IN HIS FOOTSTEPS 8 ... the Jews were watching for Him

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.
From the title of this eighth study `Walking in His Footsteps' we catch the sense of a significant change in the work of Jesus among His disciples. The time was now very near when they would leave the Tetrarchy of Herod Philip, where in safety and quietness the Divine nature of their Master had been revealed to them more fully. Jesus used the miraculous healing of the blind man in stages as a means of giving understanding to His disciples of how they would also gradually see and understand the fulness of what He was teaching them. The intensity of His teaching reached its climax when He took Peter, James and John with Him up onto a mountain to pray and, `whilst He was praying the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became as light as a flash of lightning' (Luke 9:28-29). In the times that lay ahead they would be able to say with sure conviction, `We have seen Him, we have touched Him, we have seen the Divine Glory' - and it would give impetus to the urgency of their message! By then they would fully understand. Their blind eyes would be fully opened and under the anointing and direction of the Holy Spirit they would proclaim what they knew . . what they had seen . . what they had touched . . the Divine Glory, that for a moment could not be contained in the physical body of Jesus! However, at this point in the Gospel narrative they still had only partial understanding, partial sight - enough to know that the man Christ Jesus was truly the Son of God, but still confused by such intense and dramatic events that were happening around them. We shall see this confusion in the words that almost poured from their mouths as they continued walking in the footsteps of the Man Christ Jesus.

Continuing with Mark's Gospel we read: `As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead' (9.9). What they had experienced was for them alone at that stage, and because the nation of Israel had rejected Jesus as their Messiah these things were hidden from them. The leaders had asked for signs - and a sign would indeed be given, `the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth' (Matt: 12:39-40). But for the moment the teaching of the Twelve would continue - and we see by their remarks that their eyes were still partially blind: `They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what `rising from the dead' meant' (9.10). Matthew's narrative widens their discussion: "The disciples asked Him, `Why then do the Teachers of the Law say that Elijah must come first?' (17:10). Evidently, at some point in the rejection of Jesus as Messiah the Pharisees had used this argument, but Jesus now turned this accusation into further instruction for His `partially sighted' disciples. "Jesus replied, `To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognise him, but have done to him everything they wished'" (Matt: 17:11-12). We see in the next verse that the disciples then understood that He was referring to John the Baptist, who had indeed come in the spirit and power of Elijah in the fulfillment of the words spoken by the angel to Zechariah all those years earlier, but because of the rejection of John's message, and the rejection of Jesus as Messiah, Elijah had yet to come. This next time he will come ahead of the Messiah, who will not come as a servant but as a King to judge and rule the nation of Israel and the nations of the world! And the words of Jesus have a solemn and poignant ring to them: `But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognise him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.'

Returning now to Mark's narrative, we read: "When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the Teachers of the Law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw Jesus they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet Him" (9:14-15). The time for questions was over and Jesus was once again in the midst of the crowds, with all the hostility of the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees around Him ready to trick and accuse. Once again Jesus would use the personal faith of a father to deliver his son from evil spirits, and would turn the event into a rebuke of the Pharisees. The story is familiar to all who read the Gospels: "Teacher, I brought You my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech . . . I asked Your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not" (9:17-18). According to the teaching of the Pharisees themselves, ONLY the Messiah could deliver a person from a dumb spirit, and here they were arguing with the disciples - in effect they were saying, `If your Rabbi Jesus really is the Messiah, and He has taught you, then you should be able to do what He is supposed to do!'. But the rebuke of Jesus was directed to the Teachers of the Law and not to His disciples, as is so often taught: `Oh, unbelieving generation, how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to Me' (9:19).

As we read on we see that because of the personal faith of the father, Jesus did deliver the boy - not to demonstrate who He was, for the rejection of Him was complete, but because of the faith of the boy's father in Himself as Lord. "When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, He rebuked the evil spirit. `You deaf and dumb spirit,' He said, `I command you, come out of him and never enter him again' . . . . After Jesus had gone indoors, His disciples asked Him privately, `Why couldn't we drive it out?' He replied, `This kind comes out only by prayer'" (9:25-29). It was the Pharisees' own teaching that this kind of deliverance could be performed only by the Messiah - at this stage only He could drive the evil spirit out of the boy. But the time would come when the disciples would indeed do more than He through the empowering of the Holy Spirit, and this kind of evil spirit would come out by prayer in His Name! As they performed miracles through prayer in His Name - miracles the Pharisees taught could only be performed by the Messiah - they would demonstrate that Jesus was alive. As disciples of their `Rabbi', the Man Christ Jesus, they would indeed perform the miracles that only their Master could do. But that time was still to come!

We now find Jesus and His disciples travelling down through Galilee and once again into the Tetrarchy of Herod Antipas, where much caution must be exercised! "They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because He was teaching His disciples. He said to them, `The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and after three days He will rise'. But they did not understand what He meant and were afraid to ask Him about it'" (9:30-32). Eyes partially opened . . a little knowledge . . much excitement . . the crowds . . the Pharisees . . the adulation and rapturous acclaim . . the accusations and hostility . . Divine revelation . . the breaking out of the Divine Glory on the mountain! What intensive training they had received! Little wonder at their jostling for position in the coming Kingdom! But as to thoughts of His betrayal and death at the hands of men, `they did not understand what He meant and were afraid to ask'. But first they would stop at Capernaum, where another lesson would be given. For that we shall turn to Matthew's narrative: "After Jesus and His disciples arrived at Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, `Doesn't your Teacher pay the Temple tax?' `Yes, He does' he replied'" (17:24-25). According to the custom and the instruction given in Exodus 30, all males of twenty years and over must pay a Temple tax of half a shekel. This tax was due at Passover, and as they were now approaching the Feast of Tabernacles these collectors were clearly calling in their due taxes. Jesus used the occasion to once again reveal His Messiahship: "When Peter came into the house, (to collect the money in order to pay the tax) Jesus was the first to speak. `What do you think, Simon?' He asked. `From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes - from their own sons or from others?' Peter answered, `From others'. `Then the sons are exempt', Jesus said to him. `But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for My tax and yours'" (17:25-27).

The Messiah, the Son of God, had no need to pay the half-shekel `Temple Tax' - according to Exodus 30 this was atonement money paid to the LORD at the time of the census: (Exodus 30:16)

" Receive the atonement money from the Israelites and use it for the
service of the Tent of Meeting. It will be a memorial for the Israelites
before the LORD, making atonement for your lives. "

Tradition and custom had turned this into a yearly payment, but Jesus had not broken the Law by not paying the Temple Tax - He had merely ignored the traditions of men. But once again He used the occasion to teach and instruct! As the Messiah, as the Son of God, He was not called to pay taxes to His Father - that was for the subjects of the King! But so as not to cause offense and arouse hostility in the Tetrarchy of Herod Antipas, He said to Peter, `Go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a whole shekel. Go and pay not only My tax but yours also' - pointing forward to the day when Peter also, along with all who would follow on as disciples of the Lord Jesus, would be called sons of God and heirs to the promises through their faith in Him. With His new life within them they too would be free from the power of the Mosaic Law because: "Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the Law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the Law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the Law" (Galatians 3:23-25). Even so, we shall now see in Mark's narrative that as yet the disciples had not seen their own role, let alone that of their Master! The Messiah had come as a Servant, therefore they too must learn to serve!

"They came to Capernaum. When He was in the house, He asked them, `What were you arguing about on the road?' But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, `If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all'" (9:33-35). They were not going to be let off lightly! There was very little time left and Jesus still had much to impart to His impetuous, boastful disciples. Matthew records the rebuke of Jesus: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. (That is, you must come to Me with the faith of a little child.) If anyone causes one of these little one (those with childlike faith) who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea" (18:2-6). Jesus was saying, `Enough of your pride of position and your boasting . . If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut if off and throw it away . . . And if your eye causes you to sin, gourge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fires of hell' (18:8-9).

Within the context of these Scriptures, the very firm teaching of Jesus to His disciples was concerning their argumentive, boastful behaviour towards those who had not shared in the priviledged time they had spent with Him, who in their pride were seeking to laud it over others who had come to Jesus `in the simple faith of a little child'. It is not necessarily a rebuke against those who sin in their walk as disciples of Jesus. That problem will remain until we are taken up to be with Him, for `if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness' (1 John 1:8-9). John, in later years and with eyes now fully opened, would write these words as one who had sinned and known the abundant grace that had come from his Lord and Master, the Man Christ Jesus. We need to heed this lesson well ourselves, for the more revelation we receive, by His grace alone, the more fitted we are to become servants, having care over those `little ones' who in simple faith call Him Lord and Master!

The rebuke and the teaching would continue, and Matthew records this: "See to it that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven" (18:10). Within the context of His teaching Jesus was still rebuking His disciples for arguing over their position in the Kingdom of Heaven. After all the revelation they had received . . all the intensive teaching . . all their involvement in miracles of healing and deliverance, Jesus again rebukes them. `See to it that you do not loom down on one of these little ones'. Jesus is not referring to angels guarding little children. There may well be such protection given to little children, but this is not the Scripture to use to claim such promises. Here we are looking at those who will come with childlike faith into knowledge of Jesus as Messiah and Lord, those who will not have experienced at firsthand all that the Twelve had! `See to it that you do not look down on one of these little ones!' Matthew's following words reveal that Jesus continues to teach the Twelve through the parable of the Lost Sheep - particularly referring to Israel, who because of their rejection of Him as their Messiah are indeed sheep who have gone astray. But individuals will respond; some individual sheep will return: "In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost" (18:14).

And so Jesus continues to teach them for a time when He will no longer be with them physically, and they will need to exercise discipline and pastoral care over the sheep that will come into the sheep-fold through the preaching of the Good News of the Kingdom of God. He again confirms that their task will be to continue the work He has been doing, and that work is to do only what the Father does. In so doing, `whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven' (18:18). As we have seen earlier, the binding and loosing is to be seen in matters of outworking the message of the Kingdom of God - to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit who would come to bring them into the presence of Jesus in their lives that they might work the works of the Father. "Again, I tell you that if two of you agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. For when two or three come together in My Name, there am I with you" (18:19-20). This would be no casual gathering together to pray for whatever seemed to be appropriate at the time; it would be continuing the work of Jesus, agreeing, through the work of the Holy Spirit, what they understood to be the work Jesus was doing for the Father in heaven now in them! Binding and loosing, understanding and releasing the will of the Father in heaven on earth, in Jesus' Name, through the work of the Twelve - and those who would follow. Another parable now follows: "Peter came to Jesus and asked, `Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?'" (18:21) Self-righteoues Peter - still not fully understanding the role his Master was undertaking, still partially blinded, still with the sin of pride lurking behind half- opened eyes - now considers seven times sufficient forgiveness. The Twelve received the continuing rebuke! In later years they would remember. Indeed, the seven times would become seventy-seven times to death itself in order to preach the message of the Kingdom of God.

But it was time to move on! The Feast of Tabernacles was shortly due to commence and all male Jews were commanded to attend this Feast. On the journey up to Jerusalem the teaching would continue. Luke 9 records the words of Jesus on the cost of following Him in simple obedience: "Jesus replied, `No-one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God'" (9:62). Luke tells us that "Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem, and He sent messengers on ahead. They went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for Him, but the people there did not welcome Him, because He was heading for Jerusalem" (9:51-52). The Samaritans had very quickly forgotten the message Jesus had brought to them earlier - that the Good News of the Kingdom of God was for all who would drink of the water of life, including the Samaritans! Miracles stay in the memory for only a little time. The real miracle of God is a circumcision of the heart through the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit, for all who would drink of the living water of Jesus! Clearly the earlier message of forgiveness had not yet caused that circumcision of heart, for "When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, `Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to destroy them?' But Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they went to another village" (9:54-56).

John is the only Gospel writer to record the next events, and so turning to his narrative we read: "But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, Jesus' brothers said to Him, `You ought to leave here to go to Judea, so that Your disciples may see the miracles You do. No-one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since You are doing these things, show Yourself to the world'" (7:2-4). But the following verse reveals the real motive behind these words, and again reveals the almost total rejection that was to come very shortly: "For even His own brothers did not believe in Him!" (7:5). But Jesus would not be pressurised by taunts; He did only what His Father told Him to do! "Therefore Jesus told them, `The right time for Me has not yet come; . . . You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for Me the right time has not yet come.' Having said this, He stayed in Galilee" (7:6-9). This was the Feast of Tabernacles - one of the three obligatory Feasts that all Jewish males must attend! However, the right time for Jesus to go to a Feast of Tabernacles as Messiah and King of Israel had not yet come - and has still not come, although that time must surely be very close! First He must go to the Feast of Passover as the Sacrificial Lamb, and so He ignored the taunts of His unbelieving brothers. But John continues, "However, after His brothers had left for the Feast, He went also, not publicly, but in secret". In the following Scriptures we shall see the wisdom of Jesus. He would not allow His work to be precipitated. There would come a time when He would go publicly to Jerusalem knowing that at last His time had come. The events that would then unfold would be totally in the hands of His Father, and at that time Jesus would walk those last miles in the midst of total rejection of Himself as Messiah but with the certain knowledge that the day would come when He would walk there again, as King, at a future Feast of Tabernacles. Jesus would stay in the area of Jerusalem for a while and later return to the slightly less hostile area of Judea for about three months.

John records the first part of the time spent in the city of Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles: "Now at the Feast the Jews were watching for Him, saying, `Where is that man?'" (7:11) - and we shall see the mixed feelings of the people gathered in the city. "Among the crowds there was wide-spread whispering about Him. Some said, `He is a good man.' Others replied, `No! He deceives the people.' But no-one would say anything publicly about Him for fear of the Jews" (7:12-13). As we continue to read John's narrative we must try to see with our mind's eye the scene Jesus was in the midst of. The nearest we can get to describing it would be a grand national event involving all the leaders of this country: The Queen and her courtiers, resplendent in ornate robes, surrounded by companies of soldiers in their colourful uniforms, yet all centered on a traditional religious ceremony of great national importance held in the country's most important religious building, surrounded and watched by excited and exhuberant citizens gathered together to watch a colourful tradition that would last for eight days! We read, "Not until half-way through the Feast did Jesus go up to the Temple courts and begin to teach. The Jews were amazed and asked, `How did this man get such teaching without having studied?'" (7:14-15). Even the Jews (the Teachers of the Law) had to admit that He spoke with an authority they did not have!

Again we see the words that Jesus spoke did not directly say who He was - the response to Him must come in people's hearts by what they saw and understood! Jesus wanted no blind sheep believing in Him in obedience to a command. There had to be an inward conviction before there could be an act of obedience: "Jesus answered, `My teaching is not My own. It comes from Him who sent Me. If anyone chooses to do God's will He will find out whether My teaching comes from God or whether I speak on My own'" (7:16-17). Again speaking directly to the Teachers of the Law Jesus immediately puts His finger on the problem: "Has not Moses given you the Law? Yet not one of you keeps the Law. Why are you trying to kill Me?" (7:19). The same cry of rejection earlier made by the Pharisees is now taken up by the crowd: "`You are demon-possessed,' the crowd answered. `Who is trying to kill You?'" (7.20). The initial blasphemy against the Holy Spirit came after Jesus had delivered and healed the man who was blind and dumb (a miracle the Pharisees themselves taught could only be performed by the Messiah) but now they accused Jesus of working through `Beelzebub, the prince of demons'. This cry is taken up again, this time by the crowds in the Temple courts. The rejection of the Messiah was now working its way through the whole nation of Israel - `You are demon-possessed'! Jesus admonishes the crowds concerning His compassionate healing of a man on the Sabbath and points to their hypocritical attitude: "Stop judging by mere appearances and make a right judgement" (7:24). Still the appeal is to the individual to have personal faith in Him, for no longer could He present Himself as Messiah because of their blasphemy against the Holy Spirit!

We now see the total confusion springing from their rejection of Him: "Isn't this the man they are trying to kill?". But a few moments before the crowds had scornfully rejected Jesus' remarks: (`Here He is, speaking publicly, and yet they (the Teachers and Pharisees) are not saying a word to Him. The leaders say one thing to us but do nothing themselves. Have the authorities really concluded that He is the Messiah? What is happening? Will our leaders tell us? But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no-one will know where He is from'.) The Scriptures clearly foretold where He would come from but now that they had been mixed with the teachings and traditions of the Pharisees there was total confusion. "Then Jesus, still teaching in the Temple courts, cried out, `Yes, you know Me, and you know where I am from.' (You use your natural understanding and the teachings of the Pharisees, but in rejecting Me you reject even the teachings of your own Rabbis, as well as the Scriptures. I am not here on My own, but He who sent Me is true. You do not know Him, but I know Him because I come from Him, and He sent Me' Paraphrase of verses 25-29.) At this they tried to seize Him, but no-one laid a hand on Him, because His time had not yet come" (7.30). At this point the Pharisees considered that the time had indeed come when they could arrest Jesus without inciting the crowds to violence: "Then the chief priests (the Sadducees) and the Pharisees sent the Temple guards to arrest Him" (7.32). After speaking in parables to a crowd that could no longer hear what He had to say, Jesus slipped away from the intense hostility for His time had not yet come!

Keep in mind the intensity of this religious Feast which lasted for seven days plus the eighth day of joyful celebration - the crowds, the noise and excitment, the splendour and colour of the Temple, the priests and Levites all in attendance - as we read of Jesus coming once again to the Temple celebrations. At the end of this Feast the priests would conduct the ceremony of the Water Libation, signifying the coming of the Holy Spirit to usher in the Kingdom of God in Israel. The priests would go to the Pool of Siloam to fill their golden flasks with water. Then with great joy and singing, accompanied by the sound of trumpets, they would ascend the fifteen steps of the Temple courtyard - now ablaze with the light of the great Temple lamps which were brought out for this occasion from the Holy Place. At each step they would pour out the Water Libation, symbolising the Holy Spirit. Surely a time of great natural joy and full of political and social ambition (now denied through the occupation by the Roman armies). But the time would come: "On the last and greatest day of the Feast (of Tabernacles) Jesus stood up and said in a loud voice, `If a man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.' By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive" (7:37-39). It is difficult to imagine the shock waves that went through the crowd - `On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood up and said in a loud voice . . ' It stopped the actions of the Pharisees who thought at last their time had come to put away this troublesome man! It also brought confusion to the crowds: "Some of the people said, `Surely this man is the Prophet.' Others said, `He is the Messiah.' Still others asked, `How can the Messiah come from Galilee? . . . Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. Some wanted to seize Him, but no-one laid a hand on Him" (7:40-44). The time the Sadducees and the Pharisees longed for had come . . and gone . . but the time for Jesus had not yet come, for "Finally the Temple guards went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, `Why didn't you bring Him in?'".

Doubt about the actions of the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees were forming in many minds: "`No-one ever spoke the way this man does,' the guards replied. (But this only infuriated the Jews all the more). `Has any of the rulers (of the Sanhedrin) or of the Pharisees believed in Him? No! But this rabble, what do they know of the Law? There is a curse on them'". Nicodemus the Pharisee, a member of the Sanhedrin who had visited Jesus earlier, was the man now used to quieten the rage of the Jews: "Does our Law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?" The Pharisees' rejection of Jesus as their Messiah had now blinded them and hardened their hearts so much that they would now deny the very Scriptures from which they themselves taught - for Hosea, Jonah and the great prophet Elijah had all come from the area of Galilee! Their reply to Nicodemus showed their blindness: "Are you from Galilee too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee". But their fury now subsided and "Then each one went to his own home" (7:40-53). As we have mentioned earlier, it was at such times as these, when Jesus needed to understand more fully the events that had happened, (this time the events in the Temple) He withdrew to be alone with His Father. He needed to draw closer to Him to gain a deeper understanding of what was yet to unfold and draw upon that intimate relationship with the Father that was uniquely His: "But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives".

The fury of the Sadducees and the Pharisees was abated, for a while! There would be another time - and it wasn't far away! John continues: "At dawn He appeared again in the Temple courts, where all the people gathered around Him, and He sat down to teach them. The Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, `Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do You say?' They were using this question as a trap in order to have a basis to accuse Him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with His finger" (8:2-6). We need to keep clearly in our minds that the Gospels clearly reveal that Jesus with His disciples and full of compassion, went through the land healing the sick, opening the eyes of the blind and cleansing lepers, but when a narrative pauses to fill out the details of a particular event, it always has a Messianic claim associated with it. His first public ministry at the wedding at Cana . . the healing of the leper . . the healing of the man with the paralysed hand in the synagogue on a Sabbath . . the progressive healing of the blind man . . all went beyond just compassion for the individual but were demonstrations to authenticate and confirm His message and teaching. He had not yet publicly announced His claim to be Messiah, but the manner in which He spoke and the context of the words themselves were very clearly and implicitly understood - and they aroused the hostility and fury of the Sadducees and the Pharisees. His actions confirmed their very own teaching of what only the Messiah could do, for that was the very purpose of the detailed recordings of the healings and deliverances. So Jesus continued to work only the work He saw His Father doing (which was to reveal His Messiah to the nation of Israel) and whatever was bound and released on earth was already bound and released in heaven. God the Father in heaven and God the Son, in human form, on earth, working in total harmony!

We would do well to keep this in mind as we seek the spiritual parallel for our walk today as sons and heirs of Christ Jesus. We do not seek spiritual power for itself - it is given by the Father, through the Holy Spirit, to authenticate and confirm the message of His Son in His disciples today. We, too, need to be careful that we do not fall into the same trap of pride and prejudice that so gripped the hearts of the Pharisees so that they even denied their own carefully built up doctrine in their hostility to the purposes of God - the One who had finally come to announce the Kingdom of God - because it didn't fit in with their concept of the Kingdom of God. There is a spirit of `Christian Phariseeism' with us today (not in the sense of legalism and bondage, for that is easy to spot and deal with, but in the recognition of any new move of God attacking and rejecting it as it shines its spotlight on the mishmash of Christian teachings that have crept into the teaching of pure Scripture) and, as always, it will provoke hostility to the true message of the Kingdom of God !

In this story of a woman caught in the act of adultery, we see another of the Messianic claims. In their eagerness to bring an accusation against Jesus, the Teachers of the Law had not prepared their case thoroughly enough. They were only concerned with His answer concerning this act of adultery - which according to the Law of Moses demanded death by stoning. If Jesus confirmed that the woman's act called for death by stoning, they could accuse Jesus before the Roman courts where He would be in conflict with Roman law! On the other hand, if Jesus would not confirm the Law of Moses He would clearly be branded as a `Mosaic Law-breaker' and His teaching would be forever discredited with the crowds. But Jesus merely bent down `and started to write on the ground with His finger'. "When they kept on questioning Him, he straightened up and said to them, `If anyone of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.' Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground" (8:7-8). Much thought has been given to what Jesus actually wrote in the sand with His finger, but it is in this that we see the Messianic act. It was not what He wrote that was important, but the fact that He wrote in the sand with His finger! The Teachers of the Law, who were trying to trick Him over a question of the Law, found Him writing in the sand with His finger, and with their knowledge of the Law they would have remembered how the Law had been given to Moses on Mount Sinai . . on tablets of stone, written by the finger of God (Exodus 31:18). Jesus was replying to their questions and saying `I do indeed know the Law. I wrote it on the tablets of stone with My finger!'

Jesus now continued with a full teaching of the Law of Moses: If the woman was caught in adultery, where was the second guilty party? The Law was equally clear that any accusation could only be brought by two or more witnesses to the act - who had not themselves been guilty of the same sin! The trickery was now clearly revealed: the hypocrisy exposed . . the Messianic act was seen. They melted away, the older ones first. They would have had longer to commit such a sin then the younger ones. But they also melted away, leaving Jesus to reveal His compassion and love for those caught up in a sinful world: "Jesus straightened up and asked her, `Woman, where are they? Has no-one condemned you?' `No-one, sir,' she said. `Then neither do I condemn you,' Jesus declared. `Go now and leave your life of sin'" (8:10-11). We shall see these seemingly indirect claims of Messiahship through Scriptural actions and words of implication frequently over the few months that are left. Those who heard and saw them would know exactly what was being stated, and the results would lead to increasing hostility and (as one narrative records) `a madness coming over them'.

At this point Jesus was still in Jerusalem, and almost certainly in the Temple courts, and John continues to record the events during and following the Feast of Tabernacles. One of the ceremonies of this most joyful of the Levitical Feasts was the Lighting of the Lampstands. The single great lampstand of the Taberncale of Moses had been replaced with the many magnificent lampstands of the Temple, and these were brought out of the Holy Place into the Temple forecourt and kindled to demonstrate the Shechinah . . the Glory of God . . the manifestation of the Divine Presence of God in their midst . . a foretaste of the Glory that was to come in the Messianic Kingdom! Into this setting came Jesus, with a clear Messianic message: "When Jesus spoke to the people, He said, `I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life'" (8:12). We know that the spoken words `I am' are a Divine title - which John uses frequently as he sets out the theme of his Gospel. Jesus, when declaring that He was the light of the world, was very clearly making a Messianic claim: `In Me is the Shechinah, the Glory of God! In Me is the manifestation of the Divine Presence of God!' The Pharisees challenged Him: "Here You are, appearing as Your own witness; Your testimony is not valid" (8:13). Slow as they were to keep to the Law concerning witnesses of the woman caught in the act of adultery, they were now very quick to invoke the same Law over Jesus' declaration: "Jesus answered, `Even if I testify on My behalf, My testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going'" (8:14). The authority of Jesus came not from vindication by the Law but by the One who wrote the Law, and He continues: "You judge by human standards; I pass judgement on no-one. But if I do judge, My decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father who sent Me. In your Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. I am one who testifies for Myself; My other witness is the One who sent Me - the Father". Jesus was stating in very firm terms: `However, if you want Me to comply with the Law, here are My two witnesses. Myself (who wrote the Law on Mount Sinai) and My Father, who sent Me.' These words provoked the reply: "`Where is Your Father?' `You do not know Me or My Father,' Jesus replied. `If you knew Me, you would know My Father also.' He spoke these words while teaching in the Temple area near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no-one seized Him, because His time had not yet come" (8:19-20).

A clear message was still being given to the people as to whom He was, and a stern rebuke delivered to the Pharisees. And in these two closely related incidents we see again the strengthening Messianic claims . . now in the heart of Judaism . . in the Temple . . in Jerusalem . . all totally outworked within the framework of the Mosaic Law, of which the Pharisees were the self-appointed guardians! `Concerning My authority,' Jesus said, `My two witnesses are without reproach. They are impeccable witnesses, Myself and My Father. Of Myself - My actions and words have confirmed the Messiahship. And that confirms My claims for My second witness - My Father who sent Me.' Again we see the blindness that had come upon the hearts of those who had rejected their Messiah: "Then they asked Him, `Where is Your Father?' `You do not know Me or My Father,' Jesus replied. `If you knew Me, you would know My Father also'" (8:19). Again there was a direct Messianic claim in these words, but they fell on deaf ears because of the earlier rejection. The interogation would become more intense, and feelings would begin to run high among the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law; "They did not understand that He was telling them about His Father. So Jesus said, `When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know who I am and that I do nothing on My own but speak just what the Father has taught Me. The One who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do what pleases Him'" (8:27-29).

Here we see that although that generation of the nation of Israel had been rejected by God, because of the unforgiveable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, there would still be individual Jews who would listen and watch and believe in Him as Lord and Saviour, for "Even as He spoke, many put their faith in Him" (8:30). But we also read that some among those who had earlier believed in Him were now beginning to listen to the accusations of their leaders, and they were falling away because they saw no evidence of the Kingdom of God that they wanted to develop from the work of the Man Christ Jesus! "To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, `If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free'" (8:31-32). The truth of the message of the Kingdom of God, as spoken by Jesus, had set them free from the bondage of the Mishnaic teachings of the Pharisees, but many were now ready to let go of that freedom and fall back under the yoke of the teachings of the Teachers of the Law! This would lead to a very ugly confrontation, based on the superior but false belief that their inheritance was based on their natural descent from Abraham. The whole discourse is full of Messianic claims and the rights of inheritance of the sons of Abraham, based on the spiritual sons of Abraham (those born of the Spirit) who would understand the words Jesus spoke.

"Then Jesus said to them, `If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on My own; but He sent Me. Why is My language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say! You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires'" (8:42-44). These words of Jesus would lead to the same accusation that had been the basis of the initial rejection - that He was demon-possessed. Jesus' rebuttal of this accusation, and His words, "I tell you the truth, if a man keeps My words he will never see death", futher incited them (8:51). "At this the Jews exclaimed, `Now we know you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet You say that if a man keeps Your words, he will never taste death. Are You greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do You think You are?'" (8:52-52). The Jews were now treading down a path which was unstoppable. In their frenzied hostility towards Him they were unable to even logically consider His words, full of Messianic claims as they were, in the light of their sacred Scriptures. "`Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing My day; he saw it and was glad.' `You are not yet fifty years old,' they said, `and You have seen Abraham?' `I tell you the truth,' Jesus answered, `before Abraham was born, I AM'" (8:56-59).

Those words of Jesus were, so to speak, the last straw . . the Messianic claims, spoken in Scriptural terms and the use of the Divine title `I AM'! "At this they picked up stones to stone Him, but Jesus hid Himself, slipping away from the Temple grounds" (8:59). As we have seen, the conflict burst out into open hostility - even to the point of stoning an untried man, which, if it had happened, would have brought immediate and harsh retribution from the Roman authorities, and being in the very `heart' of Rabbinic Judaism it was also highly dangerous for Jesus - not particularly in the physical sense but in the real sense that it would precipitate the time and purpose of His Father! Jesus would have two more dramatic clashes with the Pharisees before He moved into a slightly calmer area away from Jerusalem, although still in Judea. We shall find Jesus moving around the area, occasionally slipping into Perea, the Tetrarchy of Herod Antipas, and once again into Samaria, bordering on Galilee, but from this point onwards most of the final ministry of Jesus would be centered in Jerusalem for His time was very near when He would return to His Father.

We shall stay with John's narrative for the last two events during the time He was in Jerusalem for attendance at the Feast of Tabernacles: "As He went along, He saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked Him, `Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' `Neither this man nor his parents sinned,' said Jesus, `but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of Him who sent Me. Night is coming, when no-one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.' Having said this, He spat on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. `Go,' He told him, `wash in the Pool of Siloam' (this word means sent). So the man went and washed and came home seeing" (9:1-7). Verse 13 then tells us that, `they brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind.' Again this story is packed full of Messianic claims! The teaching of the Pharisees themselves said that physical birth defects sprang from the sin of the baby in the womb, or its parents, but Jesus had answered this sternly - it was neither! As always, He turned it back to His Father; `so that the work of God might be displayed in his life' - once again pointing to the cynical hypocrisy in the teachings of the Pharisees towards those carrying physical defects! We also see for a third time a miracle of healing that the Pharisees themselves taught could only be performed by the Messiah, but it was also linked with the ceremonies so recently conducted by the religious leaders during the Feast of Tabernacles. The Pool of Siloam was at the end of a pitch black tunnel (the tunnel of Hezekiah) where the priests would come to fill their golden flasks from the pool before ascending the 15 steps into the Temple courtyard during the ceremony of the Water Libation - signifying the out- pouring of the Holy Spirit in the coming Kingdom of God. The physical healing of the man born blind once again confirmed the Messianic claims of Jesus. The act of covering the blind man's eyes with mud and instructing him to wash off the mud in the Pool of Siloam - after which he would see clearly - pointed the Pharisees to their continual walk of darkness along their own `tunnel of Hezekiah', asking them to wash the mud of unbelief from their blind eyes so they might see, by His actions and by their own teachings, that He was the Messiah whom their annual work at the Pool of Siloam proclaimed!

However the Pharisees could only see the breaking of their own traditions concerning the Sabbath. The man's simple logic - compared to the contradictory and confused words of the Pharisees with their amazing display of blind prejudice which was unable to reason with itself - speaks for itself. "`Give glory to God,' they said. `We know this man (Jesus) is a sinner.' `That matters not to me,' said the man. `I only know that I can see.' Then they asked him, `What did He do to you?' (This brought a sharp cynical remark from the man.) `I have already told you once. Are you wanting to hear it again so that you may become His disciples too?' (This brought the full fury of the Pharisees down upon the man.) They hurled insults at him and said, among other things, `We don't even know where He comes from.' (The cynicism of the man as he stands his ground is even sharper.) `Now that is remarkable! You don't know where He comes from, yet He opened my eyes. (Your own teaching instructs us that what happened to me could only be done by the Messiah, but when it happens, you want to know who He is and where He comes from. Surely, you Pharisees and Teachers of the Law, what has happened to me confirms what you yourselves believe and teach. If this man were not from God He would not be able to do these things!) To this they replied, `You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!' And they threw him out" (Paraphrase of 9:24-34). But the man born blind could now see there was more: "Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when He found him, He said, `Do you believe in the Son of Man?' `Who is He, sir?,' the man asked. `Tell me so that I may believe in Him.' Jesus said, `You have now seen Him; in fact He is the one speaking with you.' Then the man said, `Lord, I believe,' and he worshipped Him. Jesus said, `For judgement I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.' Some Pharisees who were with Him heard Him say this and asked, `What? Are we blind too?' Jesus said, `If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains'" (9:35-41). No further words can really add to that incredible event full of Messianic implications and claims, confirmed by the teachings of the Pharisees - full-sighted men, whose entire lives were spent in searching and teaching from the Scriptures. Unfortunately, the mud from their Mishnaic teachings was caked hard over their self-righteous eyes and they could not see what they themselves had taught!

Before Jesus left this hostile environment He delivered one last parable: "I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and robber. (The conflict is still the same - that is, over the teachings of the Mishnah used by the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees, `a thief and robber' seeking to enter the sheep-fold of God's people by their own Mishnaic teachings. But now the Messiah has come; He has entered into the nation of Israel by the gate provided by God, as revealed in Scripture alone. God, watching over His sheep, opens the gate for Him, and His sheep listen to His voice. He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out - out of the bondage of the teachings of the Pharisees, with their yoke of the Mishnah, and into the Kingdom of God. When He, the Messiah, has brought out all His sheep, He goes ahead of them, and His sheep follow Him because they know His voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact they will run away from him because they do not recognise a stranger's voice. Paraphrase of 10:1-5). The Pharisees could understand nothing of this: Blind with prejudice, ears closed and hearts hardened, they could now only play out the part determined by their blasphemy against the Holy Spirit! Jesus goes on to finally say: "I am the Good Shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me - just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father - and I lay down My life for the sheep. (Clearly pointing foward to His soon-to-come death in Jerusalem, He reveals that by that final act of obedience to the Father, more of the fulness of His Father's purpose and will would be accomplished.) I have other sheep (in the Gentile nations) that are not of this sheep pen (the nation of Israel). I must bring them in also. They too will listen to My voice, and there shall be one flock and one Shepherd. (It would take another Pharisee - indeed a Pharisee of Pharisees, by name of Paul - to fully understand this radical message Jesus taught, and he would proclaim it with all the passion of one who had seen the glory of the finished work of Jesus.) The reason My Father loves Me is that I lay down My life - only to take it up again. No-one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from My Father" (10:11-18).

Jesus now left there for the comparative safety of the region of Judea with the words of the Pharisees spitting out their hatred. But, as always, there were some - one or two, perhaps, the number is unimportant - who would have listened and thought, for God's grace still enabled a response springing from personal conviction. "At these words the Jews were again divided. Many of them said, `He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to Him?' But others said, `These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?' (10:19-22). Time was now running out fast and Jesus was approaching the climax of His ministry. There was still much to be done in the final teaching and training of His disciples before finally facing the total fury of the religious and political alliance, which when joined together can exercise total control of the natural affairs of man. That, too, was decided by the will and purpose of God - and here we shall leave this eighth study of walking in the footsteps of `the Man Christ Jesus'.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Return