Missed It by That Much!

In Get Smart, Detective Maxwell Smart’s plans to capture criminals often go disarrayed. When his captain wanted an explanation, Smart held up his right thumb and index finger an inch apart and said, “Missed it by that much” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPwrodxghrw).

Earlier, Herod Antipas heard that people thought Jesus was the resurrected John the Baptizer, Elijah, or a prophet of the old, and said, “No, it couldn’t be John; I decapitated him” (Luke 9:7–9). Now, Jesus asked the disciples . . .

“Who does the crowd say that I am?” (9:18b)

They replied, “John the Baptizer. Others – Elijah. And others – a prophet of the old who had been resurrected.” (9:19)

He asked them, “Who do you say that I am?” (9:20a)

Peter replied: “Christ, God’s Son.” (9:21)

The disciples heard exactly what Herod Antipas heard. Just as Antipas knew it wasn’t John the Baptizer whom he beheaded, the disciples knew he wasn’t John the Baptizer, Elijah, or one of the prophets resurrected to life. They knew Jesus was “Christ” (i.e., an anointed person for God’s ministry like the high priests, kings, and prophets. More specifically, he was God’s Son.

The title “God’s Son” was reserved for only one person/office in the Old Testament – a king in the lineage of David who sat on David’s throne and ruled God’s people as God’s representative. When David wanted to build a house for God, God said to him that his hands were covered with blood, so he couldn’t build the house for God. Instead, his son would. Within that context, God made a covenant with David.

“When your days are filled, and you sleep with your fathers, I will raise your seed after you, who is from your loins, and I will prepare his rule/kingdom. He will build for me a house in my name, and I will establish his throne for the ages. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When his injustice comes out, I will rebuke him with people’s rods and people’s inflictions. But my mercy will not depart from him as I removed it from whom who stood before me. I will establish his house; his rule/kingdom will be for ages before me, and his throne will stand firm for ages.” (2 Sam 7:12–16)

The Hebrews knew only a Davidic king was “God’s Son.” Peter acknowledged Jesus was he.

But Peter “missed by that much.”

Jesus wasn’t God’s Son yet; he would be God’s Son, provided he suffered. A few more events must have happened before Jesus became God’s Son, Davidic king. Just as 2 Samuel 7:15 – “I will rebuke him with people’s rods and people’s inflictions, but my mercy will not depart from him” – Jesus . . .

“must suffer many things and be betrayed by the elders, rulers, and scribes, killed, and resurrected on the third day.” (Luke 9:22)

He must suffer, be betrayed, and die, and God must raise him from the dead before he would be fully qualified as God’s Son. No longer would he be the People’s king or Son [king] of Man [people].

The Hebrews have had several human kings, including Herod the Great. But God would appoint Jesus as his Son (Rom 1:4), a Davidic king over David’s throne, only after 2 Samuel 7:15 was fulfilled. He would be a Davidic Son only after his suffering, betrayal, death, and resurrection.

Jesus’s glory as the resurrected and eternal God’s Son came with suffering, betrayal, and death. Often, for God to work through us, we must endure suffering.