Jesus' Ministry, strictly per John (part 3)
Focus of the itinerary on this page: [19]
- For the entire itinerary, see page Ministry Itin'ry;for the entire chronology see Ministry Chro1 - 3;in (parentheses) is the location per today's geography.
[19] 3rd time in/around Jerusalem-- mid-fall, Feast of Tabernacles:
- in Jerusalem-- halfway through the Feast, to the Temple courts;
- to the Mount of Olives (south-central West Bank)-- for 1 night;
- back in the Temple courts of Jerusalem;
- Jesus spoke again to the people; as He went along...;
[20] 4th time in Jerusalem-- winter, Feast of Dedication;
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A. In Jerusalem [19] (1st pt.) above1. The Temple guards' assessment
- John 7:32-53 The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about Him. Then the chief priests & the Pharisees sent Temple guards to arrest Him. Jesus said, I am with You for only a short time, & then I go to the 1 who sent Me. You will look for Me, but You will not find Me; & where I am, You cannot come. The Jews said to 1 another, 'Where does this man intend to go that We cannot find Him? Will He go where Our people live scattered among the Greeks, & teach the Greeks? What did He mean when He said, You will look for Me, but You will not be able to find Me, & Where I am, You cannot come? On the last & greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood & said in a loud voice, If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me & drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture (Isa 58:11) has said, Streams of living water will flow from within Him. By this He meant the Spirit, whom Those who believed in Him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. On hearing His words, some of the people said, 'Surely this man is the Prophet.' Others said, 'He is the Christ.' Still others asked,'how can the Christ come from Galilee. Does not the Scripture (Mic 5:2) say that the Christ will come from Bethlehem of Judea-- we saw PSALM 136 Birth of Jesus (3 sep. accounts), the town where David lived.' Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. Some wanted to seize Him, but no 1 laid a hand on Him. Finally the Temple guards went back to the chief priests & Pharisees, who asked Them, 'Why did You not bring Him in?' 'No 1 ever spoke the way this man does,' the guards declared. 'You mean He has deceived You also?' the Pharisees retorted. 'Has any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in Him? No! But this mob knows nothing of the Law-- there is a curse on them. Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier & who was 1 of their own number-- see PSALM 143 Nicodemus the teacher... asked, 'Does Our Law condemn anyone without 1st hearing him to find out what he is doing?' Well, if a person so much as had the appearance of violating their Law, he was guilty-- so also anyone who dared to remotely question their authority: They replied, 'Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, & you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.' Obviously they couldn't handle that Jesus would be raised in Galilee, as ethically compromised as it was-- recall Jesus' parents went to Bethlehem (5 mi. south of Jerusalem, in Judea) to pay their taxes, at which time Jesus was born; after some time in Egypt, he was raised in Nazareth (60 mi. north of Jerusalem, in Galilee). But per Luke 24:27, later Jesus had the opportunity to explain Moses & all the Prophets, what was said-- scholars have listed Isa 7:14; 9:6; 40:10-11; 53; Eze 34:23; Dan 9:24; Mic 5:2; 7:20; & Mal 3:1. Then each went to his own home.
1. A woman caught in the act of adultery forgiven
- John 8:1-11 The last sentence above (7:73) & this entire passage might not be included in some versions of the Bible, as scholars say, 'The earliest manuscripts do not have it.' But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn He appeared again in Jerusalem's Temple courts, where all the people gathered around Him, & He sat down to teach them. The teachers of the Law & the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group & said to Jesus, Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded Us to stone such women. Now what do You say? They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing Him. But Jesus bent down & started to write on the ground with His finger-- it's been said that he was writing the sins of each accuser. When They kept on questioning Him, He straightened up & said, If any 1 of You is without sin, let Him be the 1st to throw a stone. Again He stooped down & wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away 1 at a time, the older ones 1st, until only Jesus was left, with the women still standing there. Jesus straightened up & asked her, Woman, where are They? Has no 1 condemned You? No 1, sir, she said. Then neither do I condemn you, Jesus declared. Go now & leave your life of sin.
1. Jesus called himself the light of the world
- John 8:12-20 When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. The Pharisees challenged Him, Here You are, appearing as Your own witness; Your testimony is not valid. Re-addressing what he had said before, when he had been in Jerusalem the 2nd time, for the un-named feast (see PerJohn1 E.3.): Jesus answered, Even if I testify on My own behalf, My testimony is valid, for I know where I came from & where I am going. But You have no idea where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no 1. But if I do judge, My decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the FATHER, who sent Me. In Your own Law it is written (Deu 17:6; 19:15) that the testimony of 2 men is valid. I am the 1 who testifies for myself; My other witness is the FATHER, who sent Me. Then They asked Him, Where is Your father? You do not know Me or My FATHER, Jesus replied. If You knew Me, You would know My FATHER also. He spoke these words while teaching in the Temple area near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no 1 seized Him, because His time had not yet come.
2. Jesus farther described himself-- many put their faith in Him
- John 8:21-30 Once more Jesus said to them-- speaking again to the people, as he had started to, before before the Pharisees interrupted, I am going away, & you will look for Me, & you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come. This made the Jews ask,'Will He kill himself? Is that why He says, Where I go, you cannot come?' But He continued, You are from below heaven; I am from above the earth. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the 1 I claim to be, you will die in your sins. Who are You?, they asked. Just what I have been claiming all along, Jesus replied. I have much to say in judgment of you. But HE who sent Me is reliable, & what I have heard from HIM I tell the world. They did not understand that He was telling them about His FATHER. So Jesus said, When you have lifted up the Son of man, than you will know that I am the 1 I claim to be & that I do nothing on My own but speak just what the FATHER has taught Me-- remember, He learned obedience by the things which He suffered (before his ministry?; before his life on earth?). The 1 who sent Me is with Me; HE has not left Me alone, for now I always do what pleases HIM. Even as He spoke, many put their faith in Him.
3. The creator of truth; the father of lies
- John 8:31-47 1st, 3 things of note regarding God the creator vs. Satan the father of lies:
- 1),God created ALL things-- without HIM nothing was made (created) that was made. God created truth (& Satan); Satan defiled truth-- thus when later we see that the devil was a murderer from the beginning, that there is no truth in him, & that he is the father of lies, it means that immediately he defiled the original truth;
- 2), in general, jeapordy-- when it says that you belong to your father, the devil, it means that via Satan' s mighty influence all of mankind SOON become slaves to sin (but freedom from such slavery is available to any-n-all). Not that the slavery was automatic at birth-- Rom 1:25 says, They gradually exchanged the Truth of GOD for a lie, & worshiped the created things rather than the creator;
- 3), in the case of the Jews, double jeapordy-- when it says that you belong to your father, the devil, it means that via the written code of the Law (focus on the here-n-now) all Jews SOON become slaves to said code (but again, freedom from such slavery is available to any-n-all). Not that the slavery was automatic at birth-- there is a name for what happens at age 12 (bar mitzvah?).
To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, If You hold to My teaching, You are really My disciples. Then You will know the truth, & the truth will set You free. They answered Him, We are Abraham's physical descendants & have never been slaves of anyone. How can You say that We shall be set free? Jesus replied, I tell You the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets You free, You will be free indeed. I know You are Abraham's physical descendants. Yet You are ready to kill Me, because You have no room for My word-- it stretches the written code way beyond the point of snappin'). I am telling You what I have seen in My FATHER'S Presence, & You do what You have heard from Your physical father. Abraham is Our spiritual father, They answered. If You were Abraham's spiritual children, said Jesus, then You would do the very things Abraham did. As it is, You are determined 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 same things Your own spiritual father Satan does. We are not illegitimate children, They protested. The only spiritual Father We have is GOD Himself. Jesus said to Them, If GOD were Your spiritual Father, You would love Me, for I come from GOD & now am here. I have not come on My own, but He sent Me. Why is My language not clear to You. Because You are unable to hear what I say. You belong to Your father, the devil, & You want to carry out Your father's desire. 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 & the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, You do not believe Me! Can any of You prove Me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't You believe Me? He who belongs to GOD hars what GOD says. The reason You do not hear is that You do not belong to GOD.
- John 8:48-59 The Jews answered Him, Aren't We right in saying that You are a Samaritan & demon-possessed? I am not possessed by a demon, said Jesus, but I honor My FATHER & You dishonor Me. I am not ssking glory for myself, but there is 1 who seeks it, & HE is the judge. I tell You the truth, if anyone keeps My word, He will never see spiritual death. At this the Jews exclaimed, Now We know that You demon-possessed! Abraham died & so did the prophets, yet You say that if anyone keeps Your word, He will never even taste death. Are You greater than Our father, Abraham? He died, & so did the prophets. Who do You think that You are? Jesus replied, If I glorify myself, My glory means nothing. My FATHER, whom You claim as Your GOD, is the 1 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 & keep HIS Word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing My day; He saw it & was glad. You are not yet 50 yrs. old, the Jews said to Him, & You have seen Abraham! I tell You the truth, Jesus answered, Before Abraham was born, I am! At this They picked up stone to stone Him, Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the Temple grounds.
5. Jesus healed, on the Sabbath (see v. 13), a man blind from birth