IN HIS FOOTSTEPS 5 ... the Son can do nothing by Himself

A HARMONISING OF THE GOSPELS
IN ONE CONTINUAL NARRATIVE
First published in March 1993 as 12 individual A5 booklets
These are still available in the original form upon request.
As we move into the fifth study of harmonizing the Gospels in which we set out in chronological order the walk of `the Man Christ Jesus', we now enter a critical time in the public ministry of Jesus. This whole period covered a time span of just three and a half years, but, as we have mentioned in an earlier study, the Gospels record no more than the events occurring in just over seventy days of those few years! It is therefore imperative that we keep to a clear contextual exergesis of the Gospels if we are to understand the meaning contained in them and the purposes of God revealed within the whole of Scripture - and now, more especially, in the Gospel narratives. For whilst it is correct and proper to draw truth from any part of the Scriptures for our personal devotional meditation and direction, we need also to ensure that we do not distort our understanding of God's will and purpose by using Scripture as our personal `Promise Box' - or to use a modern expression, a `Pick and Mix' book that confirms our opinions. Sadly the Gospels in particular have often been used in such a fashion, and they continue to be used in such a way by some Christians who have appropriated the New Testament for the Church, forgetting that the New Covenant is first revealed in the Old Covenant and that the first (Old) Covenant was first of all for the Jewish nation. And it was the rejection of that New Covenant (revealed in Jesus) by that particular generation of the Jewish nation, to whom Jesus came, that opened up God's grace to the Gentiles.

When reading the Gospels we need to keep this understanding clearly in mind and to remember the words of Paul, as recorded in the Book of Romans: (Romans 9:3-5)

" I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off for the sake of my brothers, those
of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons, theirs the Divine
Glory, the Covenants, the receiving of the Law, the Temple worship and the promises.
Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who
is God over all, for ever praised. Amen! "
We need to remember that the `Amen' was given in Christ Jesus, and that God's gifts and calling are irrevocable. Paul goes on to say: (Romans 11:25-26 and 33-36)

" I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be
conceited. Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the
Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

` The Deliverer will come from Zion;
He will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
And this is My Covenant with them
when I take away their sins'. "
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgements; and His paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counsellor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay Him? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things!

To Him be the Glory for ever! Amen! "
We have seen that at each important new phase of His ministry Jesus withdrew to seek understanding from His Father, and that His understanding of whom He was sprang from His relationship with His Father. God was His Father . . . He was therefore God's Son and the inheritance was His by virtue of His Sonship. All the actions of Jesus also sprang from His intimate relationship with God as His Father; His unfolding ministry developed from that relationship, and that relationship was maintained by drawing apart from the clamour of the multitudes . . . from the questioning of His disciples . . . from the antagonism of the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law . . . to be apart with the Source of His life, His Father.

We shall use chapter 6 of Luke's narrative to open up this study on `walking in His footsteps': `One of those days Jesus went into the hills to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also designated apostles: Simon (whom He named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor' (v12-16). After being with the Father in prayer Jesus knew that He was entering a critical stage of His public ministry. It was time to call together those who would become His close disciples, those whom He would train and encourage for the days that lay ahead when He would no longer be with them. Still in Galilee, but with hostility growing stronger by the day as the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law used every possible opportunity to try to discredit and trick Him, Jesus set His face firmly forward in quiet obedience and total trust in the faithfulness of His Father. We are now entering into a period of intense drama and profound teaching, which would leave the multitudes and His disciples even more amazed at what they now heard. But sadly, by taking what follows out of the historical contextual setting, Christians today have misunderstood the full impact of what Jesus was about to say, and by appropriating to themselves its central message they have, in a most paradoxical way, sought to place themselves under the same Law of the Old Covenant that Jesus came to fulfill in the New Covenant - which they profess to adhere to!

The setting was on a level place on a mountain in Galilee not far from Capernaum, and although both Matthew and Luke record this event, we shall draw upon Matthew's narrative as we continue: `Now when He saw the crowds, He went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him, and He began to teach them, saying, `Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you' (5:1-12).

With these opening words Jesus, surrounded by the multitudes, calls to Himself, on a level place on the mountain, His disciples. Drawing heavily from the Scriptures, and identifying those who listen with those who had in the past mourned, hungered and thirsted for righteousness, He calls them blessed, for they are now in the presence of that Righteousness they longed for. Jesus looks ahead and sees the persecution that would come to those in front of Him as they accept that Righteousness, and He declares to them, `Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets (who had announced that same Righteousness) who were before you'. He then begins His great discourse (using His knowledge of what was written in the Law of Moses, comparing it with the teachings of the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law and their own strict imposition of the authority of the Mishnah) on God's righteous requirements, as revealed in the written Scriptures alone. It was a climatic point in His ministry and would lead to fierce clashes with the Pharisees as His words and teachings pierced through the legalism and bondage imposed by the teachings of the Mishnah and the Pharisees' interpretations of their own writings.

Although this may offend many sincere Christians, this discourse is not intended to be used as a textbook for Christian ethics; it is not intended to be a guide for good living for the Church of the Firstborn. Within its contextual setting it is clearly an interpretation of the righteous requirements of the Mosaic Law set against the teachings of the Pharisees and their compendium of Mishnaic teachings - the oral part of Torah `received by Moses on Mount Sinai and passed on to Joshua, and Joshua to the elders, and the elders to the prophets, and the prophets to the men in the great assembly'. It was the Mishnaic teachings that had placed the yoke of legalism and bondage on those who mourned, thirsted and hungered for the pure Righteousness Who now stood before them! Many of the principles would be carried on and revealed later in the `Law of Christ' in the epistles to the Church, but they are not to be confused with what was unfolding on that level place on a mountain as Jesus began to talk. We have stressed that it is indeed right and proper to meditate and prayerfully consider all Scripture, including these pricelss pearls recorded in the Gospels, but even then they should be kept firmly in the contextual setting for which they are intended. To do otherwise is to place ourselves on that same level place on the mountain and so confess that we ourselves are also those who mourn, hunger and thirst for a Righteousness we long for but have not yet experienced! It is, in a perverse way, negating and denying what we so readily confess - that Jesus is Lord! There, on the level place on the mountain, Jesus was the Messiah of Israel, but to those who confess Him now, He is Jesus, Lord of the Church of the Firstborn, all who gather into His Name through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. There is a profound difference between the two, and these comments go some way to explain the `deadness' in much of Church life!

Those disciples, drawing near to Jesus, stood on the level place around Him in between Judaism and the new life they would receive after His death and resurrection - not yet free from the old and not yet having received the new - and to therefore place ourselves in that same position would be to deny what we have already received! Leaving aside the Gospel narrative for a moment we would join Paul as he wrote to the members of the Galatian church, who were experiencing the same difficulty in understanding what had been won for them in Christ Jesus: (Galatians 4:4-7)

" But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman,
born under the Law, to redeem those under Law, that we might receive
the full rights as sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of
His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, `Abba, Father'. So
you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has
made you also an heir. "
At that point in time the disciples who drew near to Jesus on a level place on the mountain were not yet born from above by the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit. They were disciples of Jesus, drawn to Him by the Holy Spirit. Their sonship was assured through the finished work Jesus would shortly undertake, but they had not yet received that sonship . . their inheritance was yet to come! Sadly, there are many disciples today who are drawn to that level place on a mountain to meet with Jesus, their sonship also assured, through the finished work of Jesus, but not all have entered into the experiential knowledge of that sonship and their consequential inheritance.

We shall now return to the Gospel narrative, as recorded by Matthew. Jesus now spoke of His standards and compared them to the standards of the Mishnah, as taught by the Pharisees: `You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden, neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven' (5:13-16). The standards Jesus spoke of were of an internal righteousness shining outwards, purifying by good works coming from an inward work. He then compares this righteousness with the self-righteous external actions of the Mishnaic teachings of the Rabbis, and their sectarian attitudes to all who were not of their party. He continues: `Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of the pen, will be any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished' (5:17-18).

Jesus is clearly teaching here of the New Covenant that had been promised by the prophets. His purpose in coming as the Messiah was to reveal the New Covenant - not to abolish the Law received by Moses on Mount Sinai, but to fulfil it in every aspect. The Mishnah of the Pharisees taught that righteousness would come from observing the Law with outward works, but the words of Jesus reveal that the righteous requirements the Law of Moses demanded would only be met fully by Him. It was not outward action that was asked for. The fulfilment that He spoke of was His coming sacrifice, for only blood could atone for sin. The Blood of Jesus . . the perfect Lamb of God . . alone could fulfil the righteous requirements of the Law which demanded a blood sacrifice for the sins of the people. He was still speaking primarily of the Law of Moses given to the people of Israel, for the Law was never intended for the Gentile peoples! All Gentile proselytes had to submit themselves to the Law of Moses by undergoing circumcision, but the prophets had spoken of One who was to come who would also be `a light to the Gentiles' as well as `for the glory of Your people Israel'. We have seen this in the cry of faithful old Simeon in the Temple when he saw the child Jesus, but those who gathered around Jesus that day on a level place on the mountain had no understanding of this. Jesus spoke of what He knew that He had come for . . not to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfil them completely, for Jew and Gentile alike. But at this point in His ministry He gave no indication of this, for His final rejection by the leaders of the nation was not yet complete. Still speaking of what was yet to come Jesus continues: `For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law, you will certianly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven' (5:20). With these words Jesus again reveals that only righteousness found in Him will be sufficient to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, and the righteousness of the Mishnaic teachings of the Pharisees would be of no value for entrance into the Kingdom of God.

Jesus continues His teaching by contrasting His righteousness, not only with the written Law but also with the oral part of the Law (the Mishnah) and He uses six moral issues of murder; adultery; divorce; oaths; revenge; and hatred for one's enemies - again pointing out that what He had come to offer could not be obtained even by the written Law of Moses, let alone by the opinions of the Rabbis in their Mishnah! Referring to the commentary on the Law (the Mishnah) and the written and oral Law (Torah) He said: `You have heard that it was said: Do not murder (and referring to His righteousness, He said) But I tell you . . You have heard that it was said: Do not commit adultery. But I tell you . . It has been said: Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce. But I tell you . . Again you have heard that it was said: Do not break your oath . . But I tell you . . You have heard that it was said: Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth . . But I tell you . . You have heard that it was said: Love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I tell you . . ' (5:21-48). Here He was continuing His attack on the Rabbinical teaching of the day with its Mishnaic interpretation of the written Scriptures and their insistence for keeping not only all of the 613 laws contained within the Law of Moses, but also the thousands upon thousands of detailed interpretations expounded by the Rabbis through the Mishnah. His argument was never with the written Law of Moses or the Prophets, but His teaching was clear: The Jews (or anyone else for that matter) were not able to attain even the righteousness of the written Law by their own efforts, for they were never intended to do so! The sin of the people of the nation of Israel was atoned for (and for that period only) by the spilling of blood in sacrifice. In teaching the righteous requirements for entry into the Kingdom of God Jesus reveals that He had come to fulfil, and to fulfil completely, the righteous requirements of the Law and the Prophets for the nation of Israel.

His teaching continues through chapters 6 and 7 of Matthew and is a continuous scathing attack on the self-righteousness of the teachings of the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law. It is also a continual warning for indivual people to examine themselves in the light of the righteous requirements of the Law, which, they had been taught, demanded their full observance. He concludes His discourse with a clear message of personal accountability: `Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened' (7:7-8). `Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Watch out for false propehts. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves' (7:13-15). `Therefore everyone who hear these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock' (7:24). `When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at His teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their Teachers of the Law' (7:28-29). The people were used to the Rabbi's teachings, which came from other Rabbis' teachings, as recorded in the Mishnah, but they recognised that there was one here who spoke words and expounded depths of understanding they never knew the Scriptures contained - and they were amazed `because He taught as one who had authority'! The teachings of Jesus to the multitudes and to His disciples were to a people who were living under the Law of Moses, and He spoke to reveal a righteousness that could never be attained through the Law but would be fulfiled in Him. The people were left to make up their minds for themselves as to who this man was. Was He the long-awaited Messiah . . . or was He merely a very gifted man? They recognised that He spoke as one who had authority in all He taught. They had seen for themselves the miracles of healing and deliverances. Now they were left to make up their minds for themselves!

Luke continues the narrative: `When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum. There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to Him, asking Him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with Him, `This man deserves to have You do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue'. So Jesus went with them' (7:16). This story is very familiar to all readers of the Gospels: The centurion asked that Jesus merely speak the words of healing that would be sufficient for the restoration of his servant. The centurion had heard for himself . . . he had seen and understood that Jesus spoke with an authority that produced results. However, in bringing this story into the harmonising of the Gospels we would consider the words of Jesus rather than the words of the centurion, and for that we must bring in Matthew's account of that event. Jesus had just completed His discourse to the multitudes on the mountain outside Capernaum, and He had left them to make up their own minds concerning His actions and His teaching. He had already understood from His Father the unfolding path that lay before Him! He knew the inheritance that awaited Him through the cross! Now He was confronted by a centurion - a Gentile without knowledge of the Law, who did not understand the righteous demands of the Law, and yet he recognised Jesus' authority! `When Jesus heard this, He was astonished and said to those following Him: I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the Feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven. But the subjects of the Kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth' (8:10-12). Jesus already understood that rejection of His Messiahship would soon come from the leaders, followed by the people of Israel, but here He spoke of the Gentiles who by faith in Him would be at the glorious Feast of the Bride and Bridegroom in the Kingdom of Heaven! `Many will take their places at the Feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob' . . . the Old Testament saints, the friends of the Bridegroom that John the Baptist talked of - and Jesus was astonished! How much more will we be astonished when we look around at `the friends of the Bridegroom' at that glorious and joyful Wedding Feast soon to come?

Returning to the Gospel of Luke we find that Jesus went to a town called Nain, close to the border of Samaria, still waiting for the people's response to His teaching, and `as He approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out - the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, His heart went out to her and He said, `Don't cry' (7:12-13). And as the young man was raised from the dead it is recorded that `they were all filled with awe and praised God' (v16) and `this news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country' (v16-17). There seems to be a sense of the unreal developing at this point in the narrative: The antagonistic waves of interogation by the Pharisees had come, but their trickery and hostility had been turned back on themselves! Miracles of healing and forgiveness had confirmed the Messiahship of Jesus! His public ministry had caused the crowds to flock to Him! His fame had spread throughout the land! The multitudes had flocked to the mountain, and were astonished at His teaching and authority - and yet there had been no formal announcement, no authoritative claim that He was the long-awaited Messiah! Others had spoken of Him, calling Him a prophet from God. The leper had known that his healing could only have come from the Messiah. Even the demons had cried out, `I know who You are, the Holy One of God', and yet there was still the waiting. No Messianic claim had yet come from Jesus: He would not move until His Father released Him to do so!

John, laying in Herod Antipas' prison, began to have doubts. Matthew records the story: `When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask Him, `Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?' Jesus replied, `Go back and report to John what you hear and see. The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprousy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of Me' (11:2-6). Jesus did not castigate John for doubting but, as was His way, He turned the question back: `What do you hear and see, John?' Jesus was looking for personal faith in His actions. The miracles performed . . the preaching and teaching concerning the Kingdom of Heaven . . all of these spoke of one thing - that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah! But doubt had begun to gnaw at John's heart! There was still no response from the leaders. No sign of the Kingdom being established. `Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?' John couldn't see the rejection . . he couldn't see the cross . . he couldn't see the path Jesus had to walk in order to receive the fulness of His inheritance! John, the last of the Old Testament prophets, could only see by faith the long-awaited Kingdom of God being restored to the Jewish people. But there was no condemnation from Jesus for His herald. John's work was done. He had prepared the way for the coming King - and the following words of Jesus vindicates the ministry of His herald: `As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: `What did you go into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in king's palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written:

I will send My messenger ahead of You,
who will prepare Your way before You.
I tell you the truth. Among those born of women there has not yet risen anyone greater than John the Baptist. Yet he who is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he' (11:7-11).

Was there perhaps a hint of righteous anger in those words of Jesus . . knowing the faithful work of John . . knowing what awaited him as he lay in prison . . knowing that just as the herald was rejected so He too would be rejected? It may not sit comfortably with our theology, but surely hurt for His faithful herald was expressed in these words: `For John came neither eating or drinking, and they say, `Surely he has a demon'. The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, `Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and `sinners'. But wisdom is proved right by her actions' (11:18-19). `For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come' (11:14). Clearly identifying John the Baptist with Elijah, for those who understood what was happening, Jesus was referring to a passage in the Book of Malachi: (4:5)

" See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before
that great and dreadful Day of the Lord comes. "
Jesus was also saying that, because John had been rejected John was not Elijah, for although he had come in the spirit of Elijah, he was not the fulfilment of Malachi's prophecy. That points to a time yet to come: `before that great and dreadful Day of the Lord', when Elijah will come and complete the work that John began - to call to repentance the nation of Israel to prepare for their coming king! But here, as we walk in the footsteps of the Man Christ Jesus, that `great and dreadful Day of the Lord' is yet to come. `Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. `Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! . . . And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths' (11:20-23). But there would some who responded and, as always when Jesus faced another major step forward, He turned to His Father. He clearly understood the rejection that was close to hand, and He also knew very well what would follow for those who declared that rejection!

His righteous anger now abated, Jesus turns His words to His Father: `At that time Jesus said, `I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was Your good pleasure. All things have been committed to Me by My Father. No-one knows the Son except the Father, and no-one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him' (11:25-27). And with an appeal to the people He calls out, almost, it would seem, in a last effort to avert that rejection and the calamity it would bring upon them: `Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light' (11:28-30). The yoke of the Pharisees (the teachings from the Mishnah) lay heavy upon the people and gave them no rest - a continuous labour that knew no end - and yet Jesus saw that the rejection of His way was very close, and He felt bitterly for the people . . .`Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest'. But it was not to be - the rejection was very close! To continue we shall now turn to Luke's narrative.

`Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so He went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had led a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them' (7:36-38). The Pharisees were still seeking to trick Him, even to the point of ignoring their own customs, and together with a houseful of guests they invited Jesus to join them. On the face of it it seemed a pleasant gesture . . . `Come and eat with me' . . . and, knowing their custom of not associating with anyone not of their own sect, it would seem like a major breakthrough! But when a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town came to wash the feet of the guests, it was obvious that this was an attempt to compromise Jesus, and after the act of the woman in washing the feet of Jesus we learn of the real intentions of the Pharisees. `When the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, `If this man were a prophet, He would know who is touching Him and what kind of woman she is - that she is a sinner' (7:39). But untouched and unmoved by this attempt to trick Him, Jesus uses the opportunity to offer them yet again another chance to accept Him as Messiah. He spoke the parable of the two sinners who owed different amounts of money to a money-lender, who then cancelled their debts. `Then He turned towards the woman and said to Simon, `Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give Me any water for My feet, but she wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give Me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing My feet. You did not pour oil upon My head, but she has poured perfume on My feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven - for she has loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little' (11:44-47).

Jesus saw through this trickery, for even the normal courtesies usually extended to guests had in His case been ignored, and by those actions alone He knew that He had been invited to a meal before guests in order to be humilated! No water for His feet . . no greeting, thus avoiding physical contact with an Amhaarez (an unclean Jew not of their sect) . . no refreshing oil poured upon His head . . the insults did not go unnoticed. But He used the opportunity to once again minister to the poor and oppressed: `Then Jesus said to her, `Your sins are forgiven'. The other guests began to say among themselves, `Who is this who even forgives sins?' Jesus said to the woman, `Your faith has saved you; go in peace' (11:48-50) `After this Jesus travelled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. The Twelve were with Him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases' (8:1-2). Jesus knew the time for His public preaching would soon come to an end. His rejection was now very close and He travelled urgently from one town and village to another `proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God'.

We stay with Matthew's account of the rejection of Jesus as Messiah by the religious leaders. It is obviously a high point in this Gospel narrative for much will flow from this rejection. Jesus was still ministering in Galilee, although Mark records that at that time `the Teachers of the Law had come down from Jerusalem' (3:22). But as we read the Scriptures recording these events, we need to understand that these were times of intense mental and emotional pressure and behind them the unseen dark spiritual powers were at work. It will not do to read them in the quietness of a room without feeling that a storm was about to break around Jesus and His disciples. The Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law had come down from Jerusalem to confront Him, and the crowds gathered - a confrontation soon pulls the crowds! `Then they brought Him a demon-possessed man who was blind and dumb and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. All the people were astonished and said, `Could this be the Son of David?' (Matthew 12:22-23). According to the Pharisees' own teaching only the Messiah could heal a blind and dumb man, but they refused to acknowledge this fact, turning instead to the man's deliverance from a demon! They said, `It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons' (v24). The Pharisees were not interested in healings and miracles. They were there to deliver the verdict of the Sanhedrin on this Messianic Movement and this Jesus. `He works through the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons,' they said to the crowds. `This man is not the Son of David'! But still Jesus reasoned with them: `If only the Messiah can heal a blind and dumb man, then how can He cast out demons by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons?' `Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, `Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you' (v25-28).

But it was too late! the Pharisees had delivered the verdict of the Sanhedrin. Now they had to stand by what they had declared by their own teachings - that they had rejected the Holy Spirit by whom Jesus cast out the demon from this poor and wretched man. Jesus tells them, `He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come' (12:30-32). The unforgivable sin had been committed, for it was a national sin of the nation of Israel of that generation. The Pharisees, who had come to deliver the verdict of the Sanhedrin, now seized the opportunity presented to them by the poor blind and dumb man, and in doing so they stepped beyond all reasonable intelligence and blasphemed against the Holy Spirit! But it was a sin unique to the Jewish nation (and for that particular generation of the Jewish nation) and Christians need not spend time fearing that they have committed the unforgivable sin! This needs to be understood in the context of the Gospel narrative - that it was the rejection of the Messiah by the Jewish nation, and therefore the Kingdom He had come to offer them. The time will come when that offer will be made again - and this time it will be gladly accepted - but that time is still in the future! From this point onwards that generation of Jews stood under judgement, which was finally outworked when in 70 AD the armies of the Roman Emperor Titus became the instrument of the judgement which followed the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit!

But His words did not stop the Pharisees, and still their taunting continued: `Then some of the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law said to Him, `Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from You'. He answered, `A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign. But none shall be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the Judgement of this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here' (v38-42). Indeed they would be given the miraculous sign they tauntingly asked for - not because they had asked but because Jesus said, `You will see a sign . . . the sign of Jonah'. It would be seen three times in the history of the nation of Israel: First, they would see Lazarus raised from the dead, called forth from the tomb. Secondly, they would see Jesus raised from the dead, from the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. The grace of God was still available for those individuals who watched and listened and finally believed in Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah. But for those who would not believe, there would be a long and dreadful time of waiting - for the third time this sign would be given will be half-way through the great and dreadful Day of the Lord - the Time of Jacob's Trouble (the Great Tribulation) - when the Two Witnesses of Revelation 11 will be raised from the dead after three and a half days!

Jesus then told a strange parable, much loved by modern-day deliverance ministries: `When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, `I will return to the house I left,' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition is worse than the first' (v43-45). Within the contextual setting of these events Jesus was speaking of His ministry to the nation of Israel, comparing the man from whom an unclean spirit had gone out with Israel, swept clean with the good news of the Kingdom of God. But through the nation's official rejection of Him, the unclean spirit on its return would indeed find the nation empty, swept clean and put in order, and ready for worse things to enter its national life than anything ever experienced before! `That is how it will be with this wicked generation'. Aware of the intensity of what was happening, the disciples were becoming concerned: `While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, His mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to Him. Someone said, `Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to You.' He replied, `Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?' Pointing to His disciples, He said, `For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and My mother' (12:46-50). A climatic point has been reached in the ministry of Jesus. His work would now dramatically change course. There would still be the speaking . . . but it would now be in parables! There would still be healings and miracles . . . no longer as signs of His Messiahship but in response to individuals' personal faith in Him! The urgency of teaching His disciples and training them for what lay ahead would intensify. Events would move more rapidly towards His final journey to Jerusalem!

It is here that we bring to a close this fifth study of walking in the footsteps of the Man Christ Jesus, for a new phase requires a new study. A new understanding would come to His disciples . . a deepening sense of urgency would follow . . but this would be only dimly perceived by them as they followed in their Master's footsteps.

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