 Previous Chapter |
 Return to Outline |
 Ask Questions |
 Next Chapter |
We now go from the Feast of the Tabernacles which was held the last of September in Jerusalem to the Feast of the Dedication which was held in December and not confined to Jerusalem. This feast was not a religious feast, it was a time of celebration in remembrance of the purging of the Temple by Judas Maccabaeus in 164 BC.
Jesus has gone to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast and we find Him walking on the Portico of Solomon at the Temple. A crowd of Jews had gathered around Him. We are not told if Jesus had been in the area during the two months between the two feasts, but He probably was, spending His time between Bethany, the home of Mary and Martha, and Jerusalem, the two towns only being a few miles apart. By now the Jews were aware of His presence and His works and many were sincerely seeking to find out his identity.
Notice the question "they" asked Him. "Tell us plainly, are you the Christ?" We began to see the term "the Jews" used quite frequently in our scripture. Here they are simply referred to as "they". Going back to the previous chapter, we see that "they" were Pharisees, probably those who were on the Sanhedrin, for they were the ones most concerned with getting rid of Jesus.
These Jews had been part of a debate that had been going on for some months. Some believed He was the Christ, others did not. "How long will you keep us in suspense?" Jesus had spoken "plainly" quite often, but pride and prejudice had removed their understanding. "Suspense" was the condition that they found themselves in, and it was of their own doing. This "state" caused doubt, division, debate and eventual destruction. No wonder that they did not want to remain in this condition any longer. "Tell us plainly, are you the Christ?"
John the Baptist's Disciples had asked Jesus this same question about a year before. His answer to them was to hang around and see for themselves, which they did and many believed and became Disciples of Jesus. These "Jews" had seen more of the works of Jesus than did the Disciples of John, why could they not believe? Jesus knew the answer, because they were not His sheep. Jesus then, enters into the greatest argument for the Doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints that you can find anywhere in scripture. Note:
"My sheep know My voice." "I give them eternal life." "They shall never perish." "No one can pluck them out of My hand." "My Father has given them to me." And then He spoke the words that ultimately would lead to the cross, "I and the Father are one." This was blasphemy to the Jews, but Salvation to the believer. (The Doctrine of the Trinity begins to take form.)
Notice how the Jews responded to this. "They took up stones, again, to stone Him." They had attempted to do this same thing a few months before, that time he simply walked out from among them. This time He asks them a question, "Is it because I have done good works that you want to stone me?" The Jews answered, "We stone you not for good works, but for blasphemy." The injustice of it all was that they had asked Him if He was the Christ, and now they wanted to kill Him for telling them the truth.
Then we see the fallacy of taking scripture out of context. The Jews quoted Lev. 24:16, "A blasphemer must be stoned to death." Then Jesus quoted Psalms 82:6, in which the Lord said, "You are gods." "If, then, you are gods, why is it blasphemy for me to say, "I am the Son of God?" Then He explained it this way, "If I am not doing My Father's works, then do not believe me, but, if I do them, at least believe the works." "Accept Me as a healer, a teacher, as one whom God uses to do good works." "Accept the fact that what I do is the works of God." But they were so blinded by pride and hate that they could not even do this. They tried to arrest Him, but He escaped.
From Jerusalem, He went east to beyond the Jordan River and many came to Him. Many saw evidence of what John said about Him, and believed.
Previous Chapter |
Return to Outline |
Ask Questions |
Next Chapter |