The Holidays with Jesus (Walk Thru the Bible Week 45)

1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,200
Welcome to Walk Through the Bible, Susan Michael's 12-month journey through the most exciting

2
00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:07,700
book on the planet.

3
00:00:07,700 --> 00:00:10,720
It will transform your life one page at a time.

4
00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:15,160
Be sure to subscribe for future episodes that will ignite your faith and bring your Bible

5
00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:16,160
to life.

6
00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:20,200
Now, let's join our host, Susan Michael.

7
00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:25,080
Well, hey there, welcome back.

8
00:00:25,080 --> 00:00:30,080
Have you ever bemoaned the holidays because of having to get together with family and

9
00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:33,600
the tensions, the family squabbles?

10
00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:39,520
Well, you haven't seen anything until you hear about Jesus' holidays.

11
00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:44,960
This week we're going to see Jesus arriving in Jerusalem for three different holidays

12
00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:48,360
and they are full of confrontations.

13
00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:50,400
So let's get started.

14
00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:55,520
This week we are reading in the daily Bible the dates of November the 5th through the

15
00:00:55,520 --> 00:01:01,920
11th, or that's page numbers 14, 18 through 14, 49.

16
00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:08,160
And yes, this week we read about Jesus going to Jerusalem for three different holidays.

17
00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:12,440
The first one is for the Feast of Tabernacles.

18
00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:19,360
And on the Feast of Tabernacles is an eight-day gathering of the Jewish people every year.

19
00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:28,040
It's always in the fall and it's the time where they commemorate and remember God's

20
00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:33,280
provision for the Israelites when they were wandering in the desert for 40 years and how

21
00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:35,720
that he tabernacled with them.

22
00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:41,000
And during this week they live in temporary dwellings, little booths outside their homes

23
00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:46,320
where they can see the sky through the palm trees and be reminded of God's provision

24
00:01:46,320 --> 00:01:48,560
and His covering for them.

25
00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:54,120
But over the years it also became known as an agricultural holiday and so it really became

26
00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:58,760
a celebration also of the harvest.

27
00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:03,920
And along with that is a thanksgiving to God for His provisions now that they're in the

28
00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:04,920
land.

29
00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:09,680
And of course with that is always a prayer for rain for the coming year and for the

30
00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:11,120
coming crops.

31
00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:16,960
So this is the annual Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of Booths.

32
00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:24,880
And it's very interesting that on the very last day of the Feast there was a water libation

33
00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:30,400
ceremony carried on throughout the Feast but it kind of had a crescendo towards the end

34
00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:35,760
of the Feast week where the high priests would go down to the pool of Siloam which is down

35
00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:41,280
the hill from the temple and they would take a golden water pitcher and they would take

36
00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:47,760
waters, living waters out of the pool of Siloam which is fed by the Gihan Springs and they

37
00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:54,520
would take these living waters all the way back up the hill to the temple and they would

38
00:02:54,520 --> 00:03:03,040
pour it out over the altar and they would do it as a signifying God providing rain for

39
00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:09,440
the crops but also pouring out of His Holy Spirit upon the people.

40
00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:16,600
And it seems like it could have been at that very moment because Jesus spoke up while they

41
00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:23,680
were at the Feast of Tabernacles and we read about it in John 7.37-38 and he says this,

42
00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:28,960
Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.

43
00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:36,400
Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from them.

44
00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:39,880
By this he meant the Spirit.

45
00:03:39,880 --> 00:03:48,720
So in this context of the outpouring of the water on the altar as a symbol of the outpouring

46
00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:57,200
of the Holy Spirit, Jesus says, all who are thirsty come to me, the source of living waters.

47
00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:05,600
On the last great day of the Feast, Jesus also, it seems that he made another proclamation.

48
00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:13,440
Now keep in mind, during these three great Feast of Israel they would have tens of thousands,

49
00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:18,760
maybe even hundreds of thousands of Jewish pilgrims come up to Jerusalem.

50
00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:21,440
Jerusalem is just full and overrunning with people.

51
00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:26,800
They're camped out all around the city because there's not enough room in the city, in the

52
00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:29,840
houses and the rooms there for the people.

53
00:04:29,840 --> 00:04:36,640
And so on the great Temple Mount are all of these magnificent menorahs that are lit and

54
00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:43,720
they shine through, they light up the whole city of Jerusalem during these festivities.

55
00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:52,280
And so Jesus then proclaims in the midst of this, I am the light of the world.

56
00:04:52,280 --> 00:05:00,120
So now moving on then in John 8, it continues, it seems like it's a continuation, Jesus is

57
00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:06,320
still in Jerusalem, the Feast of Tabernacles might be over or coming to an end, but he

58
00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:10,720
ends up in this debate and this confrontation.

59
00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:16,000
So he has declared to the people that he is the light of the world.

60
00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:26,000
And then he ends up in a very heated conversation with the rabbis and he tells them, you know,

61
00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:33,080
if you believed me then you would know the truth and the truth would set you free.

62
00:05:33,080 --> 00:05:38,440
And the response is, but we're the descendants of Abraham, we're not slaves to anybody.

63
00:05:38,440 --> 00:05:46,720
And so Jesus replies and says, if you were really Abraham's sons, you would do as Abraham

64
00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:54,200
did and sort of saying, he believed in me, he would believe me because he knows the father

65
00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:55,480
and you don't.

66
00:05:55,480 --> 00:05:58,360
So then they say, what do you mean?

67
00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:01,080
We're not illegitimate sons.

68
00:06:01,080 --> 00:06:04,920
And at this point you have to take a pause.

69
00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:10,680
There may have been a real jab here at Jesus himself as an illegitimate son, the son of

70
00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:13,920
Mary who didn't have a father.

71
00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:16,680
So they say, we're not illegitimate.

72
00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:21,720
And then he says to them, why is he don't understand what I'm telling you?

73
00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:24,560
Because you belong to your father, the devil.

74
00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:29,720
So now it's like, you're not sons of Abraham, you're sons of the devil.

75
00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:35,440
He's the liar and the father of lies and I'm telling you the truth.

76
00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:40,080
And if you knew the father, if you were a son of Abraham, you would know that and you

77
00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:41,960
would believe me and you would follow me.

78
00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:45,920
And he says, whoever belongs to God hears God.

79
00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:51,600
The reason you don't hear me is that you do not belong to God and whoever obeys my word

80
00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:53,720
will never see death.

81
00:06:53,720 --> 00:06:56,520
And at that they didn't say he was illegitimate.

82
00:06:56,520 --> 00:06:59,840
They said, you are demon possessed.

83
00:06:59,840 --> 00:07:03,480
This is how heated this argument becomes.

84
00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:08,760
And then Jesus reasserts his eternity.

85
00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:15,400
He said, if whoever obeys my word will not see death and they just get all up in arms

86
00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:23,520
about so then he goes on and he says, your father Abraham, he rejoiced at the thought

87
00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:27,920
of seeing my day and he was glad in it.

88
00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:35,720
And then he says, before Abraham was even born, I am wow.

89
00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:43,760
That was a declaration of Jesus's eternal existence before Abraham and his ability to

90
00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:47,120
give eternal life to those who follow him.

91
00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:55,320
And so at this they perceive this to be total blasphemy to say that I am was declaring his

92
00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:56,600
divinity.

93
00:07:56,600 --> 00:08:00,440
And so they took up stones to stone him.

94
00:08:00,440 --> 00:08:05,560
Now we enter into a part of the story that's really quite phenomenal.

95
00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:08,440
So what does Jesus do?

96
00:08:08,440 --> 00:08:15,000
So he says to them, as long as it's day, we must do the works of him who sent me.

97
00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:18,360
Night is coming when no one can work.

98
00:08:18,360 --> 00:08:23,920
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

99
00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:27,080
And then he comes across this blind man.

100
00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:29,480
And so he spits into the mud.

101
00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:30,880
He creates mud.

102
00:08:30,880 --> 00:08:37,560
He puts it on the guy's eyes and he tells him, go wash in the pool of Siloam.

103
00:08:37,560 --> 00:08:39,120
Now this is very interesting.

104
00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:40,120
The guy's blind.

105
00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:46,240
You're going to make him walk all the way from probably the temple down the hill through

106
00:08:46,240 --> 00:08:53,240
all the crowds, the marketplace to go to this busy pool of Siloam and wash his eyes.

107
00:08:53,240 --> 00:08:56,440
Why would Jesus do that?

108
00:08:56,440 --> 00:08:58,560
I think the Bible didn't tell us this.

109
00:08:58,560 --> 00:09:05,200
I think it was so that the crowds would see him walking through the city with mud on his

110
00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:06,200
eyes.

111
00:09:06,200 --> 00:09:07,200
They're like, what are you doing?

112
00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:11,040
This man put mud on my eyes and told me to go wash.

113
00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:13,720
And they may have even started following him.

114
00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:16,960
But it was, I think it was for the crowds to see this.

115
00:09:16,960 --> 00:09:18,040
The man goes down.

116
00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:20,320
He stumbles down to the pool of Siloam.

117
00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:23,800
He washes and he is healed.

118
00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:32,040
And the message is this, that after dealing with the blind Pharisees and those that argued

119
00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:33,480
with him.

120
00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:39,440
Jesus said, I am the light of the world and then he healed a blind man.

121
00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:42,720
Now the Pharisees go and they question the man's parents.

122
00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:47,960
They don't want to get involved because they know they'll get kicked out of the synagogue.

123
00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:54,240
In other words, they'll be excommunicated from the people of Israel.

124
00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:58,320
They will be excommunicated from the people of Israel.

125
00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:05,320
And sure enough, after the Pharisees questioned the man who had been healed, he was excommunicated.

126
00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:07,720
He was kicked out of the synagogue.

127
00:10:07,720 --> 00:10:09,920
Now, isn't that amazing?

128
00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:12,320
Here's been this tremendous miracle.

129
00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:14,480
All of these people have seen this miracle.

130
00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:17,960
They've seen this man for years blind.

131
00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:24,360
And instead of rejoicing over it and letting the man have his moment, they excommunicate

132
00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:25,360
him.

133
00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:28,200
They punish him because he was healed.

134
00:10:28,200 --> 00:10:36,000
So Jesus tells them, for judgment I have come into this world so that the blind will see

135
00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:43,400
and those who will become blind and those who see will become blind.

136
00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:50,640
So Jesus has brought this whole discourse to a climax that I've come to judge the world

137
00:10:50,640 --> 00:10:57,440
and I'm going to help the blind to see, but those who see the Pharisees, the leaders that

138
00:10:57,440 --> 00:11:01,720
are arguing with him, will become blind.

139
00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:06,240
So once again, it's the principle we talked about last week, that if you have ears to

140
00:11:06,240 --> 00:11:11,480
hear, if you really want to know, the Holy Spirit will open your ears, will open your

141
00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:14,280
heart, will open your eyes.

142
00:11:14,280 --> 00:11:20,600
But if you do not want to see, then you're going to be blinded to the truth.

143
00:11:20,600 --> 00:11:23,080
It's spiritually discerned here.

144
00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:28,320
And so this is such an amazing interaction of Jesus here with the people.

145
00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:31,440
Then it goes on, we're now into John chapter 10.

146
00:11:31,440 --> 00:11:37,600
All of this is a whole series of stories here in John 8 through 10.

147
00:11:37,600 --> 00:11:41,080
And Jesus tells them, I am the good shepherd.

148
00:11:41,080 --> 00:11:44,320
Well first he tells them, I'm the gate to the sheep pen.

149
00:11:44,320 --> 00:11:47,120
I'm the way you get into the sheep pen.

150
00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:52,760
And then the sheep in the pen, if they are my sheep, they know my voice.

151
00:11:52,760 --> 00:11:58,080
And they'll follow me out of the sheep pen because they know my voice.

152
00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:04,640
But if you don't understand me, if you don't know my voice, then you're not of my sheep.

153
00:12:04,640 --> 00:12:09,000
But then he goes on here and in verse 16, I wanted to bring this out because he's talking

154
00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:11,040
about you and me.

155
00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:16,080
And Jesus says this, you know, I'm the good shepherd, my sheep know my voice.

156
00:12:16,080 --> 00:12:21,600
And then he says, I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen and I must bring

157
00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:24,360
them also.

158
00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:31,200
So Jesus is, first of all, getting his voice out to the Jewish people.

159
00:12:31,200 --> 00:12:33,200
Who hears his voice?

160
00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:35,600
Who receives it into their heart?

161
00:12:35,600 --> 00:12:38,760
Who sees and has their eyes opened by the Spirit?

162
00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:39,760
They're his sheep.

163
00:12:39,760 --> 00:12:41,320
They know his voice.

164
00:12:41,320 --> 00:12:44,640
They know he's revealing the Father to them.

165
00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:46,600
And so they will follow him.

166
00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:53,680
But then he says, I've got other sheep outside of this sheep pen and that's where you and

167
00:12:53,680 --> 00:12:55,240
I come in.

168
00:12:55,240 --> 00:12:57,000
We're out in the nations.

169
00:12:57,000 --> 00:12:58,800
We're Gentiles.

170
00:12:58,800 --> 00:13:01,600
And he's going to come after us.

171
00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:07,840
And if we'll recognize his voice, if we will have our eyes, our spiritual eyes open like

172
00:13:07,840 --> 00:13:16,360
the blind man, then we will hear his voice and follow him and become part of his sheepfold.

173
00:13:16,360 --> 00:13:21,560
Then another story we read is the story of the Good Samaritan.

174
00:13:21,560 --> 00:13:28,560
And I want to bring this out because, as you know, I often allude to the fact that some

175
00:13:28,560 --> 00:13:33,640
New Testament preachers try to portray that what Jesus came and brought was just so new

176
00:13:33,640 --> 00:13:35,080
and different.

177
00:13:35,080 --> 00:13:40,360
And so therefore it just made the whole Old Testament, the Old Covenants, everything completely

178
00:13:40,360 --> 00:13:41,360
irrelevant.

179
00:13:41,360 --> 00:13:42,720
You don't even have to read them.

180
00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:48,560
You don't have to worry about them because what Jesus brought was totally new.

181
00:13:48,560 --> 00:13:52,960
And I just want to bring this out here in the story here of the Good Samaritan.

182
00:13:52,960 --> 00:14:01,140
Jesus is talking to an expert in the law and he asked Jesus, what must I do to inherit

183
00:14:01,140 --> 00:14:02,140
eternal life?

184
00:14:02,140 --> 00:14:05,000
And what does Jesus tell him?

185
00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:07,040
Jesus says, well, what's written in the law?

186
00:14:07,040 --> 00:14:09,160
He knows the man's an expert in the law.

187
00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:12,520
So he asks, so what's written in the law?

188
00:14:12,520 --> 00:14:18,720
And the man quotes back to him exactly what we attribute to Jesus.

189
00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:24,360
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and all your strength

190
00:14:24,360 --> 00:14:30,600
and with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself.

191
00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:33,080
And Jesus says, and so it is.

192
00:14:33,080 --> 00:14:35,240
I mean, he agreed with the man.

193
00:14:35,240 --> 00:14:39,600
The man is quoting the Old Testament law.

194
00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:41,440
That is the golden rule.

195
00:14:41,440 --> 00:14:42,880
That is what Jesus brought.

196
00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:44,580
It wasn't so new.

197
00:14:44,580 --> 00:14:51,000
It was just a clarification and bringing out the heart of the law through these verses.

198
00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:55,680
But then the man responds and his response is so Jewish.

199
00:14:55,680 --> 00:14:56,680
I love it.

200
00:14:56,680 --> 00:14:57,680
What does he say?

201
00:14:57,680 --> 00:14:58,680
Okay.

202
00:14:58,680 --> 00:15:00,240
Who is my neighbor?

203
00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:08,040
So and this is what I like to explain to us Gentile Christians out in the nations that

204
00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:11,640
the Jews would ask, okay, how do I do it?

205
00:15:11,640 --> 00:15:13,320
What's the definition of neighbor?

206
00:15:13,320 --> 00:15:15,080
Who is my neighbor?

207
00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:19,520
And that's when Jesus went into the parable of the Good Samaritan in order to answer

208
00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:20,520
that.

209
00:15:20,520 --> 00:15:25,160
But I think so often we don't ask enough questions.

210
00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:27,640
And it's because the Jews asked the questions.

211
00:15:27,640 --> 00:15:29,600
They wanted to understand the detail.

212
00:15:29,600 --> 00:15:35,920
They wanted to know the practical application of this law of this verse.

213
00:15:35,920 --> 00:15:38,400
And so they would dig and dig until they got that.

214
00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:40,680
That's what the rabbis did for centuries.

215
00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:44,440
And that's why the law developed and developed and developed.

216
00:15:44,440 --> 00:15:51,560
And we ended up with such restrictive rabbinic laws obeyed today by the ultra-Orthodox community.

217
00:15:51,560 --> 00:15:58,520
They seem excessive, but that's because of this very propensity within the Jewish mind

218
00:15:58,520 --> 00:16:01,920
of asking exactly how do I do it then?

219
00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:04,160
How do you define neighbor?

220
00:16:04,160 --> 00:16:09,240
And so the rabbis would dig in and figure out how to define neighbor.

221
00:16:09,240 --> 00:16:14,000
Here Jesus defines it, of course, in the parable of the Good Samaritan.

222
00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:16,280
So now let's keep moving.

223
00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:23,800
Our second holiday this week that we're reading about is Hanukkah.

224
00:16:23,800 --> 00:16:29,280
And Jesus comes back to Jerusalem for the Festival of Dedication.

225
00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:32,720
We read about it in John chapter 10.

226
00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:40,040
So Hanukkah is the celebration of what had just happened about 150 years earlier when

227
00:16:40,040 --> 00:16:48,960
the Maccabean Revolt defeated the Greek Seleuze forces led by Antiochus IV Epiphanes.

228
00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:54,240
And they had seized control of the temple and they rededicated it to the God of Israel.

229
00:16:54,240 --> 00:16:57,680
Now I want to put this in context.

230
00:16:57,680 --> 00:17:04,920
Abraham is almost 2,000 years before Jesus.

231
00:17:04,920 --> 00:17:11,240
David, the kingdom of David, is 1,000 years before the time of Jesus.

232
00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:19,120
And the wandering in the wilderness would have been like 1,400 years earlier than Jesus.

233
00:17:19,120 --> 00:17:24,200
So we're talking about the celebration of the Passover was of a holiday that was like

234
00:17:24,200 --> 00:17:26,840
1,400 years earlier.

235
00:17:26,840 --> 00:17:31,560
The celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles was about the wilderness wanderings, which

236
00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:34,720
was about 1,400 years earlier.

237
00:17:34,720 --> 00:17:40,400
But the Feast of Hanukkah had only happened 150 years before.

238
00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:48,120
So it was a very fresh holiday and it was a celebration of a revolt against the pagan

239
00:17:48,120 --> 00:17:55,880
Greek forces who had set up an idol in the temple and they had cleansed the temple, rededicated

240
00:17:55,880 --> 00:17:57,840
it to the God of Israel.

241
00:17:57,840 --> 00:18:05,680
And it actually had launched a hundred year reign of Jewish sovereignty in the land.

242
00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:08,240
So this is a great celebration.

243
00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:09,680
So what does this mean?

244
00:18:09,680 --> 00:18:15,520
This means that the Jewish people in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Dedication, which

245
00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:22,960
today we call it Hanukkah, that they are looking for the one who will lead their revolt against

246
00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:30,960
the godless pagan Roman Empire that is oppressing them, brutalizing them and taxing them.

247
00:18:30,960 --> 00:18:32,680
You get it?

248
00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:35,000
So Jesus shows up in Jerusalem.

249
00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:36,920
What do they ask him?

250
00:18:36,920 --> 00:18:39,480
Are you the one?

251
00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:43,840
Are you the anointed one, the Messiah, the Christ?

252
00:18:43,840 --> 00:18:48,920
They want to know because if he is, it's time now, let's revolt.

253
00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:54,360
And Jesus says, I've already told you and I've been demonstrating it all along with

254
00:18:54,360 --> 00:18:56,400
all these miracles.

255
00:18:56,400 --> 00:19:01,600
And then he says, I and the Father are one.

256
00:19:01,600 --> 00:19:05,520
And this was taken as blasphemy by the leaders.

257
00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:08,400
And so they took up stones and tried to stone Jesus.

258
00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:10,320
So it didn't go so well.

259
00:19:10,320 --> 00:19:14,320
But Jesus wasn't wanting to lead a revolt against Rome.

260
00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:15,960
You get it?

261
00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:21,680
But he was revealing who he was for those who had ears to hear and those who had eyes

262
00:19:21,680 --> 00:19:22,760
to see.

263
00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:28,240
So Jesus has to leave Jerusalem and leave the area entirely.

264
00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:34,040
So Jesus is ministering now outside of the area in a region called Peria.

265
00:19:34,040 --> 00:19:40,360
And he gets word that his friend Lazarus has died in Bethany.

266
00:19:40,360 --> 00:19:42,840
And so he goes to Bethany.

267
00:19:42,840 --> 00:19:47,440
And we all know the story, we've heard it so many times in our lives that Jesus goes

268
00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:50,800
to the grave and he weeps over Lazarus.

269
00:19:50,800 --> 00:19:54,320
And then he calls him out of his grave.

270
00:19:54,320 --> 00:20:01,800
And Lazarus comes out wrapped in the grave clothes and he's been raised from the dead.

271
00:20:01,800 --> 00:20:05,640
Well, there's two things that I want to mention here.

272
00:20:05,640 --> 00:20:15,720
One is that later in life after Jesus' ascension to heaven and the scattering of the apostles,

273
00:20:15,720 --> 00:20:21,320
legend has it or tradition that Lazarus had to flee Judea like they all did.

274
00:20:21,320 --> 00:20:23,480
And he ended up in Cyprus.

275
00:20:23,480 --> 00:20:25,880
And he lived there for like another 30 years.

276
00:20:25,880 --> 00:20:31,720
And so when you go to Cyprus, there is a church there built over what they believed to be

277
00:20:31,720 --> 00:20:34,320
the tomb of Lazarus.

278
00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:43,240
And Lazarus, I think it says something like the only person to die a second time or Lazarus'

279
00:20:43,240 --> 00:20:46,000
second tomb is there in Cyprus.

280
00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:53,520
But it's a pretty strong tradition because they believe that the location of the tomb

281
00:20:53,520 --> 00:21:00,440
was lost after the Arab Muslim invasion in the 7th century AD.

282
00:21:00,440 --> 00:21:08,440
And then two centuries later, it was uncovered, they found a tomb and on it it said, Lazarus,

283
00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:12,040
four days dead, friend of Christ.

284
00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:18,080
And so the remains that were in that tomb were taken to Constantinople, which was the

285
00:21:18,080 --> 00:21:22,720
headquarters of the Eastern Church at the time.

286
00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:27,400
And so I don't know where they are today, but it's a strong tradition about Lazarus

287
00:21:27,400 --> 00:21:32,280
that he did die again later on there in Cyprus.

288
00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:38,280
The second thing I want to point out is what the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead did,

289
00:21:38,280 --> 00:21:44,640
that it actually resulted the Sanhedrin decided now that they needed to kill Jesus.

290
00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:45,640
Because why?

291
00:21:45,640 --> 00:21:46,640
The crowds.

292
00:21:46,640 --> 00:21:52,840
The word was spreading rapidly that Jesus, this Jesus from Nazareth, had raised this

293
00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:55,560
man Lazarus from the dead.

294
00:21:55,560 --> 00:22:04,040
And so it's becoming a real movement, a real flurry of interest in this Jesus.

295
00:22:04,040 --> 00:22:08,080
And the Sanhedrin realizes they have a problem on their hands.

296
00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:15,440
And we have to understand the context of that problem, living under Roman oppression.

297
00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:22,240
And the role of the Sanhedrin was to be a kind of self-government for the Jewish people,

298
00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:29,200
but a body that reported to Rome, the High Priest was head of the Sanhedrin, he reported

299
00:22:29,200 --> 00:22:30,200
to Rome.

300
00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:33,320
Rome actually appointed the High Priest.

301
00:22:33,320 --> 00:22:38,320
And this is why the Essene movement didn't want to have anything to do with the priest

302
00:22:38,320 --> 00:22:41,360
of the temple because it was a political appointment now.

303
00:22:41,360 --> 00:22:48,320
It was no longer a position of holiness and it had been corrupted politically.

304
00:22:48,320 --> 00:22:58,120
So the Sanhedrin was trying to keep down any kind of revolt or rebellion against Rome.

305
00:22:58,120 --> 00:23:01,280
And so they said it's time to get rid of this man.

306
00:23:01,280 --> 00:23:07,560
And the High Priest actually said, so what if one man dies on behalf of the nation?

307
00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:12,520
Meaning, if they don't kill the one man, Rome will wipe them all out.

308
00:23:12,520 --> 00:23:15,400
It will lead to disaster.

309
00:23:15,400 --> 00:23:18,360
And of course, they ended up killing the one man.

310
00:23:18,360 --> 00:23:23,280
Then later on, Rome came in anyway and wiped out the nation.

311
00:23:23,280 --> 00:23:25,720
But that's what was going on here.

312
00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:30,680
The second thing that's very interesting is not only did they plot to kill Jesus, they

313
00:23:30,680 --> 00:23:37,600
plotted to kill Lazarus because so many Jews were now believing about this miracle.

314
00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:40,960
So once again, Jesus has to get out of the area.

315
00:23:40,960 --> 00:23:44,200
He goes to the area called Ephraim.

316
00:23:44,200 --> 00:23:51,840
Now, but the third holiday is approaching and it's Passover.

317
00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:55,320
Jesus begins to make his way to Jerusalem.

318
00:23:55,320 --> 00:24:00,760
Now everybody is looking for Jesus in Jerusalem because the pilgrims are beginning to enter

319
00:24:00,760 --> 00:24:02,360
the city.

320
00:24:02,360 --> 00:24:08,640
I think there were over 100,000 pilgrims that would come into the city during the holidays.

321
00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:10,000
And they're looking around.

322
00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:11,000
Where is he?

323
00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:12,000
Is he here?

324
00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:13,000
Is he coming?

325
00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:19,040
And there is an arrest warrant out that anyone that should see this Jesus to let them know

326
00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:22,560
because they are going to arrest him.

327
00:24:22,560 --> 00:24:29,640
And Jesus knows this, but Jesus comes to Bethany anyway to his good friends of Lazarus, Martha,

328
00:24:29,640 --> 00:24:30,640
and Mary.

329
00:24:30,640 --> 00:24:32,240
And he has a dinner there.

330
00:24:32,240 --> 00:24:42,240
And then the next day begins the triumphant entry into Jerusalem where Jesus rides on

331
00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:45,480
a lowly colt and enters the city.

332
00:24:45,480 --> 00:24:50,560
And the people are taking up palm branches and they're quoting that famous Psalm.

333
00:24:50,560 --> 00:24:59,760
We talked about it back when we talked about the Psalms of Ascent and the hallel, the great

334
00:24:59,760 --> 00:25:06,480
hallel, the Psalm 118 is a part of these Psalms that were sung at all the different

335
00:25:06,480 --> 00:25:09,680
festivals, Jewish festivals.

336
00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:17,480
Psalm 18 was one and it says, Hosanna, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the

337
00:25:17,480 --> 00:25:18,480
Lord.

338
00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:23,360
And the people said, blessed is the king of Israel.

339
00:25:23,360 --> 00:25:26,000
This is in John 12, 13.

340
00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:28,760
So they are proclaiming Jesus as king.

341
00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:33,240
And there are thousands of people out welcoming him to the city.

342
00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:38,440
Now we're going to read more about this Passover week next week.

343
00:25:38,440 --> 00:25:44,560
What I want to do is stop here in our story and make a few observations before we close.

344
00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:51,960
Number one, Jesus was an observant Jew who went to Jerusalem for the holidays.

345
00:25:51,960 --> 00:25:58,320
Now it was forgivable if you didn't make it to every single one, but we have here enough

346
00:25:58,320 --> 00:26:03,480
stories to see he made the effort to go there to many of them.

347
00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:11,120
Secondly, while they're in Jerusalem, he was in close proximity to the Sanhedrin, to

348
00:26:11,120 --> 00:26:15,560
the chief priest, to the elders, and the leading rabbis.

349
00:26:15,560 --> 00:26:19,240
Of course, out in the country, there's rabbis everywhere.

350
00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:20,440
They're local rabbis.

351
00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:25,960
But here you're talking about the leadership, the national leadership and the religious

352
00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:27,280
leadership.

353
00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:29,400
So he's rubbing elbows with them.

354
00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:33,520
There's a lot of interaction, and that's why there's so many confrontations during

355
00:26:33,520 --> 00:26:35,160
this place.

356
00:26:35,160 --> 00:26:41,080
The chief priests, the elders, the rabbis, they're questioning Jesus's authority.

357
00:26:41,080 --> 00:26:44,160
So Jesus responded with what?

358
00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:46,440
Out of Psalm 118.

359
00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:49,400
And this is a really clever little response.

360
00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:51,920
He says, have you ever read in the scriptures?

361
00:26:51,920 --> 00:26:52,920
No.

362
00:26:52,920 --> 00:26:54,640
Get the sarcasm here.

363
00:26:54,640 --> 00:26:57,200
These are experts of the law.

364
00:26:57,200 --> 00:26:59,360
These are the chief priests, the elders.

365
00:26:59,360 --> 00:27:02,600
They not only read the scriptures, they memorize the scriptures.

366
00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:05,560
So to say, have you read in the scriptures?

367
00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:13,320
Where it says, the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

368
00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:20,080
I want to bring this out to you because some people read this section of scripture, and

369
00:27:20,080 --> 00:27:25,320
they interpreted that Jesus is condemning the Jewish faith.

370
00:27:25,320 --> 00:27:28,600
He's condemning the Jewish people, the Jewish nation.

371
00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:32,040
He's saying the Jewish people have rejected me.

372
00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:38,120
And I want us to put this in context because a few verses later it says that they knew

373
00:27:38,120 --> 00:27:45,000
the leaders, the chief priests, the rabbis, the elders knew he was talking about them.

374
00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:49,320
This was not against the nation as a whole, the people as a whole.

375
00:27:49,320 --> 00:27:56,760
This was against the leadership that was rejecting him and was looking for a way to arrest him.

376
00:27:56,760 --> 00:27:57,760
Why?

377
00:27:57,760 --> 00:28:01,200
Because they were afraid of the crowds.

378
00:28:01,200 --> 00:28:04,120
And this leads me to my third point.

379
00:28:04,120 --> 00:28:10,680
While Jesus is in Jerusalem for these holidays, it became dangerous for him because there

380
00:28:10,680 --> 00:28:14,240
were so many Jews who did believe in him.

381
00:28:14,240 --> 00:28:22,120
And you know, we often hear the generalization that the Jewish people rejected Jesus.

382
00:28:22,120 --> 00:28:25,520
Well, that's not really accurate.

383
00:28:25,520 --> 00:28:30,840
There were more Jewish people that accepted Jesus and believed him and followed him than

384
00:28:30,840 --> 00:28:35,200
there were that outright rejected him and had him crucified.

385
00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:38,400
It was the top leadership that rejected him.

386
00:28:38,400 --> 00:28:40,840
And they had selfish motives.

387
00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:44,960
They had political motives.

388
00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:48,600
They were self-preservation, whatever their motives were.

389
00:28:48,600 --> 00:28:51,400
It was a combination of things.

390
00:28:51,400 --> 00:28:53,440
And they had to put this down.

391
00:28:53,440 --> 00:28:59,120
They had to make sure the people did not proclaim somebody as king and that Rome would come

392
00:28:59,120 --> 00:29:01,880
in and stomp on all of them.

393
00:29:01,880 --> 00:29:08,760
So you have all these thousands of people hailing Jesus as king as he enters the city.

394
00:29:08,760 --> 00:29:16,480
And then when Jesus entered Jerusalem, Matthew 2110 said the whole city was stirred and asked,

395
00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:18,120
who is this?

396
00:29:18,120 --> 00:29:24,960
In John 1219, the Pharisees said, look how the whole world has gone after him.

397
00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:30,400
Mark 11 and 18, the chief priests and teachers of the law, heard this and began looking for

398
00:29:30,400 --> 00:29:38,720
a way to kill him for they feared him because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

399
00:29:38,720 --> 00:29:47,200
And Luke 1948, they could not find any way to do it because all the people hung on his

400
00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:48,320
words.

401
00:29:48,320 --> 00:29:54,400
So I want us to get the right context here.

402
00:29:54,400 --> 00:30:00,560
Many thousands of Jewish people did believe Jesus and were proclaiming him as king.

403
00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:02,680
But that was the problem.

404
00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:08,720
And that's why the few, the leaders felt that they needed to step in.

405
00:30:08,720 --> 00:30:16,200
And the fourth point that I want to end with today is about Jesus' heart for his people.

406
00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:23,240
And we read that in two different sections that we're reading this week.

407
00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:30,080
So I want to read to you Luke 19 verses 41 through 44.

408
00:30:30,080 --> 00:30:38,760
As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, if you, even you,

409
00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:44,680
had only known on this day what would bring you peace, but now it's hidden from your

410
00:30:44,680 --> 00:30:51,080
eyes, the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you

411
00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:54,760
and encircle you and hem you in on every side.

412
00:30:54,760 --> 00:30:59,480
They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls.

413
00:30:59,480 --> 00:31:08,200
They will not leave one stone on another because you did not recognize the time of God's coming

414
00:31:08,200 --> 00:31:09,800
to you.

415
00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:13,840
Jesus wept over Jerusalem.

416
00:31:13,840 --> 00:31:21,520
He said, if only you had recognized what would bring you peace, but instead you're blinded,

417
00:31:21,520 --> 00:31:23,400
your eyes are blinded.

418
00:31:23,400 --> 00:31:28,800
And then he begins to predict the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple that will come.

419
00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:31,840
We're going to talk about that more next week.

420
00:31:31,840 --> 00:31:35,760
But this is Jesus' heart for his people.

421
00:31:35,760 --> 00:31:38,920
He wept over them.

422
00:31:38,920 --> 00:31:49,120
And we also read in another scripture here where he laments over Jerusalem.

423
00:31:49,120 --> 00:31:52,960
And he is, it's in Luke 13, 34 through 35.

424
00:31:52,960 --> 00:32:00,800
He said, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you.

425
00:32:00,800 --> 00:32:06,720
How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under

426
00:32:06,720 --> 00:32:11,040
her wings and you were not willing.

427
00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:14,400
Look, your house is left to you, desolate.

428
00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:22,720
I will tell you, you will not see me again until you say, blessed is he who comes in

429
00:32:22,720 --> 00:32:25,440
the name of the Lord.

430
00:32:25,440 --> 00:32:27,920
What is Jesus saying here?

431
00:32:27,920 --> 00:32:34,720
He saying the people had already proclaimed, blessed are you who comes in the name of the

432
00:32:34,720 --> 00:32:35,720
Lord.

433
00:32:35,720 --> 00:32:37,760
The king of Israel.

434
00:32:37,760 --> 00:32:42,440
So he's not speaking against the whole nation as a whole.

435
00:32:42,440 --> 00:32:46,200
He is speaking here to the leaders of Jerusalem.

436
00:32:46,200 --> 00:32:53,240
And he's saying, if only you had recognized as much as I wanted to gather you under my

437
00:32:53,240 --> 00:32:58,880
wings, but you were not willing and look, your house is left to you, desolate.

438
00:32:58,880 --> 00:33:00,800
Is he talking about the house?

439
00:33:00,800 --> 00:33:01,800
What house?

440
00:33:01,800 --> 00:33:10,640
Well, the temple is going to be desolate, but he's telling them, I tell you, you speaking

441
00:33:10,640 --> 00:33:17,720
to a Jewish Jerusalem, the Jewish leaders of Jerusalem, you will not see me again until

442
00:33:17,720 --> 00:33:22,920
you say, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

443
00:33:22,920 --> 00:33:30,840
He is saying, prophetically here, I'm not coming back until you welcome me as king.

444
00:33:30,840 --> 00:33:37,240
When you say, Baruch Habab is Shema Denai, blessed is he who comes in the name of the

445
00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:38,240
Lord.

446
00:33:38,240 --> 00:33:42,000
Come, king of Israel.

447
00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:44,680
One day this is going to happen.

448
00:33:44,680 --> 00:33:49,240
And this is when Jesus returns to Jerusalem.

449
00:33:49,240 --> 00:33:52,160
So with that, I'm going to close today.

450
00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:54,200
Enjoy this week's reading.

451
00:33:54,200 --> 00:33:58,300
I resources I want to point you to for today.

452
00:33:58,300 --> 00:34:01,840
We have two DVDs written in stone.

453
00:34:01,840 --> 00:34:04,400
The first one is called Jesus of Nazareth.

454
00:34:04,400 --> 00:34:07,680
The second one is called the secrets of the temple.

455
00:34:07,680 --> 00:34:10,840
You will love them as you reading through these stories.

456
00:34:10,840 --> 00:34:14,440
I really encourage you to get these two DVDs.

457
00:34:14,440 --> 00:34:20,920
They're very low cost and you can visualize where so many of these events took place.

458
00:34:20,920 --> 00:34:22,560
Enjoy your reading this week.

459
00:34:22,560 --> 00:34:25,280
We'll be back here next week.

460
00:34:25,280 --> 00:34:28,480
Until then, God bless.

461
00:34:28,480 --> 00:34:32,960
If this is the first time you've listened to the Out of Zion podcast in our Walk Through

462
00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:36,080
the Bible series, you'd like to join us.

463
00:34:36,080 --> 00:34:40,920
Please download our New Testament reading guide so that you can be reading along with

464
00:34:40,920 --> 00:34:46,080
us each week as we are walking through the pages of the New Testament.

465
00:34:46,080 --> 00:34:52,440
Go to outofzionshow.com and request your New Testament reading guide.

466
00:34:52,440 --> 00:35:13,880
Do it today and we'll see you back here next week.