Jesus in the Home of Martha and Mary
Luke 10: 38-42

Jesus in the home of Martha and Mary DIG: How do these two sisters differ? Why? What was Martha’s motivation for rebuking Mary? Why is Miryam’s choice better? What is the point Jesus is making here?

REFLECT: What, to you, are good points and blind spots of both Mary and Martha? Who are you most like? Why? How can you make sure you don’t miss the good part?

Here we meet two extraordinary women – Martha and Miryam. They lived with their brother, Lazarus, in the small village of Bethany. It was just over the Mount of Olives and within easy walking distance from Yerushalayim, less than two miles southeast of the Temple’s eastern gate. Both Luke and Yochanan record that Yeshua enjoyed hospitality in the home of this family. It seems to have been His “home base” when in Judea. Martha and Mary make a charming pair – very different in many ways, but, alike in one critical respect . . . they both loved the Meshiach. This is a consistent pattern of every woman whom the Bible treats as praiseworthy. They all point to Jesus. He was the center of heartfelt expectation for every one of the exceptional women in the TaNaKh, and He was greatly beloved by all the foremost women in the B’rit Chadashah. Martha and Miryam are timeless examples. They became precious personal friends of the Master during His earthly ministry. What is more, He had a profound love for their family. The apostle John, who knew Yeshua very well said that He loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus (Yochanan 11:5).

We have no idea how this specific household became so close to the Galilean Rabbi. Since no family relationships are ever mentioned, it seems likely that Martha and Mary were merely two of the multitudes of people who heard Messiah teach early in His ministry, extended Him hospitality, and built a relationship with Him in that way. But,a  however the relationship started, it obviously developed into a deeply personal fellowship.

Without a doubt hospitality was a specific hallmark of this family. Martha is especially seen everywhere as a meticulous hostess. Here, in his account, Luke describes the family residence by saying Martha opened her home. That, combined with the fact that her name normally appears first when being listed with her siblings, strongly implies that she was the eldest sister. Lazarus seems to be the youngest of the three because his name appears last in John 11:5, and the fact that Lazarus isn’t introduced first in any narrative – even including Yochanan’s description of how he was raised from the dead.

Some think Martha’s dominant position in the household indicates that she was a widow. But, that’s an argument from silence. All we know is that these three siblings lived together, and there is no mention that any of them had ever been married. Nor is any hint given about how old they were. Scripture gives us three significant accounts of Messiah’s interaction with this family. Firstly, here in Luke 10:38-42. Secondly, we get a close glimpse of the lives of these two women in the death of their younger brother Lazarus (to see link click Ia – The Resurrection of Lazarus: The First Resurrection). And thirdly, when Mary anointed the feet of Jesus to prepare Him for His burial (see Kb – Jesus Anointed at Bethany).

As Yeshua and his talmidim were on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him (Luke 10:38). Martha seemed to be the elder of the two sisters. Luke’s description of her behavior is one of the things that support the idea that these three siblings were still young adults.

To her great credit, hospitality was very important to Martha. She fussed over her household duties. She wanted everything to be just right. She was a meticulous and selfless hostess, and these were admirable traits. Much of her behavior was very commendable.

Miryam, on the other hand, was enthralled with the Master. He had obviously made Himself right at home, enjoying the fellowship and the conversation. No doubt the Twelve and other guests were asking Him questions, and He was giving answers that were thought provoking, authoritative and extremely enlightening. Martha had a sister called Miryam, who sat at the Lord’s feet, enthralled, listening to what He said (Luke 10:39). But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. Ever the meticulous one, Martha went right to work.

Soon, however, Martha grew irritated with Miryam. It’s easy to imagine how she got so frustrated. She probably tried to drop a few subtle hints at first. Maybe cleared her throat loudly, or exhaled in a huff as if exasperated. Anything to remind her sister that she needed a little help. When all of that failed, she probably started cleaning right where Mary was sitting. But, nothing worked (no pun intended). In the end, she just gave up all pretense of subtlety and aired her grievance against her sister right in front of Jesus.¹⁰⁰⁵  She came to Him and asked: Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me (Luke 10:40)! Martha’s complaint sounds immature and girlish. Messiah’s reply, though containing a mild rebuke, has an almost grandfatherly tone to it.

Martha, Martha, the Lord answered, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her (Luke 10:41-42 NASB). Martha must have been utterly shocked. It didn’t seem to have occurred to her that she might be the one in the wrong, but, the little scene earned her the most gentle of admonitions from Yeshua. Luke’s account ends there, so we’re probably safe to conclude that the message penetrated straight to Martha’s heart and had exactly the sanctifying effect Christ’s words always have on those who love Him. Three important lessons emerge from Messiah’s reprimand of Martha.

First, we should honor others over ourselves (Romans 12:10; Philippians 2:3-4; First Peter 5:5). At first Martha’s outward behavior seemed to be true servanthood. But, her treatment of Miryam soon proved otherwise. Martha’s words humiliated her sister in front of the other guests. She either didn’t think about it beforehand or just didn’t care. Not only that, she assumed Mary was lazy (Romans 14:4). But in reality, Miryam was the one whose heart was in the right place. And Jesus knew it.

Martha’s behavior demonstrates how subtly and sinfully human pride can corrupt even the best of our intentions. Waiting on Yeshua and her other guests was not a bad thing. But, the moment she stopped listening to the Lord and made something else other than Him the center of her attention, she became very self-centered. This made her susceptible to several other kinds of sins as well: anger, resentment, jealousy, distrust, unkindness and a critical spirit. All of that flared up in Martha in a matter of minutes.

Worst of all, Martha’s words challenged Christ Himself: Lord, don’t you care? Did she really imagine that He didn’t care? Surely, she knew better than that. Messiah’s love for all three members of her family was obvious to everyone (John 11:5). But, Martha’s thoughts and feelings had become too focused on herself. Once she took her attention off of Jesus and began watching Mary with a critical eye, her evening was ruined.

Miryam, by contrast, was so preoccupied with thoughts of Christ that she was completely oblivious to Martha’s anger. She was camped out at His feet absorbing every word as if it was the last thing she would hear in her life. She wasn’t lazy; she merely recognized what was truly important. The Son of God Himself was a guest in her home. Listening to Him and worshiping Him at that moment were the very best use of her energies and the one right place for her to focus her attention. In other words, she had her priorities in order.

If Martha had truly preferred Mary over herself, she might have seen in her sister a depth of understanding and love for Messiah that surpassed even her own. She could have learned much from her more quiet, thoughtful sister. But, not right now. Martha had a table to set, a meal to get out of the oven, and many things she was worried and upset about. Before she knew it, her resentment of Mary had built up and she could no longer restrain herself. Her public criticism of Miryam was an ugly expression of pride.

Second, worship is the highest of all priorities for every believer. Humanly speaking, Martha’s feelings were natural and somewhat understandable. That may be one reason Messiah’s rebuke was so mild. Normally, it would have been expected for the younger sister to help in serving a meal to guests. Nonetheless, what Mary did was still better. She had discovered the most important activity: true worship and devotion of one’s heart and full attention to the KING of kings and LORD of lords. That was a higher priority even than service, and the good part would not be taken away from her, even for the sake of something as gracious and beneficial as helping Martha prepare a meal for Yeshua. Miryam’s humble, obedient heart was a far greater gift to Messiah than Martha’s well-set table.

This establishes worship as the highest of all priorities for every believer. Nothing, including even serving the Lord, is more important than listening to Him and worshiping Him. Remember what Yeshua told the Samaritan woman at the well: God is seeking true worshipers (John 4:23 NASB). The Anointed One had found one in Miryam. He would not affirm Martha’s reprimand of her because it was Mary, not Martha, who really understood that worship is a higher duty to God than works on His behalf.

It is a danger, even for people who love Jesus, that we not become so concerned with doing things for Him that we begin to neglect to worship Him. We must never allow our service to Messiah to crowd out our relationship with Him. The moment our works become more important to us than our worship, we have missed the good part.

Martha was a good person, servant, and believer. She loved the Lord and her faith was genuine. But, by neglecting the most important thing and busying herself with mere external activity, she lost her spiritual compass. Martha’s harshness toward her sister exposed the degree to which she had wandered off course. This contamination can happen to any believer. Consequently, we should always be on the lookout for this and guard our hearts.

Third, what we believe is more important than what we do. All of Martha’s preparations became a distraction from the good part that was really needed – a dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ. Good works always flow from this relationship and are the fruit of it. What we do is important, because it is the evidence that our faith is living and real (James 2:14-26). But, our relationship with Yeshua must come first, and is the only viable foundation for true and lasting works. Martha seems to have forgotten these things momentarily. She was acting as if Messiah needed her work for Him more than she needed His work on her behalf.

Martha was a noble and godly woman with a servant’s heart and a rare capacity for work. Mary was nobler still, with a gift for worship and wisdom. Both were remarkable in their own ways. If we weigh their gifts together, they are wonderful examples for us to follow.¹⁰⁰⁶

The Parable of the Good Samaritan
Luke 10: 25-37

The parable of the good Samaritan DIG: Who’s testing whom in this parable? Does the expert in the Torah seem to think he has passed the test in verse 28? How so? Why does Jesus answer with a parable instead of a straight answer? How might one justify the actions of the priest and the Levite (Leviticus 21:1-3)? Given the divisions between Jews and Samaritans, what’s unusual about the plot twist in this story?

REFLECT: With whom do you most identify with in this parable? Why? Who has been good Samaritan’s to you? To whom do you need to be a good Samaritan this week? What do you do when someone comes up to you on the street needing help? Now that you have read this parable, who is your neighbor?

The one main point to the parable of the good Samaritan is that we cannot justify ourselves and earn eternal life by good works.

In Luke 7:40-43 we observed the parable of the two debtors as part of a wider theological discussion (to see link click Ef – Jesus Anointed by a Woman Who Led a Sinful Life). In a parallel passage in Luke 18:18-30 we will study a similar case where the parable of the camel and the needle is in the center of a much larger theological drama (see Il – The Rich Young Ruler). In both of these parables the shortness of the parable and the length of the dialogue lead us to consider the parable as part of the dialogue. Here, however, the parable of the good Samaritan is embedded in the theological teaching itself.⁹⁸⁶

The setting makes a considerable difference in the interpretation of this particular parable. In Luke 7:40-43 and 18:18-30 the shortness of the parable and the length of the dialogue naturally lead to the conclusion that the parable is part of the teaching. Here, however, this parable is fairly long and the surrounding dialogue is relatively short. Thus, the natural tendency is for the reader to ignore the dialogue. If we do so, the parable becomes only an ethical exhortation to reach out to those in need. Indeed, the average believer across the centuries has understood the parable almost exclusively in this way. But there is a much deeper theological issue beneath the surface. Can you work your way to heaven?

The dialogue between Yeshua and the expert in the Torah is made up of eight speeches and seven scenes. The eight speeches fall into two rounds with eight questions of debate. In each round there are two questions and two answers. The formal structure of each of the seven scenes is identical.⁹⁸⁷

Round One: This dialogue uses the inversion principle. The first and fourth speeches are on the subjects of do and live, the inner two on the topic of the Torah.

Speech One (the lawyer): On one occasion an expert in the Torah (Greek: nomikos) stood up from among those seated in the synagogue to test Jesus. In Greek he would be called a lawyer. Here, it means a specialist in Jewish law, including both the written Torah and the Oral Law (see Ei – The Oral Law).⁹⁸⁸ Rabbi, he asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life (Luke 10:25)? This was the test. The Greek word do is in the aorist tense, so the emphasis is doing some kind of work to inherit eternal life.

Speech Two (Jesus): Like a good rabbi, showing the He was Torah observant, Yeshua answered his question with a question, directing him to the Scriptures: What is written in the Torah? He replied. How do you read it, meaning may I hear your authority with an explanation (Luke 10:26)?

Speech Three (the lawyer): The expert in the Torah answered:“Love ADONAI your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, love your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). The expert’s answer consisted of two passages from the TaNaKh. First, Deuteronomy 6:5 that was and is called the She’ma because it begins: Hear (She’ma) O Isra’el. A devout Jew would repeat the She’ma twice each day. Three prepositional phrases in the She’ma describe the response of love toward God. These involve the heart (emotions), soul (the consciousness), and strength (motivation). The second passage in the lawyer’s response is found in Leviticus 19:18, and also be seen in Romans 13:9 and Galatians 5:14.

Speech Four (Jesus): You have answered correctly, Yeshua replied. Do this and you will live (Luke 10:28). The lawyer asked about eternal life, but Messiah widens the discussion to all of life. The Greek text has an immediate future; in other words, do this and you shall come alive. The Greek verb do is a present imperative meaning keep on doing. The lawyer requested definition of a specific limited requirement – what having done I will inherit . . . Christ’s answer is given in a command for an open-ended life-style that requires unlimited and unqualified love for God and people. It’s as if the Lord were saying, “If you want to do something to inherit eternal life? Very well, just continually love God and your neighbor with the totality of your being.” Which, like the Torah itself, an impossible standard to attain. So basically, Jesus was saying to the lawyer, if you want to do something to earn your salvation, be perfect. It was an unattainable task.

Round Two: The first round of the debate closes. But, the expert in the Torah had not given up the hope that he could earn his own way to eternal life. The Torah had been quoted. Now he needed some commentary, some midrash. He knew about ADONAI, but who was “this neighbor” whom he must love as himself? He needed some definition, perhaps a list. If the list isn’t too long he may be able to fulfill its demands. Consequently, he initiates the second round of the debate.

Speech Five (lawyer): But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor” (Luke 10:29)? The expert in the Torah simply hopes to do something and gain eternal life. The question he puts to Messiah, who is my neighbor, is probably asked hoping that the Lord will answer, “Your relatives and your friends.” Then the lawyer will answer, “I have loved them all fully.” Then his hope would be that Yeshua would praise him saying, “You have truly fulfilled the Torah.” Then the lawyer could depart, basking in the praise of his good works. The problem was that the expert in the Torah didn’t understand that it’s only by grace and mercy that we can inherit eternal life. He had no idea how to how to obtain it. He actually lived by something quite different from grace and mercy, which was by his own intention and ability to present himself as a righteous man before God. In other words, this man thought his good works could secure his place by Abraham’s side.⁹⁸⁹

Jesus responded with a parable, saying: A [certain] man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when robbers attacked him (Luke 10:30a). The story intentionally leaves the man unnamed, but a Jewish audience would naturally assume that the traveler was a Jew. The road from Yerushalayim to Jericho descends about 3,000 feet in 17 miles. It was a dangerous road to travel for robbers hid among its steep, winding path.The literary form is a seven-scene parabolic ballad.

Scene 1: The Robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead (Luke 10:30b). The rabbis identified stages of death. The phrase half dead, here means next to death, or at the point of death. Clearly the man was unconscious and therefore could not identify himself. The details are skillfully constructed to create the tension that is the heart of the drama. A traveler could be identified by his speech. A few quick questions and his language or dialect would identify him. But, what if he was unconscious? In that case one would need to take a quick glance at the stranger’s clothes. But, what if the man beside the road were stripped? He was thereby reduced to a mere human being in need. He belonged to no one’s ethnic or religious community! It is such a person that the robbers left wounded beside the road. The question in the parable becomes, who will stop and render aid to this person?

Scene 2: The Priest. Now by coincidence, a cohen happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side (Luke 10:31). The priest, or a Sadducee, a descendant of Aaron who performed the sacrificial duties in the Temple, was most certainly riding because he was among the upper class. The poor walk. Everyone else in general, especially the upper class, always rode. Thus the parable gives us a picture of a priest riding by, seeing the wounded man (presumably at some distance), and then steering his mount to the other side of the road and continuing on his way. Priests believed that help offered to such a despicable man in this condition would be against what God Himself demanded because ADONAI detested sinners (Sirach 12:1-7). Not only that, there was the possibility that this sinner in the ditch might not be Jewish, even worse, the man might be dead. If so, contact with him would defile the cohen, who collected, distributed, and ate the tithes. If he defiled himself he wouldn’t be able to do any of those things, and his family and servants would also suffer the consequences of his actions.

Another part of the priest’s decision to stop and render aide or avoid the sinner was the fact that he was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho. Large number of priests served in the Temple for two-week periods but lived in Jericho. Any priest leaving Yerushalayim on his way to Jericho would naturally be assumed to have fulfilled his period of service and be on his way home. We are told that ritual purification took place twice daily in the Temple by the priests. During the service a gong was struck at the time of the morning and evening offering. At that time the high priest would make all the unclean stand in the Court of the Women in front of the bronze altar.⁹⁹⁰  The unclean priests were also made to stand there in shame for contracting uncleanness (Mishna Tamid 4, 6). It is easy to imagine the burning humiliation that cohen would feel if he contracted ritual impurity. Having probably just completed his two weeks as a leader of worship in the Temple, would he then return in humiliation and stand in the Court of the Women with all the other unclean sinners? Thus, it’s not hard to understand the priest’s predicament as he suddenly came upon as unconscious man beside the road.

More specifically, the cohen could not approach closer than four cubits to a dead body without being defiled, and he would most certainly have to get closer than that just to evaluate the condition of the man. Then, if he were dead, the priest would probably tear his clothes. And that would have violated the Oral Law (see Ei – The Oral Law), commanding him not to destroy valuable things. The priest’s wife, servant and colleagues would have applauded his neglect of the wounded man and the Pharisees would have found him justified in stopping, yet entitled to pass by.⁹⁹¹ Consequently, life for him had become organized in a system of do’s and don’ts.⁹⁹²

Scene 3: The Levite. Likewise, a Levite followed the priest down from Tziyon to Jericho. When he came to the place, and saw the wounded man, he also passed by on the other side (Luke 10:32). The Levites were descendants of Levi who policed the Temple and assisted the priests in various sacrificial duties. The Levite knew that there was a priest in front of him and that he had passed the wounded man because one is able to see the road ahead for a considerable distance for most of the 17 miles. Furthermore, a traveler on that road would be extremely interested in who else is on it. Your life could depend on it. A question put to a bystander at the edge of the last village just before the desert begins; a brief exchange with a traveler coming the other way; fresh tracks on the soft earth at the edge of the road where men and animals prefer to walk; a glimpse in the clear desert air of a robed figure ahead; all of these were potential sources of knowledge for the Levite traveler.

So the Levite knowing this detail is significant to the story because he was not bound by as many regulations as the priest. The Levite was only required to observe ritual cleanliness in the course of his Temple activities.⁹⁹³ Thus, he could give aid, and if the man were dead or died in his arms, the repercussions for him would not be as serious. We are told that the Levite came to the place where the man lay. The Levite, like the priest, could not find out whether or not the wounded man was a neighbor. This may be the reason he approached him. Perhaps he could talk? Failing to find out, he then passed on. So, in contrast to the priest, the Levite seems to have crossed the Oral Law prohibition four cubits and satisfied his curiosity with a closer look. Then he decided against offering aid and passed by to the other side.

The fear of defilement would not have been a strong motive. Fear of robbers, however, may have been. More likely it is the example of the higher-ranking priest that deterred him. Not only could he say, “If the priest on ahead did nothing, why should I, a mere Levite, trouble myself,” but, it might also be seen as a kind of affront to his superior.⁹⁹⁴ More than subtly charging the priest with “hardness of heart” by stopping, the Levite would also be criticizing the priest’s interpretation of the Torah! When the lofty priest interpreted the Torah one way, is the Levite to call his judgment into question? Hardly.

The Levite was of a lower social order than the priest and may well have been walking. In any case, he could have rendered minimal medical aid even if he had had no way to take the wounded man to safety. If he was walking we can imagine him saying to himself, “I cannot carry the man to safety and am I to sit here all night and risk attack from these same robbers?” In any case, he fades from the scene following the priest.⁹⁹⁵

Scene 4: The Samaritan. But a Samaritan came to where the man was (Luke 10:33a). The term Samaritan is the emphatic position in the sentence. Yeshua deliberately chose an outsider, and a hated one at that, for His hero in order to indicate that being a neighbor is not a matter of nationality or race. The mutual hatred of the Jews and the Samaritans is evident in such passages as John 4:9 and 8:48. The United Kingdom was divided after Solomon’s death due to the foolishness of his son, Rehoboam (First Kings 12). The ten northern tribes formed a nation known variously as Isra’el, Ephraim, or (after the capital city built by Omri) Samaria.

In 722 BC Samaria fell to the Assyrians, and the leading citizens, the leaders of the society, were dispersed throughout the Assyrian Empire. At the same time Assyrian citizens throughout the empire were brought into Samaria. Eventually they intermarried and their children became “half-breeds” in the eyes of the Southern Kingdom of Judah.

After the Jews returned from exile in Babylon, the Samaritans sought at first to help in the rebuilding of the Temple. But, when their offer was rejected, they sought to hinder its building (Ezra 4-6; Nehemiah 2-4). The Samaritans later built their own temple on Mount Gerizim (John 4:20-21), but led by Yochanan Hyrcanus, the Hasmonean leader, the Jews destroyed it in 128 BC. So great was Jewish and Samaritan hostility that Jesus’ opponents could think of nothing worse to say of Him than: Aren’t we right in saying you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed (John 8:48)?⁹⁹⁶

As he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he had compassion on him. As in Luke 14:18-20 (the first, another, still another) and Luke 20:10-14 (a servant, another servant, my son) we are dealing with a progression of three characters. After the appearance of the priest and the Levite Jesus’ audience would expect a Jewish laymen.⁹⁹⁷ Not only is the priest-Levite–layman a natural sequence, but these same three classes of people officiated at the Temple. Even as delegations of priests and Levites went up to Jerusalem and returned after their specified two weeks, the “delegation of Isra’el” also went up with them up to serve with them. After their terms of service, one would naturally expect all three to be on the road returning home. The listeners of Messiah’s parable would note the first and the second and would anticipate the third. The sequence is interrupted, however. Much to the shock and dismay of the audience, the third man going down the road is one of the hated Samaritans. The Mishna declares, “He that eats the bread of the Samaritans is like one that eats the flesh of swine” (Mishna Shebiith 8:10). The Samaritans were publicly cursed in the synagogues, and prayers were offered up daily that they might not be afforded eternal life.⁹⁹⁸ So, Jesus really hit a raw nerve. He could have told a story about a noble Jew helping the wounded man on the side of the road. But, rather, we have the hated Samaritan as the hero.

The Greek word compassion (splanchnizomai) has as its root the word innards (splanchnon). It’s a very strong word in both Greek and Semitic imagery. Indeed, the Samaritan had a deep gut level reaction to the wounded man. It is important to remember that the Samaritan is not a Gentile. He was bound by the same Torah that also told him to love ADONAI your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, love your neighbor as yourself (Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18). He was traveling in Judea so it was less likely for him than for the priest and the Levite that the anonymous wounded man would be considered his neighbor. In spite of this, however, he was the one who acted.

The parable has a clear progression as we move through the scenes. The priest only went down the road. The Levite came to the place. The Samaritan, however, came where the man was. He too risks contamination, which if suffered, extended to his animals and merchandise.⁹⁹⁹ With at least one animal and quite likely more (as we will see), and perhaps some supplies, he would be a prime target for the same robbers who just might respect a priest or a Levite, but, would have no hesitation in attacking a hated Samaritan.

But the Samaritan had one advantage. As an outsider he will not be influenced as a Jewish layman might be by the actions of the priest and the Levite. We do not know which way the Samaritan was going. If he were going uphill he would have just passed the priest and the Levite and would therefore have been keenly aware of their inaction. But if he too were traveling downhill, he most likely could see who was ahead of him because one is able to see the road ahead for a considerable distance. As a result, somewhat like the Levite, he could have said, “This unconscious man is probably a Jew and these Jews have left him to die. Why should I get involved?” As we will note, if he did get involved, he ran the risk of retaliation from the family and friends of the very Jew he was aiding. In spite of all this, the Samaritan felt deep compassion for the wounded man and took immediate action.¹⁰⁰⁰

Scene 5: First Aid. Immediately upon seeing the man, he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine (Luke 10:33b–34a). Here, the Samaritan offered the first aid that the Levite failed to offer. He needed to first clean and soften the wounds with oil, then disinfect them with wine, and finally bandage his wounds. The bandaging of wounds is the imagery God uses as He acts to save His people. God said to Jeremiah, “I will restore you to health and heal your wounds” (Jeremiah 30:17). The symbolism is clear. ADONAI is the One who saves, and here, the agent of His salvation is amazingly a Samaritan, just like Jesus, a rejected outsider.

Scene 6: Transport to the Inn. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him (Luke 10:34b). Here, the Samaritan took the humble position of a servant (Philippians 2:7) and, just like Jesus, led the man to safety. The social distinction between riders and leaders of riding animals is critical in the Near Eastern society. Much to his surprise and humiliation, Haman (who expected to be the rider) found himself leading the horse on which his enemy Mordecai was riding (see my commentary on Esther Be – That Night the King Could Not Sleep). His willingness to go to the inn and remain there overnight administering to the needs of the wounded man is a further act of the kind of selfless love that Jesus has. This inn would not have been in the middle of the desert. So the natural assumption is that the Samaritan took the man downhill to Jericho. So, the inn was either in a community or near one.

The Samaritan, by allowing himself to be identified, ran the grave risk of having the family of the wounded man seek him out to take revenge upon him! After all, who else is there? The group mentality of the Near Eastern peasant society makes a totally illogical judgment at this point. The stranger who involves himself in an accident is often considered partially, if not totally, responsible for the incident. After all, why did he stop? Irrational minds seeking a focus for their retaliation do not make rational judgments, especially when the person involved is from a hated minority. The cautious thing to do would have been to leave the wounded man at the door of the inn and disappear, in which case the Samaritan would be completely protected. But, when he stayed at the inn overnight to take care of the man, and promised to return, anonymity was not possible. His courage was first demonstrated when he stopped in the desert (for the robbers were still in the area). But his real bravery is seen in this final act of compassion at the inn. The point, however, is not his courage but, rather, the price he is willing to pay, just like Jesus, to complete his act of compassion. This price he continues to pay in the final scene.¹⁰⁰¹

Scene 7: The Final Payment. The next day, when he needed to resume his journey, he took out two denarii or about the usual daily wage of a day laborer (see Matthew 20:2), and gave them to the innkeeper. “Look after him.” He said, “And when I return (just like Jesus), I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have” (Luke 10:35). The wounded man had no money. If he could not pay the bill when he left, he would have been arrested for debt.¹⁰⁰² Innkeepers in the first century had a very sleazy reputation, and Jewish inns didn’t fare any better than Gentile ones. If the Samaritan did not pledge to pay his final bill, whatever it came to (just like us), the wounded man would be sent to debtor’s prison. The Samaritan is an unknown stranger. Yet, in spite of the cost in time, effort, money, and personal danger, he freely demonstrates unexpected love to the one in need. This is the kind of selfless love we see in The Life of Christ.¹⁰⁰³

Speech Six (Jesus): Finally, the Lord asked: Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers (Luke 10:36)?

Speech Seven (the lawyer): The lawyer, perhaps moved by emotion of the parable, could not escape the point. The expert in the Torah replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” He couldn’t even say the word Samaritan.

Speech Eight (Jesus): Yeshua told him: Go and do likewise (Luke 10:37). What we see in the second round of speeches is Messiah reshaping the expert in the Torah’s question. He will not give the lawyer a list. The Lord refuses to tell him who is and who is not his neighbor. Rather, the real question is not, Who is my neighbor, but changes to, “To whom must I become a neighbor?” This is the question Jesus answered.

This parable is not a general admonition of good works, but rather, an answer to the lawyer’s question about wanting to justify himself (Luke 10:29). The first round of questions and answers ended with Jesus saying to the lawyer: Do this and you will live (Luke 10:28). The second round ends with Christ telling the expert in the Torah: Go and do likewise (Luke 10:37). But, the difficulty is this, who is able to do these things? Who can meet that high, no, impossible standard? Therefore, each round of dialogue ends with the same conclusion. What must I do to inherit eternal life? What can I do to justify myself? The only conclusion we can come to is this: These things are beyond me. Clearly I cannot justify myself, but what is impossible with people is possible with God (Luke 18:27),¹⁰⁰⁴ because He has paid the price.

Jesus Sends Out the Seventy
Luke 10:1-24 and Matthew 11:20-24, 26-27

Jesus sends out the seventy DIG: Why does Jesus send the talmidim out two-by-two? Why does He send them ahead of Him? How are believers today like a “worker in the harvest?” A lamb among wolves? What was the purpose of traveling light? What kind of household guests are they to be? Why? How are they to respond to the different towns they visit? What is their basic message? How does Luke 10:1-12 show the urgency the Messiah Himself senses for evangelism? What is the danger, and the reassurance of aligning oneself with Jesus Christ? What did the Seventy report when they returned? What did the Master say to them? Why is He joyful? Why did He  say they were blessed?

REFLECT: How do you feel about the harvest where you live? Are people ripe for the Good News? What would it take for you to be more involved in the harvest? When have you felt like a lamb among wolves? What did you learn from that experience? What do these verses show you about the privileges you have in Yeshua Messiah? Do you know someone who is far from the Lord? It’s never too late to pray for him or her.

After the festival of Booths, the Lord appointed seventy disciples (CJB). The apostles number twelve to correspond with the twelve tribes of Isra’el; this is made clear in Luke 22:30 (Matthew 19:28) and Revelation 21:12-14. These seventy correspond to the seventy elders Moshe appointed in the wilderness, who received the Ruach and prophesied (Numbers 11:16, 24-25). And it seems to be no mere coincidence that the Chief  Shepherd consciously chose seventy to do what the seventy members of the Great Sanhedrin (to see link click Lg – The Great Sanhedrin) had failed to do in preparing the people for the coming Messiah.

On His way to Jerusalem, Jesus sent out messengers to all the towns in order to give people opportunities to accept the Good News. This mission is similar to that of the Twelve some months earlier. There, Christ had chosen twelve and sent them out by two’s in an evangelistic campaign in Galilee (see Fk – Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles). The Master now employs the same method on a more intensive scale in Judea. The extreme hatred of His enemies called for a more rapid and intense work as He approached the City.

This episode falls into four parts, and each part answers the question, “Who recognizes, and therefore receives, the Kingdom of God?

First, instructions were given. After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them two by two ahead of Him to every town and place where he was about to go (Luke 10:1). Two witnesses were needed in order to bring condemnation (Deut 19:15; Num 35:30). Apparently the Twelve remained with Jesus and did not take part in this mission. He told them: The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field (Luke 10:2). This harvest is not to be confused with the final harvest at the end of the age, but refers to the present harvest of believers at that time (see Cb – The Apostles Rejoin Jesus). After the death of Yochanan the Baptizer, the apostles and the seventy took up the task of preparing the way for Christ.

The Lord warned them of the vicious reception they would receive. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. They would need to trust Him for protection. Do not take a money-belt, an extra pack or an extra pair of sandals; and don’t stop to schmooze with people on the road (Luke 10:3-4 CJB). The Yiddish word schmooze means to chit-chat, to engage in idle conversation, or to gossip. Oriental greetings were long and time-consuming, so they should be avoided. It comes from the Hebrew shmu’ot, meaning things heard or rumors. The point Yeshua made was that the Seventy were not to waste time on the road but to move along to their destination and get on with the ministry that they had been commissioned to do.

When you enter a house, first say, “Shalom!” to this household. If a seeker of shalom (a believer) is there, your “Shalom!” will find its rest with him; and if there isn’t, it will return to you. The blessing of shalom will not be effective if faith is not present. Stay in that same house, eating and drinking whatever they offer, for the worker deserves his wages – don’t move around from house to house, thus wasting time (Luke 10:5-7 CJB). Table fellowship had great symbolic significance in the first century, for such fellowship signified the acceptance of God’s people (Acts 11:3; Galatians 2:12).

The message of truth is to be proclaimed whether it is welcomed or not. When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you (Luke 10:8). If the people of the town, whether Jews or Gentiles, received them with good will, they were to consider themselves members of the family, eating the things placed before them, putting aside all Jewish scruples. Heal the sick who are there (Luke 10:9a). During this apostolic age, Jesus’ talmidim, and apparently the seventy disciples, were given healing powers similar to the Master Himself. These special powers were to confirm that the Messiah was indeed in their midst. As the Lord ascended to heaven after His resurrection and the apostles slowly passed away, so did these confirming signs. The seventy healed as Jesus healed. Although we have no specific details, we can be confident that they healed instantly, healed organic diseases from birth, healed all who came to them, and, like the Twelve, raised the dead (Acts 9:36-42, 20:9-12).

And tell them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” This is the local nearness of a present reality, not the chronological nearness of a future reality. But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, “Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near” (Luke 10:9b-11). Why should people uninterested in the Gospel and unreceptive to it be evangelized? Because the message itself is powerful, since it comes from ADONAI; it may cause them to change their minds. It is important to notice that the seventy were not to be passive to any opposition, but to confront and condemn it.

The somber act should be followed up by an equally somber declaration: I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Sodom than for that town (Luke 10:12; Matthew 11:24). They did not respond even though they saw the miracles. As stated above in Luke 10:9a, the purpose of our Lord’s’ miracles was to serve as signs to Isra’el to authenticate that He was indeed the Messiah. While all unbelievers will end up in the lake of fire (see my commentary on Revelation Fm – Satan Will Be Released from His Prison and Will Go Out to Deceive the Nations), there will be degrees of punishment in hell.

For both believers and unbelievers, the principle seems to be, the greater the knowledge, the greater the responsibility. And, for unbelievers, the greater will the punishment be if a person fails to meet their responsibility. It may well be that the different stages of punishment in sh’ol are not so much a matter of objective circumstances as of subjective awareness of the pain and separation from God. To some extent, the different degrees of punishment reflect the fact that unrepentant sinners will be given over to the evil desires of their hearts. The misery they will experience from having to live with their own wickedness eternally will be proportionate to the degree of awareness of precisely what they were doing when they chose evil. However, for both believers and unbelievers alike, these are the implications of our final state:

1. The decisions that we make in this life will govern our future condition, not merely for a period of time, but for all eternity (see Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer). Therefore, we should exercise extraordinary care and diligence as we make them.

2. The conditions of this life, as Rabbi Sha’ul put it, are transitory. They fade into relative insignificance when compared with the eternity to come.

3. The nature of our final state is far more intense than anything known in this life. The images used to depict them are quite inadequate to fully convey what lies ahead. Heaven, for example, will far exceed any joy that we have known here, as will the anguish of hell.

4. The bliss of heaven ought not to be thought of as simply an intensification of pleasures of this life. The primary dimension of heaven is the presence of the believer with God.

5. Sh’ol is not only a place of physical suffering, but even more so the awful loneliness of total and final separation from our Lord.

6. Hell should not be thought of primarily as punishment visited upon unbelievers by a vindictive God, but as the natural consequence of the sinful life chosen by those who reject Yeshua Ha’Mashiach.

7. There will also be degrees of reward for those in heaven (Dani’el 12:3; Luke 19:11-27; 1 Cor 3:14-15; see my commentary on Revelation Cc – For We Must All Appear Before the Judgment Seat of Christ).

Second, woes were pronounced on the rejecting towns. Woe to you, Chorazin. Woe to you, Bethsaida. Then comes perhaps the most convincing statement – that if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in the Gentile areas of Tyre and Sidon, two most wicked Gentile cities, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes (Luke 10:13; Mattityahu 11:20-21). The wickedness of Tyre and Sidon and the predictions of judgment against them are detailed in the TaNaKh (see my commentary on Isaiah Er –Wail, You Ships of Tarshish; Your Fortress is Destroyed). Sackcloth and ashes refers to the ancient Near Eastern customs associated with grief and mourning (Jonah 3:6; Dani’el 9:3; Esther 4:3). Since Philip, Andrew and Simon Peter were from Bethsaida, there was ample opportunity to hear and understand the messianic claims of Yeshua (Yochanan 1:44).

But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you (Luke 10:14; Matthew 11:22). It is obvious from what Jesus says here that He had been to Chorazin many times since the majority of His miracles were done in the other two cities. At the end of his gospel, John said that it was impossible to write down all that Christ did. Thus, the gospel writers had to be selective in what they wrote. Chorazin is an example of material that was omitted under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Sh’ol (Luke 10:15; Mattityahu 11:23 and also see Ee – Come to Me, All Who are Weary and Burdened, I Will Give You Rest). Usually brought into English as sh’ol; the Greek is translated hades, the dwelling place of the dead. In the TaNaKh sh’ol is a dim vague state where dead souls wait. Most often, English versions use the word hell.

Any city that rejected the message of the seventy-two would suffer the same dreadful fate as the ones mentioned above. Therefore, Messiah consoled the men whom He was sending out by revealing that the rejection they would experience was not a rejection of them – but a rejection of Him! The failure thesemen would experience could easily discourage them. But Yeshua said that when they faced failure, it was because the nation was not willing to receive Him(Luke 10:16). Whoever listens to you listens to Me; whoever rejects you rejects Me (Yeshua); but whoever rejects Me rejects Him who sent me (ADONAI). Thus, as the Lord sent the seventy out, He told them that even though the harvest was plentiful, the response to their ministry would be limited and they must anticipate the same rejection that He had experienced.

Third, victory was proclaimed and the meaning of the mission defined. After completing the ministry entrusted to them, the seventy returned to report to Christ. However, they seem to have been preoccupied with the miracles they had performed. They returned with joy and said: Lord, even the demons submit to us in Your name (Luke 10:17). They made no report on the response of the people to their ministry, but reported on the response of the demons to the authority that the Master had entrusted to them. Therefore, it was necessary for the Savior of sinners to rebuke them.

Jesus reminded them that the authority was not theirs. It was His. He had conferred it on them. And to overcome all the power of the enemy, the Adversary; nothing will harm you. The authority belonged to Him because He had expelled the deceiver from heaven at the time of his original fall. He replied: I saw Satan fall, defeated, like lightning from heaven (Luke 10:18-19b; also see Ezeki’el 28:12-17 and Isaiah 14:12-15). So Jesus was not speaking of the great dragon being thrown out of heaven at that particular moment, but Yeshua wanted the seventy disciples to know that his power had been broken and that the devil and his demons were subject to Christ’s authority.

I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions (Luke 10:19a). These were both symbols for evil. The perfect tense of the verb have given you authority refers to the authority already given to the apostles (Luke 9:1), not to some future authority such as in Acts 1:8. But, this is a preview of the messianic Kingdom that accompanies Messiah’s return in glory to the earth. The infant will play on a cobra’s hole, and will put his hand in a viper’s nest (Isaiah 11:8 CJB).

However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20). Judaism features prominently the idea that the names of the forgiven are recorded in heaven. The liturgy for Rosh-HaShanah (the Jewish New Year) includes a prayer for being written in the book of life, and the Yom-Kippur (the Day of Atonement) liturgy nine days later has a prayer for being “sealed” in the book of life, the idea being that the decision is made final on that day. Dani’el 12:1 tells us that everyone whose name is found written in the book of life – will be delivered. And Jesus declares: The one who overcomes will be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that such a one before My Father and His angels (Revelation 3:5). Our personal relationship with ADONAI should be the cause of our joy.

Fourth, the Son of God prays to the Father. It is not recorded, but the seventy must have then reported on the harvest that had been gathered. There were those who had accepted their message and put their faith in the Savior. And for this response, Christ offered a prayer of thanksgiving to the Father. This points to the fact that our Lord trusted in the Father’s plan even when things didn’t seem to be falling into place as the nation of Isra’el had already rejected Him (see Eh – Jesus is Officially Rejected by the Sanhedrin). At that time Jesus said: I praise you, Father, ADONAI of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Ha’Shem is sovereign over all, and nothing, not even rejection by the people of Isra’el, will frustrate His ultimate plans of messianic redemption. Those who think of themselves as wise, they did not see the truth because of their depravity; bu,t the righteous of the TaNaKh who had the faith of little children saw the light. Because they opened hearts to the things of God they were able to receive redemption through Christ. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do (Luke 10:21; Matthew 11:25-26).

All things have been committed to Me by my Father. His own divine origin is emphasized by Yeshua Himself when He said: 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 (Luke 10:22; Mattityahu 11:27). From statements like these, it is clear that we cannot merely accept Christ as merely a good rabbi or even a great prophet. He claims to have a unique knowledge of the God of Isra’el because He Himself was in the presence of the Father from all eternity past. Philosophy and religion are utterly incapable of reasoning out YHVH or His truth because they are a finite, lower order. Human ideas and concepts are earthbound and totally useless in producing spiritual fruit or guidance. Ha’Shem must break into the darkness and emptiness of human understanding because before being adopted into His family, we are spiritually dead (see Bw – What God Does for Us at the Moment of Faith).

Then He turned to His talmidim and said privately: Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. Those who had put their faith in Him had seen Him as the Messiah. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it (Luke 10:23-24). They had seen and believed the One of whom the prophets spoke and longed to see. Such a privilege as they had was not given to the prophets.

The Adversary, that ancient Serpent, is the god of this age (Second Corinthians 4:4). Nevertheless, as King Belshazzar’s guests continued to feast unaware that his kingdom had fallen and his doom had been sealed (Dani’el 5:1-30), so the present age is unaware that the reign of the Enemy of souls is broken. It sees only some writing on the wall, but, it cannot read what it sees. Here, the mission of the seventy disciples is the continuing task of the Church. As the Living Word empowered His ambassadors then, He empowers us today: We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us (Second Corinthians 5:20a).

We have two tasks. First, to make the Kingdom real for those we come into contact with. You may be the only “Jesus” they will ever meet. As it was in the days of Messiah’s First Coming, His presence was veiled. Today, it is the writing on the wall, occurring only as the Ruach ha-Kodesh actualizes it. What we see today is only a small foretaste of the glorious messianic Kingdom to come. Make Him real to others. Therefore, believers, like Dani’el and the seventy disciples, must explain the meaning of the writing on the wall, proclaiming: The kingdom of God has come near to you (Luke 10:9b).⁹⁸⁵

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep
John 10: 1-21

The good Shepherd and His sheep DIG: During Christ’s lifetime, how did the shepherds protect their sheep at night? How far would he be willing to go to protect them? In this story, whom do the sheep represent? The good Shepherd? The false shepherds? The stranger? Why do you think Jesus used the sheep in His example? What is the relationship of the shepherd to his sheep? How do the sheep respond to the shepherd? How does this relate to the Pharisees’ difficulty in understanding Jesus? What does Yeshua mean by likening Himself to the gate of the sheep-pen? How is He not like the thieves and robbers? How does the Lord identify Himself with the good shepherd? Why do His listeners respond as they do? What is the basic point of this story?

REFLECT: What turning point was significant for you in terms of hearing “God’s voice?” How do you discern His voice from that of so many others that vie for your attention? What is the most reassuring thing about this section for you personally? If you did not have an earthly protector, can you let God be your heavenly Protector?

Later that afternoon, on the eighth day of the festival of Booths (Leviticus 23:36, 39; Numbers 29:35), Christ spoke to the crowd that witnessed the miracle of the healing of the man who was born blind in the Temple Compound. Going on from the teaching of the blindness of the Pharisees, who professed to be the teachers of the people, Jesus gave them an allegory about true and false teachers, contrasting Himself to them. The eighth day was considered a separate feast and was celebrated as a day of Sabbath rest.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a symbol is worth a thousand lectures. Jesus understood the power of a familiar image to unlock the mysteries of heaven. And no sight was more common in first-century Judea than that of a shepherd leading his sheep – no less common than seeing people riding in their cars today. To the lost sheep of Isra’el, He was the living door and the good [true] Shepherd.

Unlike many farmers in Europe who raise sheep for food, shepherds in first-century Judea tended sheep for wool. The animals grazed and grew thick coats that could be sheared off and sold for a tidy sum. Obviously, the more sheep one had the more money one could make, so the shepherds kept very careful watch over their flock. He sacrificed his own comfort to provide safe grazing during the day and risked his own safety to guard the flock against thieves and predators during the night. Therefore, it was not uncommon for a shepherd to know each of his animals individually and to call each one by name.

A good shepherd never allowed his flock to remain in the field as night fell; thieves and wild animals could take advantage of the darkness to steal and kill his sheep. If the pasture was close enough to the village, the sheep would be driven from the field to a communal sheep-pen for the night, guarded by a designated gatekeeper. In the morning, before driving their flocks into the wilderness to find adequate grazing, the shepherds could separate the flocks by merely calling to them from different directions. The sheep, knowing the voice of their shepherd, would follow. The shepherds always remained with their sheep, camping out under the stars for weeks at a time. As darkness fell each evening, they corralled the flock into a cave or some other natural enclosure and slept at the entrance, making themselves, as it were, a living gate.⁹⁷⁷

In relation to the sheep-pen of the Kingdom and the Church, Jesus is the gate. Jesus had just healed the man born blind and said: For judgment 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” (John 9:39-40)? So here, Yeshua responds with an allegory. The Pharisees were familiar with the general pastoral scene, but, could not discern the spiritual meaning behind the words. In short, yes, they were blind too! The Chief Shepherd continued: Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep-pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The Pharisees, who had perverted the Torah by teaching that the Oral Law (to see link click Ei – The Oral Law) was equal to, or even better than the Torah, had stolen the truth from the people and robbed them of its blessings. In contrast to the Pharisees, the one who enters by the gate is seen to be the shepherd of the sheep (Yochanan 10:1-2). He has the right to enter and this is recognized when the gatekeeper opens the gate for him.

The Near Eastern shepherd never drives his flock from behind, but always walks ahead, leading them along the roads and over hills to new pasture. As he goes, it is not uncommon for him to talk to them in a loud singsong voice. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice (John 10:3-4).

But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, if a stranger enters the sheep-pen, the sheep will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice (John 10:5). The point of Jesus using this figure of speech emphasizes how a shepherd nurtures his flock. People come to God because He calls them (Romans 8:28-30). Their proper response to Christ’s call is to follow Him (John 1:43, 8:12, 12:26, 21:19 and 22). But this spiritual lesson was missed by the Pharisees who did not understand what Jesus was telling them (Yochanan 10:6).

In relation to the flock, Jesus is the good [true] Shepherd. Therefore, Jesus said again: Very truly I tell you, I AM the gate for the sheep (John 10:7). This is the third of  Yeshua’s seven I AM’s (John 6:35, 8:12, 10:11, 11:25, 14:6, 15:1). John follows His first very truly in 10:1 with another here, which interprets the first. To the assembled crowd, He adds: All who have come before me are thieves and robbers. Messiah’s predecessors are the Pharisees, Torah-teachers, and the Sadducees who were presently ruling over the Jews. By identifying them as thieves and robbers, Christ casts them in the role prophesied by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 23:1-2), Ezeki’el (Ezeki el 34:1-10), and Zechariah (Zechariah 11:4-17). The bazaar of the sons of Annas (see Bs – The First Cleansing of the Temple at the Passover) had left the people physically and spiritually impoverished, but Jesus had come to bring genuine abundance. Yeshua has already pointed out that the sheep will not take notice of strangers. Now He says that the sheep did not hear the thieves and robbers. Those who are genuinely His sheep have spiritual discernment. They await the voice of their [true] Shepherd and have not listened to the thieves (Yochanan 10:8).⁹⁷⁸

I AM the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture (John 10:9). In Catholic Bishop Alphonse de Liguori’s book, The Glories of Mary, he states “Mary is called . . . the gate of heaven because no one can enter that blessed Kingdom without passing through her” (page 160). Additionally, he writes, “the way of salvation is open to no one except through Mary,” and since, “our salvation is in the hands of Mary . . . the person who is protected by Mary will be saved, and the one who is not will be lost” (pages 169-170). This is the official doctrine of the Catholic Church, and is an abomination that it would teach that faith in Mary will save, rather than faith in Christ.⁹⁷⁹

The thief, that is the false shepherd, comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10). This is no prosperity, “name-it-and-claim-it” (or as I like to call it, “blab-it-and-grab-it”) theology. Jesus had nothing against money, but, He viewed it as morally neutral – having nothing to do with the kingdom of God. Christ’s talmidim were not wealthy men, in fact several gave up prosperous occupations to follow Messiah. The abundance Yeshua offers is a spiritual abundance that transcends circumstances like income, health, living conditions, and even death.

The abundant life is life that never ends; yet we don’t have to wait until the end of our physical life to receive this abundance and to enjoy it. Abundant life includes peace, purpose, destiny, a genuine purpose for living, the joy of facing any adversity – including the grave – without fear, and the ability to endure hardship with confident assurance.⁹⁸⁰

I AM the good [true] Shepherd (John 10:11a; also see Ezeki’el 34:23, 37:24, Psalm 23; John 21:15-17; Hebrews 13:20; First Peter 5:4). Jesus’ strong statement: I AM (Greek: ego eimi), paired with the phrase good [true] Shepherd, is especially emphatic in the original language.This is the fourth of Jesus’ seven I AM’s (Yochanan 6:35, 8:12, 10:7, 11:25, 14:6, 15:1). According to the Synoptic Gospels the parable was Messiah’s primary way of presenting His teaching. In this regard, as in many others, there is a sharp and easily observable contrast between the Synoptics and Yochanan’s gospel. There are no parables in John. Instead of parables about shepherds we find: I AM the good Shepherd, and general statements about shepherding, but no story. What follows is a clear foreshadowing of the persecution He will suffer, emphasizing His substitutionary death on our behalf.

The good [true] Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11b). The life of a shepherd could be very dangerous as illustrated by David defending his flock against bears and lions (First Samuel 17:34-35, 37). Jacob also experienced the labor and toil of being a faithful shepherd (Genesis 31:38-40). Jesus said: I AM the good [true] Shepherd. In the TaNaKh God is called the Shepherd of His people (Psalms 23:1, 80:1-2; Ecclesiastes 12:11; Isaiah 40:11; Jeremiah 31:10). In the B’rit Chadashah, Yeshua is also called the Great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20-21) and The Chief Shepherd (First Peter 5:4).

In contrast with the good [true] Shepherd, who owns, cares for, feeds, protects and dies for His sheep, the one who works for wages – the hired hand – does not have the same commitment because he does not own the sheep. He is only interested in making money and self-preservation. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks (Greek: harpazei), literally snatches away (this is the same verb used in Yochanan 10:28) the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep (John 10:12-13). Isra’el had many false prophets, selfish kings, and imitation messiahs. The flock of God suffered constantly from their abuse (Jeremiah 10:21-22, 12:10; Zechariah 11:4-17).⁹⁸¹ This sets Messiah apart from the false teachers, the thieves and robbers of Isra’el who supposedly faithfully taught the people of God. Whereas He is selfless, they were selfish. Whereas He will lay down His life for His sheep, they will abandon all to save themselves. Whereas Yeshua lived in complete obedience to the Torah and the Father, they only obeyed their own lusts.

This is one of the strongest passages of security of the believer in the entire Bible (see Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer). Again Jesus repeats His declaration: I AM the good [true] Shepherd. In contrast with the hired hand, the true Shepherd has an intimacy and a personal interest in His sheep. Messiah said: 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 (Yochanan 10:14-15). Yeshua’s care and concern is seen by His prediction of His coming death for the flock.

I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen, namely Gentiles. I must bring them also. They too will listen to My voice, and there shall be one flock and one Shepherd (John 10:16). Although at first His talmidim were sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Isra’el (Mattityahu 10:6 CJB), and spoke of His own commission in the same way (Matthew 8:5-13), this limitation applied only to His life before the resurrection. Furthermore, He intimated the coming inclusion of the Gentiles when He healed the Roman centurion’s servant (see Ea – The Faith of the Centurion), the demon-possessed daughter of the Canaanite woman (see Ft – The Faith of the Canaanite Woman), ministered to the Samaritan woman at the well (see Ca – Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman), prophesied 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 (Matthew 8:11), and that some Gentiles would be favorably judged (see Jy – The Sheep and the Goats).

This joining of Gentiles to God’s people is alluded to again in John 11:52 and is the major subject of the book of Acts, Rabbi Sha’ul’s letters to the Romans, Galatians, Ephesians and the book of Revelation by Yochanan. The ingathering of Gentiles has begun but has not been completed. Portions of the Scriptures have been translated into more than 1,800 languages, but, there are some 5,000 languages spoken (depending on what is defined as a language). There are believers in the Messiah and in God’s Word among multitudes of peoples, but, multitudes of peoples are virtually unreached. The other sheep will continue to be added until the full number of the Gentiles has come in(Romans 11:25).

The TaNaKh often has the salvation of the Gentiles in view (see Genesis 12:3, 22:18, 26:4; Isaiah 11:10, 19:18, 54:1-3, 60:1-3; Hosea 1:10; Amos 9-12; Malachi 1:11; Psalms 72 and 87. Isaiah 45:23 is quoted by Sha’ul in this connection). The strongest impact of this idea on the consciousness of observant Jews come from Zechariah 14:9 CJB, recited daily in the synagogue in the Aleinu prayer: Then ADONAI will be king over the whole world. On that day ADONAI will be the only one, and His name will be the only name. While Zechariah 14:9 CJB proves that eventually worship in the B’rit Chadashah will be far more Jewish in character than it is now, the present verse (Yochanan 10:16), and the New Testament verses I have cited above show that the final form of God’s chosen people includes Gentiles who have not converted to Judaism.⁹⁸²

Again Messiah predicted His death, saying: The reason My Father loves Me is that I lay down my life – only to take it up again. His death was entirely voluntary. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. Jesus was not a helpless pawn on history’s chessboard. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. It is the Father who raised up Yeshua (Romans 8:11), but according to this verse Jesus had the power, even in death to resurrect Himself. This command I received from My Father (John 10:17-18). This tells us that Christ saw His whole life as an act of obedience to God. ADONAI had given Him a task to do, and He was prepared to carry it out to the end – even if it meant death. He has a unique relationship with Ha’Shem, which we can describe only by saying that He is the Son of God. But, that relationship did not give Him the right to do as He pleased. It always depended on Him doing what pleased His Father. Sonship for Him, and for us as His children, can never be based on anything but obedience.⁹⁸³

The Jews who heard these words were again divided. For the third time, Yochanan tells us that Jesus’ teaching divided the people (John 7:43 and 9:16). Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad (see Ek – It is only by Beelzebub, the Prince of Demons, That This Fellow Drives Out Demons). 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” (Yochanan 10:20-21)? Messiah had declared earlier that His sword of truth divides people and His voice calls to His own. Just as expected, the dividing of the religious officials that occurred in John 7:43 and 9:16 continued here as a result of this discourse.

The eighth day after the festival of Booths was very important in the life of Christ. At dawn He sat down to teach as all the people gathered around Him at the Temple. But, He was interrupted as the Pharisees and Torah-teachers tried to trap and discredit Yeshua publicly by bringing Him a woman caught in adultery to judge. After that failed, He continued to teach that morning. Each evening for all seven days of the festival of Booths, multitudes of Israelites had gone to the Court of the Women to participate in the ceremony of the lighting of the lights. That ceremony pointed to Him and He declared: I AM the light of the world. Later that morning the religious leaders continued to challenge Jesus’ authority, but, the Lord claimed to be greater than Abraham when He said: Before Abraham was born, I AM. The conflict between Yeshua and the Pharisees apparently continued into the early afternoon over the miraculous healing of a man who had been blind from birth. Finally in the late afternoon, Christ concluded His busy day when He spoke to the crowd concerning the false shepherds who ruled over the nation at that time.

What a day! But, Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written (Yochanan 21:25). Whatever the wonders that we may have experienced, they are nothing to the wonders that we may yet experience. Our words are powerless to describe the Messiah, and human books are inadequate to hold Him.

Jesus told the Jews that He, the good [true] Shepherd, would freely lay down His life for us . . . His sheep. Later on, He would tell the Twelve that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (John 15:13). The Prince of Life perfectly demonstrated that love when He died on the cross, offering up His life for each one of us.

It is staggering to think that if you were the only person in the world, Jesus would still have freely given His life to save you. It was this realization that gave Peter the boldness to tell the members of the Great Sanhedrin (see Lg – The Great Sanhedrin) that salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

We have a great cause for rejoicing! God’s wisdom, foolish though it seems to the human mind, triumphs even in the darkest moments. Who but ADONAI could preordain that Yeshua, the beloved Son, would be rejected by His own people and abandoned by His talmidim? Ha’Shem Himself even turned His back on His Son, as Yeshua became sin on our behalf (see Lv – Jesus’ Second Three Hours on the Cross: The Wrath of God). This, however, was the incomprehensible wisdom of God. He loved us so much that He willingly sacrificed His one and only Son, whom He loves above anyone or anything else, just to bring us back to His embrace. It is just as Yochanan declares: See what love the Father has lavished on us in letting us be called God’s children (First Yochanan 3:1a CJB)!

During those times when things seem dark and hopeless, we must look to the loving provision of the Lord of life. Even in the unexpected tragedies of life, He is at work, inviting us to draw closer to Himself. There are times when His wisdom is so far beyond us that our only response can be faith and trust. In these moments, God asks us to pray, “Yeshua, I trust You.” When troubles and darkness surround us, we can proclaim, “Father, hold me in Your arms.” When life seems unbearable, we can look to the cross and say, “Lord, You died for me. Help my unbelief.”

Holy Spirit, be my Comforter. Be my strength and reveal to me the truth of Jesus Christ. I abandon myself to You and trust You with all that I am and all that I have. Amen.⁹⁸⁴

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind:
The Third Messianic Miracle
John 9: 1-41

Jesus heals a man born blind, which was the third messianic miracle DIG: Jesus heals a man born blind, what assumptions did the apostles make about this man’s blindness? What misconception did Jesus correct? How did Yeshua involve the blind man in the healing process? Why do you think the Lord sent the man to wash in the pool before healing him? How did his neighbors respond to the miracle? How can we see his progressive understanding of the significance of Messiah? Why were the Pharisees so desperate to interrogate his parents? What are the three degrees of excommunication in Judaism? How did the response of pharisaic Judaism to the three messianic miracles build?

REFLECT: What physical or emotional handicap (learning disability, failed relationship, chronic illness) has turned into an opportunity for ADONAI to demonstrate His power? Or do you tend to waste your sorrows? What fresh insight have you gained from this passage about the struggles of life? How do you need to change your attitude toward your personal weaknesses and strengths? Why does God choose to use our weaknesses and problems for His glory? Who has been the toughest person for you to explain your faith to? Why? What have you found most helpful in dealing with people who ridicule your trust in Christ? Has your belief in Jesus led to your exclusion from any group? How has this hurt or helped you?

The Gospel is not a sterile set of facts; it is the means by which ADONAI redeems sinners from the slavery of sin (Romans 1:16). It doesn’t merely call for intellectual assent, but for the full surrender of the heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30). Its work is not to create theologians out of pagans, but to open the eyes of the spiritually blind. The story of the man born blind is a clear case in point.⁹⁶⁷

The conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees apparently continued into the early afternoon over the miraculous healing of a man who had been blind from birth. This continued the eighth day of the festival of Booths (Leviticus 23:36, 39; Numbers 29:35). It was actually considered to be a separate feast day. The feast is called shemini ‘atzeret in Rabbinic Hebrew, which approximately means festal assembly of the eighth (day). It was celebrated on the Temple Mount with a Sabbath rest with no regular work.

Jesus had just claimed to be deity, saying: before Abraham was born, I AM! At this, the religious leaders were incensed and picked up stones to stone Him. But in the confusion, Christ slipped away and passed into the midst of those who were His friends in the crowd and quietly, but boldly, walked out from the Temple grounds (John 8:58-59). As Jesus left He saw a man blind from birth (John 9:1). His blindness was a birth defect, not a temporary affliction from which he could hope to recover – just like the sin of the human race. There was no healing of the blind in the TaNaKh or in the book of Acts. This man stood as a testimony that Yeshua was indeed the light of the world (Yochanan 8:12a). In ancient Judea, disabled people commonly claimed spots along a well-traveled street leading to the Temple. While the man born blind undoubtedly joined many others that day, he drew the attention of the talmidim, probably because his condition was probably congenital rather than a result of disease of injury. His blindness aroused their curiosity.

His apostles asked Messiah an interesting theological question, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind (John 9:2)?” Who committed such a terrible sin that this man was born blind? The strangeness in the question was not if this man’s parents sinned and as a result he was born blind. There is a principle of the Torah in Exodus 34:6-7 that ADONAI visits the sins of the parents upon the children and the children’s children unto the third and fourth generation. It is conceivable that the parents had committed a specific sin and God visited that sin upon their son; therefore, the son was born blind. But that was not the strange part of the question. They also asked: Or was it this man that sinned and then he was born blind? In light of the fact that Judaism did not believe in reincarnation, how could he have first sinned and then be born blind?

The question asked by the talmidim actually reflected the culture in which they had been raised. According to pharisaic Judaism, a birth defect, such as being born blind, was due to a specific sin, either committed by the parents or committed by the individual. But again, how could an individual have sinned first and then be born blind? According to pharisaic Judaism, at the point of conception, the fetus has two inclinations. In Hebrew they are called yetzer hara and yetzer hatov, which means the evil inclination (not to be confused with the sin nature) and the good inclination. These two inclinations are already present within the new human being who has just been conceived in the womb. During that nine-month development within the womb of the mother, there is a struggle going on for control between the two inclinations. And the rabbis would say that it just might have occurred that at one point the evil inclination got the better of the fetus and in a state of animosity or anger towards his mother, he kicked her in the womb. For this act of sin he was born blind.⁹⁶⁸ Therefore, the question of the Twelve actually reflected the culture in which they had been raised. So they asked: Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?

The apostles were guilty of two fallacies. The first fallacy was to accept the Pharisaic teaching that the child could have sinned in the mother’s womb and still be born blind. The second fallacy is that a birth defect, such as being born blind, is due to some specific, terrible sin. Yeshua dispelled that idea very quickly. Neither this man nor his parents sinned, said Christ, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. In other words, he was born blind not because of any specific sin committed by his parents or by himself. All physical problems are due to Adam’s fall and are a result of the general problem of sin and fallen humanity. People die because they are descendants of Adam. However, to say that a specific birth defect, sickness, illness, or injury is always due to some particular sin or demon is a false teaching. Jesus clearly dispelled this teaching by saying that this man did not sin, nor did his parents. Quite the contrary, God arranged for this man to be born blind so He could gain the greater glory by accomplishing a great work.

The Savior of sinners, avoiding a lengthy theological discussion on the relationship of sin and suffering, simply answered: Neither this man nor his parents sinned, said Jesus, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of Him who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work (Yochanan 9:3-4). The suffering Servant would be crucified in a matter of months. The time for heavy theological trivia was long past. Now actions spoke louder than words. This blind man was a miracle waiting to happen. He had been chosen from all eternity past just for this very moment so the Son of God could manifest His glory.

As soon as Jesus finished correcting the faulty theology of His talmidim, He declared: While I AM in the world, I AM the light of the world. Then He proceeded with the healing. He chose to heal the man in such a way that it was somewhat of a process and at this point, the man never got to see the Master. Without saying anything Jesus spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes (John 9:5-6). In this one act, Yeshua asserted His authority over disabilities, sin, bad theology, religion, the Temple, the Sabbath, and even the religious authorities that opposed Him.

Go, Jesus told him: wash the mud from your eyes in the Pool of Siloam (this word means “Sent”). The ancient city of Jerusalem being on a mountain, is naturally defensible from almost all sides, but suffers from the drawback that its major source of fresh water, the Gihon spring, is on the side of the cliff overlooking the Kidron Valley. This presents a major military weakness as the city walls, if high enough to be defensible, must necessarily leave the Gihon spring outside, thus leaving the city without a fresh water supply in case of a siege. Around 700 BC King Hezekiah (Second Kings 20:20; Second Chronicles 32:30), fearful that the Assyrians would lay siege to the city, blocked the spring’s water outside the city and diverted it through a 1,700 foot tunnel into the then Pool of Siloam.

Something, possibly the authority in Yeshua’s voice, compelled him to obey. A connection with the festival of Booths is clearly seen here. On each of the seven days of the festival there was a special ritual called the pouring of the water. In this ritual, the priests marched down the street from the Temple Mount to the Pool of Siloam, filled their jugs with the water and marched back up and poured the water out into the bronze basin within the Temple grounds (see my commentary on Exodus, to see link click Fh – The Bronze Basin in the Tabernacle: Christ, Our Cleanser). This was followed by great rejoicing. During the festival of Booths, the Pool of Siloam was the center of Jewish attention. It would have the greatest number of people present who would observe this third messianic miracle. It was exactly along this route that the man had to feel his way on his own in order to fulfill the Lord’s command. So the man went and washed, and came home seeing (John 9:7). This is the sixth of Jesus’ seven miracles in John’s book (Yochanan 2:1-11; 4:46-54; 5:1-15; 6:1-15; 6:16-21; 11:1-44). Through this act of obedience, Jesus opened the man’s physical eyes. So, he began a pattern of response to Messiah that would culminate in saving faith.

The man went to the pool of Siloam, washed his eyes, and when he opened his eyes, for the first time in his entire life, he was able to see. Since everyone knew this man and knew he was born blind, this created quite a stir. His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” Many neighbors were confused because they recognized him to be that same man, but others had a hard time believing that a man who was born blind had been healed. Finally ending the debate he said: I am the man. Then they asked the key question: Then how were your eyes opened (after all, this is a messianic miracle)? He responded: The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see. They asked him, “Where is this man?” He said:I don’t know (John 9:8-12). But instead of being excited for him, they dragged him into an inquisition.

Because this was a messianic miracle, the man was taken to the Pharisees and interrogated for the first time. The eighth day of the festival of Booths was celebrated as a Sabbath rest day, consequently, the miracle created a stir on the part of the masses. The neighbors brought the man who had been born blind to the Pharisees. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was Sabbath (no article). This shows that it wasn’t specifically on the Sabbath day, but the eighth day of the festival of Booths that was celebrated as a Sabbath rest. So the Pharisees also asked the man how he had received his sight. He put mud on my eyes, he replied: and I washed, and now I see. Suddenly things turned nasty. Some of the Pharisees said: This man is not from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath (Yochanan 9:13-16a). Building is one of the thirty-nine kinds of work prohibited on Shabbat to Mishnah Shabbat 7:2. Also Mishnah Shabbat says that on Shabbat “it is permitted to put water into the bran” of animals, “but they must not knead it.” It requires kneading to make clay, and clay is a building material; so they claimed there were two violations of Shabbat, building and kneading.⁹⁶⁹

But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided. Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” This was a challenge, not an honest question. Theologically uninformed as he was, this man was not about to be intimidated by members of the Great Sanhedrin. The man born blind replied, “He is a prophet” (John 9:16-17).

It is interesting to notice the man’s progressive understanding of the significance of Jesus. He passes from thinking of Him as a man (John 9:11) to seeing Him as a prophet (here). Then he advances to the thought of one to whom allegiance may rightly be given (John 9:27), then to one from God (John 9:33), and finally he comes to believe in the Son of Man to whom worship should be given (John 9:37-38). By contrast the Pharisees, starting with the view that the Nazarene is not from God (John 9:16), question the miracle (John 9:18), speak of the Galilean Rabbi as a sinner (Yochanan 9:24), are shown to be ignorant (John 9:29) and finally are pronounced to be blind sinners (John 9:41).⁹⁷⁰

Notice the emphasis, not just upon signs (because false prophets could also perform miracles), but also upon such signs, these particular signs. . . these special messianic miracles. When the Pharisees asked the man who was born blind and now healed of his blindness what his opinion was about Jesus, the man simply concluded that at the least the Healer was a prophet. However, according to Pharisaic teaching, though a prophet might be able to do miracles (like Elijah and Elisha certainly did), to do a messianic miracle was not the prerogative of a prophet, but rather the prerogative of the Messiah alone. So the first interrogation of the man did not lead to any specific conclusions.

The Great Sanhedrin (see Lg – The Great Sanhedrin) had already rejected Yeshua as the Messiah (see Eh – Jesus is Officially Rejected by the Sanhedrin), and all Isra’el knew that the healing of someone born blind was a messianic miracle. The Pharisees had taught that themselves. So the Jewish religious leaders were desperate, and I mean desperate, to prove this “miracle” was a phony and hoped that the involvement of the parents would reveal that the healing was a deception. Therefore, the parents were interrogated next.

The Pharisees still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight so they sent for the man’s parents. “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?” They asked the same questions over and over again hoping for a different answer. The Pharisees campaign of fear and intimidation was by this time well known, so the parents could offer nothing more than the barest facts. “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. In avowing their ignorance of the identity of the Healer they used the emphatic pronoun. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself” (Yochanan 9:18-21). It was plain that they discerned danger and had no intention of getting caught up in it with their son.

The parents confirmed two things. First, that this man was definitely their son and there was no doubt about it. The second thing they affirmed was that he was born blind. So there was no longer any possibility that there was any type of subversion going on, or that someone was trying to play a trick on the Pharisees. When they asked the parents during the interrogation that if their son was really born blind how was he now able to see, they decided to say nothing more. His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue (John 9:22). It had already been declared that if anyone believed in Jesus as the Messiah, he or she would be excommunicated, or put out of the synagogue. It was obvious that the parents wanted to believe in Yeshua, and perhaps at this point had become secret believers in him, because they saw that He not only performed a messianic miracle but also performed that miracle on their own son.

In the Greek it is a single word, aposunagogos, literally, unsynagogued. Judaism has three degrees of excommunication, though none is common today. The lightest, n’zifah, which is simply a rebuke, could be declared by one person and normally lasts seven days. An example of heziphah is found in First Timothy 5:1. The next, niddui, which means to cast out, usually requires three rabbis to declare and would last a minimum of thirty days and people were required to stay six feet from the rejected one. An example of this second type is found in Second Thessalonians 3:14-15 and Titus 3:10. The most severe, cherem, means to be devoted to destruction. It was a ban of indefinite duration and meant the person would be put out of the Temple. The rest of the Jewish community considered someone under the cherem judgment to be dead and no communication, or any kind of relationship, could be carried on with that person whatsoever (In the Talmud see Mo’ed Katan 16a-17a, N’darim 7b, Pesachim 52a). For a family so poor as to allow their son to beg – begging charity was to be avoided as much as giving charity was to be practiced – being unsynagogued would have spelled utter disaster. This third type is found in First Corinthians 5:1-7 and Matthew 18:15-20. For messianic Jews today social ostracism by family and the Jewish community – that is being treated as if under the cherem judgment – can be counted on when committing one’s life to Yeshua (also see Mattityahu 10:34-37 and Luke 14:26).⁹⁷¹ That was why his parents said, “He is of age . . . ask him” (Yochanan 9:23).

The fact that the expression would be put out of the synagogue is used, tells us which level of excommunication the Pharisees had chosen for one who would believe in Jesus as the Messiah. It was the third and most severe level, the cherem – to be put out of the Temple life, and to be considered as dead. So the Pharisees were now threatening Jewish believers in Jesus with not merely a rebuke, or merely being cast out temporarily, but being put out permanently. Because the parents knew what the Pharisees had decreed concerning belief in Christ, they chose not to make any further comments. They would only confirm two things: that he was their son, and that he was born blind. Therefore, the interrogation of the parents, as with the first interrogation of the man, also ends inconclusively.

This led to a second interrogation of the man. Realizing that further interrogation of the parents would be fruitless, the Pharisees switch their attention back to the son. Knowing the healing of a man born blind was a messianic miracle by their own standards, they continued to try to discredit his testimony in any way that they could. Therefore, they changed tactics and tried to persuade the man to agree with their conclusion that it was really Jesus behind this deception.“Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” It is striking how during the entire interrogation the once blind man expresses himself with such simplicity, objectivity and impressive consistency before the great teachers of Isra’el. He kept returning to the facts, and said: Whether He is a sinner or not, I don’t know. But one thing I do know. I was blind, but now I see (Yochanan 9:24-25). His statement was not just a statement of fact; it was a challenge to the Pharisees, one that they had to answer. What he was saying to them between the lines was, “I was a man who was born blind, not simply a man who went blind. You are the ones who taught me that only the Messiah would be able to heal someone like me. Well, a man named Yeshua healed me. So I would think you would want to proclaim Him to be Israel’s Meshiach. Instead you call Him a sinner.Please explain this to me!”

The Pharisees took up the challenge and asked the questions: What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes? The man had already explained to them more than once, so he responded, saying: I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become His disciples, too? Now they were furious. But the more antagonistic they became, the more convinced he became that Yeshua was from God. They replied in kind and hurled insults at him. They began to mock him: You are this fellow’s disciple! But we are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where He comes from. The implication was that God did not speak to Jesus, so to be a disciple of Moses was far superior to being a disciple of Yeshua. But the man would not keep silent. He went on to answer: Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where He came from, yet He opened my eyes. He continued to remind them of their own theology. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does His will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. It was a phenomenon without parallel. Such a thing had never occurred in human history. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing (John 9:28-33).

There are records of the healings of people who went blind, but not one record of someone who was born blind. This was a messianic miracle from Isaiah 35:5, and for the first time in all of human history it was performed. The man simply said to the Pharisees that they had no basis or grounds for rejecting the messiahship of Jesus. Having nothing to say, the Jewish religious leaders turned to mockery, saying: You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us! And carrying out their threat, they threw him out (John 9:34). He became the first person in the Bible to be thrown out of the Temple for Messiah’s sake. There he stood destitute in complete isolation.

When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, the Great Shepherd went and found him (John 9:35a). Messiah sought after him, he did not ask to be healed or saved. This illustrates divine sovereignty. Salvation occurs because God first pursues sinners, not that we seek Him out. We are spiritually dead at the bottom of the lake of sin. We have no spiritual pulse and are spiritually unresponsive. That would have been the end of it had ADONAI not sent His Son, but the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). The only thing we add to the salvation process is faith, and God even provides that: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). If salvation is truly a work of God, it cannot be flawed. It cannot fail to change a person’s behavior. It cannot result in a fruitless life. He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).

By that time, his heart had been prepared for the Lord’s invitation. This is the climax for the man of a process that has been going on throughout the chapter. Though he did not yet know the fullness of who Christ was, he was totally committed to Him. Messiah asked him: Do you believe in the Son of Man (see En – Four Drastic Changes in Chris’s Ministry)? The beggar was willing and responsive. “Who is He, Sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in Him.” Then the Lord said: You have now seen Him; in fact, He is the One speaking with you. The man’s simple response of faith is enlightening. Then the man said: Lord, I believe (Yochanan 9:35b-38). He did not hesitate. He did not ask for proof. Messiah had given sight to his spiritual eyes and the moment they were opened, he saw Jesus and responded in to Him in faith. The poor, blind beggar, who had never seen anything in his life, clearly recognized the Son of God. Meanwhile the religious leaders who thought they knew everything could not even recognize their own Messiah. Spiritual sight is the gift of God that enables one willing and able to believe.⁹⁷²

What did this man first see with his newly opened eyes of faith? He saw Christ as sovereign Lord and he worshiped Him. This is the only place in the Gospels where anyone is said to worship Jesus. He said: For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind (Yochanan 9:38b-39). How do we reconcile this statement with John 3:17, where Yeshua said: For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world? Although these statements may appear contradictory, they refer to different things. The difference is between purpose and result. Christ did not come for the purpose of condemning the world (John 3:17), but His coming results in division according to their responses to Him. The inevitable result of Christ’s coming is that people must make a decision for, or against, Him (see Dw – The Narrow and Wide Gates). And their decision determines their destiny.⁹⁷³

Those who believed in Him were seeing, and those who rejected Him sank into the divinely decreed blindness so that they could not see the light of the world (John 9:5). A short while before, the leaders of the nation had performed religious ceremonies at the foot of the brightly shining lamps in the Court of the Women that pointed to the Messiah. They did this, however, without recognizing its spiritual significance. The light of the festival was symbolic of the man born blind, the darkness of the Sukkot nights, on the other hand, was a picture of Messiah’s enemies.⁹⁷⁴

Some Pharisees who were with Him heard Him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” They expected a negative answer because they assumed that certainly they, of all men, possessed spiritual perception. The Adversary constantly deceives people so they live in falsehood. Jesus replied: If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains (John 9:40-41; see Jeremiah 2:35, where ADONAI speaks almost identically to His people Isra’el). They were responsible for their sins because they sinned willfully. Like Pharaoh, they chose their own fate by rejecting ADONAI. But make no mistake about it; the father of lies (Yochanan 8:44) contributes to the blinding (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Isaiah had written that when the Messiah came, the eyes of the blind would be opened (Isaiah 35:5). The third messianic miracle was the healing of anyone born blind. The rabbis taught that anyone empowered by God could heal someone who simply had gone blind. But when the Messiah came, they said He would be able to heal someone born blind. The result of the first messianic miracle (see Cn – The Healing of a Jewish Leper) was the intensive investigation of Christ’s messiahship. The result of the second messianic miracle (see Ek – Jesus Heals a Blind Mute) was the decree that Jesus was not the Messiah on the basis of demon possession. And the result of the third messianic miracle, here, was that anyone who believed in Jesus as their Messiah would be permanently put out of the Temple and unsynagogued.

For many reasons, some people insulate themselves from the truth; and for the most part, they reap the consequences without affecting anyone else around them. When these people occupy positions of authority, however, truth tellers face an unpleasant dilemma: suppress the truth or be at odds with the powers that be. The man born blind encountered just such a dilemma after the Lord gave him sight. The members of the Sanhedrin could not deny the miracle, so they applied pressure in order to silence the man’s testimony and thus discredit Yeshua. But, the man refused to wilt under the pressure and stood strong. His response is a worthy model to follow when pressured by authority through intimidation.

1. The man appealed to undeniable facts (Yochanan 9:15, 25, 32). People in power who intimidate through intimidation hope to make an enemy of the person proclaiming it and then seek vindication by destroying or silencing their target. Appealing to facts shifts the focus of the debate back to where it belongs: impersonal objectivity rather than personal opinion. It says, in effect, “The truth is your real threat, not me.”

2. The man answered directly, yet briefly (John 9:17). Attempts to sidestep, minimize or soften the truth never accomplish anything. Nor do attempts to convert enemies of truth. In fact, more words simply provide greater opportunity to turn the discussion into personal conflict, which is their goal. Answering directly and briefly leaves enemies of the truth with less ammunition with which to destroy their target.

3. The man refused to argue (Yochanan 9:26-27). People in power who silence the truth through intimidation hope to find an inconsistency or some other means of creating doubt by having their target rehash facts or restate opinions. Refusing to argue denies enemies of truth any opportunity to turn a debate into a personal matter. It says, in effect, “You can’t get me off track, or off my message.”

4. The man remained fearless and resolved (John 9:30-33). As ancient theologians have taught us, “All truth is God’s truth.” To depart from truth is to be at odds with God. Yet authorities that silence the truth through intimidation try to convince their victims that their power is to be feared rather than God’s. Resolving to hold tightly to the truth deprives the enemies of the truth the power to intimidate.

By the end of this encounter, the Pharisees made themselves look foolish when their tactics failed to accomplish anything. When the truth defeated them, they fell back on their social status as being members of the Sanhedrin and then abused their power (John 9:34). While the man born blind suffered some negative consequences, he gained much more than he lost. His separation from a corrupt religious institution allowed him to receive new life in Yeshua Ha’Meshiach.⁹⁷⁵

We pray, O Father, that You would increase our faith. Forgive us for doubting Your ability to use us for Your glory. Forgive us for demanding proof instead of simply believing in You. Use all that we have to accomplish Your purposes.⁹⁷⁶

Before Abraham Was Born, I AM
John 8: 21-59

Before Abraham was born I AM DIG: Jesus said He was the light of the world and claimed a special relationship with the Father in the previous file. How are Jewish religious leaders misunderstanding Yeshua now? What is the significance of John 8:30 in light of the total misunderstanding of the Torah-teachers and Pharisees? How do the religious leaders exemplify darkness in this scene? What false assumptions confuse the issue of spiritual freedom for Abraham’s descendants? What issues does Jesus force them to confront (John 8:34-41)? What does Christ say is the ultimate test of who belongs to God (Yochanan 8:42-47)? How does the Lord account for their not understanding Him (John 8:37, 43, 45, 47)? What is the critical question raised by His claim in Yochanan 8:24 and 51? How is this issue central to the whole argument in John 7:4 to 8:58? How does Christ use their loyalty to Abraham against them? Why does Messiah’s final claim cause such outrage?

REFLECT: Of what are you pleased with in your spiritual heritage? In what ways has it been a spiritual handicap? How can you be sure if there is room in your life for His Word? What needs to be cleared out so there is room? Of the four claims Jesus makes in this chapter (John 8:12, 32, 51 and 58), which means the most to you right now? Why? From this passage, what might you do for someone who is honestly seeking ADONAI? What in your walk with the Lord might help?

After the interruption by the Pharisees who brought the woman caught in adultery to Him, Jesus continued to teach. At the end of the teaching Yochanan describes a discussion held later, without saying exactly where it took place in the Temple.

Yet, it is clear that teaching normally went on either in the Court of the Women,  or in Solomon’s Colonnade seen to the left. These were the two most appropriate places to address large crowds of people on the Temple Mount. The Torah-teachers and the Pharisees continued to challenge Jesus’ authority and engaged in open conflict with Him later that morning. It was still the eighth day of the festival of Booths (Leviticus 23:36, 39; Numbers 29:35). That day was actually considered to be a separate feast day called shemini ‘atzeret, which means festal assembly of the eighth (day). It was supposed to be a day of rest with no regular work.

The Pharisees accepted Jesus’ challenge that He was the light of the world (to see link click Gr –I AM the Light of the World) and engaged in open conflict with Him. The Lord said to them: I AM going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come (John 8:21). Once more Christ repeated His indictment of the Pharisees from John 8:23-26, saying they would never see heaven because they did not know God. And again they took Him literally. This made the Jews ask, “Will He kill Himself? Is that why He says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’ (Yochanan 8:22)?” This was a new teaching. Until now Yeshua had said, “You must trust in Me, believe in Me, and have faith (Greek: pistis)  in Me unless you are prepared to die in your sin.” So, Messiah explained His meaning in simple, literal language.

Our Savior displayed the difference between Himself and His adversaries with a pair of contrasts. They were closely tied up with this world. First, He continued: You are from below; I AM from above (Yochanan 8:23a). Below is the realm of fallen creation; whereas, above is the heavenly realm in which sin cannot exist. Those born below are doomed to die in their sin and then suffer eternal judgment for their wicked deeds (John 3:3). Those born from above are holy and, therefore, are eternally secure in Jesus Christ (see Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer). Yeshua is from above because He is God.

Secondly, He is of a different order. You are of this world; I AM not of this world (John 8:23b). They belong to the world where Satan is supreme (First John 5:19). It is because of this essential nature of theirs that He said: I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I AM [He], you will indeed die in your sins (John 8:24). The Konia Greek is simply ego eimi, I AM, the classic self-designation of ADONAI.

Hoping that the Nazarene would make some clearer declaration of His messiahship, they asked: Who are you? But He avoided their trap and declared: Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. I have much to say in judgment of you. But He who sent Me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from Him I tell the world. But the Jewish religious leaders did not understand that He was telling them about His Father (Yochanan 8:25-27). Christ’s life validated all that He claimed to be. How could He even speak to them at all? They and He belonged to different worlds and communion was impossible between them. They did not want to understand or receive what He had told them. But soon all would be made clear.⁹⁵⁶

So Jesus said: When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM He. Messiah is predicting the manner and means of His death on the cross, a prediction He made to Nicodemus perhaps as long as two years ago (Jn 3:14-15). Then Yeshua repeated His teaching from the encounter with the Pharisees after healing the invalid at the Pool of Bethesda (Jn 5:1-17). And that I do nothing on My own but speak just what the Father has taught Me (see my commentary on Isaiah Ir – Because the Sovereign LORD Helps Me, I Will Set My Face Like a Flint). The one who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do what pleases Him (Jn 8:28-29). Being the Master Teacher, Jesus didn’t whisper the truth once and move on. He taught the same lessons to many audiences many times over each day at the Temple. These lessons preserved by John represent the many times in which Messiah became a frequent target for the Pharisees’ wrath after proclaiming the truth. But, John inserts a subtle editorial note to reassure the reader.

While Christ’s opposition remained steadfast in their rebellion, even as He spoke, many believed in Him. And to the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said in the hearing of the Pharisees and other nonbelievers: If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Messiah assured them that belief was not the end of something, as though they had arrived; but a beginning, a birth after which growth must follow. Believers are to be sanctified. They are to continue in obedience even though the cost may be high. As believers order their lives after His truth, they will know the truth (John 8:30-31). The Greek word for know is ginosko, one of at least four that Yochanan could have chosen to mean “know.” Unlike the others, however, ginosko stresses the understanding rather than mere sensory observation. It is closely related to the Hebrew word yada, which describes the most intimate kind of knowledge. It can be seen in the book of Genesis when the serpent spoke in the Garden: For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good from evil (Genesis 3:5).⁹⁵⁷

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (Yochanan 8:32). This has become somewhat of a popular cliché, but true nonetheless. It is the truth that is bound up in the Person and work of Yeshua Ha’Mashiach. It is saving truth. It is the truth that saves men and women from the darkness of sin. Doctor Luke tells us that Jesus fulfilled in His ministry the prophecy that: He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners . . . to set the captives free (Luke 4:18).⁹⁵⁸ The Greek word suggests release from slavery. The slavery Messiah speaks of here is slavery to sin.

But, as usual, the Pharisees and Torah-teachers focused on the literal interpretation and answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free” (John 8:33)? Because of their relationship to Abraham, they claimed racial, cultural and moral superiority. We have never been slaves? It was punishable by excommunication from the Temple for one Jew to call another a slave. But, what was the reality? Egypt. Assyria. Babylon. Persia. Syria. Rome! Maybe they meant that they were never forced to worship a man as a god despite their many political masters. It was as if they gestured toward the Temple as if to ask, “What freedom do we need that we don’t already have?”

Then Jesus clarified His statement. He replied: I tell you the truth, everyone who [habitually practices] sin is a slave to sin. They might be the chosen people; but morally they were enslaved, and were – just as other people – in bondage to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. Slaves within the household are not guaranteed a permanent place in the family. But the true son remains permanently, like Isaac. He suggests that if they would continue in His truth, it would free them spiritually. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:34-36).

Therefore, there is no longer any condemnation awaiting those who are in union with the Messiah Yeshua. Why? Because the Torah of the Spirit, which produces this union has set me free from the “torah” of sin and death (Romans 8:1-2 CJB). When we have the life of Christ within us, we unwittingly bear the image of our heavenly Father more than we realize. The point is, Jesus saved us by bearing our sins upon Himself, therefore, there is no longer any condemnation, because we are forgiven. The death He died, He died to sin once for all, but the life He lives, He lives to God (Romans 6:10; also see Hebrews 9:12). When the Lord died for our sins, how many of our sins were in the future? They all were! Therefore, there is no condemnation for the sins of the past or for the sins of the future because we are in Christ (Ephesians 1:1, 3-4, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 19-20).

Does that mean we never sin? Of course not, but we don’t have to sin (First John 2:1). Rabbi Sha’ul says: In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11). It is important to realize that we do not make ourselves dead to sin by considering it so; we consider it so because it is so. Has sin died? Of course not. The power of this world is strong and alluring (First John 2:15-17), but, when it makes its appeal, we don’t have to respond. We do not have to sin. Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh (Galatians 5:16 NASB). But, even when we do sin, we are not condemned. You are no longer living under the yoke of the 613 commandments of the Torah, but under grace (Romans 6:14).

The only way a person can be condemned is to be found without the Meshiach at the great White Throne Judgment (see my commentary on Revelation Fo – The Great White Throne Judgment). We have already been judged and found innocent because we are in Christ Jesus, who took the punishment for our sins upon Himself. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (Second Corinthians 3:17). Hallelujah, what a Savior! Let’s thank Him for freeing us from condemnation.⁹⁵⁹

I know that you are Abraham’s descendants (at least in a physical sense). But their shared heritage ended there. Abraham is the spiritual ancestor of all who place their trust in ADONAI because He heard and obeyed God’s Word. Because Jesus is the Word of God in human flesh, to reject Him is to reject God. Consequently, the faithless Jews were descendants of Abraham in name only.⁹⁶⁰ Yet you are looking for a way to kill Me, because you have no room for My word (Yochanan 8:37).

This, Jesus implied, made them children of Satan, the father of lies and the ultimate rebel against Ha’Shem. I AM telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father. The religious leaders understood Jesus’ implication that the Adversary was their father, so they responded: Abraham is our father (John 8:38-39a). They knew that Abraham was called, “The friend of God,” so the Jews implied that because they were Abraham’s descendants, they were also friends of God. The Lord counters with the fact spiritual fruit points more to the condition of the heart – much more than mere ancestry. Luke would later say it this way: Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father.” For I tell you out of these stones God can rise up children of Abraham (Luke 3:8; also see Romans 9:6 and James 2:18b-24).

If you were Abraham’s children, said Jesus, then you would do what Abraham did. Rather than repentance, His indictment of them provoked hatred. As it is, you are looking for a way to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the works of your own father, the devil (John 8:39b-41a). In seeking to kill Yeshua, which they did not deny, the religious leaders were showing their true origin. They completely understood what Jesus was saying. Stung with this accusation, their reply continued to prove the Lord’s point.

With a not so subtle insult, clearly aimed at the assumption that Jesus was a counterfeit Messiah, they protested: We are not illegitimate children. The only Father we have is God Himself (John 8:41b). Yeshua overlooked this slur, just as He had the previous one (John 8:19), to reinforce His earlier teaching that He was on earth do to His Father’s will.

Having invited the Pharisees to believe in ADONAI as their ancestor as Abraham had done, and having felt the sting of their insult, Jesus exposed the source of their unbelief – the ancient Serpent. Jesus said to them: If God were your Father (as He is not), you would love Me (as you do not). Messiah finds evidence of this in their attitude about Him: For I have come here from God (the tense points to a moment in time, in other words, His birth to Mary). I have not come on My own . . . God sent Me (Yochanan 8:42).

Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to [spiritually discern] what I say. They were so blinded in their belief that the Messiah would not only believe in the Oral Law, but would participate in the making of new Oral Laws (see Ei – The Oral Law), that they could not see the Truth standing before them. Because of their lack of faith, what Jesus had previously hinted at, He now spells out in language so plain that even they could understand. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. This is the reason they did not believe Jesus when He spoke the truth to them. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me (John 8:43-45)!

Now the Son of God challenges them: Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I AM telling the truth, why don’t you believe Me? The conclusion was clear; because they were not hearing, they were not from God. For whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God (John 8:46-47). The challenge of His sinless life was before them. They could find no flaw in Him. He only spoke the truth. Consequently, if they were the children of God they would believe in Him. The one who is of divine origin is ready to hear divine things. With irrefutable logic, Jesus drove them into a corner. They were of the earth and of the tempter – not of God.⁹⁶¹

John had a view of the universe that was sharply divided between light and dark, truth and lie, life and death, the kingdom of God and the world. For him, there was no compromise (First John 1:5-7). It is especially evident here. Satan is everything ADONAI is not, and to have a lifestyle of unrepentant sin is to side with the Enemy of souls against the King of kings. The plain and simple reason for the Pharisees’ rejection of Messiah, the Word of God, was their dedication to the father of lies. This was a terrible indictment.

John the Baptizer had called them a brood of vipers (Matthew 3:7b); Christ said that they belonged to their father, the devil. Filled with rage and fury, they hiss back: Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed (John 8:48)? He was speaking evil of the “chosen people” as the Samaritans did. These were two of the most degrading things one Jew could say to another. Jesus chooses to ignore the Samaritan comment, but calmly replied: I AM not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, but I honor My Father and you dishonor Me. The Son is dedicated to the will of the Father, which, of course, is as far removed from demon possession as is possible. I AM not seeking glory for Myself; but there is One who seeks it, and He is the Judge (Yochanan 8:49-50). Therefore, Jesus is saying that He gives honor where it is due while they do not. This failure on their part is the reason why they are so far from Him.

Yochanan then brings this confrontation to a resounding climax – the claim of Jesus’ deity. Christ had just pointed out the fearful consequence of rejecting Him and His Word – there was One who would judge them (see my commentary on Revelation Fn – The Second Resurrection). Now in sharp contrast from the doom awaiting those who reject Him, Messiah now declares: I tell you the truth, whoever obeys My Word will never see death. At this they laughed at Him, and with venom on their lips they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys Your word will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are” (John 8:51-53)?

In the final analysis, Jesus laid His ax against the foot of their prideful rebellion. Jesus, though equal with the Father, did not seek His own glory, but did everything to glorify the Father. He replied: If I glorify Myself, My glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the One who glorifies Me. Though you do not know Him, I know Him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know Him and obey His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing My day; he saw it and was glad (John 8:54-56). The religious leaders of Jerusalem, the dedicated guardians of the Scriptures, witnessed the life and deeds of Yeshua, but failed to recognize the Living Word when He stared them in the face (one can only imagine their horror when they died and ended up standing before Him once again, only this time in judgment). But preoccupied with every yud and stroke (see Dg – The Completion of the Torah), they could not connect the obvious dots. In frustration, they exclaimed,“You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to Him, “and You have seen Abraham” (Yochanan 8:57)!”

I tell you the truth, Jesus answered, before Abraham was born, I AM (John 8:58)! Claiming to be God and, specifically, pronouncing God’s name (as Yeshua had just done) were punishable by death (Leviticus 24:15-16 and Mishna Sanhedrin 7:5, “The blasphemer is not guilty until he pronounces Ha’Shem, or the Name).⁹⁶² There might me some today that are confused about Jesus’ claim of being God. But, there was no such confusion from the members of the Great Sanhedrin of His day.

At this, the religious leaders were incensed and picked up stones to stone Him. But, in the confusion, Christ slipped away and passed into the midst of those who were His friends in the crowd and quietly but boldly came out from the Temple grounds (John 8:59). Jesus understood better than anyone else the price for speaking and living the truth. Matthew made an especially shocking statement by Yeshua: Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the Land. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34). The purpose of a sword is to divide. Physically, it separates one part of the body from another. Figuratively, the sword of truth is so sharp that it can slide between the imaginary bond of soul and spirit to lay bare the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). And socially, the sword separates groups into two categories; it attracts those who will surrender and provokes violence for those who will not. There is no room for compromise when standing before the gleaming sword of truth. Surrender or fight.

Jesus brought the sword of truth into the Temple during the festival of Booths. Some surrendered. However, others began a futile, exhausting, self-destructive fight. Their response is a study in the six stages of rejection. First was contradiction: Your testimony is not true (Yochanan 8:12b-13); secondly, cynicism: Where is your father? We are not illegitimate children (John 8:19a and 41b); thirdly, denial: We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone (Yochanan 8:33a); fourthly insult: You are a Samaritan and demon-possessed (John 8:48); fifthly sarcasm: Who do you think you are (Yochanan 8:53); which leads to violence: and they picked up stones to stone Him (John 8:59a).⁹⁶³

The rabbis called stoning “death by the hand of God” but, ironically, it was actually in the hands of the people, who might administer “the rebels beating” on the spot without trial if anyone were caught in openly defiance of some positive teaching, whether from the Torah or the Oral Law. The rebels beating was until death. On another occasion the people picked up stones in the Temple to stone Him (John 10:31). What happened to Jesus in Nazareth is a microcosm of the nation of Isra’el as a whole; what happens to locally will eventually happen nationally. It is a remarkable fact that, when Messiah and His martyr Stephen were before the Sanhedrin, their “trials” were a direct contradiction to all of their own self-imposed “rules” (see Lh – The Laws of the Great Sanhedrin Regarding Trials).⁹⁶⁴

Five reasons why people reject Jesus. Why do people reject the Messiah? His encounters with the religious leaders in Yerushalayim point us to at least five reasons.

1. A lack of knowledge (Yochanan 8:14). Some people do not accept Yeshua as the Meshiach because they do not have adequate information about Him because they have refused to see what has been made plain to them (Romans 1:18-32), or what they have been told is wrong. This is why the Gospel needs to be taken around the world.

2. A lack of perception (John 8:15 and23). The religious experts judged by human standards; that is, they perceived in only natural, physical, or observable terms. They lacked a spiritual dimension to their thinking, which prevented them from discerning spiritual truths. Some people reject Messiah for the same reasons. This is not only lack of knowledge. This is a choice to reject the reality of anything supernatural. Thus, spiritual truths have no more meaning to them than the color red has to a person born blind.

3. A lack of appropriation (Yochanan 8:37). The Torah-teachers and the Pharisees had been exposed to the Word of God because it was their job to copy the manuscripts, learn the principles they conveyed, and apply them to everyday life. Israel had been founded on the Torah. But the religious leaders never fully allowed the words on the page to make the journey into their hearts. They failed to apply what they supposedly cherished.

The truth of Jesus Christ can be studied, and yet, never applied. In Kalinovka, Russia, attendance at Sunday school picked up after the priest started handing out candy to the peasant children. One of the most faithful was a pug-nosed, pugnacious lad who recited the Scriptures with due piety, pocketed the reward, and then fled into the fields to munch it. The priest took a liking to the boy, and persuaded him to attend church school. By offering other inducements the priest managed to teach the boy the four Gospels. He won a special prize for memorizing all four by heart and reciting them nonstop in church. Sixty years later, he could still recite all the Gospels verbatim. Today, his soul is probably in Sh’ol, but, his body lies in the cold hard ground under a marker bearing the name: Nikita Khrushchev.

4. A lack of desire (John 8:44). The religious leaders followed the desires of their own fallen natures rather than obeying ADONAI. Some people just love their sin more than they love God, regardless of how it destroys their lives. Drug addicts will never choose sobriety as long as they can get their fix; only when they come to hate their dependence will they try to end it. The same can be said of wealth, entertainment, or illicit relationships.

5. A lack of humility (Yochanan 8:52-53). Pharisaic Judaism had lost their sense of humility. They thought their ancestry guaranteed them God’s approval. Not only that, they believed their religious knowledge and activity gave them exclusive access to the truth. Children of great, godly parents. Members of high standing in some Christian organization. Religious officials. Denominational authorities. Graduates of fine institutions of higher learning. None will enter heaven without first setting aside pride long enough to receive God’s grace. But, to receive grace, we must first recognize our hopelessness without it. It requires humility to acknowledge the extent of our own sin.⁹⁶⁵

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for sending Your Son to take my place on the Cross. I choose to believe the truth that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. I thank You for disciplining me as Your child so I may bear the fruit of righteousness. I believe the truth: There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear had to do with punishment (1 John 4:18). I know that You are not punishing me when You discipline me, because You love me. I renounce the lies of Satan that I am still subject to the laws of sin and death. I accept my responsibility to walk in the light (First John 1:7), and I ask You to show me the times I have walked according to the flesh. I confess these times to You, and I thank You for Your forgiveness and cleansing. I now ask You to fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I may walk according to Him. In Jesus precious name I pray. Amen.⁹⁶⁶

I AM the Light of the World
John 8: 12-20

I am the light of the world DIG: Where did the idea of the light in the Court of the Women come from? What is Jesus really claiming in John 8:12? What is the promise? What does Messiah mean by light and darkness? With what does the Lord bolster His claim (see John 5:31-40)? What does it matter that Christ know where He comes from (John 8:14, 21-23 see John 7:41-42)? What does the Pharisees’ misunderstanding in Yochanan 8:19 reveal about their relationship with the Father?

REFLECT: How has following Yeshua been like following someone with a light through the darkness for you? How do people you know misunderstand Christ? How does their life exemplify darkness? How can you be a living example of the light shining in the darkness to them? Without using the exact same words, can you explain to an unbeliever how the Lord lights up your life?

After the interruption by the Pharisees who brought the woman caught in adultery to Him, Jesus continued to teach the multitudes that morning. The words of Christ in this section clearly refers to the scene in John 8:1-11. This continued the eighth day of the festival of Booths, which is mentioned in the Torah (Leviticus 23:36, 39; Numbers 29:35). It was actually considered to be a separate feast day. The feast is called shemini ‘atzeret in rabbinic Hebrew, which approximately means festal assembly of the eighth day. It was celebrated on the Temple Mount with a Sabbath rest with no regular work.

At the close of the first day of the festival of Sukkot the worshippers were drawn to the Court of the Women to see the four huge lampstands (two of which can be seen here),  each standing seventy feet high. Each lampstand contained four bowls for lamps, for a total of sixteen bowls each filled with nine liters of olive oil, and against them rested four ladders. Toward dusk four junior priests would climb the ladders, each holding a pitcher of oil containing thirty-six liters of olive oil, and light the lampstands. The old, worn-out clothes of the priests served as wicks for the lamps. We can conclude from this that these lamps also burned at Hanukkah, or the festival of Lights, during the eight consecutive, cold, winter nights in December. As an institution of late Judaism, Hanukkah, in various respects, had been deliberately based upon the festival of Booths, the last of the seven festivals of ADONAI (Leviticus 23:33-43).⁹⁴⁹

Where did the idea of the light in the Court of the Women come from? There is no mention in the Torah of this instruction. It comes from the fact that the First Temple (Solomon’s Temple) on the occasion of its dedication at the festival of Booths, was filled with the Sh’khinah glory (see my commentary on Isaiah, to see link click Ju – The Glory of the LORD Rises Upon You). At night this cloud could be perceived as a column of fire (Exodus 13:21-22; Numbers 14:14). When the First Temple period began with a festival of Booths, the light of the Sh’khinah illuminated the nights. In the Second Temple, however, there was no Sh’khinah glory. As a result of worshiping foreign idols within the Temple itself, the Sh’khinah had departed (Ezeki’el 10:3-5, 18-19 and 11:22-23). Thus, the lights in the Court of the Women were instituted as a replacement for it.

The lamps of the Temple gave off a celebratory light in the darkness of Jerusalem’s autumn nights. Each night during Sukkot, the Hasidim, or the pious ones, danced and sang psalms of joy before the LORD with flaming torches in their hands. And the Levites, with harps, lutes, cymbals, trumpets and musical instruments without number, stood upon the fifteen steps in front of the Nicanor Gate,  and sang the songs of Ascent in the Psalms.⁹⁵⁰ Then all night long until dawn, the rabbis teach that there was not a single household in Jerusalem that would not receive the benefit of the light from the Temple Mount.

It seems clear that this illumination of the Temple was regarded as having the same symbolic meaning as, the pouring out of the water (see Gp – On the Last and Greatest Day of the Feast). The light shining out of the Temple into the darkness around, and lighting up every part of Jerusalem, must have been intended as a symbol not only of the Sh’khinah glory that once filled the Temple, but, of the great Light which the people that walked in darkness were to see (Isaiah 9:2 and 60:1-3), and which was to shine upon them that dwell in the Land of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4 NASB).⁹⁵¹ The problem, however, was that during the life of Christ the rabbis, especially the rabbis of the Jewish Supreme Court – the Sanhedrin, taught that the light of the world was their title since they had the task of spreading divine light on earth through judicial decisions based on the Torah.⁹⁵²

But, leaving no doubt as to it’s meaning, when Jesus spoke to the people again and said: I AM the light of the world (John 8:12a). In this sentence the pronoun I is emphasized. This is the second of Christ’s seven I AM’s (John 6:35, 10:7, 10:11, 11:25, 14:6, 15:1). This expression can be used to express a contrast. It was as if the Lord was saying, “I, the Meshiach, AM the Light of the world, and not the Pharisees who have turned away from truth and justice, who were quite prepared to stone a woman to death by not following the Torah, and this with an attitude that rejected Israel’s Messiah.”

Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Such a sweeping claim could not go unanswered. Enraged by their last failure to entrap Yeshua, the Pharisees challenged Him. They did not address themselves to the main question. Indeed, they don’t speak of light and darkness at all. And here they said: Here You are, appearing as Your own witness; Your testimony is not true (Yochanan 8:12b-13). In view of His own self-testimony, the Lord referred to the principle from the Torah. One witness alone will not be sufficient to convict a person of any offense or sin of any kind; the matter will be established only if there are two or three witnesses testifying against him (Deuteronomy 19:15 CJB). His second witness was the testimony of His Father in heaven (see Bi – The Baptism of Jesus). The rabbis taught that when God speaks in heaven, “the daughter of His voice” the bat-kol, or an echo, is an audible voice heard on earth. After the last of the prophets, it was thought that God provided the bat-kol to continue to give guidance to the people (Tractate Yoma 9b). It’s interesting that the bat-kol testified, after the last of the prophets and before the B’rit Chadashah was established, that Jesus is indeed His Son and thus, the Christ.⁹⁵³

His own witness was reliable, however, because Yeshua was not just any Jew – He was the King of the Jews. Yeshua answered: Even if I testify on My own behalf, My testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going (John 8:14a). According to Micah 5:2 the Messiah would not only be born as a man in Bethlehem, but His origins are from old, from ancient of days (Dani’el 7:9-22). He will not only come from heaven, which ultimately is evidence of His divinity, but in addition, He will return there. He said more than once, and in different ways: I will go and return to My place, till they admit their guilt and search for Me, seeking Me eagerly in their distress (see my commentary on Revelation Ev – The Basis for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ). But you have no idea where I come from or where I AM going (Yochanan 8:14b). So, in spite of what the Pharisees thought they knew about Jesus, they were ignorant of His heavenly origin and destiny, and thus were incapable of judging Him.

You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one (John 8:15). Here, Christ refers back to the scandalous double standards in the matter of the woman caught in adultery (see Gq – The Woman Caught in the Act of Adultery). To the adulteress the Lord had shown that He had not come at that time to pass judgment. In His First Coming, He came as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world (Jn 1:29); but, in His Second Coming, He will come as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah to pass judgment on a sinful world.

But if I do judge, or better yet, when I judge, My decisions are true, because I AM not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent Me. This was a full claim of deity. It affirmed the absolute oneness of the Son with the Father. This statement parallels the one He made later: The Father and I are one (John 10:30). He speaks here in John 8 of the divine wisdom that is common to the Father and the Son. That being so, how could His judgment be anything but true (Yochanan 8:16)?

In your own Torah it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. I AM one who testifies for Myself; My other witness is the Father, who sent Me (John 8:17-18). Here Christ repeats in another way what He had just affirmed. Then the religious leaders provoked Him by saying: Where is your father (John 8:19a)? They knew the apparent circumstances of His birth, and they were aware that Joseph was dead. But Jesus ignored the insult and responded with a rebuke. Anyone who believed that Joseph had fathered Yeshua clearly didn’t know the identity of the Lord’s real Father. Therefore, He said: You do not know Me or My Father. Though they were scrupulous observers of the Oral Law (see Ei – The Oral Law), the Pharisees had not related to ADONAI on a personal level. And because they did not know Him, they did not recognize His Son. Jesus replied: If you knew Me, you would know My Father also (Yochanan 8:19b), because Jesus was the perfect representation of the Father.

Jesus spoke these words while teaching in the Court of the Women, near the place where the offerings were put (John 8:20a). It obtained its name, not because it was exclusively for women, but because they were not allowed to proceed further, except for sacrificial purposes. Indeed, this was probably the common place for worship, the females occupying, according to Jewish tradition, only a raised gallery along three sides of the court. This court covered an area of 200 square feet. All around ran a simple colonnade, and within it, against the wall, the thirteen chests, or “trumpets,” for offerings were placed. The thirteen chests were narrow at the mouth and wide at the bottom, shaped like trumpets, hence the name. They were marked for specific offerings. Nine were for tithes, and three for voluntary offerings up and above the tithe. Surely, the Temple treasury would be a busy place, with a constant flow of worshipers coming and going. There would be no better place to collect an audience of devout people to teach than there.

Trumpet number three was for those women who had to bring young pigeons for a burnt and sin offering. They would drop their equivalent in money, which was daily taken out and a corresponding number of young pigeons offered. This not only saved the labor of so many separate sacrifices, but also spared the modesty of those who might not wish to have the reason for their offering made public. Into this trumpet Mary, the mother of Jesus, must have made her offering (see Au – Jesus Presented in the Temple).⁹⁵⁴

Yet no one seized Him, because, as John repeatedly pointed out, His hour had not yet come (Yochanan 8:20b). This clearly intimates that the Pharisees were incensed at what Messiah had said, and had it been possible they would have killed Him right then and there. But, He was working on the Father’s timetable to accomplish His will in His time (John 2:4, 7:6 and 30, 12:23 and 27, 13:1, and 17:1).

This exchange between Yeshua and the Pharisees can lead us to ask ourselves how well we know the Savior of Sinners and, through Him, the Father. Is the Lord the light of our lives? Are we open to His light? We are all tempted to wall off certain parts of our lives from His light – to let His light shine in one area, such a Shabbat or Sunday worship, while closing off the rest of our week to His radiance. Living in the world gets old very quickly for a true believer. But, more than that, we run the risk of missing out on all that God can do in our daily lives. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, ADONAI is with us every moment of every day. El Gibbor, Mighty God, who has redeemed us, wants to break the chains that bind us – chains of fear, anxiety, and addiction. His dazzling light will drive darkness away wherever it shines. Let us open our hearts to Him.

Jesus, I want my life to reflect Your light. Shine Your light in every corner of my life. Fill me with Your peace and joy, so that others may see Your light and give God the glory.⁹⁵⁵

The Woman Caught in the Act of Adultery
John 7:53 to 8:11

The woman caught in the act of adultery DIG: Why did the religious leaders bring the adulterous woman to Yeshua (see Leviticus 20:10 and Deuteronomy 22:22)? How was the Lord’s attitude toward the woman different from the crowd’s attitude? Why do you think the older men were the first to leave the scene? With which group or person in the story do you identify? What words would you use to describe the way Jesus treated the guilty woman? How did He address her sin? In the last thing that Christ said to the woman, what do you think the tone in His voice was and what did it mean?

REFLECT: How does Yeshua’s interaction with this sinful woman encourage you? What was the attitude of the religious leaders toward the woman? Toward Jesus? How can we avoid these same attitudes? What does this passage reveal about God’s view of sin? Why do you think we rank some sins as being far worse than others? How does this passage challenge your attitude about people caught in certain sins? Who are the people in your life that accept you no matter what you’ve done?

After the conflicts of the last day of Sukkot, Messiah went back to the Mount of Olives. Normally it was His custom when in Yerushalayim to seek the hospitality at the home of Lazarus, Martha and Mary for the night (John 7:53 to 8:1). But, more likely on this occasion Jesus followed the custom of the feast by dwelling in a temporary booth erected on the Mount of Olives rather than seeking the comfort of the home of His friends.⁹⁴⁵

The next day was the eighth day of the festival of Booths, which is mentioned in the Torah as a closing special assembly, where no regular work was to be done (Leviticus 23:36, 39; Numbers 29:35). It was actually considered to be a separate feast day. It is called shemini ‘atzereth in rabbinic Hebrew, which means festal assembly of the eighth day.

The four great golden lampstands that had been lit every evening during the feast were still in the Court of the Women. They stood there all year round, even if they were only used at Sukkot and Hanukkah. Yet, the visitors to the Temple were reminded of their particular significance all the time merely by their presence. This was the same place where the Sho’eva procession had culminated the previous day (to see link click Gp – On the Last and Greatest Day of the Feast). At dawn on the eighth day Jesus appeared again in the Court of the Women, near the place where the offerings were collected, and sat down to teach as all the people gathered around Him (Yochanan 8:2). Some nod their heads in agreement and open their hearts in obedience. They had accepted the Teacher as their Teacher and were learning how to accept Him as their Lord. We don’t know His topic that morning. Prayer, perhaps. Or maybe kindness or anxiety. But, whatever it was, it was soon interrupted because of an uproar coming straight toward them.

A small, but determined group exploded through the Eastern Gate and stomped toward the Teacher.  Listeners scrambled to get out of the way. The mob was made up of Torah-teachers and Pharisees, and struggling to keep her balance on the crest of this angry wave was a woman.

Only a short time before she had been caught in bed with a man who was not her husband. This was not an accidental discovery. It was a trap. A trap for the woman and a trap for Jesus. The Torah-teachers and Pharisees knew the trouble-making Rabbi would be there in the morning where He always was – teaching the people. Who knows for how long they had planned for this. Now the trap was set. During the festival of Sukkot all Israelites were supposed to live in booths (Leviticus 23:42). At night one could go to the joyful worship service in the Court of the Women; however, that was not obligatory. The people also went to their booths to rest or to sleep. It seems that this woman found a man other than her husband to have sex with. Or, more likely, he found her. The Torah-teachers and Pharisees needed someone to be the victim in their wicked scheme.⁹⁴⁶ Barely having enough time to cover herself up, two men, obviously Pharisees, drug her into the street and toward the Temple Mount. They practically carried her through the Miphkad (or Inspection) Gate, through Shushan Gate, across the outer court, and through the Eastern Gate into the Court of the Women as fast as they could go. With holy strides they stormed toward Messiah and practically threw her in His direction. She stumbled and nearly fell.

They brought in a woman caught in adultery (John 8:3a). This brief episode illustrates the lengths the religious leaders would go to in order to trap and discredit Yeshua publicly. They had already attempted to undermine His authority and had made efforts to arrest Him. Now they continued to test His beliefs with this crude confrontation in which a woman, clearly trapped in their plot, was brought before Him for judgment. The issue they selected was one where the penalty was not debatable – the issue of adultery.

The Torah-teachers and Pharisees brought her before the group that the Master was teaching, and self-righteously said to Jesus, “Rabbi, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery” (John 8:3b-4 CJB). Everyone there knew what that meant. Then the leader gleefully sprung the trap when he asked Jesus skillfully, with venom dripping from his lips, “What do you say?” No one, neither the group Messiah was teaching, the Kosher King’s opponents, nor the woman herself expected the answer He gave.⁹⁴⁷ There was no doubt about her guilt. The Jews had a court for the trial of such cases, but since it was customary to sometimes ask the opinion of a rabbi, they thought they had everything set up perfectly for the ambush. Their goal was to have Yeshua contradict ADONAI. This was the one attempt to get the Nazarene to say something to violate one of the 613 commandments of the Torah. The lead Pharisee said: Now in our Torah, Moses commanded that such a woman be stoned to death. The Greek is emphatic: But YOU, what do YOU say about it (John 8:5)? They thought they had Him this time. Checkmate!

They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing Him (Yochanan 8:6a). They had been very diligent in their planning. But the fact that their motives were evil was exposed by the fact that they did not follow the Torah fully. The Ruach Ha’Kodesh inspired the human author Moses to write: If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife, that is, with the wife of a fellow countryman, both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death (Leviticus 20:10).

But Jesus refused to answer. He merely bent down and started to write on the ground with His finger (John 8:6b). There has been much debate about what Jesus was actually writing. But, the Bible is not incomplete. The Holy Spirit withholds nothing that we need to know from us. We might find out in heaven, but, at this time we do not need to know what He wrote. The Greek text emphasized the finger, not the writing. The word finger placed in the emphatic position at the beginning of the Hebrew sentence. Why would the emphasis be on the finger (Exodus 31:18, 32:15-16; Deuteronomy 4:13, 9:10)?

Of the 613 commandments that God gave Moses, 603 were written on parchment with the pen of a man. Ten were inscribed into stone tablets by the finger of God. One of these commandments prohibited adultery (see my commentary Exodus Dq – You Shall Not Commit Adultery). Yeshua authored that commandment (John 1:1) and knew the punishment for adultery and sin all too well.

The Torah clearly required the death penalty for one found guilty of adultery. In addition, the commandments also required that those who testified at a trial could not be malicious witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:16). But, the fact that the man was not brought with her (it takes two to tango) suggests that the incident was set up to catch the woman and thereby confront the renegade Rabbi with an indefensible dilemma – support the commandment of Moses (calling for her execution), or support Roman law (which prohibited Jewish capital punishment by stoning). Whose authority would Jesus support?

When they kept on questioning Him, He straightened up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her” (Jn 8:7b). The Torah called for her to be stoned to death. But, in keeping with the Torah, He demanded that qualified, or non-malicious, witnesses initiate the execution. If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse someone of a crime, the two people involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of God before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against a fellow Israelite, then do to the false witness as the witness intended to do to the other party. Show no pity; life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot (Deut 19:16-21).

But, Moses also said that those witnesses must, in effect, throw the first stone. In other words, they could not be guilty of the same sin as the accused. The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting that person to death, and then the hands of all the people. You must purge the evil from among you (Deuteronomy 17:7). The one whom she was having sex with might have possibly been one of her accusers.

Therefore, Jesus said to them: Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her (John 8:7). This verse is constantly taken out of context. First, many say, “You shouldn’t go around judging others.” Confronting and dis-fellowshipping a believer involved in sin is quite different from simply “judging” someone because it involves discernment and judgment (see Gi – If a Brother or Sister Sins,  Go and Point Out Their Fault). Ultimately, Christ is the Judge. The Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son (Yochanan 5:22). But, we are called to be fruit inspectors. By their fruit you will recognize them . . . every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit (Matthew 7:16a-17).

Jesus is also not saying, “Unless you are perfect yourself, you should not throw the first stone.” If He said that, He would have contradicted the Torah. It did not require sinless perfection on the part of the accusers before a criminal could be executed. However, the Torah did require execution for certain sins, one of which was adultery. So, if Jesus was saying that the accusers had to be perfect, He would have contradicted the Torah and the religious leaders would have succeeded in trapping Jesus. They would have had a basis for accusing Him and that was exactly what they were looking to do.

One more important point is that the two or three witness whose testimony condemned her to death, and who were responsible for throwing the first stone, must not be guilty of the same sin as her. Gulp.

Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground (John 8:8). Someone cleared his throat as if to speak, but no one spoke. Feet shuffled. They couldn’t look at each other. Eyes stared at the dirt. Then thud . . . thud . . . thud . . . stones fell to the ground.

At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time. They came as one, but they left one by one. The older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there (Yochanan 8:9). How very striking. These religious authorities had challenged Messiah from the Torah. He met them on their own ground, then His written Word and spoken word defeated them. Convicted by their consciences, they left. Jesus straightened up and asked her: Woman, look up, where are they? Has no one condemned you (John 8:10)? Maybe she expected Him to scold her. Perhaps she expected Him to walk away in disgust. I’m not sure, but I know this: What she got, she never could have imagined. She got compassion and a commission.

“No one, sir,” she said. The compassion was: Then neither do I condemn you, Jesus declared. The commission was: Go, and sin no more (Yochanan 8:11 KJV). The Savior of sinners was not excusing her sin. He was saying that her accusers had no legal right to condemn her. She then turned and walked into anonymity, never heard from again. But, we can be confident of one thing, on that morning in Jerusalem, she saw the Son of God, and He saw her. Those eyes . . . how could she ever forget those eyes? Clear and tear-filled. Eyes that didn’t see her as she was, but as she was intended to be. But, notice that Yeshua did not back down in His opposition to adultery despite the fact that the adulterous woman faced the prospect of mob violence. He called adultery a sin and commanded her to repent and change her ways.

Again, this was their first attempt to get Yeshua to contradict a point of the Torah, and it failed miserably. They never tried this ploy again but merely went back to continually accusing Messiah of violating the Oral Law (see Ei – The Oral Law).

One final thought. It should be noted that when Christ obeyed the Torah, He was obeying it because He was a Jew. The Torah was not given to Gentiles. But, having perfectly obeyed the Torah, He also obeyed it as our substitute, especially for those who are Jewish believers. When the Lord died, He died bearing upon Himself the penalty of the Torah. Obviously, He was not guilty of violating the Torah, so the penalty of the Torah under which He died was not for His own sin, but as a substitute for others. Our Savior died a penal, substitutionary death. He was able to be our final blood sacrifice, our substitute, because He and He alone kept the Torah perfectly.⁹⁴⁸

Father, You are compassionate and forgiving. Like the woman in this story, we stand amazed that You would have such mercy on us. We thank You for Your unconditional love. We are not what we should be, but we accept Your forgiveness and claim Your salvation.

On the Last and Greatest Day of the Feast
John 7: 37-52

On the last and greatest day of the Feast DIG: Given that every day of the festival of Sukkot water would be poured out as a symbol of thanks for God’s provision, how is Jesus’ statement in Yochanan 7:37-38 especially powerful? Comparing John 7:37-38 with John 4:13-14, what are some ways that the work of the Spirit is like water? Why did Nicodemus risk defending Yeshua? How is the Spirit received? Were the Pharisees correct in Yochanan 7:52? How does the confusion over Messiah’s birthplace cloud the issue of His identity even more? What is there in this passage that glorifies Yeshua as the Word of God?

REFLECT: Has the flow of the Spirit in your life lately felt more like a refreshing spring of a clogged faucet? What have you found helpful in releasing the stream of the Ruach’s water in your life? What is the relationship for you between believing the promises of Christ and experiencing the refreshing power of the Holy Spirit? What different opinions about Messiah do you hear lately? Why does that confusion exist? When have you been ridiculed because of your faith? What did you do?

On the fourteenth of Tishri, the day before the festival of Booths began (to see link click Gn – Conflict at the Feast of Booths), the festive pilgrims had all arrived in Jerusalem. The booths on the rooftops, in the courtyards, in the streets and squares, as well as the roads and gardens, within a Sabbath’s journey, must have given the City of David and neighborhood an unusually picturesque appearance.⁹³⁶ What a scene it must have been to see over two million people camping out.

One of the more profound causes of this festive joy was based in the forgiveness of Yom Kippur. The Great Day of Atonement took place five days before Sukkot (Leviticus 23:27 and 34). On Yom Kippur, Israelites had to confess their individual guilt and remorse before ADONAI and rededicate themselves to upholding the mitzvot of the Torah. But after Yom Kippur, Sukkot was the most joyous of all the festivals. The last and greatest day of the festival of Sukkot was called the Great Day or Hosanna Rabba (John 7:37a). Therefore, on last and greatest day of the festival, an additional festival day that the Torah calls The Eighthth Day, was the same day that Yeshua had been dedicated and circumcised (see At – On the Eighth Day, When it was Time to Circumcise Him, He was Named Yeshua).

A Temple ritual that was definitive for the festival of Sukkot during the life of Christ consisted of the Sho’eva procession, meaning the water drawing ritual. There is nothing written about this by Moshe in the Torah; however, this custom was based upon the words of Isaiah the prophet when he wrote: I thank You, ADONAI, because, although You were angry with me, but Your anger is now turned away; and You are comforting me. “See! God is my salvation. I am confident and unafraid; for Yah ADONAI is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation!” Then you will joyfully draw the water from the springs of salvation. On that day you will say, “Give thanks to ADONAI! Call on His name! Make His deeds known among the peoples, declare how exalted is His name. Sing to ADONAI, for He has triumphed – this is being made known throughout the earth. Shout and sing for joy, you who live in Tziyon; for the Holy One of Isra’el is with you in His greatness” (Isaiah 12:1-5 CJB).

From the Temple to the Pool of Siloam: At the time of the morning burnt offering, a lead priest, accompanied by the jubilant throng of people, took a golden pitcher from the Holy Place in the Sanctuary, through the Nicanor Gate into the Court of the Women,  then out into the Court of the Gentiles, and down through the mouth of the southern Double Gate, through the tunnel and down a street with steps to the pool of Siloam, which was located at the southern end of the City right below. To the sound of music the procession wove its way through the crowded Ophel to the very edge of Siloam, down the edge of the Tyropoeon Valley, where it merges with the Kidron Valley. Terraces mark where the gardens that were watered by a living spring, extending from the King’s Gardens by the spring Rogel down to the entrance into the Tyropoeon. Here was the so-called “Fountain Gate,” and the overflow filled the pool called Siloam. When the Sho’eva procession had reached the pool, the lead priest filled his golden pitcher with a little more than two pints of water from the springs of salvation (Isaiah 12:3 CJB). 

From the Pool of Siloam back to the Temple: Then together with the crowd accompanying him, the process was reversed. The lead priest would guide them back up the same steps to the southwest corner of the Temple Mount.  The great multitude came back up through the mouth of the Double Gate into the Court of the Gentiles. Then they would wind their way through the western Huldah Gate, go up stairs to the Chel, turn right past the southern side of the Sanctuary, and around through the Eastern Gate and into the Court of the Women. The men would then proceed up fifteen steps to the Nicanor Gate.  These steps were deliberately built as a symbolic description of the fifteen songs of ascent in the book of Psalms. They were songs that were sung by the people, with flute accompaniment, during the three great ascents to Yerushalayim – with the festivals of Pesach, Weeks, and Sukkot in mind (Exodus 23:17). These songs of ascent depicted the happy communion of God’s people in the Temple, with God and each other.⁹³⁷

On the first step they would sing Psalm 120, on the second step they would sing Psalm 121, on the third step they would sing Psalm 122, on the fourth step they would sing Psalm 123, all the way through steps one through fifteen and Psalm 120 through Psalm 134. Standing room was limited because millions of Jews that were in the City and the area within the Camp of the Sh’khinah could not accommodate everyone. Countless men were packed in the Court of Isra’el and many women celebrated the pouring of the waters from galleries that were located above their court. These magnificent galleries were exclusively reserved for the women at large gatherings on feast days. In this, the women had an excellent view of the worship activities both in the Court of the Women and also in the Camp of the Sh’khinah.⁹³⁸ But, there were also a great multitude of men and women within the Court of the Women itself.

Inside the Court of the Priests: Once inside the dividing wall of partition (see my commentary on Acts Cn – Paul’s Advise from Jacob and the Elders at Jerusalem) and up the stairs to the Chel, the lead priest, with his golden pitcher of water, separated from the throng of worshipers and entered through the Water Gate, which was one of the three gatehouses (along with the Kindling Gate and the Gate of the Firstlings) in the south innermost court on the side of the Sanctuary. There, another priest who carried the wine for the drink offering joined him. Then the two priests went together and ascended the steps of the bronze altar and turned to the left. They came to two silver funnels, one to the east (which was somewhat wider) and one to the west, with narrow openings leading down to the base of the bronze altar. Wine was poured into the funnel to the east, and at the same time, water was poured into the funnel to the west. After the pouring of the waters, the people would call out to the priest to raise the golden pitcher for the last time that day to see for themselves that the lead priest had poured out every last drop.

During the first six days of the Feast, each morning a different priest would march from the Temple to the Pool of Siloam and back to the bronze altar to pour out the water only once. But, on the seventh day, they made seven trips while reciting the great Hallel. The worshipers sang the Hallel and as the water was poured they shook their palm branches (like the ones that they had used to construct their booths) in triumph. Likewise, during the first six days, a large number of pilgrims marched around Jerusalem only once with music and shouts in remembrance of the taking of Jericho (Joshua 6:21). On the seventh day, however, they made seven trips around Jerusalem while reciting Psalm 118.

The rabbis taught that the outpouring of the waters symbolized the outpouring of the Holy Spirit because the Talmud distinctly says: Why is the name of it called, “The outpouring of the waters?” Because of the pouring out of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, according to what is said, “With joy shall you draw water out of the springs of salvation.” Therefore, also, the feast and the special joy of it are similar as those of “the drawing out of water.” For according to the rabbinical authorities, the Ruach dwells in man only through joy.⁹³⁹

Immediately after the pouring of the water for the seventh and last time that day, the great Hallel, consisting of Psalms 113 through 118 was chanted responsively to the accompaniment of flutes. As the Levites sang the first line of each Psalm, the people repeated it and then responded with great enthusiasm: Praise to ADONAI. But, when they got to Psalm 118 for that seventh time that day, the people not only repeated the first line of Psalm 118:1: Give thanks to ADONAI, for He is good, but also these: You have become [our] salvation (Psalm 118:21 CJB) and Please ADONAI, Save us! Please, ADONAI, Rescue us (Psalm 118:25 CJB), and again, at the close of the Psalm: Give thanks to ADONAI, for He is good, for His grace continues forever (Psalm 118:29 CJB). As they chanted these lines all the leaves were shaken off the willow boughs that they held in their hands, and the palm branches beaten in pieces, as if to remind God of His promises.⁹⁴⁰ This is when the zeal of the people reached its highest pitch. The rabbis teach that whoever has not seen the rejoicing of the outpouring of the water had never really experienced joy in their life (BT Sukkah 51a).

Then there was a pause to prepare for the special sacrifice of seven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs, and a goat (see the commentary on Numbers Fg – The Hag Sukkot Offering). Since the people had chanted at the top of their lungs for what seemed like an eternity, when they had a chance, they all slumped to the ground, drained of emotion. In that moment of silence, Jesus stood and said in a loud urgent voice, full of conviction, so piercing as to be heard by everyone: Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me and drink. Christ did not interrupt the feast, for it had paused for a moment, but He fulfilled it. Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them (John 7:37b-38).

Don’t we all need regular sips from ADONAI’s reservoir? In countless situations – stressful meetings, loneliness, financial troubles, problems with relationships, screaming children, demanding bosses – many times a day, we can step to the underground spring of God. And there, again and again we can receive redemption for our sin and death, the energy of His Spirit, His lordship and yes – His love. You don’t have to live with a dehydrated soul. You don’t have to be rich, religious, or successful to drink; you simply need to follow the instructions on what – or better, who – to drink. Yeshua. In order for the Lord to do what water does, you must let Him penetrate your heart. Deep, deep inside. Internalize Him. Welcome Him into the inner workings of your life. Drink deeply and often . . . and out of you will flow rivers of living water.⁹⁴¹

By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. Up to that time the Holy Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified (John 7:39). The rabbis interpreted this ceremony to symbolize the outpouring of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh in the last days of Isra’el. The Pharisees themselves connected this with the work of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh. In the book of Ruth Rabba IV it states, “And why is it called ‘pouring out?’ Because they poured out the Ruach Ha’Kodesh there, as it is written: And with delight you will draw water from the springs of salvation.” The connection between the drawing of water and the pouring out of the Ruach is most easily seen through the promise of the prophet: For I will pour water on the thirsty Land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour My Ruach on your descendants, My blessing on your offspring (Isaiah 44:3 CJB). While many would come to believe in Him, the Holy Spirit would not permanently indwell believers until the Feast of Weeks (see my commentary on Acts Al – The Ruach Ha’Kodesh Comes at Shavu’ot). Before that, the indwelling of the Ruach was temporary.

When the profoundly moving words of the Lord Jesus Christ were uttered aloud in the Court of the Women, an uproar broke out among the crowd. Messiah’s words forced everyone to come to a decision. Was the Nazarene the promised Messiah or not? On hearing His words, some of the people said: Surely this man is the Prophet (Deut 18:14-22). Others said: He is the Messiah. Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee? They didn’t know He was born in Bethlehem because they assumed He was born in Nazareth, and that wasn’t where the Meshiach was supposed to come from. Doesn’t the TaNaKh say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), the town where David lived?” Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. Jesus’s words always divide people into two groups: those who believe in Him and those who do not. The middle ground quickly disappears.⁹⁴² Some wanted to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him (Yochanan 7:41-44). Every attempt to kill Him ended in failure.

The religious authorities had sent the Temple guards to arrest Christ when they heard His teaching. Finally they went back to the Sadducees and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring Him in?” They replied, “No one ever spoke the way this man does” (John 7:45-46). They didn’t know what He was saying, but they were very impressed. The bottom line was that they came back empty handed. Messiah’s teaching was different from the constant appeal of the rabbis to mere tradition (see Ei – The Oral Law). Thus, it seemed to everyone that His message came directly from heaven because He taught as one who had authority, and not as the Torah-teachers (Matthew 7:29).

“You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted. In other words, “Why are you so stupid?”“Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in Him? No! But this mob that knows nothing of the Torah – there is a curse on them” (John 7:47-49). The critical religious authorities, although trained in the Torah, which teaches love, not only despised the people of the Land, but also regarded them as under a curse because of their lack of education.⁹⁴³ In effect, the Pharisees were saying that only common people who didn’t know the TaNaKh would believe in this troublemaking Rabbi. But, the problem with their response was that one of their own Sanhedrin members had begun moving towards faith in the Messiah.

Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, reminded them that a full and open hearing was demanded before anyone could be condemned (see Lh – The Laws of the Great Sanhedrin Regarding Trials). He said: Does our Torah condemn a man without first hearing Him to find out what He has been doing (John 7:50-51)? Nicodemus was a member of the Great Sanhedrin (see Lg – The Great Sanhedrin), or the ruling council. He was the teacher of a rabbinic academy and belonged to the party of the Pharisees. Earlier he had sought out the Lord alone by night (see Bv – Jesus Teaches Nicodemus). The Master’s teaching of the subject of a new birth had obviously affected his heart. So, here he dared question a serious violation of the Sanhedrin’s very own judicial process.

As a result, Nicodemus’ fellow Pharisees went on the attack. Mocking him, they said: Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee (John 7:52). Calling a Judean a Galilean was the ultimate insult. In effect, they were saying, “Are you also as stupid as they are?” However, if the truth be known, Hosea, Jonah and Elisha were all from Galilee. But because there were no rabbinic schools in Galilee, the rabbis believed that all Galileans were uneducated. The famous Rabbi Hillel once said that ordinary, unlearned people could never be religious.

Jerusalem was a lion’s den for Jesus. He entered it willingly, then deftly moved between the security of seclusion and the safety of the public arena while relying on His Father to close the angry jaws of His enemies. His time had not yet come (John 7:6a KJB) and was still months away. There was work to be done in the meantime – much of it in Judea.⁹⁴⁴

Jesus Teaches at the Feast of Booths
John 7: 11-36

Jesus teaches at the Feast of Booths DIG: Given the risk, why does Yeshua go to the festival of Booths? How do the people react to the Lord’s teaching? Why? What do Christ’s responses reveal about His authority? About the authority of the religious leaders? The objections to His healing? Their judgments? What one point are the members of the Sanhedrin missing? What is causing the confusion? Why does Messiah’s teaching in John 7:14-29 provoke the response of John 7:30? Who wanted to kill Jesus? Why didn’t they attempt to do it at the feast? Who tried and didn’t succeed? Why were the people divided?

REFLECT: Have you ever been really impressed with the Lord one moment, only to turn from Him the next? Why does that happen? When have you defended Jesus lately? When have you seen religious rules put ahead of love? How can you tell if someone is speaking or living in the flesh rather than the spirit? What is the biggest struggle in your life between knowing what the Bible says, and living a holy life that is pleasing to God? How do you get to where Yeshua ha-Mashiach is?

The festival of Booths (Sukkot) that came on the fifteenth to the twenty-first of Tisri (September-October), was at hand. It was one of the three pilgrim feasts of the Jews, where every able-bodied Jewish man was required to return to Jerusalem (Exodus 23:14-19). During those days, millions of Jews lived in booths made of the thick branches of the olive, palm, pine and myrtle trees, and carried in their hands small boughs of palm, willow, peach and citron. Sukkot followed five days after the great day of Atonement, when sacrifices were made for all the sins of the people. Consequently, it was celebrated with great joy.⁹²⁹ The Torah was read daily and every night multitudes of pilgrims would gather on the Temple Mount and celebrate the lighting of the lights in the court of the Women.

The healing of the invalid at the pool of Bethesda the year before (to see link click Cs – Jesus Heals a Man at the Pool of Bethesda) had produced a bitter controversy concerning Jesus’ identity. This debate was continued now at this festival of Booths. Both the religious leaders of the Sanhedrin and the common people were interested in knowing who He was.

Christ remained in constant danger of assassination in Judea. So long as He remained hidden where no enemy could find Him or in front of a crowd where the religious authorities dared not touch Him, Messiah could teach in Jerusalem. So, He entered the Holy City without attracting much attention, perhaps even blending in with the crowd. Meanwhile, a hushed anticipation stirred much debate among the common people in Yerushalayim. Some favored Christ while others condemned Him.⁹³⁰ It was common knowledge by the Jews that the feast of the Sukkot was to be fulfilled by the Kingdom (Zechariah 14:16-21). So, the Jewish leaders were particularly interested in His actions. Now at the festival the Jewish authorities were watching for Yeshua and asking: Where is He (Yochanan 7:11)?

Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about Him. Some said: He is a good man, indicating an awareness of His character but not His Person. To say the Meshiach was merely a great teacher is fanciful enough and not in keeping with what He Himself taught. It is similarly impossible to regard Him as simply a good man. Others replied, “No, He deceives the people.” So there was a division among the people. But no one who believed in Him would say anything publicly about Him for fear of the Jewish leaders (John 7:12-13). The crowds were divided in their opinions, but, it was not safe for believers to speak up about Jesus, so they kept their voices low and their opinions among their friends. Most wanted to do the right thing, but, they were not sure what it was.⁹³¹

John uses the term Jews seventy-one times. When he does so, he uses it in four different ways. Firstly he means Jews in general, or all the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Secondly, he uses Jews as Judeans, as opposed to Galileans. Thirdly, he means the Jewish leadership, Jewish authorities, or the Sanhedrin. Fourthly, he uses the Jews as an expression of the enemies of the Good Shepherd. I have substituted the appropriate term each time in order to provide more clarity.

The festival of Sukkot was a week-long celebration (Deuteronomy 16:13-15). Not until halfway through the festival, on the third or fourth day, did Jesus go up to the Temple courts and begin to teach – not unusual for a rabbi. The teacher’s credibility, however, depended heavily on his educational pedigree. Who trained him? Which school was he associated with? Gamaliel? Shammai? The religious authorities there were amazed because He didn’t seem to have any religious training and asked: How did this man get such learning without having been taught (Jn 7:14-15)? Christ’s authority was being questioned because He never attended any of the rabbinic schools. The Bible shows us that He had not only wide knowledge of both biblical and traditional materials, but wisdom from God transcending any academic credentials. However, the people knew the Jewish leadership, or the Sanhedrin, had rejected Him, now they start to question Him on a larger scale.

Jesus answered with a stinging rebuke, and assured them that the origin of His message was divine, saying: My teaching is not My own. It comes from the One who sent Me. The rabbinic method was to cite authority for all-important statements. But, the Lord’s message does not come from any earthly source. It comes from the Father who sent the Son (Isaiah 50:4-7). Those of faith, who desire to do the will of ADONAI will have the spiritual discernment necessary to understand this. Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on My own. The Master’s hearers had raised the question about His competence as a teacher, now He raises the question of their competence as hearers. The members of the Sanhedrin could verify Christ’s statement simply from what they heard Him say: Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory. The man whose message originates within himself seeks his own advancement. But He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is a Man of truth. There is nothing false about Him (Yochanan 7:16-18). Notice that Jesus does not say that He speaks the truth, but that He is the Truth (John 18:37).

The Israelites were very proud of the fact that they were the recipients of the Torah. Yeshua, however, points out that there’s a big difference between receiving the Torah and keeping it: Has not Moses given you the Torah? Yet, not one of you keeps the Torah (see Dg – The Completion of the Torah). The religious leaders were furious with Him for not following the Oral Law, but they themselves had merely substituted the traditions of men for the Torah. Far from keeping the Torah they were trying to kill the Son of God (John 7:19)? The people were not obeying the Torah that Moshe gave them, even though they thought they were. For, if they did, they would have welcomed Jesus (Yochanan 5:45-47). He knew what they felt in their hearts, but, did not want to admit.⁹³²

“You are demon-possessed (see Ek – It is only by Beelzebub, the Prince of Demons, that This Fellow Drives Out Demons) some in the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you” (John 7:20)? Obviously some of the people there didn’t know that the members of the Sanhedrin were trying to kill Jesus (see Lg –The Great Sanhedrin). Jews came from all over the world for the festival of Booths. These were probably pilgrims from afar, not the Jerusalem mob who was being turned against King Messiah by the Pharisees and Torah-teachers. These visitors didn’t understand the local politics within Jerusalem.

Ignoring the people who followed their leaders like thoughtless sheep, Christ directed His ire at the source of the problem – the Pharisees and torah-Teachers. Referring to the healing of the invalid at Bethesda the year before, Jesus said to them: I did one miracle, and you are all amazed, even though at the same time you are out to kill Me because I healed someone on Shabbat (John 7:21).

He was not violating the Torah, but completing it.

Then He said: Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath (John 7:22). The rabbis themselves taught that the commandment of circumcision superseded the Sabbath. Jewish boys were to be circumcised on the eighth day (Genesis 17:12). But, if the eighth day happened to land on the Sabbath, the boy was still circumcised although it was technically classified as work. Yeshua said: Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the Torah of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? Christ’s point was that if it was permissible to circumcise on the Sabbath, why wasn’t it permissible to make a man’s body whole by healing on the Sabbath. The Lord finished by describing His continual opposition to the Oral Law (see Ei – The Oral Law) when He said: Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly (John 7:23-24). In other words, Sabbath rest included being healed.

The Sanhedrin members couldn’t do anything to quiet the Prophet from Nazareth, but, neither could they eliminate Him. They believed that trying to seize Him publicly would only make a scene and probably cause a riot. But, the local mob that had turned against Messiah grew impatient with their so-called leaders. At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?” Evidently they were in on the “secret” plans of the Pharisees as the group of pilgrims had not been. With sarcasm they teased the Sanhedrin members: Here He is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to Him. Continuing to mock their timid leaders, they said: Have the authorities really concluded that He is the Messiah (Yochanan 7:25-26)?

Then boldly asserting their own opinion, the mob continued defiantly: But we know where this man is from, that is, Nazareth and from completely ordinary human parents. When the Messiah comes, no one will know where He is from” (John 7:27). The rabbis taught (and still teach today) that the word suddenly in Malachi 3:1 meant that the Meshiach would appear mysteriously and perhaps even magically with the anointing of Elijah, or drop from the skies into the Temple as suddenly as a scorpion (Sanhedrin 97a). But, this expectation that the origins of the Messiah must be shrouded in mystery contradicts Micah 5:2, which simply predicts the Anointed One’s birth in Bethlehem. Nevertheless, many of the common people began to believe in Yeshua as the Meshiach, even though they found it hard to overcome many of the traditional beliefs about Christ that they had come to expect.

In reply to their interpretation of popular Jewish mysticism, Messiah claimed knowledge that they did not possess. Then Jesus, still teaching in the Temple courts, cried out in a clear voice so everyone could hear: Yes, you know Me, and you know where I AM from. They knew His human origin, but they did not accept His divine mission. I AM not here on My own authority, but He who sent Me is true. But, His enemies couldn’t understand this because they didn’t know ADONAI. You do not know Him, but I know Him because I AM from Him and He sent Me (John 7:28-29). Had they really known Ha’Shem they would have recognized the One whom God sent. Throughout all of His conflicts with pharisaic Judaism, Jesus continually claimed to be the One true prophet of the Father’s message.

Enraged by Messiah’s bold claims, and not wanting to wait a second longer for any action from their timid leaders, the mob tried to seize Jesus. But no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come (Yochanan 7:30). His appointed time to die was on the Passover by crucifixion, not on the festival of Booths by stoning. In addition, Yeshua would give up His own life, no one would take it from Him. He would say to the Pharisees: I lay down my life . . . no one takes it from Me (John 10:17a-18a).

The outcome of the whole confrontation was that many in the crowd believed in Him. As a result of this discussion, some were openly and repeatedly saying: When the Messiah comes, will He perform more signs than this Man? So there was a division among the people of Jerusalem, some accusing and others defending Jesus. Earlier, the Sanhedrin accused Jesus of being demon possessed, but, now the mob of dissenters was also accusing Him of the same thing. Slowly the Sanhedrin was turning the people against Him.

Once again the scene changes. The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about Him. Then emboldened, the Sadducees and the Pharisees sent Temple guards to arrest Him (Yochanan 7:32). From the beginning the Pharisees were more active in opposing the Prophet from Nazareth. Now, to their heart-warming glee, they had heard the growing swarm of dissent against the Rabbi from Galilee rising like the hum of bees. But, due to the fact that no arrest was made, it seems probable that their instructions were not to arrest Jesus on the spot, but rather, to watch for a favorable moment.

Then Jesus hinted at His imminent departure. But, according to His new policy of putting things in symbolic language so the masses could not understand, He said: I AM with you for only a short time, and then I AM going to the One who sent Me. You will look for Me, but you will not find Me; and where I AM, you cannot come (Yochanan 7:33-34). Confused, the Judeans said to themselves, “Where is the man about to go, that we won’t find him? Does he intend to go to the Greek Diaspora and teach the Greek-speaking Jews (John 7:35 CJB)? When the Israelites were taken captive to foreign countries they assimilated into those cultures after several generations (see my commentary on Acts Av – Deacons Anointed for Service). Because of this, the Judeans called them Hellenists. The enemies of Yeshua, therefore, falsely concluded that He had decided to leave Judea and teach the Greek-speaking Jews abroad.⁹³³

What did He mean when He said: You will look for Me, but you will not find Me,” and “Where I am, you cannot come” (John 7:36)? The Judeans repeated the same exact words that Jesus spoke in verse 34 above. It is clear that this saying puzzled them greatly. But, it not only puzzled them, it made them uneasy. Was there perhaps some meaning in it that still eluded them? Was the Nazarene mocking them? Should they have known more?⁹³⁴

The confusion about Messiah’s divine and human origins points to one of the primary distinctions vital for all of us – the difference between the flesh and the spirit. In the flesh, we rely on our human reasoning and senses. We can know quite a lot about the Lord: His ancestry, His movements, and maybe even why His friends liked Him and His enemies hated Him. But, it is only in the spirit – the Spirit of God – that we can learn truths about Jesus that can change our lives. This type of knowledge, spiritual knowledge that transforms, comes to us as we humbly search the Scriptures daily and ask the Ruach to speak His words of truth to our hearts. It is in these times of prayer and mediation (Psalm 119:97) that we learn about Messiah’s true origins and we begin to desire to be with Him.

The Lord of Life promised His talmidim that the Spirit would remind them of everything He taught while He was with them (John 14:26). Let us seek this same Ruach Ha’Kodesh and ask that Yeshua’s words would be written on our hearts.

Holy Spirit, come into my heart today and transform me. Raise me above the tendencies of my flesh so that I can see the reality of Jesus and embrace Him in love and humility.⁹³⁵

Conflict at the Feast of Booths

The most joyous of all festive seasons in Isra’el was that of the Feast of Booths or Sukkot. It fell on a time of year when the hearts of the people would naturally be full of thankfulness, gladness, and expectancy. All the crops had been long stored; and now all fruit had been gathered, the vintage past, and the Land only awaited the softening and refreshment of the “latter rain,” to prepare it for a new crop. It was appropriate that when the start of the harvest had been blessed by offering the first ripe sheaf of barley, and the full ingathering of the corn by the two wave-loaves, there should then be a harvest feast of thankfulness and gladness to ADONAI.⁹²⁷

Arnold Fruchtenbaum discusses the prophetic view of the seven feasts of Isra’el. He observes that the program of the First Coming of Messiah fulfilled the first four feasts. The first four feasts come within fifty days of each other. The feast of the Passover was fulfilled by the death of the Meshiach; the feast of Unleavened Bread was fulfilled by the sinlessness of His sacrifice; the feast of First Fruits was fulfilled by the resurrection of Jesus; the feast of Shavu’ot was fulfilled by the birth of the Church. This ends the first cycle of feasts, which were fulfilled in the program of the First Coming.

Between the first four and the last three feasts there was a four-month interval mentioned in passing in Leviticus 23:22. It was a pause between the two sets of feasts during which time life was to continue along normal lines. It is pictured as a summertime of labor in the fields in preparation for the final harvest of the summer and before the fall harvest would come.

When you reap the harvest of your Land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I AM the LORD your God (Leviticus 23:22).

It is a one-verse statement that is not related to any feast. It almost seems like an unnecessary interruption unless it is understood what is really happening. It is the pause between the feasts that are fulfilled by the program of the First Coming as opposed to the feasts to be fulfilled by the program of the Second Coming. This four-month interval pictures the insertion of the Dispensation of Grace (see my commentary on Hebrews, to see link click Bp – The Dispensation of Grace), which interrupts the program of the seven Feasts of Isra’el. Indeed, the gleanings for the poor and the foreigner are a very good illustration of the mission of the Church itself. John writes of Yeshua saying to His talmidim: Don’t you have a saying, “It’s still four months until harvest?” I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest (John 4:35). Yes, this four-month interval becomes a fitting symbol of the obligation of the Church, made up of Jewish and Gentile believers, to evangelize the world (Matthew 28:18-20). So, Leviticus 23:22 is a parenthetical verse, representing the current age in which we now live, in which the program of the Feasts of Isra’el have been temporarily interrupted.

The last three feasts in the second cycle of feasts also all come together, even closer together than those of the first cycle of feasts. In fact, they all come within two weeks of each other. The last three of these feasts of second cycle are to be fulfilled by the program of the Second Coming of Yeshua ha-Mashiach.

The feast of Trumpets will be fulfilled by the Rapture of the Church; the Great Tribulation will fulfill the Day of Atonement; the Messianic Kingdom will fulfill the feast of Sukkot. Just as the feast of Booths is a time of rejoicing following the affliction of the Day of Atonement, even so, the messianic Kingdom is to be a time of rejoicing following the afflictions of the Great Tribulation.⁹²⁸

We have all heard the questions from our Jewish friends or family: If Yeshua is the real Messiah, why didn’t He fulfill all the promises of the Scriptures? Why are there still wars and problems if the Messiah has already come? Good questions indeed if you stop and think about it! Yet many of us have found sufficient answers as we began to study the Scriptures more carefully. Although many of Jews presume that Yeshua cannot fit the description of the Messiah, even the classical rabbis could see that the larger question of Mashiach was not so easily answered. The fact is that there appears to be two contrasting pictures of what the Messiah would do when He comes to Isra’el. No doubt, the Mashiach would establish an everlasting Kingdom of peace and blessing with headquarters in Jerusalem (Isaiah 11; Micah 4). Yet, in seeming opposition to this, many other Scriptures speak of a suffering Messiah who is rejected by many people (Isaiah 53; Daniel 9).

Many of the early rabbis were puzzled by these statements and wondered how could these two aspects could possibly be reconciled in one person (see Mv – The Jewish Concept of  Two Messiahs). A proposed solution is put forth various times that there must be in fact two different Messiahs coming to fulfill the two differing job descriptions. They called the King Messiah “Mashiach Ben David” since he would be the greater son of David. The suffering one was designated as “Mashiach Ben Yosef” since he appears to suffering much in the same manner as Joseph (Jacob’s son) in the book of Genesis (Babylonian Talmud Sukkah 52a).

As we approach the High Holy Days, I believe there is some important evidence that is often overlooked in regard to Messiah’s two-fold ministry. Sukkot (The Feast of Booths), besides being a celebration of the fall harvest, is also understood to be a prophetic picture of the Kingdom of Messiah. We build our Sukkot/temporary huts to remind us of the great truth that the day is coming when Messiah will “dwell or tabernacle” in our midst and fulfill the promises as the son of David. This must be the reason that Prophets foretell of the Kingdom celebration of this feast among all the redeemed, both Jew and non-Jew: Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles (Zechariah 14:16). It makes sense that Sukkot will be the preeminent feast in the Kingdom since Messiah is now dwelling with His people!

Yet within this Fall feast is also hidden the secondary aspect of Messiah’s work; namely His suffering for the atonement of our sins. This means that there must be some kind of connection between Sukkot and the First Coming of the Messiah as the Messianic Jews would see it. I find it interesting that there has always been some debate about when Yeshua was actually born in the world. Most Western Christians celebrate Christmas on December 25 as the designated day to remember the Messiah’s First Coming. Perhaps many people, both Jews and Gentiles, have overlooked the important holy day of Sukkot as God’s time to celebrate the First Coming of Messiah as well? As the Jewish believer wrote in the first century: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt (literally, tabernacled) among us (John 1:1 and 14).

The last day of Sukkot is an additional festival day that the Torah calls The Eighth Day (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Gp – On the Last and Greatest Day of the Feast). If Yeshua was born on the first day of the feast of Booths, they must have circumcised Him on the day called the “Eighth Day,” thereby literally fulfilling the scripture which says: On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised (Lev 12:3).

How perfect! As the writer thinks of the First Coming of Yeshua, he makes the connection to our ancient feast of Sukkot. Indeed, Messiah dwelt with His people at His First Coming to Isra’el as Ben Yosef. Through His death and resurrection, Yeshua of Nazareth is able to fulfill the other aspect of the Messianic call as Ben David. He is returning soon to complete the whole plan of the Father. By Rabbi Barney Kasdan

The Opposition to King Messiah

After the stage of observation and interrogation the Sanhedrin made their official decision that Jesus was demon possessed (to see link click Ek – It is only by Beelzebub, the Prince of Demons, that This Fellow Drives Out Demons). He was obviously performing miracles, but, He did not believe in the Oral Law. The rabbis taught that when the Messiah came He would not only believe in the Oral Law, but He would participate in the making of new oral laws. Being God and knowing that the Oral Law (see Ei – The Oral Law) was merely the traditions of men (Mark 7:7), Yeshua would have nothing to do with it. Consequently, His claim of being the Messiah and the offering of the Messianic Kingdom was rejected. And because He did not believe in the Oral Law . . . they killed Him.

What happens in this next section is different. The masses gradually begin to accept the pharisaic explanation that the Lord was demon possessed. Therefore, the key phrase in this section is: the people were divided (John 7:43). It covers a three-month period in the last year of Christ’s ministry, from the Feast of Booths (or Sukkot) in October to the Feast of Dedication (or Hanukkah) in December. Only Luke and John cover this material, both emphasizing two different facets. Luke emphasizes Jesus’ ministry in the area of Judea in general, whereas John emphasizes His ministry in the Holy City of Jerusalem.⁹²⁶

The Son of Man Has No Place to Lay His Head
Matthew 8:19-22 and Luke 9:57-62

The Son of Man has no where to lay His head DIG: Where were Jesus and His apostles traveling? Why? How does the Lord respond to the excuses offered by these potential followers? What do His responses teach us about discipleship? In your own words, what does each of Christ’s sayings mean? What is His point?

REFLECT: How did you first become aware of the cost of following the Meshiach? Where do you feel that tension now? If He were to say to you: Follow Me today, and you used one of your favorite excuses for putting things off, what would happen?

After crossing over the Jordan River into Perea, Jesus was walking along the road and met several “casual disciples” on His way up to Jerusalem. Yeshua knew human nature is fickle, unstable and self-centered. Many people are attracted to Him by excitement, glamor, or the hope of personal benefit. They are quick to jump on the bandwagon when things are going well, but, as soon as the cause becomes unpopular or demands sacrifice they break their ankles jumping off. At first they look as if they are alive for Messiah and often give glowing testimonies, but, when their association with Him begins to cost more than they bargained for they lose interest and are never seen again in the local church or messianic synagogue. As the Bible commentator R. C. H. Lenski observes, such a person “sees the soldiers in the parade, the fine uniforms, and the glittering arms and is eager to join, forgetting the exhausting marches, the bloody battles, and the graves, perhaps unmarked.”⁹²¹

Jesus had said that His yoke was easy and His burden was light (to see link click Ee – Come to Me, All Who are Weary, and Burdened and I Will Give You Rest); however, this did not imply that Christ made light demands on those who would be His disciples. His yoke was easy because He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds we have been healed (First Peter 2:24). Here, we have a picture of how rigorous the demands of Messiah are for those who would follow Him.

We have already seen three levels of discipleship. First, we must deny ourselves; secondly, we must take up our cross; and thirdly, we must follow the Good Shepherd. All three are elaborated on here. It is important to remember that the apostles were also disciples, but, all disciples were not apostles.

First, you must count the costs before becoming a disciple. A Torah-teacher came to Him and said: Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go (Matthew 8:19; Luke 9:57). Unlike most of the Torah-teachers, this one, on the surface, seemed at least for the moment to approve of the Lord. Torah-teachers who were also disciples are mentioned as well in Matthew 13:52, 23:34. But, these were notable exceptions to every other reference to the lawyers of Yeshua’s day. However, even being held in such high esteem, Christ was calling His followers to some costly sacrifices that many people were not prepared to make.

No doubt that Torah-teacher felt he was paying a high price in volunteering to follow Messiah and going through the process of discipleship after already being a scribe would be a humbling and time-consuming experience. Jesus, however, warns His prospective disciple that even such a sacrifice will prove inadequate when He said: If anyone would come after Me, they must first deny themselves (Luke 9:23a).⁹²² There is no denial here; he was too hasty. The Master replied: Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head (Mt 8:20; Lk 9:58). The first use of the phrase Son of Man in Matthew gives unusual weight to the literal meaning of the Aramaic phrase, a human being. The Lord knew the zeal of the pharisaic Judaism to quiet His voice. The emphasis here is less about the loss of a soft place to sleep, and more about His ultimate rejection in Tziyon.

Secondly, once you are committed, do not delay. To another potential recruit, Christ said: Follow me. But the man replied: Lord, first let me go and bury my father (Mattityahu 8:21; Luke 9:59). This could have several meanings. First, it was probable that his father was not dead yet. Jesus has been criticized here for being too harsh. But, the point is the father is not even dead yet! The rabbis teach that the first-born son (this man seems like the first born) was to stay with the father until he died. After he died, the son was to stay for one year and say the special kaddish prayer for him, and only then was the son free to go wherever he wanted.

Next, during the Second Temple period that Jesus ministered in, there were two burials for a traditional Jew. The first burial was immediately after death, at which time the body was properly prepared and then placed in a burial niche in a cave or tomb. The second burial would take place after the one-year mourning period, in which the bones of the deceased were then placed in a special burial box known as an ossuary. There is a parallel custom in Judaism today. The immediate family of the departed loved one is called to a period of mourning for one year. At the end of that time, the headstone of the grave is unveiled to symbolize the end of the mourning period.⁹²³ But, whatever excuse he had, Yeshua told him: Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God (Matthew 8:22; Luke 9:60). He was too slow. He violated the second principle of discipleship, and take up their cross daily (Luke 9:23b).

Since these customs were not Torah requirements, those men would have been placing custom over His personal call to follow Messiah immediately. This saying, let the dead bury their own dead, contains a word play on “dead.” The Lord’s response actually means: Let those who are spiritually dead bury those who are physically dead. In this pun the spiritually dead are those who do not follow Jesus (Luke 15:24, 32; John 5:24-25; Romans 6:13; Ephesians 2:1 and 5:14). This shows that those who are alive in Christ should make His Kingdom their highest priority.

Thirdly, there must be a division of loyalty. Still another said: I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family (Luke 9:61). This man’s request was similar to that of Elisha in First Kings 19:19-21. Yet, although Elijah granted the young man’s request, Yeshua did not. God’s Kingdom has come, and the summons to follow the Good Shepherd takes precedence over everything else. The old family relationships are part of what one must leave behind to follow Him (Luke 5:11, 28).⁹²⁴ Jesus replied: No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62). The members of this man’s family were keeping him from making a full commitment. This man was not making a proper choice between his family and Messiah. His spiritual priorities were out of order. If your family is making you choose between them and Christ, break all ties that would hold you back.

The Savior challenges the excuses of those whose commitment is weak. To the excuses of those who reject Him altogether (Luke 14:18-20), He responded with anger and withdrew His offer. In reality, either kind of excuse seems foolish, like the excuses people embrace today, “I can’t believe in Yeshua because I’m Jewish” – but, all the early believers were Jewish, as well as many since. “I’ll have to give up too much” – yet far less than what is to be gained. “I’ll lose my friends” – but, Messiah Himself said: Truly I tell you, no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for Me and the Gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields – along with persecutions – and in the age to come eternal life (Mark 10:29-30). To all the excuses people come up with, the Bible has answers . . . but, there is no guarantee people will accept them.⁹²⁵

As the Time Approached,
Jesus Resolutely Set Out for Jerusalem
Luke 9:51-56 and John 7:10

As the time approached, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem DIG: Why was Messiah’s departure for Jerusalem delayed? Why do you think the Lord chose to avoid the usual method of travel to the Holy City? Why was the festival of Sukkot a turning point in the Good Shepherd’s ministry? What prophet from the TaNaKh foresaw this event? What was the most direct route? What happened? How did two of His apostles react? What detour did they take? What was the end result?

REFLECT: Are you willing to let Jesus work in your life when He is ready, and in the way He chooses? How do you react when you’re in the middle of a trial? How good are you at making spiritual adjustments? Are you “stuck” in your ways? Why should you change? How? When? How do you treat unbelievers who are rude and hostile?

After Messiah’s half-brothers had left for the festival, He went also, not publicly, but in secret (John 7:10). His departure for Jerusalem is delayed. He waited until His half-brothers were already gone (to see link click Gj – Even Jesus’ Brothers Did Not Believe in Him). Jesus is the Master of every situation. So, now He goes up to the Holy City when He is ready, and in the way He chooses. When John says Christ did not go up publicly and in secret, he means the Lord did not go up to Yerushalayim with the pilgrim caravan. We can see how large such a group might consist of from the incident when Jesus was twelve (see Ba – The Boy Jesus at the Temple). Nothing could be more public than to journey in such a company. Yeshua avoided such a conspicuous method of travel.⁹¹⁹ But, that didn’t mean that no one saw Him as we will see in our next file.

The festival of Sukkot marked an important turning point in the life and ministry of Yeshua ha-Mashiach. He was fully conscious of what awaited Him in the City of David. Now Yeshua turned His face to the heavenly City to face the opposition of the religious leaders that would culminate in His death and resurrection. As the time approached for Him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Yerushalayim despite all the difficulty and danger (Luke 9:51). Jesus made several trips to Tziyon, but Luke telescoped them to make his point that the Lord had to get to the Holy City to present Himself as the Messiah.⁹²⁰ Therefore, He set His face like a flint for Jerusalem (see my commentary on Isaiah Ir –Because the Sovereign LORD Helps Me, I Will Set My Face Like a Flint). Christ realized that this will be His last festival of Booths before He is received up to heaven. The festival of Sukkot marked the last six months of His life.

Jesus took the direct route from Galilee to the City of David that would take Him through Samaria. And the Galilean Rabbi sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for Him; but the people there did not welcome Him, because He was heading south for Zion (Luke 9:52-53). He had already gone through Samaria once before but He had been traveling north (see Ca – Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman). The Samaritans had no trouble with Jews going away from Jerusalem, but, they did not want Samaria to be a thoroughfare for Jews going south toward it because they did not consider Jerusalem a holy city. They considered Mount Gerizim in the northern kingdom of Isra’el to be the only holy city. According to Josephus in his Antiquity of the Jews, Samaritans were known to kill Jews passing through Samaria on their way to Yerushalayim.

James and John, the sons of thunder, were incensed and considered such rejection worthy of judgment when they asked: Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them (Luke 9:54)? They had recently been with the Messiah on the mount of transfiguration (see Gb – Jesus took Peter, James and John up a High Mountain where He was Transfigured) and had seen Elijah, the prophet who had once called down fire from heaven on Mount Carmel. In addition, Yeshua had given them wonderful powers in the recent Galilean campaign. It did not require a great leap of imagination for them to believe that calling down fire now to wipe out this inhospitable village of detestable Samaritans who dared slight their Master was out of the question.

However misguided their request, their conclusion was true. Those who rejected the Savior of Sinners were to be judged. But, the time of judgment had not yet come. So, Christ turned and rebuked them. Then for the night’s lodging He and His talmidim went to another village, probably across the Jordan River in Perea (Luke 9:55-56). The usual route of the Galilean Jews in going to the City of David was on the eastern side of the Jordan River. This road would be less traveled because the festival of Sukkot had already begun, and it would also relieve any further conflict with Samaritans. A journey through Samaria would normally take about three days. But, because it took longer to get there, Jesus did not arrive in Jerusalem until the middle of the week. Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the Temple courts and begin to teach (John 7:14).

Even Jesus’ Brothers Did Not Believe in Him
John 7: 2-9

Even Jesus’ brothers did not believe in Him DIG: Why did the religious leaders want to kill the renegade Rabbi (Jn 5:18)? In urging Jesus to attend this feast, are His half-brothers being sincere or sarcastic? What does the Lord say is the difference between Him and His half-brothers? What were they taunting Him to do? Why did the world hate Yeshua? When Messiah said His time had not yet come, what did He mean?

REFLECT: Do you face any family opposition to or ridicule of your faith? How do you deal with it? How does Christ’s situation help? Are you more likely to be cautious or daring in sharing your faith with your family?

We have already seen that the Jewish leadership wanted to kill Jesus because He had healed the invalid at Bethesda on the Sabbath and because He had expressed His equality with ADONAI (John 5:16-18). The hatred of His opponents meant that the Lord could no longer move openly. Now the festival of Booths was imminent again, one of the three mandatory feasts for all Jewish men. The Jewish people knew from Zechariah 14:16-21 that Sukkot was to be fulfilled in the messianic Kingdom. So, as Jesus prepared to go up to Jerusalem for the festival of Sukkot, there was great anticipation on Messiah’s part, on the part of the Sanhedrin, and also on the part of the minds of the people.

But when the Jewish festival of Sukkot was near, Jesus’ brothers (adelphos) tried to goad Him into going to Yerushalayim (John 7:2).  Adelphos means brother, but, the context determines if it means from the same womb or a brother in the Lord. There are other verses in the B’rit Chadashah that point to the fact that Yeshua had half-brothers whose mother was also Mary (to see link click Ey – Jesus’ Mother and Brothers and Fj – Isn’t This The Carpenter’s Son? Aren’t His Brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Jude)? The Greek word for cousin (anepsios) is not used here, neither is the word for relative (suggenes).

Christ’s half-brothers said to Him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your talmidim there may see the works you do (John 7:3). They wanted Jesus to show off His miraculous power in Jerusalem and taunted Him, suggesting that He should go to the City and perform magic tricks in order to rally the world behind Him. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret, they said; since You are doing these things, show Yourself to the world (John 7:4). The Lord had placed Himself under the Torah (Galatians 4:4; Romans 15:8) and observed all 613 of the commandments perfectly (see Dg – The Completion of the Torah), even those concerning visiting at the feasts. But, Messiah committed the exact timing of His going up to Jerusalem to the guidance of His Father. His obedience towards God’s commandments had nothing to do with ambition for popularity, contrary to the suggestion of His still unbelieving half-brothers.⁹¹⁴

The unbelief that characterized Nazareth where Jesus grew up had also permeated the home in which Yeshua grew up. They had certainly seen His miracles and probably stood among those who wanted to make Him king for selfish reasons. Their taunt suggests that if their maverick brother were the genuine article, He wouldn’t mind calling their bluff. Just like Joseph, (see the commentary on Genesis Iy – Joseph’s Coat of Many Colors) even His own half-brothers did not believe in Him (John 7:5). The imperfect form pictures continual unbelief. They believed that the Lord might be able to dazzle Tziyon, but, they had not begun to perceive the miracles that He had already performed.⁹¹⁵

This insult of half-brothers is a painful illustration of the loneliness of Our Savior and His work at this time. The Good Shepherd was hated in the Holy City, disliked by many in Galilee, hunted by His enemies, and ridiculed and insulted now by these half-brothers who had lost faith in Him and would attempt to force Him out of His hiding.⁹¹⁶

Therefore, Jesus answered them by saying: My (predestined) time is not yet here (John 7:6a). Several times throughout John’s gospel, Yeshua speaks of His hour or His time, which refers to the moment His glory would be revealed to the world. The means of His glory would be suffering, which most of His followers did not understand, even on the eve of His arrest and crucifixion. In every instance except this one, the term He used was (Greek: hora) hour. In this case, He used the word (Greek: karios) time. Secular Greek literature and the Septuagint, or the Greek translation of the TaNaKh used this term to indicate a decisive moment in which one year gives way to another.⁹¹⁷

For you any time will do. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of its sin, and that its works are evil (John 7:6b-7). Christ recognized the nation’s hatred of Him and explained that it had come from the fact that He had exposed their sin. The nation was devoted to the pursuit of pharisaic righteousness and refused to accept Messiah’s condemnation of it. They rejected Yeshua’s judgment that they were unrighteous and would not be acceptable to God unless they received His righteousness. Jesus knew that to go to Jerusalem was to expose Himself to the hatred of those whose sin He had publicly revealed.⁹¹⁸

The Rabbi from Galilee said to His brothers: You go to the festival of Sukkot with the other pilgrims to the City of David. I AM not going because my time has not yet fully come. Jesus was not saying that He wouldn’t go there. It means that He would not go right at that moment. But, more importantly, He would not go in response to their challenge. Christ was working out the implications of His messiahship in His own way, not theirs. After He had said this, He stayed in Galilee a little while longer (John 7:8-9). Only in the next file does He resolutely set out for Jerusalem more discreetly with His apostles through Samaria. This was a very wise decision to keep down the excitement on the part of the multitudes in the Daughter of Zion (Jer 6:2). Thus, He did not go up to the Temple courts until halfway through the festival (John 7:14).

If Brother or Sister Sins, Go and Point Out Their Fault
Matthew 18: 15-35

If brother of sister sins, go and point out their fault DIG: Whom is Jesus addressing? What kind of brother is this? For what desired result? This reconciliation process involves what four stages? What obstacles frustrate the process? What authority is given to Christ’s followers to aid this process? Offenders in Messiah’s day were forgiven up to three times; a fourth offense would not be forgiven. What does Yeshua’s answer say about forgiveness in the Kingdom? How does the parable of the unforgiving servant explain the Lord’s teaching on forgiveness?

REFLECT: What happens to this process of reconciliation if it is short-circuited by someone “going public” right away? What has driven home the importance of forgiveness to you? How can we forgive, yet not encourage irresponsibility? Since God through Jesus has forgiven us a huge debt, should we not be gracious and quick to forgive those around us today? How can you forgive someone from the distant past who hurt you deeply? Do they have to asked for forgiveness for you to forgive them? Why? Why not? What is the connection between forgiveness, health and wholeness? In refusing to be merciful to others, what do we deny ourselves? Do we forgive others so ADONAI will forgive us, or does ADONAI forgive us so that we will have a forgiving attitude?

In the previous file, Christ had commanded believers to be at peace with each other (Mark 9:50 CJB). Since it is inevitable that divisions will arise among believers, Yeshua now teaches the Twelve how these divisions may be reconciled so that the unity of the congregations of God would not be broken. Messiah was giving principles by which one believer should deal with another believer when one has been offended by the other.⁹⁰⁸ The context here is the local church or messianic synagogue, not natural family relationships.

When your brother (Greek: adelphos) or sister sins against you, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you (Mattityahu 18:15a). The word brother (adelphos) can mean either “from the same womb,” or a brother or sister in the Lord. It is presumed here that the situation has risen to the point where personal offense had not been forgiven. It is crucial to note that the situation is to be confronted with a spirit of humility. This keeps the problem at the lowest possible level, and avoids gossip because the offended person is not to talk to anyone else before confronting the offender. In addition, the offended party might avoid the embarrassment of discovering their own culpability for part of the problem, and then having to go back and explain that sorry fact to all the people they blabbed to inappropriately before confronting the person who supposedly offended them!

There are four steps in discipline for believers, but first, let me say that in this litigious society that we live in today it would be wise to distinguish between members and visitors. Trying to go through this process with someone who does not consider your church or messianic synagogue their spiritual home is like trying to discipline your neighbor’s kids. It can only lead to bad feelings at best or a lawsuit at worst. Non-members who continually cause problems can be asked to attend somewhere else. And even if they are members many places of worship are including this information in their membership classes so that people seeking membership have a chance to agree to this process. Some churches or messianic synagogues, have been sued and lost their property because they tried to discipline someone who did not agree to this process beforehand. In my humble opinion this is wisdom for today.

Firstly, the offended person goes to the offender privately (not during refreshments). If you talk to anyone else before hand, then you have already violated the principle. If they listen to you and make the adequate adjustment, you have won them over (Matthew 18:15b). This is always the initial step to consider. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins (First Peter 4:8). If agreement is reached, then the relationship is repaired. But, the person may not listen, may not see the sin you are talking about, or may disagree about your judgment. If no agreement is reached, how can you know the truth? You wouldn’t have to go privately if this was a natural brother or sister.

Messiah’s second step answers that problem in a very practical and spiritual manner. But if they will not listen, privately take one or two others along to try to restore the broken relationship, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses (Mt 18:16) as seen in the Torah principle of Deuteronomy 19:15. Now it would be time for some outside assistance. In practical terms, it would be best if the witnesses were from the spiritual leadership of the church or messianic synagogue. In fact, an unqualified person or someone who would take sides in the disagreement could blow up the entire process. It is still kept private to avoid gossip and further complications with anyone outside the two people involved. And a qualified person or two might be able to give some objective insight toward resolving the situation.

Thirdly, but if they still refuse to listen, there will be more serious consequences. By then, it should be coming clear what really took place between the two people. It’s moved beyond the personal opinion of each party because an objective witness or witnesses have prayerfully evaluated the evidence and interaction between the two. At this point it should be confirmed that there is indeed sin on the part of one person. Because this truth was not received in the individual or group confrontation, the next step is to tell the church or messianic synagogue the details of the sinful action. As mentioned above, I think it is wise to only discipline church or messianic synagogue members who have voluntarily placed themselves under the authority of elder leadership. At this point, there is still a chance of restoration if the guilty person listens to the larger body of believers. But, every step is taken with the hope of restoration and not retribution. The context here is wide and not narrow as it would be if it were just in your immediate family.

And fourthly, if they refuse to listen even to the church or messianic synagogue, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector (Matthew 18:17). In the Jewish context, this would mean that they would be disfellowshiped from the congregation and treated as an untouchable. It is important to understand that there is no indication of the loss of personal salvation. The person is still a brother or sister in Christ, although, an unrepentant, sinful brother or sister. Even at this point, there should be not judgment on the person’s salvation. Such things are left to ADONAI. But, if they refuse all the attempts at reconciliation and repentance, then they are to be treated as a pagan. The lesson would be clear to Yeshua’s audience. Such a person would be excommunicated and cut off from the fellowship of believers. This is to protect the remaining flock from being affected from the leaven from their midst. It may also be necessary to make the offender face the reality of their sin and repent. The gates of repentance should always be open.⁹⁰⁹ The context here is not your immediate physical family, but, the spiritual family of God.

In Pharisaic Judaism and in modern rabbinical courts, there are three specific levels of excommunication. The first level is called the heziphah, which is simply a rebuke that lasted anywhere from seven to thirty days and was merely disciplinary. It could not be taken unless pronounced by three rabbis. That was the lowest level of excommunication. An example of heziphah is found in First Timothy 5:1. The second level is called niddui, which means to throw out. It would last a minimum of thirty days or more and was also disciplinary. A niddui had to be pronounced by ten rabbis. An example of this second type is found in Second Thessalonians 3:14-15 and Titus 3:10. The third and worst level of excommunication is called cherem, which means to be devoted to destruction. This third level was permanent. It means to be unsynagogued, or to be put out of the Temple and to be separated from the Jewish community. The rest of the Jews considered someone under the cherem curse to be dead and no communication of any kind of relationship could be carried on with the person whatsoever. This third type is found in 1 Corinthians 5:1-7, Matthew 18:15-20, and John 9:18-23.

In view of the fact that this is a very difficult situation to deal with, Jesus gives a special promise to those in spiritual leadership. The mediators and counselors who seek the Lord’s wisdom on these sensitive issues are assured they will be assisted. Yes! I tell you that whatever you prohibit on earth will be prohibited in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven (18:18). This is not a blank check for our desires nor is it even related to prayer as many suppose. As in Matthew 16 (to see link click Fx – On This Rock I Will Build My Church), we remember the terminology reflects rabbinic decisions, not personal requests. For example, the Talmud speaks of binding a day by declaring it a fast day (Tractate Ta’anit 12a), thus making food prohibited. The Greek perfect tense here points to the fact that whatever is already the LORD’s decision in heaven will be revealed to the godly church leadership on earth. Whether it is prohibited (Hebrew: asur) or permitted (Hebrew: mutar). This passage deals with making legal judgments and halakhah, not prayer. The context of Christ’s promise here must be kept in mind.

The context here is church or messianic synagogue discipline, not demonic warfare. Binding demons or binding the Adversary would not fit the context. The authority of prohibiting (legislatively) and permitting (judicially) was given to the twelve apostles. The church or messianic synagogue is seen in a judicial sense, but not to the degree of the apostles, because they could issue a death sentence (Acts 5:1-11). The church or messianic synagogue can choose to dis-fellowship or not to dis-fellowship. By the way, if you have an acquaintance that is binding Satan in their prayer life, we have a big problem. It seems that somebody keeps letting him go! I don’t know about your neighborhood, but the devil is pretty active in mine.

Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven (Matthew 18:19). Pulled out of context, people use this as a prayer promise. They pray and say, “Let us agree together, and the Lord will bless it and it will be done.” But, the context here is not about prayer; it is about church discipline. The two people who agree are the same two witnesses in 18:15-17, who are confronting the sinner. This is explaining the confrontation of step four in 18:17b. The dis-fellowshiping is explained in First Corinthians 5:1-7. Their sin has to cost them something. The sinner is placed under the devil’s authority for the destruction of the flesh, or physical death. It does not affect salvation. Normally Satan has no authority over the death of a believer. So when a believer dies (First Thessalonians 4:13-17), it is Jesus who takes them home to be with Him. The Greek literally reads that they sleep through Jesus, or on account of Jesus. But, there is an exception to the rule – a disfellowshiped believer. So the actions of the messianic synagogue, which were backed up by the two or three witnesses is recognized in heaven and God allows the ancient Serpent to take that believer’s life. That is the point of Matthew 18:19, and, once again, it has nothing to do with prayer promises.

For where two or three gather in My name, there am I with them (Matthew 18:20). This is not the definition of a local church, as some have supposed. A local church is under the authority of elders or overseers. It has an organized body with a chain of authority. The issue here, once again, deals with church discipline. The two or three are the same two witnesses of Mattityahu 18:15-17 who are witnessing to the church that the sinner has not repented. If their testimony is valid, then Christ is among them validating their testimony. Reflecting a similar promise, the Talmud states, “If two sit together and words of Torah pass between them, the Shechinah abides between them (Tractate Avot 3:2). And, because Jesus Himself is authenticating their testimony, God can remove His protection from the sinner. Satan can put the sinner to death.⁹¹⁰

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked: Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times (Matthew 18:21)? Notice that he did not ask Yeshua about prayer, prohibiting evil spirits or permitting prosperity! Kefa understood that the principle here related to the main theme of forgiveness and restoration. Actually he must have thought he was being quite generous here because the rabbis required to forgive three times and after that a person was not obligated to forgive again (Tractate Yoma 86:2, which is a rabbinical commentary on Amos 1:2).

But, Messiah once again expanded the current thought on the topic from not seven times, but seventy times seven times (Mt 18:22). This limitless number shows that God’s forgiveness is boundless. The number seven is often used as a biblical metaphor as the number of completeness (see my commentary on Genesis Ae – The Number Seven). Perhaps Yeshua had in mind the Torah passage that speaks of Lamech’s unlimited vengeance (Genesis 4:24), in contrast to the unlimited forgiveness. True forgiveness does not count up the offenses.

This parable is so severe that many people conclude thought that the principle Jesus taught could not possibly apply to believers. But, just as it is sometimes necessary for a parent to deal harshly with a persistently disobedient child, it is also sometimes necessary for the Lord to deal harshly with His persistently disobedient children. The writer to the Hebrews reminded his readers of what God had taught His people almost a thousand years earlier: For ADONAI disciplines those He loves and whips everyone He accepts as His child (Heb 12:6; Prov 3:12). Some of the Corinthian believers had become so immoral that God put them on sickbeds and even caused some to die (1 Cor 11:30). He struck Ananias and Sapphira dead for lying to the Ruach Ha’Kodesh (Acts 5:1-10). God is sometimes strict with His sinful children because sometimes that is the only way He can correct their disobedience and protect the purity and holiness of His Church.⁹¹¹

Yeshua introduces the parable specifically stating that it is about the kingdom of Heaven, whose true citizenship includes only believers. Not only that, but He tells the parable for this reason, that is, as a direct response to Peter’s question about forgiving a brother in Matthew 18:21, which in turn was a response to Christ’s teaching about discipline within the local church or messianic synagogue. Kefa was obviously a believer and his reference to my brother or sister points to fellow believers, especially in light of the fact that Matthew 18 focuses on believers, the Lord’s little ones who believe in Him (Mt 18:6 and 10). So the one major point of the parable of the unforgiving servant is the need for believers to forgive each other.

For this reason, the kingdom of Heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servant. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him (Matthew 18:23-24). Jesus presents the attitude of God, pictured here as the king, concerning forgiveness of and by His children, or servants. The citizens of God’s Kingdom are also children in His heavenly family, and this parable speaks of Him both as master, representing the king, and heavenly Father. The king appointed governors whose primary responsibility was to collect taxes on his behalf. It was probably in regard to such taxes that the king wanted to settle accounts, and the man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was probably such a tax-collecting official. At any rate, he was a person of great responsibility who owed a great amount of money to the king. The occasion was perhaps the regular, periodic time that the king had established to settle accounts with his governors. Just as seventy times seven (Matthew 18:22) represents a limitless number of times, ten thousand bags of gold represents a limitless amount of money.

Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt (Mattityahu 18:25). Such a payment sounds bizarre to us today, but in the ancient Middle East, it was a realistic option. The Torah allowed indentured slavery as an option for those who were in excessive debt (see my commentary on Exodus Dz – If You Buy a Hebrew Servant). It was not the abusive, life long, slavery that was practiced in America in the 1800’s. It was the old fashioned way of filing for bankruptcy. While no one wanted to live that way, often the slave was treated more like a family member than a hired servant. The man responsible would certainly sell his own service to repay his debt and, in extreme cases, his family was also enslaved because they were considered his property.⁹¹²

Realizing his inexcusable guilt and sensing the king’s goodness, the servant fell on his knees before him. “Be patient with me,” he begged, “and I will pay back everything” (Matthew 18:26). Impossible as it really was, that fact did not deter him from begging for a chance to make good on his debt. He didn’t really understand the hopelessness of repaying his debt, but, his heart was in the right place.

The king knew that, despite his good intentions, the servant could never do what he promised; but, the king didn’t criticize him for his foolish and worthless offer. Instead, the master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go (Matthew 18:27). That is what God does with the debt of sin when we come to Him and ask for forgiveness (First John 1:9). It was not until the prodigal son reached the absolute bottom of life that he came face to face with his foolish ways. He had turned his back on his father and family to live an utterly selfish life in a pagan land. And, when his money was gone so were his phony friends. The only work he could find was the most demeaning possible for a Jew – slopping pigs. While in the pigpen he came to his senses and said to himself: How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.” But, even before the son could speak to his father, while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The father did not criticize or accept his offer. Instead, he said to his servants: Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and now is found (Luke 15:11-24).

What happens next seems inconceivable, until we realize we are very capable of doing the same exact thing. But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants (or a fellow believer) who owed him a hundred silver coins. Greek a hundred denarii; represented a hundred days labor for a common laborer during Yeshua’s day. An insignificant amount when compared to the limitless amount of money that he owed the king. Although the second debt was extremely small by comparison, it still represented a real offense. Messiah was not teaching that sins against fellow believers are insignificant, but they are minute compared to the offenses we have committed against God and for which He has freely and completely forgiven us. But, instead of remembering the king’s compassion, he grabbed his fellow servant and began to choke him. “Pay back what you owe me!” he demanded (Mattityahu 18:28).

His fellow servant also fell to his knees and made his plea with exactly the same words as the unforgiving servant had previously said to the King, and begged him, “Be patient with me, and I will pay it back” (Matthew 18:29). But with unimaginable callousness, the unforgiving servant refused. Instead, he went off and threw his subordinate into prison until he could pay the debt (Matthew 18:30). The king forgave his limitless debt, but he was unwilling to forgive someone who owed him such a small amount. This parable is an unflattering illustration of the sinful flesh that resides within every believer and that has caused great conflict and damage within the Church since its birth (Acts 2:1-47).

When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened (Matthew 18:31). Believers should be outraged when a fellow believer is unforgiving. Hardness of heart not only tends to drive the offender deeper into sin but also causes dissension and division within the congregations of God, tarnishes our testimony before the world, and deeply grieves the Lord Himself.

As would be expected, the king was incensed when he heard the news and called the unforgiving servant in. “You wicked servant,” he said, “I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you” (Matthew 18:32-33)? When a believer allows sin to control an attitude or action, he or she is being wicked, because sin is always sin, and it doesn’t matter if a believer or an unbeliever commits it. The sin of unforgiveness is in some ways even more wicked in a believer because they have the power of the Holy Spirit to help them resist it. How can a person accept God’s mercy for all his sin, an unpayable debt, and then not forgive some small offense committed against himself?

Earlier, the unforgiving servant’s plea for patience had moved the king to compassion and forgiveness. But, now the man’s refusal to forgive his fellow servant moved the king to action. Moved with anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured (not executed), until he should pay back all he owed, that is, until he had a change of heart and forgave his fellow servant his debt (Matthew 18:34). When believers forget their own divine forgiveness by God and refuse to extend human forgiveness to fellow believers, the Lord puts them under such tortures (we must remember that the details of a parable cannot be pressed) as stress, hardship, pressure, or other difficulties until the sin is confessed and forgiveness granted. As James reminds us: Judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy (James 2:13 NASB).

Then highlighting the main spiritual point of the parable. Yeshua exhorts Kefa and the other talmidim: This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart (Matthew 18:35). Jesus is not speaking here of the forgiveness that brings salvation, saying that God only saves those who are forgiving. That would be works of righteousness. He is speaking of people forgiving each other after they have experienced His free grace. Those who are saved and indwelt with the Ruach Ha’Kodesh generally will display that changed life by having a forgiving attitude (Matthew 6:14-15). But, there will be times when we fall into the sin of unforgiveness, and this instruction is for those times.

When someone says or does something against us that seems unforgivable, it is helpful to pray, “El Shaddai, put in me the heart of forgiveness, so that I may fellowship with You and not experience the discipline that comes when You don’t forgive me because I won’t forgive a brother or sister in the Lord. May I remember that for everyone who sins against me I have sinned countless times against You, and You have always forgiven me. At no time has any of my sin caused me to forfeit my eternal life; therefore, no one else’s sin should cause them to forfeit my love and my mercy toward them.”⁹¹³

If Anyone Causes One of These Little Ones to Stumble
Matthew 18:6-14; Mark 9:38-50; Luke 9:49-50

If anyone causes one of these little ones to stumble DIG: What is ironic about Mark 9:38-41? What does it mean to do something “in Jesus’ name?” Why is causing a child to sin such a serious offense? Although evil is inevitable, how are we still responsible to care for others’ spiritual welfare? What does Messiah’s parable in Matthew 18:12-14 teach about God’s attitude toward little ones? Toward wandering sheep? What four things does the Lord say would be better? What is His point in using this figurative language?

REFLECT: When was the last time you gave a cup of cold water to someone in need? Where will your reward be? What might be an area in your life that causes problems for others? What will you do about it? When have you felt like the sheep that wandered off? How did God get you back? What needs to change in your attitude toward those who wander? Toward the weak? The powerless?

In the previous file, the lesson was to be childlike; the lesson in this file is receive those who are childlike. After being rebuked about claiming to be the greatest, the disciples try to change the subject. But the problem was the same, the problem of status. The previous section dealt with the status within the disciples themselves, but this section deals with the status of the disciples in relationship to others.

“Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us” (Mark 9:38: Luke 9:49). This is a clear example of pride. He is not one of us, meaning not part of the twelve apostles. This someone they were referring to may have been a disciple of John the Baptist, who by faith had come to Christ. But, he was not a member of the inner circle! What irked the talmidim was even though this disciple of John’s was not one of them, he was being successful at it! And what made matters even worse was that nine of them doubtless remembered their own failure in that regard (to see link click Gd – Jesus Heals a Demon Possessed Boy).

Once again Messiah rebukes them. Do not stop him, Jesus said. For no one who does a miracle in My name can in the next moment say anything bad about Me (Mark 9:39), for whoever is not against us is for us (Mark 9:40; Luke 9:50). If one is working for Yeshua, in His name (Mark 9:38), that person cannot work against Him at the same time. Not only that, He tells them that anyone can accomplish great things for God without being one of the twelve apostles. If the messianic movement is to grow, others needed to be included outside the original Twelve. Then the Master gives a concrete example of the principle just stated above. Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in My name because you belong to Me will certainly not lose their reward (Mark 9:41). To give a cup of water to one of Messiah’s followers is the same as giving it to Christ Himself. Even the most humble works will be rewarded, it is not necessary to do miracles.

Next Yeshua presents the negative side of the same truth: When a person mistreats a believer that person mistreats the Lord. Then He gives a concrete example: Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for them to have a heavy millstone hung around their neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea (Matthew 18:6; Mark 9:42 NASB)! To stumble (Greek: skandalizo) literally means to cause to fall, and Christ is therefore speaking of enticing, trapping, or influencing believers in any way that would cause them to sin or makes it easier for them to sin. The phrase these little ones who believe in Me, makes it clear that He has in mind the children mentioned in the context of Matthew 18:3-5. This strong illustration would have shocked the crowd. A millstone was the heavy round stone usually pulled by beast of burden in order to pulverize grain into flour – so large as to require brute-strength to turn it. There is no evidence to show that the Jews ever practiced this mode of punishment. It was, however, used by the ancient Syrians, the Romans, the Macedonians and the Greeks. It was inflicted on the worst of the worst, especially on parricides and blasphemers.⁹⁰¹

Unfortunately, the world has always made those stumble that would seek such child-like faith. So Yeshua uses another illustration to bring home His point. Woe to the world because of snares! For there must be snares, but woe to the person who sets the snare (Matthew 18:7 CJB)! A snare was a trap or cage that was set in order to capture an animal. Jewish dietary restrictions would not allow eating any animal that is not properly slaughtered to remove the blood. Therefore, you could not hunt or shoot a kosher animal. The only way to capture a kosher animal was by the use of a snare. While digging a pit or setting a baited cage to catch the animal was an accepted practice, it was also a picture of doing something deceitful. The world is filled with such snares and traps! Jesus even affirmed here that there must be snares. Maybe we can survive the direct arrows and shots, but we must watch out for the hidden snares.

Then Jesus uses hyperbole to emphasize His point. So if your hand or foot becomes a snare for you, cut it off and throw it away! Better that you should be maimed or crippled and obtain eternal life then keep both hands and both feet and be thrown into everlasting fire (Matthew 18:8; Mark 9:43 CJB)! The Lord is obviously speaking figuratively, because no part of our physical bodies causes us to sin, and removing any part of it would not keep us from sinning. The point was that a person should do whatever is necessary, no matter how extreme and painful it might be, to keep from sinning or keep from causing others to sin. Any habit, situation, relationship, or anything else that becomes a snare for you should be permanently given up. Nothing is worth keeping if it leads to sin in any way. However, the implication here is that there is overcoming grace available for victory over temptation and sin.⁹⁰²

But eternal life is so important that if your foot makes you sin, cut it off! Better that you should be lame but obtain eternal life (see Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer), rather than keep both feet and be thrown into Gei-Hinnom (Mark 9:45 CJB). This was the area outside of Jerusalem that was notorious as an area of paganism and idolatry. During the time of Christ it was used as a garbage dump. It was constantly burning with the smell of sulfur, refuse and dead bodies. If a body was not claimed, it was thrown into the fires of Gei-Hinnom. The Greeks later translated the Hebrew term to Gehenna, which evolved to the English word hell. It is easy to see how the world Gei-Hinnom became synonymous with a most wicked place and even the future place of the judgment of the ungodly (Jeremiah 7; Matthew 7).⁹⁰³

Similarly, it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell, where the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched (Mt 18:9; Mk 9:47-48). Isaiah teaches the existence of a new heaven and a new earth (confirmed in 2 Peter 3:13 and Revelation 21-22) in which God’s people will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against the LORD; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched (Isaiah 66:24). When physical bodies are buried and begin to decay, the worms can attack them only as long as the flesh lasts. Once devoured, the body can experience no more harm. But, the resurrected bodies of the damned will never be consumed, and the hellish worms that feed on them will likewise never die.⁹⁰⁴

Therefore, the Bible does not teach annihilationism, which maintains that lost souls will simply cease to exist into nothingness. Those who believe in annihilationism maintain that no one deserves endless suffering. The problem with annihilationism is that it contradicts the teaching of the Bible. Several passages assert the endlessness of the punishment of the wicked. Both Covenants refer to unending or unquenchable fire (Isaiah 66:24; Mark 9:43-48). In addition, there are several passages where words like everlasting, eternal and forever are applied to nouns designating the future state of the wicked (Isaiah 33:14; Dani’el 12:2; Matthew 25:46; 2 Thess 1:9; Jude 6; Revelation 14:11, 20:10). The parallelism found in Matthew 25:46 is particularly noteworthy: If the one (life) is of unending duration, then the other (punishment) must be also.⁹⁰⁵

The lessons from these verses are clear. Eternal life is so fantastic – do all within your powers to find it; however, Gehenna is so terrible – do all within your powers to avoid it. As horrible as removing limbs or an eye might be, spiritual repentance and a change of heart is what’s really needed to wait for God’s Son Yeshua, whom He raised from the dead, to appear from heaven and rescue us from the impending fury of God’s judgment (First Thessalonians 1:10 CJB).

See that you never despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven are continually seeing the face of my Father in heaven (Matthew 18:10 CJB). The phrase: For I tell you, is emphatic, pointing out the importance of what the Lord is about to say. A special judgment is reserved for the ones who set the snare. No doubt this is all a sober statement of the special place children have in the eyes of God. Everyone is judged according to the light they possess, and children appear to be less responsible based on their simple trust. The implication is that the holy angels in heaven never take their eyes off ADONAI lest they miss some direction from Him regarding a task they are to perform on behalf of His little ones.

The Bible does not teach that believers have a guardian angel, as Jewish tradition in Yeshua’s day taught and as many people still believe and teach today. The apostles, praying for Kefa after he was miraculously released from prison, thought that the knock on their door was that of his angel (Acts 12:15). But, that superstitious belief is merely reflected in Acts. It is neither taught nor substantiated here or anywhere else in Scripture.

The Holy Spirit speaks of children and their angels in a collective sense. These angels, whether a distinct group or the whole body of angels, are responsible for the care of God’s little ones, who believe in His Son (Matthew 18:6). The fact that El Shaddai is so concerned about the care of His children that He has His angels ready to defend them at a moment’s notice shows how valuable they are to Him.

Mark adds something about salt when he says: Indeed, everyone is going to be salted with fire. Salt is excellent, but if it loses its saltiness, how will you season it? So have salt in yourselves – that is, be at peace with each other (Mark 9:49-50 CJB). Salt is used to season and as a preservative producing permanence (Matthew 5:13-14). Moshe wrote: If you bring a grain offering of first fruits to ADONAI, you are to bring as the grain offering from your first fruits kernels of grain from fresh ears, dry-roasted with fire (Leviticus 2:13 CJB). Hence it is appropriate for the talmidim, to whom Jesus was speaking, to be living sacrifices themselves (Romans 12:1-2), and to be salted with fire. Observant Jews sprinkle salt on bread before reciting the b’rakhah over it (Mattityahu 14:19); this follows from the rabbinic equating of the home dining table with the Temple altar (Mark 7:2-4; Luke 14:34-35).⁹⁰⁶

The rabbis taught six things about salt that could be applied to the apostles here. First, they taught that the world could not survive without salt; secondly, salt was a necessity of life in the ancient world because it protected from spoiling and was used as a preservative; thirdly, it is generally true that salt does not lose its saltiness. Because of that, some people have a problem with Mark 9:50 because it was used for the sacrifices of the second Temple period. Jesus says: Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? However, that salt was taken from the Dead Sea and it could become insipid and lose its saltiness; fourthly, the disciples themselves can lose their salt-like quality and slip into the thinking of the world; fifthly, salt is a distinctive mark of the talmid, the loss of which will make him or her worthless as far as usefulness to ADONAI; and lastly, they are to retain their salt-like quality and be at peace among themselves.

In order to demonstrate the importance that God attaches to little children, Jesus gave His apostles the parable of the lost sheep. What do you think? was a common phrase used by teachers to get their students to ponder carefully about what was being taught. In His hypothetical story, Jesus asked: If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off (Matthew 18:12)? The idea seems implied that the shepherd knew his flock so well that he sensed the wandering sheep without having to check the entire flock. The shepherd knew each sheep individually (John 10:1-18), and therefore knew instinctively when something was wrong or one of them was missing. He would not give up until he had found and rescued any lost sheep. The loyal shepherd would fight off wolves, bears, lions, thieves, or any other threat to his sheep. When a wandering sheep was found, the shepherd would pour olive oil over any wounds and bind up a broken leg. Then he would tenderly place the sheep on his shoulders and carry it back to the fold.

If a human shepherd can show so much concern for each sheep under his care, how much more does Yeshua ha-Mashiach, the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant (Hebrews 13:20), care when one of His people spiritually wonders off? And if He finds it restores it to Himself, He is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off (Matthew 18:13).

On another occasion, Jesus used the same parable to teach God’s concern for unbelievers. I tell you, He explained, that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine self-righteous people who do not think they need to repent (Luke 15:7). There is a special joy expressed for the sheep that is found not because it is more valued or loved than the others but because its danger, hardship, and great need produce a special concern from the caring shepherd. In the same way, when one child in a family is ill, especially if the child is seriously ill, the mother will devote much more time and attention to him or her than to the other children. And when that child finally gets well, she doesn’t rejoice for the children who have been healthy all along but for the one who was sick and suffering. And if the siblings are loving also, they will rejoice as well at the restoration of their brother or sister. Since the Lord has such tender compassion for all His children, and that their well-being brings Him great joy, we should find ourselves in holy fear of ever looking down on believers whose halo has slipped.

In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish (Matthew 18:14). Although perish (Greek: apollumi) normally carries the ideal of total destruction or even death, it sometimes, as here, refers to ruin or loss that is not permanent. In Romans 14:15 the word parallels lupeo, which means to cause pain or grief: For if because of food your brother is hurt (lupeo), you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy (apollumi) him with your food for whom Christ died. When Jesus speaks of perishing, He relates it to sanctification, or our spiritual growth as believers over the course of our lives. Christ doesn’t want us to be spiritually wounded, even for a little while. When we fall into sin it destroys our usefulness to Him, to the Church, and it weakens our right relationship with Him and other believers. For one believer to wound another believer is to attack the will of ADONAI and oppose Him. The Lord actively seeks the spiritual well-being of all His children, and we should do no less.⁹⁰⁷

The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven
Matthew 18:1-5; Mark 9:33-37; Luke 9:46-48

The greatest in the Kingdom of heaven DIG: What topic were the apostles discussing and debating? How did Jesus settle their dispute? What quality did He call for? According to Messiah, who is great in the eyes of ADONAI? What does it mean to humble oneself like a child? Why do you think this is important for Yeshua’s Kingdom? How did the Lord illustrate the importance of lowly and forgiven people like children?

REFLECT: Why do we get so full of ourselves so often? What happens when you start comparing yourself to other people? Describe humility and give some examples. Our society is a bit different from the ancient Roman Empire. What are the dominant values that our neighbors and colleagues live by? Why is it so difficult to remember to treat others with dignity and respect? What are the dangers of pride?

After the second time Yeshua predicted His death (to see link click Ge – Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time), the talmidim responded with pride and misunderstanding. Nothing shows so well how far the Twelve were from understanding the real meaning of Jesus’ messiah-ship than this incident. He had repeatedly told them of what awaited Him in Yerushalayim. Yet, it was clear that they were still thinking of Christ’s Kingdom as an earthly one, and of themselves as His ministers of state.

They came to Capernaum and an argument broke out among the apostles. There is something heartbreaking about Messiah going to the cross and His talmidim arguing about who was the greatest. In their heart of hearts, however, they knew they were wrong because when Yeshua was in the house and asked them: What were you arguing about on the road? They had nothing to say. But the apostles kept quiet because on the way they had argued among themselves about who was the greatest (Mark 9:33-34; Luke 9:46). They had no defense. It is interesting how things take their proper place and its true character is seen when it is set in the eyes of Jesus.

As long as they thought that Christ was not listening and that He had not seen, the argument seemed fair enough, but when it was exposed to the presence of the Master it was suddenly seen in all its unworthiness. If we spoke and acted as if in the presence of the Lord it would make all the difference in the world. Before acting if we asked ourselves, “Could I go on doing this if Jesus was watching me?” Or if we asked, “Could I go on talking like this if the Lord was listening to me?” there would be many things we would be saved from doing or saying. And if the truth were known, for believers, everything we do and say is in His presence. The Spirit convicts us of sin and reminds us to abstain from using the words or doing the deeds that we would be ashamed of if He should hear or see them.⁸⁹⁵ You can probably hide from your dad, and maybe even from your mom, but you can’t hide from Jesus.

This section comes after Messiah had arranged for Peter to pay Peter’s Temple tax as well as His own (Matthew 17:25). Peter probably thought he was special. Like, the Lord had something “special” for him! And He did. Peter was crucified upside down on a cross. Somehow I don’t think that’s what Peter had in mind. In addition, this incident came after the transfiguration in which three of the apostles were allowed to see the King of kings in all of His glory and the rest did not. At any rate, an argument broke out.

At that time the talmidim came to Jesus and asked: Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven (Mt 18:1)? ” Matthew uses the kingdom of Heaven because he is speaking to a Jewish audience. The Jews then, as well as today, avoid using the word God because it is so sacred to them. They substituted the name ADONAI, or Lord, but for some, like the orthodox Jews, even that name is too holy. So orthodox Jews today use Ha’Shem, or “the name.” When writing, they would never fully spell out “the name,” so they would spell G-d.

They were arguing about who would have the greatest position in the messianic Kingdom when it is set up. No matter how many times Christ would talk about His death and resurrection, they just didn’t get it. They thought the beginning of the messianic Kingdom was imminent. They had a feeling of superiority. Therefore, Yeshua teaches them the lesson of being childlike by using a little child.

When Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled on the Island of Saint Helena, he was asked by one of his friends, “Who was the greatest warrior the world had ever known?” Without hesitation, Napoleon answered, “Jesus Christ.” “But,” his friend said, “you have not always talked that way. When you were winning battles, even up to the battle of Waterloo, you left the impression that you were the world’s greatest warrior.”

This is how Napoleon replied, “Yes, I have always acted as though I thought I was the world’s greatest conqueror. I have had lots of time to think since I have been on this island. The Caesars, Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Charlemagne, and myself – we have fought with blood and tears and swords and iron, and we lost. All of us lost. We lost our scepters, our crowns and our offices. The only sword Christ had was a broken reed: His crown, some twisted thorns. His army, a band of fishermen and farmers: His ammunition, a heart of redeeming love. He lives, and my kind and I die. I stand here and call for the Old Guard to come, but they do not hear me. I hear nothing but the waves as they bite at the rock beneath my feet. But after 1800 years have gone to the tomb of time, Jesus calls and men answer. If need be, they give their bodies to be burned: if need be, they follow Him into the heart of Africa; but better still, they live patient and triumphant lives in His name. Yes, the other warriors and I will ride down to dust, but Jesus Christ will live forever.⁸⁹⁶

Each time that Jesus had predicted His death, the apostles responded with pride and misunderstanding. This gave Yeshua an opportunity to teach them about servanthood or cross-bearing discipleship. Sitting down in the teaching position of a rabbi, Jesus called the Twelve to Him and said: Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all (Mark 9:35). Ironically, those who would be last now, would be first in the kingdom of Heaven. It was not that Messiah abolished ambition. Rather, He redirected it. For the ambition to rule, He substituted the ambition to serve.

In 1997, two world-famous women died within a few days of each other. Princess Diana of England was best known for her beauty and style, while mother Theresa of Calcutta was hailed for her tireless service to the poorest of the poor in India. Who was first then? Who was last then? True selflessness is rare, and when it is found it is remembered.⁸⁹⁷

The apostles were arguing about who would have the greatest position in the messianic Kingdom when it is set up. No matter how many times Christ would talk about His death and resurrection, they just didn’t get it. They mistakenly thought the beginning of the messianic Kingdom was imminent, and what was worse – the Twelve had a feeling of superiority. Therefore, Yeshua teaches them the lesson of being childlike by using a little child.

Consequently, Jesus, knowing their thoughts, called a little child whom He placed among them. Now a child has no influence at all. Children cannot advance anyone’s career, nor enhance anyone’s prestige. A child cannot give us things. It is the other way around. A child needs things. Children must have things done for them. So, it is as if Christ is saying, “If someone welcomes the poor, ordinary people, the people who have no influence and no wealth and no power, the people who need things done for them – that person welcomes Me. That person welcomes God.”⁸⁹⁸

Then, taking the child in His arms, He said to them: Whoever welcomes one of these little children in My name welcomes Me; and whoever welcomes Me does not welcome Me but the One who sent Me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest (Matthew 18:2; Mark 9:36-37; Luke 9:47-48). Jesus throws His arms around every humble and unpretentious believer in these gracious words, even as He typically did around little children. We are to receive one another with tenderness, care, kindness and love, opening our hearts to welcome fellow believers no matter who they are. In so doing, we embrace the Lord Yeshua and the Spirit of God who lives in them. We are to care for each other like precious children.⁸⁹⁹

Those who would seek to be great in the kingdom of Heaven would have to have a change in attitude and become childlike. And He said: Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 18:3). Yeshua was teaching them that as little children are dependent on their earthly parents and the talmidim needed to demonstrate childlike dependence on their heavenly Father to enter the kingdom of Heaven. Only childlike faith brings salvation.

Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven. While faith is necessary to enter the Messianic Kingdom, the position of the apostles in the Kingdom would be dependent upon taking the position of a child. Children recognize they have no rights in the home but are subject to the will of their earthly parents. And whoever welcomes one such child in My name welcomes Me (Mt 18:4-5). In other words, the greater the humility, the greater the place in the Kingdom.

Yeshua’s apostles needed to focus on serving, rather than being served. In the world, pride, scheming, or political maneuvering usually marks the way to greatness. This is especially true in this present age. The quickest way up is often to step on the head and shoulders of someone else. Messiah’s calling is to humility and self-abasement. As children live with simple trust in their loving parents, similarly believers in the Lord must have a simple, abiding faith in our heavenly Father.

In 1915 Pastor William Barton started to publish a series of articles. Using the archaic language of an ancient storyteller, he wrote his parables under the pen name of Safed the Sage. And for the next fifteen years he shared the wisdom of Safed and his enduring spouse Keturah. It was a genre he enjoyed. By the early 1920s, Safed was said to have a following of at least three million. Turning an ordinary event into an illustration of a spiritual truth was always a keynote of Barton’s ministry.

There was a Moth that had his home in the Sanctuary, and he lived long and was happy. For the place of his Habitation was between Two Tacks, in the edge of the Carpet in an obscure little Angle where the stair ascendeth unto the Pulpit. And it would have been difficult to select a Finer Place of abode for a Moth of Sedentary Habits. And he never, never wandered from his own fireside, but whitened the corner Where He was. That is to say, he wandered not until the time when this chapter in History Beginneth, and this Chapter is not a long one, and there will not be any Chapters after this. For that Moth is there no longer, and the place that knew him knoweth him no more.

Now this Moth was Serenely Happy; for the carpet was Fuzzy, and it was the Very Best Food a Moth could desire, and the Brushes of the Janitor came not near him. And the Moth listened unto the Organ, and he thought the Music was for his Edification, and he heard the Sermons and the Prayers, and so far as he knew they were addressed to him.

And he lifted up his eyes, and behold, there were Yards and Yards of Carpet, stretching down Long Aisles through the length of the Nave, and he looked unto the right hand and the left, and there was Carpet unto the uttermost borders of the Church. And the lines had fallen unto him in pleasant places, and he had a goodly heritage.

But he waxed fat, and grew Conceited. And he said to himself; Go now; I will explore mine Heritage; for, behold, all this is mine, and for me it hath been created. And he crept out of his Corner, and started on a journey down the Center Aisle.

And when he had gotten out about an Inch and the half of an Inch, behold, the Janitor came along with a Vacuum Cleaner, and just what happened unto the Moth, he hath not yet clearly defined in his own mind. For he was sucked up with a strong wind, and pulled down a hollow road, and blown down a rubber tube that led to an Iron Pipe into the Basement, and buried deep in Dust. And while he meditated, the Janitor came, and opened the Vat, and thrust in a Shovel, and scooped up the Dust and shoveled him into the Blazing Fiery Furnace, and the moth was in the Dust when this occurred. And the History of the Moth from that time on contained nothing of importance. But there seldom hath been a Moth whose Future Prospects were more encouraging than that one, if he had not gotten a Swelled Head, and thought that he was Boss of the Whole Establishment.

Now the people who think that the Universe was made for their own convenience would better stay in their own little corner of it; for if they get out where Important Things Occur, something is likely to happen either unto them or their theory.⁹⁰⁰

Jesus and the Temple Tax
Matthew 17: 24-27

Jesus and the Temple tax DIG: What was the Temple tax? Who was required to pay it? Why would Jesus say He was exempt from the tax? What lesson was Messiah teaching Peter by paying the Temple tax anyway? What lesson did Christ want the talmidim to learn?

REFLECT: What New Covenant freedoms do you enjoy most as a believer? What is at stake when we offend someone? What does it mean to you to become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation? Did Christ do that? If so, how? Should we do that?

Jesus and His apostles returned to their home base in Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee. It happened to be the time of year when the Jewish Temple tax, which was incumbent on every male Israelite of age, including proselytes, was due. It was equivalent to one or two days wages for the average worker. This incident enables us to pinpoint the exact date of this event, for annually, on the first of Adar (the month before the Passover), proclamation was made throughout the country by messengers sent from Jerusalem of the approaching Temple tax. On the fifteenth of Adar the money-changers opened stalls throughout the country to change the various coins, which the Jewish residents at home or settlers abroad might bring, into the ancient money of Isra’el.⁸⁹² It was not, therefore, surprising that the collectors of the half-shekel Temple tax came to Peter since Capernaum was his hometown (Matthew 17:24a).

Originally, this was the half-shekel fee associated with the Tabernacle in the wilderness (see my commentary on Exodus, to see link click Eu – The Atonement Money for the Tabernacle). By the first century, this tax was applied for the upkeep of the priestly service of the Temple in Jerusalem. While the priesthood was exempt from the payment, it was incumbent upon all others in the community. It was to be paid in March at the Feast of the Passover. However, by the time discussion took place it was very near the Feast of Booths, which meant that Yeshua was paying the Temple tax about six months overdue. The contributions to the Temple were of important religious concern as seen from the fact that an entire book of the Talmud deals with the issue (Tractate Shekalim).⁸⁹³ That is the reason for the question below.

Because the Jewish Temple tax was to be paid by the time of the Passover, collectors were sent throughout Palestine a month or so in advance. It was such tax collectors, rather than the Roman-appointed publicans, who came to Peter and asked him, “Doesn’t your rabbi pay the Temple tax” (Mattityahu 17:24 CJB)? Asking this question implies a number of things. First, the collectors of the half-shekel Temple tax had not yet received it from Jesus or His apostles because they were out of the area for several months. Now that they were back, it was time to fulfill their duty. Some might have also been confused or even doubted His teaching about the Oral Law (see Ei – The Oral Law). But, very clearly Yeshua said: Do not think I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish, but to complete (Matthew 5:17 CJB). This continues to be an important question to be answered for the Jew seeking ADONAI today. It is especially telling coming from one of Christ’s closest talmidim who had lived with Him for close to three years.

Peter answered the question about the Temple tax confidently: Yes, He does. When Kefa came into the house, Jesus had a private lesson for him and was the first to speak. Evidently discerning some of the thoughts in Peter’s mind, Yeshua drew on a broader analogy and asked: What do you think, Simon? He asked. From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes – from their own children or from others? “From others,” Peter answered (Mattityahu 17:25-26a). The point of the conversation was that Roman citizens did not pay taxes because they collected tribute from conquered people, or from others, to support the empire.

As Lord of the Temple, Jesus was exempt from paying the Temple tax. And, as believers are His children, they are therefore also exempt. So, Christ did not pay His Temple tax six months earlier because He was the Lord of the Temple and spiritually speaking, as His talmidim were children of the King they were also exempt. He did not tell them to go pay it either.

Then the children are exempt, Jesus said to him. By not paying the half-shekel tax, however, there could be even more confusion to the outside Jewish observer. So Messiah instructed Peter to make their payment in a most unusual way: Go to the Sea of Galilee and throw out your line. It was one thing to ignore the Oral Law, but the Temple tax had to do with Exodus 30:11-16 in the Torah. The collectors of the two-drachma Temple tax did not understand the concept of Yeshua being Lord of the Temple, thus being exempt from paying it. But so that we may not cause offense (Matthew 17:26b-27a), Christ provided for a miracle payment.

He told Peter to go back to his job as a fisherman. He said: Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a half-shekel coin. Take it and give it to them for My tax and yours (Matthew 17:27b). There is no evidence that at any other time Jesus provided tax money through a miracle. On this occasion, however, the miracle reinforced the point that He was the Son of God and had the right with perfect impunity to refuse to pay the tax had He so chosen. However, He agreed to pay it entirely of His own divine volition. By making their payment in such a way, Kefa would not only fulfill the religious obligation, but would also make a public testimony that Yeshua and His followers were Torah observant in the most important of duties. But additionally, the miraculous manner of catching just the right fish was a testimony to Peter and the Twelve to continue to build their faith.

The lesson Jesus wanted the talmidim to learn was that they were the sons of the King,
and He was Lord of the Temple.⁸⁹⁴

Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time
Matthew 17:22-23; Mark 9:30-32; Luke 9:43b-45

Jesus predicts His death a second time DIG: What does the apostle’s grief show about their expectations? What is the major difference between Jesus’ teaching here and in Mark 8:31b? What is significant about this difference? Why do you think the talmidim were afraid to ask?

REFLECT: When is your quiet time with the Lord? What seems to intrude upon it the most? How can you change that? What are you afraid to ask Messiah about?

After Yeshua threw out the deaf and mute demon (to see link click Gd – Jesus Heals a Demon Possessed Boy) they left that place and passed privately through Galilee. It was no longer possible for Christ to be alone with the Twelve in the region of Caesarea Philippi. The Torah-teachers had found out His retreat and were on hand to battle Him at every turn. Once the crowds learned of the healing of the demon-possessed boy, it made it impossible to have any privacy for further instruction of His apostles.

So, the Chief Shepherd turned His steps once again toward the south, passing through the hills and valleys of Galilee, probably west of the Jordan. This was not for the purpose of pursuing another public Galilean ministry, although His public ministry would end in Jerusalem with a second cleansing of the Temple (see Iv – Jesus Entered the Temple Area and Drove Out All Who Were Buying and Selling). Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because He was teaching His apostles (Matthew 17:22a: Mark 9:30-31a). He was focusing His teaching ministry on the Twelve, and He sought seclusion to accomplish this. His talmidim needed to be away from the distractions of the crowds to concentrate on what Yeshua was saying to them. For the second time He makes a clear statement concerning His death and resurrection (see Fy – Jesus Predicts His Death), and for the second time they do not understand what He is talking about.

As Christ was teaching, He reiterated His fate and said to His apostles: Listen carefully to what I AM about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men (Matthew 17:22b; Mark 9:31b; Luke 9:43b-44). This second prediction included the new element of betrayal. The verb paradidotai (is going to be betrayed), is a futuristic present. Although the betrayal is still in the future, it’s as good as happening right now. By translating paradidotai as betrayed, it implies that Judas is the subject of the action. The word literally means to be delivered up or to be handed over. ⁸⁸⁸

They will kill Him. By then there was clearly opposition from many in rabbinic leadership concerning the upstart Messiah. It will not only be some of the Jewish that would turn on Jesus, but ultimately the Roman civil authorities as well. It is well documented that the Sanhedrin had to submit to the Romans in all capital cases. It is unfortunate that some today still believe “the Jews” killed Yeshua. However, it is a matter of history that He was executed on a cross, which was not even part of the Jewish judicial system. In a strange way, it is prophetic that the Suffering Servant would be rejected by His own and turned over to the Gentiles for ultimate execution. Both Jews and Gentiles are represented in His rejection so that He may turn it around and be the Redeemer of all (see my commentary on Exodus Bz –Redemption).⁸⁸⁹

Despite the apparent setback, there would be good news at the end of the story, as Christ promises that on the third day He will be raised to life (Matthew 17:23a; Mark 9:31c). In spite of this clear statement, the apostles did not understand. The Jews at the time of Christ were confused about prophecies in the TaNaKh concerning Messiah. On the one hand they recognized that the Meshiach was to suffer, but, on the other hand they believed that He would rule in power and glory. These two lines of revelation seemed to be contradictory. Jewish theology sought to harmonize the confusion by teaching the coming of two Messiahs (see Mv – The Jewish Concept of Two Messiahs); one to suffer and die, and the other to reign in power and glory. The apostles were not above accepting this popular theology. Christ had been speaking of a glorious Kingdom in which He would rule Isra’el. Peter, James and John had a vision of that Kingdom and the Lord’s glory in it; thus, their attention was focused on the glory of Messiah’s reign. Like the other Jews of their day, they could not imagine that their beloved Master would have to suffer and die.⁸⁹⁰

Even the closest talmidim did not comprehend how all these details would fit together. They could not help but be filled with sadness. And the Twelve were filled with grief (Matthew 17:23b) because they did not understand what He meant. Why couldn’t King Messiah march into Jerusalem and establish His throne in their day? Why the suffering? It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and were afraid to ask Him about it (Mark 9:32; Luke 9:45). Was their fear of asking Jesus about what He had said due to their fear of facing the reality of the suffering that lay ahead? Or was it because before when they had asked about the coming of Elijah, they had not understood Yeshua’s answer? Or were they fearful of being rebuked as Peter had been? But, whatever their reasons, they were afraid to ask Jesus about it.⁸⁹¹ Consequently, when His death occurred, it caught them off guard.