Jesus Left Loose Ends

Abstract

Many of the major issues which confronted the apostolic Church are to be accounted for by the fact that Jesus left loose ends. These include the Torah (food laws, purity laws, circumcision), the inclusion of Gentiles, the order of the Church and its relation to Israel, scripture interpretation and the timing and character of the Kingdom hope. This article looks at some of the ways the early communities grappled with these issues, and at the implications of Jesus’ having left loose ends for an appropriate understanding of the Church. The Church's identity and authority lie ultimately not in the use of scriptural witness and/or community structures as fixed law, but in its solidarity with the past event and future hope of the Kingdom which is good news for the poor.