seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
John 8:48 The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”
49 “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. 50 I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”
52 At this 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. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”
54 Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 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. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”
57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”
58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
The month [by our calendar] would have been September or October. The event was the Festival of Booths [Purim] when according to Jewish tradition, the descendants of Jacob [Israel from Abraham to Jacob] praised God for bringing them out of Egypt, taking care of them for forty years while they wandered around learning their lessons about trusting God... and leading them to the Promised Land. The festival lasted for eight days.... and this happened on the eigth day of the festival.
Jesus didn't arrive at the Festival with His disciples.... He sent them ahead. He started to skip the festivities but the lure of people praising God was just too strong so after a while.... He went to the Festival too... alone. Jesus knew He would draw a crowd. Jesus knew He was wanted by the Temple Guard. Jesus knew He could not avoid getting into it with the Pharisees and the Sadducees if He went to the Temple.... but He had to go to the Temple.
The Pharisees and the Sadducees hated Jesus. He drew huge crowds. He knew the Law of Moses better than they knew it.... and He was just a carpenter's son from Nazareth. People were claiming that He was the Messiah. He even claimed to be the Messiah. But the Temple Guard would not arrest Him even though they had been ordered to do so. The Temple Guard could only refuse a direct order from the Pharisees and the Sadducees if the order was illegal. For some reason the Temple Guard knew that they should not arrest Jesus of Nazareth... He didn't do anything wrong.
The Pharisees and the Sadducees were convinced that if the Messiah was going to show up.... on their watch.... God would have sent them some kind of engraved announcement. They ignored the fact three scientists were following the alignment of the planets saying it was a sign that the Messiah had been born on earth. They ignored the fact shepherds reported the night lit up like noon time and a legion of angels sang the praises of the newborn King. They ignored the fact that Joseph was from Bethlehem and because of the Census.... Joseph and his pregnant wife, Mary, gave birth there. They didn't know that when Herod ordered the murder of every child of any descendant of Jacob [Israel] from the age of newborn to three years to get rid of the King... Jesus, Mary, and Joseph were back in Egypt hidden safely away. They just knew they didn't get their engraved and hand signed announcement from God... God didn't ask them if they were ready.... God didn't tell them to get the Temple spiffed up.... so it didn't happen.
They called him a "Samaritan" and "Demon Possessed". They decided to throw labels at Him that might stick and cause the "regular joes" to leave Him without disciples. Samaritans were really hated..... They lived near the descendants of Jacob [Israel] and apparently their women were beautiful.... because the male descendants of Jacob [Israel] kept leaving to marry them.... and then the Samaritan women introduced the men to their gods.... and the descendants of Jacob [Israel] were taught to hate the Samaritans to keep that from happening. So they labeled Jesus a Samaritan.... hoping the disciples would desert Him.
Jesus said Abraham would have been happy to see Him. The Pharisees replied "you're not even 50 years old yet... how would you know what Abraham would like and not like! [paraphrased of course]"
The most miraculous part of this whole chapter comes at the end. They picked up rocks to stone Him to death.... and He disappeared.
He disappeared..... I figure He played with their minds and made them see thru Him..... or He had the ability to make a human body invisible..... but since He was in Human form... I figure the mind play [hypnotism] would be easier trapped in a human body. It wasn't His time yet.... so He disappeared.... boy... making those Pharisees and Sadducees swat at nothing must have convinced those around them that Jesus was not just a carpenter from Nazareth.... it says a lot of people believed in Him as a result of this argument.
As I post this, hubby has the news on in the other room. The news is showing video from the January 6th event. I can hear the men.... they are saying "ANTIFA... are you here? We are here." I'm sure everyone, by now, recognizes that ANTIFA is an acronym that is getting a lot of use these days. It stands for anti-fascist.
Some people have been saying that the acronym is a derogatory label.... like calling them Samaritans. This would mean the people taunting the antifa were ignorant.... after all the fascists were the ones who murdered all the Jews during the Second World War. But this morning.... I realized... it's a warring cry for them.... a battle cry that is not ignorant but dangerous. Those men were saying they were there to root out the ANTIFA..... the men saying "antifa are you here?" are indeed practicing fascists and they are extremely dangerous. When the Pharisees and the Sadducees put that "Samaritan" label... and the "Demon Possessed" label on Jesus of Nazareth... it was the same as when those men wandered through the Capital asking for "Antifa.... are you here?".... they meant Him nothing but harm.
It wasn't time for Jesus to be arrested yet.... the hornet's nest was stirred.... Jesus disappeared. They couldn't arrest Him. He had done nothing wrong.
