The book of Ezekiel is a departure from traditional Jewish cultural systems. Like many other Semitic communities, the Israelites had a strong kinship relationship. The Old Testament is littered with cases of families being held accountable for the sins of individual family members (Clements, 2010). However, Ezekiel embodies a departure from collective responsibility to the individualistic responsibility of actions and consequences. The book additionally, creates a strong foundation for the ministry of Christ later on. The book of Ezekiel is radical propounding individualistic responsibility for the Hebrews and creates room for further innovation under the ministry of Christ.
2 Kings 9:26 embodies the collective responsibility nature of traditional Jewish cultures. It visits the inequities of the father upon the children up to the fourth generation (Brockman, 2013). Collective responsibility was not just applied in spirituality matters but was also practiced on day to day activities. Joshua 7:16-26 recounts the massacre of Saul upon the city of Moab killing men, women, and children. However, Ezekiel’s teachings are world-shattering by elaborating the teachings of his predecessor, Jeremiah, on the analogy of the sour grapes. In Ezekiel 18:30, he notes that the Lord will punish all people individually in their ways (Peterson, 2012).
Ezekiel’s teachings influenced Jesus’ ministry. Ezekiel’s teachings did not only radically change the perception of collective responsibility but also cleared the way for Christ’s ministry. Jesus Christ teachings were of an individual relationship between God and man through a new covenant written in man’s heart (Brockman, 2013). Christ denounced the idea of a chosen people and collective righteousness. Ezekiel’s impact was more than the prophecy of Christ. He created the foundation of Christ’s ministry. Christ’s parable of the hidden treasure in Mathew 13:44 is an illustration of individualistic philosophy first advocated by Ezekiel.
- Brockman, D. R. (2013). Tensions in Christian scripture. In dialectical democracy through christian thought (pp. 17-32).
- Peterson, B. N. (2012). Ezekiel in context: Ezekiel’s message understood in its historical setting of covenant curses and ancient near eastern mythological motifs (Vol. 182).
- Slater, J. (1899). Individualism and solidarity as evdeloped by Jeremiah and Ezekiel. The Biblical World, 14(3), 172-183. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3137208
