Day 296 – Reading – John 7 – 8

Read and believe in Jesus!

John 7.

After the transfiguration of Jesus and His strong teaching about the Spirit and the flesh, and that no one could come to Him unless the Father drew them ….. many of His disciples turned away. (Only the Twelve remained, and one of them was a traitor.) So for six months, Jesus concentrated on teaching His chosen disciples, who would become the spiritual leaders once He was gone.

Now it’s October, and the Feast of Tabernacles (Booths) has come, when Israel remembers their 40 years in the wilderness and how God cared for them. It was a fun week of living outdoors in the simple “booths” they built in their yards. 

However, Jesus knew that in just six months, at Passover, He would be crucified. Things were getting “hot” for Him in Judea and Jerusalem, so He chose not to go to the celebration with the crowds, as his family urged Him.  It was not His “time” to be arrested and killed, so He remained in Galilee until the roads had cleared. Then, He slipped in privately. 

Jesus was right, of course, because in Jerusalem, “the Jews were looking for Him at the feast, asking everyone, ‘Where is he?'”  Even the general population argued about him. “He is a good man!”  “No, he’s leading the people astray!”

.

About the middle of the Feast week, Jesus went up to the Temple court and began to teach.  The Jews, while seeking to get rid of Him, could not help but be amazed at His teaching. “How is it that this man has learning when he never studied?’

Jesus, hearing their thoughts, said, “My teaching is not mine, but His who sent me. If anyone’s heart truly wants to do the will of God, he will KNOW whether my teaching is from God or myself.”

Then, turning the conversation to what the Jews really wanted, Jesus said, “WHY DO YOU WANT TO KILL ME?”

“You’re crazy and have a demon! Who is trying to kill you?”

Jesus spoke aloud (so the people could hear) that they sought to kill Him because of the miraculous healings He did on the Sabbath.  “YOU circumcise a baby on the eighth day, so as not to break the Law of Moses …. even if it is on the SABBATH DAY.”  And Jesus told them to ‘judge with right judgment.”

The common people didn’t really know their scriptures either.  Some thought Jesus might just be the Messiah, but others argued that “no one will know where the Messiah comes from, but we know that Jesus comes from Nazareth.“ (WRONG on both counts!)

But some did believe in Him, saying, “When the Messiah comes, will He do more signs than THIS man?”  When the Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things, they sent officers to arrest Him. 

Jesus said, “I’ll be with you a little longer, then I am going to Him who sent me. You will seek me, and you will not find me.” 

The Jews asked one another, “WHERE does He intend to go?  To the Dispersion among the Greeks?  What does He mean???”

.

At the end of the week, Jesus gave them a wonderful object lesson.

On the last day of the feast, a golden vessel filled with water from the Pool of Siloam would be carried up to the Temple mount in a joyous procession. There, three trumpets (ram’s horns) would blast, and the people would shout in unison; Isaiah 12:3. “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”  The vessel would be carried around the altar and eventually offered in sacrifice to God.  It symbolized the blessing of the plentiful rainfall for the crops.

It was at that point that Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'” (Ezekiel 47:1)  (Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive.)

Some of the people who heard him said, “This really IS the Prophet,” and “This is the Christ!”  But others scoffed, saying, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee?“

The officers that the Pharisees sent to arrest Jesus returned to them empty-handed.

“Why did you not bring him?” the Jews demanded.

“No one ever spoke like this man!” said the officers.

“Have YOU also been deceived?  Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in Him?

Then Nicodemus stood up and said, “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?”

The other Pharisees answered Nicodemus, “Are YOU from Galilee too?  Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

…

John 8.

(We’ll return to 8:1-11in a minute.)

Another time at this Festival, four large lamps were lit in the Court of the Women. Then an exuberant celebration with dancing throughout the night to the music of the Levitical orchestra took place under the light of those lamps. 

As the lamps were being lit, Jesus called out, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me shall not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life!” (Referencing scriptures like Psalm 27:1 and Isaiah 60:19-21, etc.) 

The Pharisees called back, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony IS NOT TRUE.” (Jewish law required TWO witnesses.)

Jesus: “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going. I bear witness about myself ….  AND the Father who sent me bears witness about me.”

Pharisees, “Where is Your Father?”

Jesus, “You neither know ME nor my FATHER. You are from the world; I am not of this world.  And you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am He.”

Pharisees, “WHO ARE YOU?”

Jesus, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He.”

Hearing this conversation, MANY believe in Jesus.  He turned to them and said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

The Pharisees argue with Jesus about their heritage (Abraham) and His (a Samaritan or the devil).  He eventually tells them that He knows Abraham, and they wildly protest. Jesus answers, “Truly, truly, before Abraham was …. I AM.

And they picked up stones to kill him for blasphemy.  But Jesus hid himself and left the temple.

.

John 8:1-11

Back to the beginning of the chapter. It seems this event was inserted here to show more conflict with the Jewish leaders and the Law. But it probably happened at another time, as Jesus was on the Mount of  Olives.

Early in the morning. they brought a woman to Him who had been “caught in the act of adultery.” They had probably invaded the home in the middle of the night on a tip …. or, having followed her …. or, even having set her up.  The question is: Where is the man? In Mosaic Law (see Leviticus 20:10), BOTH PARTIES caught in adultery were to be stoned.

This, of course, was a “test” to trap Jesus in a legal dilemma. 

“Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. So what do you say?” You can almost see their arrogant, smarmy smiles.  Did each of them also have a stone in hand?

Silence.

Finally, Jesus stoops and begins writing in the dirt with His finger.

What did He write?  We don’t know.

Perhaps it was Leviticus 20:10.

Perhaps it was a list of a few secret sins that each of THEM was hiding.

Finally, He stood. “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Jesus again stopped and wrote on the ground.

Was it a list of sins THEY were guilty of?

Was it a list of THEIR names, from the eldest down?

We don’t know, but slowly, beginning with the older ones, they left, one by one, silently.

Finally, Jesus spoke. “Woman, where are they?  Has no one condemned you?

The woman: “No one, Lord.”

Jesus: “Neither do I condemn you: go, and from now on, sin no more.” 

Such compassion and forgiveness, for truly, Jesus was THE ONLY ONE without sin.

…

Interestingly, this scene ends WITH NO ONE BEING STONED, just as the chapter ends with these same men picking up stones to kill Jesus.  HE ALSO was NOT STONED.