revolt and Jesus' arrest, showing how Matthew intentionally echoes David's betrayal. However, we also note three critical ways Jesus is different from David.
Finally, we reflect on how Jesus understood the things that were happening to him. For Jesus, these events were not arbitrary but were a fulfillment of Israel's Scriptures. We explore the meaning of "fulfillment" not merely as a prediction about the future, but also as a past event that prefigures a future one—an event that finds its full meaning and completion in Jesus. Jesus not only walked in the footsteps of David, as the son of David he continued the journey that his father David began, but never completed.
Key Passages:
2 Samuel 15-16
Matthew 26:30-56
Key Resources:
Article by Nathan Johnson exploring the Connections between the Absalom Revolt and Jesus' Passion Narrative.
Explainer Video on how to use www.biblehub.com and www.blueletterbible.org
Leave us a question or comment at our website podcast page.
* Intro Music: "Admirable" Carlos Herrera Music
In God we trust