Metaphors of the Cross Part 3

Recapitulation - The Summation Metaphor


In the last part of this blog series we looked at one of the clearest aspect of the Cross, namely sacrifice, and the idea that Christ died in our place; He was sacrificed for us and from this we get the 'substitutory' metaphor of the Cross. Christ was our 'substitute' and died in our place for the sins we had committed.

In this next part we will look at another metaphor, or way of viewing the Cross, and this is called 'Recapitulation Theory' or the 'Summation' metaphor. The idea is found in a number of verses but is most clearly expressed in Ephesians Chapter 1:    

"[God's purpose is, in] the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth..." [Ephesians 1:10]

The Greek word to 'sum-up' was translated into Latin as 're' (again) and 'capitulum (head). God had great plans for humanity yet Adam's sin caused a separation and a breaking of that relationship. Christ comes, as a man, to undo the failure of Adam; to be a 'second Adam' and to succeed where the first Adam had failed. Christ comes to  'again' be the 'head' or fulfilment of all of God's good plans - they are recapitulated in Christ.

Exile from Eden by Domenichino

We see the tragedy of Adam's sin in this 15th Century painting as the angel casts out Adam and Eve from Eden and bars the way back to the garden. The distress and anguish is so clearly portrayed. So much loss, so much pain how can this be reversed? 

Of course God had not given up on mankind. He comes into the world in the person of Jesus Christ to take our place (as we saw last time) but with regards to this metaphor, he comes to retell Adam's story.

Much of the Paul's teaching in the middle part of Romans also talks of Christ as the 'new Adam' - the one who would correct the failures that were made before.

"For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!"  [Romans 5:17]

This view was championed by the early Church Father, Iraneus in the 2nd Century

"He [Jesus] commenced afresh the long line of human beings, and furnished us, in a brief, comprehensive manner, with salvation; so that what we had lost in Adam—namely, to be according to the image and likeness of God—that we might recover in Christ Jesus."

To fully appreciate this idea however we need to see the extent to which Christ 'retells' Adam's story, but before we do that we must stress a vital point; to retell the story in the first place Christ must be fully human, The great mystery of the incarnation in that Christ was both fully God and fully man is vital here, any theology that denies the real humanity of Christ loses this whole aspect of the cross. Put simply if Christ were not a man he has no right to retell the story of a man. With that thought in mind notice how Adam's story is 'retold':

1) Obedience (Philippians 2)

"For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous" [Romans 5;17]

Adam's failure was a lack of obedience and is highlighted by a tree. He was forbidden to eat from the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, (Genesis 2:17). Christ however was obedient unto death:

"And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!" [Phillippians 2:8]

Adam's failure was on a tree and so it is fitting that Christ's triumph was on a tree, namely the cross of wood.

2) Temptation (Matthew 4)

Think also of the battle Christ faced when tempted by satan in the wilderness in Matthew 4. This is far more than just an isolated incident it is a re-telling of Adam's story with a successful outcome to the temptation. In what way did satan first tempt Jesus?

"Command these stones to become loaves of bread." [Matthew 4:3]

Adam was tempted with food, the apple, the desire for immediate satisfaction. He fell yet Christ successfully resisted that same temptation.

The Temptation of Christ
Av Sheffer

The second challenge was to test God:

"If you are the son of God throw yourself down for he will command his angels concerning you and on their hands they will bear you up lest you strike your foot against a stone." [Matthew 4:6]

Christ resisted this challenge, yet when satan came to Adam (strictly to Eve, but the failure was equally his)  and said:

"Did God really say you shall not eat from any tree in the garden?" [Genesis 3:1]

Adam and Eve tested the word of God and fell.

Thirdly Adam and Eve were tempted with power and authority:

"If you eat of it [the apple] your eyes will be open and you will be like God." [Genesis 3:5].

And to Christ satan also offers power and authority:

"And he showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. All these I will give to you if you will worship me." [Matthew 4:9]

3) Mission (Genesis 1)

God blessed Adam and Eve and gave them a task:

"God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground."  [Genesis 1:28]

They were to bring an expression of God's rule on the earth and multiple and bring their sons and daughters into that same relationship with God. Sin prevented that happening yet Christ comes to restore God's rule and reign and present us again holy and blameless before God.

"...to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." [Ephesians 5:27]

In every case Adam fell, and in every way Jesus was tempted in a similar way and resisted, He undid the failure of Adam, he recovered for us that which had been lost. Christ as the second Adam died on the cross as a perfect man who had resisted the enemy. This whole recapitulation metaphor shows Christ retracing the steps of Adam and succeeding so that He can bring us into God's presence as that true representative of restored humanity.

"He became what we are, that He might bring us to be even what He is Himself."[Iraneus]