The Five Major Teaching Tours of
Jesus
Mark 1:14-15 “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus
came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
Second
-
Matt 4:23-25, Mark 1:35-39 Luke 6:17-49 (Sermon on the Mount)
Matt 4:23-25
“And Jesus went about all Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds
of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all
Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases
and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He
healed them. Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis,
Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.”
Third –
Matt 9:35-38
But when He saw the multitudes, He was
moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having
no shepherd.
Then He said to His disciples, "The
harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
"Therefore pray the Lord of the
harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." NKJV
Fourth – Matt 11:1
“Now
it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed
from there to teach and to preach in their cities.”
Fifth – Luke 8:1-3
“Now it came to pass, afterward, that He
went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the
kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him,
and certain women who had been healed of
evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven
demons,
and Joanna the wife of Chuza,
Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their
substance.”
The Sabbath & the Lord of the
Sabbath
The primary accusations of the Pharisees were over Jesus’ disregard for their traditions in general and their concept of the Sabbath in particular.
Regarding the traditions of the Pharisees used to place people in bondage to the Law. Jesus rebukes them for making the Sabbath a terrible burden on men. God did not intend for the Sabbath rest to The Pharisees & their Scribes honored the Sabbath as a sacred observance.
The
Soperium were 39 laws regarding the Sabbath. In their traditions, the Pharisees
had taught that a man is released from the financial responsibilities in caring for their
parents by making an offering to the priests in the Temple and calling it “corban:.
Mark
7:10-13
"For Moses said, ‘Honor your
father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to
death.’
"But you say, ‘If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you
might have received from me is Corban" —’(that is, a gift to God),
"then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother,
"making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed
down. And many such things you do."
On tradition & the Word of God Matt 15:3
He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? NKJV
Of all of
the traditions that Jesus spoke of, the Sabbath was the most serious tension between Jesus
& the religious establishment.
John
5:16-18
The Jews had
39 “parent laws” which provided detailed legalistic application.
a.
Father Law: do not to tie Knots on
Sabbath. Descendant Law: men were allowed to knot their girdles. This was legally honored
by a man who would draw water by tying a rope to a girle and the girdle to the water
bucket. This allowed a man to honor the Sabbath with silly legalism.
b.
Wearing false teeth was a descendant
law that was meant to protect Sabbath by (Father Law) not to carry burdens on the Sabbath.
c.
A woman pulling a gray hair (descendant
law) made sure compliance with the Parent Law that said there shall be no reaping on the
Sabbath.
This set the
stage for Our Lord Jesus to be a stone of stumbling to the Pharisees.
Men were
permitted to work on Sabbath Day in service to our Lord Jesus.
In defense
of His disciples, Jesus states that He is Lord of the Sabbath. This and other
Scriptures: Matt 12:1-8, Mark 2:23 and Luke 6:1-5
1.
John the Baptist testifies that Jesus
claimed to be deity. The Pharisees wanted to trap Jesus in His Words, more examples Moses
himself that Jesus was able to say
2.
The testimony of Jesus’ works,
John 5:36
3.
the witness of the Father. John 5:37
4.
Witness of the Scriptures John 5:39
5.
Witness of Moses Jesus said that “He wrote of Me John 5:39
.The rites
of Purification were yet another source of conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees.
Background:
(pp 240 – 243)
The Jews had
18 decrees regarding purification that were meant to keep them separate from the Gentiles.
Ritual
cleansing of objects, such as containers, were immersed in boiling water or purged by fire
before use.
Some of
these purification ceremonies addressed what one must do to be clean enough to eat.
Although the Books of Leviticus and Numbers speak to required cleanliness, a body of oral
tradition had been passed down allegedly from Moses until these regulations were captured
in the Mishna.
Leviticus
12:4-6 deal with the purification of a mother after she has given birth to a child.
Numbers 8:7
deals with purification of the priests. Several verses in Numbers deal with a required
ceremony after touching a dead body. The ceremony used the ashes of a red heifer, a type
of Jesus Christ. Numbers 19:17 Purification
also extended to the one who touches an unclean person (e.g. a leper) - Num 19:20-21
'But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person shall be cut off from among the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD. The water of purification has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean.
Can you
imagine what these Pharisees thought about Jesus touching 2 dead people before He raised
them from the dead or the numerous times that He touched lepers and made them clean?
The
Pharisees kept current reports on all that Jesus taught and did, looking for occasion to
accuse Him. On one occasion it was reported that the disciples of Jesus ate grain from the
fields without first washing their hands. (Hand washing defined by the Pharisees meant the
hands down to the wrists)
The Talmud
regarding the laws from Oral Tradition as compared to the Word of God: “My son, give
more heed to the words of the Rabbis than to the words of the Law”. This attitude is
offensive to Almighty God who elevates His words above men: Matt 24:35
“Heaven and earth will
pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”NKJV and
John 12:48-50
He who rejects Me, and
does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will
judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who
sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. NKJV
Both Hillel and Shammai (two founders of rabbinical schools of thought) were agreed on the 18 precepts regarding cleanliness (in other matters Hillel was liberal, e.g. allowing divorce for almost any offense to the husband. Shammai was more strict in adhering to the spirit of the law, allowing for divorce only in cases of spousal fornication (Greek: porneia) Matt 19:7.
The fact of Jesus’
disciples did honor the Word of God regarding purification & hand-washing, however
they disregarded Pharisaical teachings and regulations on these matters.
Jesus addresses the oral tradition of
the rabbis in Matt 15:1-3
“Then
the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying,
"Why do Your disciples
transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat
bread." He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the
commandment of God because of your tradition?” NKJV
This dispute between Jesus and the Pharisees will be reviewed in more detail in a later class. Even though in the Halakhah (laws contained in the Mishna) prohibited any regulation that contradicted Scripture, Jesus does berate the Pharisees for their practice of Korban (“gift” or “giving to God”) declaring that money, meant to be used in support of parents, could instead be set aside as Korban to be given to the priests. Jesus tells them that this violates the 5th Commandment “Honor thy Father & Mother”. Jesus continued to tell the Pharisees and the people listening that it is not what goes into a man that defiles him, but rather that which comes out of his heart. Mark 7:21-22
GOSPEL OF JOHN - Chapter 5
1. The
Third Sign, at the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem: The Healing of the Paralytic (5:1-47)
2. The
miraculous gift of restoration to the man at the pool (5:1-15)
3. The conflict with the Jewish leaders over the right to heal on the Sabbath (5:16-47)
The fifth
chapter marks a major division in the Gospel of John. In the prologue, John introduces the
life of Jesus, and in the first four chapters Jesus presents himself to the Jews as the
promised Messiah. But now, in Chapter 5, John begins to trace a growing rejection of
the claims of Jesus, and a growth of virulent and malicious hostility in official circles
against the ministry of the Lord.
John 5:1-5
“After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
Jews were obligated to go up
to Jerusalem for 3 major annual feasts: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. If the first
is probably ruled out because of the time of year, we may also suppose that the last is
not as likely because it forms the central setting for chapter 7 (where there are many
indications in the context that Tabernacles is the feast in view.) This leaves the feast
of Pentecost, which at some point prior to this time in Jewish tradition (as reflected in
Jewish inter-testamental literature and later post-Christian rabbinic writings) became
identified with the giving of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai. Such an association might
explain Jesus' reference to Moses in 5:45-46.
2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a
pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.
There is some new archaeological
evidence (published by Milik in Discoveries in the
Judean Desert III [1962]): Copper scroll from
Qumran seems to indicate that in the general area of the Temple, on the eastern hill of
Jerusalem, The name of the region or pool itself seems then to have been Bet
'Esdâ, "house of the
flowing". It appears with the dual ending in the scroll because there were 2 basins.
On the location of the pool, we may
note: the double-pool of St. Anne is the probable site, and has been excavated; the pools
were 165 feet wide at one end, 220 ft. wide at the other, and 315 ft. long, divided by a
central partition. There were colonnades (rows of columns) on all 4 sides and on the
partition--thus forming the "5 porticoes" mentioned in John 5:2. Stairways at
the corners permitted descent to the pool.
3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk,
of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.
4 For
an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever
then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever
disease he had.
5 And
a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.”
If you have any Bible other than the
King James Version you will notice that Verse 4 is missing. Many versions include the
verse in a footnote which explains why these people were there. They believed in a rather
superstitious way that from time to time when the water was troubled -- when it would rise
rapidly and then sink again -- that this was caused by an angel who visited the pool, and
the first man who got into it when it was so troubled would be healed. As far as I can see
the text is incomplete without something here to explain verse 7, the reference to the
troubling of the water.
The man had
been ill for 38 years. Later Jesus will tell this man not to sin again or worse will
happen to him. Sin seems to be the cause of his affliction.. He is not called a
"lame" man. He is weak, feeble, and unable to stand, probably because of some
wasting disease -- perhaps cancer, tuberculosis, or multiple sclerosis. In any event his
disease made him unable to walk for 38 years. Undoubtedly it was the helplessness of this
man that drew Jesus to him.
What a strange question to
ask of a man who had been sick for 38 years! "Do you want to be healed? But Jesus
never asked a foolish question in his life. Obviously it was important for this man to
answer the question, "Do I want to be healed?"
John 5:8-10 (pool of
Siloam, paralytic), Mark 3:4-5 (man with withered hand), Luke 13:12-14 (woman with demon
of infirmity), John 9:14 (blind man)
John 5:6-15 “When
Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto
him, Wilt thou be made whole?
7 The
impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into
the pool: but while I am coming, another steps down before me.
8
Jesus said to him, Rise,
take up thy bed, and walk.
Notice that the first thing
Jesus says to do is what the man could not do, what he had tried for 38 years to do. On
what basis does Jesus say these words to him? It is important to see that. Somehow this
man senses what that basis was. Perhaps he was thinking, "If this man tells me to
rise (and I cannot rise), it must mean that he intends to do something to make it
possible." Thus his faith is transferred from his own efforts to Jesus: "He must
do it. I can't." The man must also have reasoned somewhat along these lines, "If
this man is going to help me then I have got to decide to do what he tells me to do."
9 And
immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day
was the sabbath.
10. The Jews therefore
said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry
thy bed.
Now the man is in trouble over the Sabbath restrictions. Here John starts to trace the beginning of the movement that ended in the death of Jesus, the beginning of the official rejection of the Messiah. This was introduced by what seemed to the leaders of the Jews, and probably everybody else too, to be a perfectly proper concern. The Law of Moses did say that the Jews were to keep the Sabbath and not do any work on that day. The rabbis had carefully studied that regulation, and, probably innocently and with good intentions, had spelled out 39 different ways by which the Sabbath could be violated by certain types of work. One of those ways was carrying any kind of a load on the Sabbath day. Jeremiah 17 had warned against this. He specifically said, "Do not bring any burden out of your houses on the sabbath day," {cf, Jer 17:22}. Thus there was some merit and justification for their intervention in this case.
The rabbis, however,
realized that God did not really cease to work on the Sabbath: Divine providence remained
active on the Sabbath, otherwise, all natural life would cease to exist. As regards men,
divine activity was visible in two ways: men were born and men died on the Sabbath. Since
only God could give life and only God could deal with the fate of the dead in judgment,
this meant God was active on the Sabbath.
11 He
answered them, He that made me whole, the same said to me, Take up your bed and walk.
12
Then they asked him, Who
is the man who said to thee, Take up thy bed, and walk?
But the real motive of their
hearts is instantly revealed when the man says to them, "The man who healed me said
to me, 'Take up your pallet, and walk.'" Their reaction, which you would think would
be, "What? Somebody healed you? Who is the man who healed you?" was instead,
"Who is the guy who told you to disobey one of our regulations?" This reveals
them for the religious bigots they are, intent on the letter of the Law, but totally
unconcerned about the mercy of God.
13
Now the man who had been healed did
not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place.
14. Afterward Jesus found
him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a
worse thing come unto thee.
That is a wonderful word,
"Jesus found him." The man had gone to the temple because the Law required that
one who had been healed had to make a thanksgiving offering. Jesus knew where to find him.
That revealing word, “sin” indicates what had been the trouble all along. What
would cause a man to lie helpless for 38 years? It was because some sin was sapping the
vitality of his life. Now, it is not always sin that makes people sick, but it certainly
can cause physical illness in some cases.
15 The
man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole.”
John 5:16-22 “And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought
to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.
From here on
this was their justification for their persecution of Jesus -- they could hide behind what
looked like a violation of the Law. They had heaped all these regulations on the Sabbath
law, but Jesus ignored them frequently because the regulations were "the tradition of
men," {Mark 7:8}. Now they had an excuse that made their persecution of him look
valid. Jesus explains why he breaks the tradition:
John 5:17 “But Jesus answered them, My
Father works until now, and I work.”
18 Therefore
the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said
also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
This verse represents the Jews' misunderstanding of Jesus. They had watched a weak, powerless invalid who had been sick for 38 years, suddenly stand on his feet and walk, behaving in a normal fashion, having been made whole. Their reaction to this was disgust; they were angered that Jesus had dared to violate the regulations that they had added to the Mosaic laws about the Sabbath. They were angry at One who would not conform to the conventional approach to life.
They regarded him as a
blasphemer because he dared to say things that made it sound as though he was equal with
God. This verse answers those who challenge the fact that Jesus made a claim to Godhood.
Jesus clearly conveyed that claim to those who were listening to him on that day. Jesus
justified his work of healing on the Sabbath by reminding the Jews that they admitted God
worked on the Sabbath. This explains the violence of the reaction. The Sabbath privilege
was peculiar to God, and no one was equal to God. In claiming the right to work even as
his Father worked, Jesus was claiming a divine prerogative. He was literally making
himself equal to God, as 5:18 goes on to state explicitly for the benefit of the reader
who might not have made the connection.
The Messiah is here and his
kingdom is at hand. The works he works (on the Sabbath) bring about conditions which
typify
the
Greater Sabbath--the Messianic Kingdom. What more appropriate day
to make a man whole, than the day which stands as a reminder, not just of God's rest from
creative activities in the past, but as a reminder of the permanent rest in the Messianic
kingdom?
John 5:19 “Then
Jesus answered and said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of
Himself but what He sees the Father do. For whatever things He does, these also the Son
does likewise.”
John 5:22 "For the Father judges
no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son,
The
formula of focused attention: "Truly, truly, I say to you."
Whenever you
read those words in the gospels, pay close attention to what follows. Those words have the
same effect as highlighted bold print to make them stand out to the listener. This is
Jesus' way of inviting his hearers to listen to truth that is absolutely fundamental and
basic: "Truly, truly, I say to you." Prophets in the Old Testament had to say
“thus saith the LORD…” Jesus never says this – because He is the Lord.
Now Jesus
begins to unfold the secret. The first aspect of it is a recognition of the total folly of
self-sufficiency: "the Son can do nothing of his own accord."
That is
probably the most radical statement in the entire Word of God, because it indicates the
first step in being a channel of the power of God: a recognition that any effort made to
use God's power for one's own benefit will finally leave nothing but a hollow, empty
feeling; it will never achieve anything. You may mount to the top of whatever heap you
aspire to, and gain the admiration and attention of all the world, but if you have not
found this secret your life will be unsatisfying to you, and of no use whatever to God.
"The Son can do nothing of his own accord."
Jesus does not mean that it is physically impossible for him to do something apart from the Father, any more than it is physically impossible for us to do things apart from God. We can, and we do. And Jesus could have, too. Further on in this account he says that the Father has given him power to act "out of himself", but the whole point of this is, he chose never to exercise that power for his own benefit.
This is not a question of
ability but rather of intent. This is how we are to serve our Lord Jesus: 2Cor 3:5 “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to
think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;”
John 5:31-34
31 If I bear witness of
myself, my witness is not true.
32 There is another who
testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is valid.
33 "You have sent to
John and he has testified to the truth.
John 5:34 "Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but
I say these things that you may be saved.
(NOTE: John 2:25 Jesus knew what was in men – corruption and rebellion in their
hearts.
Joh 5:35 He was a burning and a shining light: and you were
willing for a season to rejoice in his light.
Joh 5:36 But I have greater witness than [that] of John:
for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear
witness of me, that the Father has sent me.
Joh 5:37 And the Father himself, who has sent me, has borne
witness of me. You have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. (AV)
Joh 5:38 And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom
he has sent, him you do not believe.
Joh 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye
have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
Joh 5:40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have
life.
What a
strange paradox! These men were painstaking students of the Scripture, spending their
whole lives counting the very words and memorizing great sections of it, committing
themselves wholly to it, because they thought the knowledge of Scripture would give them
life. There are many like that yet today, students and scholars who search the Bible but
never find Jesus. Yet Jesus himself declares,
"They
[the Scriptures] bear witness to me." We have seen how both the Law (Moses) and the
Prophets bore witness of Jesus either prophetically or through types / foreshadowing of
things to come. 1Cor 10:11
This is the beginning of
the confrontation between Jesus and the Religious Leaders that would result in His
crucifixion 18 months after these words are spoken. The problem of the Jewish leaders with
Jesus had been the healing on the Sabbath Day. It soon escalated to Jesus laying claim to
deity having to power to bestow life upon whom He wished and the authority to judge –
both prerogatives of God alone.
Note the several testimonies of Jesus
is (all of which the Jews were ignoring):
(1) John the
Baptist (v. 33)
(2) The
works themselves (v. 36)
(3) The
Father (v. 37)
(4) The
Scriptures (v. 39)
John 5:43 “I am come in my Father's name, and you
receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.”
Law of double fulfillment
– First fulfilled by Simon Bar Kochba in 135AD who proclaimed himself
“Messiah” and who had the endorsement of the Pharisees. His rebellion led Rome
to destroy all of Judea.
& ROCK OF OFFENSE
Isaiah 8:14 “And He shall be a sanctuary for you, but for
a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of falling to both the houses of Israel, for a trap
and for a snare to the people of Jerusalem.”
Isaiah 28:16 “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation: he who believes shall not make haste.”
Matthew
21:42 Jesus said to them, Did you ever read
in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of
the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?
Matthew
21:44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone
shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
1 Peter 2:6 “Wherefore also it is contained in the
scripture, Behold, I lay in
Zion a chief cornerstone,
elect, precious: and he that believes on him shall not be confounded.”
1 Peter 2:7 “Unto you therefore which believe he is
precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the
same is made the head of the corner,”
1 Peter 2:8 “And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of
offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they
were appointed.”
MIRACLES
& the Words Used
John 2:11 translated as “miracles” in
changing water into wine.
AV-sign 50, miracle 23, wonder 3, token 1; 77 Most
frequently used word for signs and wonders. Translates as “miraculous signs” in
NIV.
1) a sign, mark, token
1a) that by which a person or a thing is
distinguished from others and is known
1b) a sign, prodigy, portent, i.e. an unusual
occurrence, transcending the common course of nature
1b1) of signs portending remarkable events soon to
happen
1b2) of miracles and wonders by which God
authenticates the men sent by him, or by which men prove that the cause they are pleading
is God's
All other uses of this word
are in the Gospel of John. A few references:
John 3:2, John 4:48, John
6:2, John 7:31, John 9:16, John 11:47
2.
Teras
Startling or
imposing event.
John
4:48, acts 2:19
John 4:46
– 54 “Then Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee, where He made the water wine.
And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.
47 When He heard that Jesus had come out of Judea
into Galilee, he went to Him and begged Him that He would come down and heal his son, for
he was at the point of death.
48 Then Jesus said to him, Unless you see signs and
wonders you will not believe.
49 The nobleman said to Him, Sir, come down before my
child dies.
50 Jesus said to him, Go, your son lives. And the man
believed the word that Jesus had spoken to him, and he went away.
51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him
and told him, saying, Your son lives.
52 Then he asked of them the hour when he began to
get better. And they said to him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.
53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour in
which Jesus said to him, Your son lives. And he himself believed, and his whole house.
54 This is the second miracle Jesus did, when He had
come out of Judea into Galilee.
Acts 2: 17-21 “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
And on my
servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall
prophesy:
And I will
show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and
fire, and vapor of smoke:
The sun
shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day
of the Lord comes:
And it shall
come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
3. Dunamis: power revealed in the performance of a miracle. Matt 7:22, Matt 11:20
Matthew 7:22 “Many will say to Me in that day, Lord! Lord!
Did we not prophesy in Your name, and through Your name throw out demons, and through Your
name do many wonderful works?”
4.
Endoxos: miracle in which the work manifests
the Glory of God. Luke 13:17 is translated as “wonderful thing”
Luke
13:11-17 “And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years,
and she was bowed together and was not able to be completely erect.
12 And when Jesus saw her, He called and said to her,
Woman, you are delivered from your infirmity.
13 And He laid His hands on her. And instantly she
was made erect, and she glorified God.
14 And answering, the synagogue ruler, being angry
because Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, said to the crowd, There are six days in
which it is right to work. Therefore in them come and be healed, and not on the sabbath
day.
15 And the Lord answered him and said, Hypocrite!
Does not each one of you on the sabbath loosen his ox or ass from the stall and lead it
away, to give it drink?
16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of
Abraham whom Satan has bound, lo these eighteen years, be loosened from this bond on the
Sabbath day?
17
And when He had said these things, all
His adversaries were ashamed. And all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that
were done by Him.
5.
Paradoxos: contrary to the natural order. Used
in Luke 5:26
“Jesus stepped into a
boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2 Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying
on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son;
your sins are forgiven."
At this, some of the teachers of the law said to
themselves, "This fellow is blaspheming!"
Knowing their thoughts,
Jesus said, "Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,'
or to say, 'Get up and walk'? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority
on earth to forgive sins. . . ." Then he said to the paralytic, "Get up, take
your mat and go home." And the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this,
they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men.
NIV
6.
Thaumasios: something that provokes wonder.
Used only in Matt 21:15 and translated as “wonderful things”
Matthew
21:14-15 “And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.
And when the
chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in
the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased,”
1.
Mark 2:28 ‘Therefore the Son of
man is Lord also of the sabbath.” KJV
Reasons for Jesus' Miracles
Recorded unsolicited
healings performed by Jesus on the Sabbath:
Ø
John
5:8-10 (pool of Siloam, paralytic*),
Ø
Mark
3:4-5 (man with withered hand),
Ø
Luke
14:1-6, (man with dropsy)
Ø
Luke
13:12-14 (women with demon of infirmity),
Ø
John
9:14 (blind man)
Ø
Mark
1:29 Peter’s mother-in-law
Ø
Mark
1:21 Deliverance from demon
*Jesus did make this man
ask.
Mark
10:46-52 “And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples
and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus,
the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.
47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth,
he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
48 And many charged him that he should hold his
peace: but
he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son
of David, have mercy on me.
49 And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be
called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth
thee.
50 And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came
to Jesus.
51 And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.
52. And
Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he
received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.”
Bartimaeus
had to ask. In the unsolicited healings, no request was made of Jesus for healing.
The Law: Numbers 28:9-10
permitted a man to serve in religious ceremonies on Sabbath.
The Prophets: Hosea 6:6 “For I desired mercy and not sacrifice,
and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”
1. Matthew 12:10
And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked
him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.
Matthew
12:11 And he said unto them, What man shall
there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath
day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
Matthew
12:12 How much then is a man better than a
sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. Also Mark 3:1-6
And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he said to the man, Stretch forth your hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
And the
Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how
they might destroy him.”
John 5:25
Jesus refers to Himself as the Son of God
John 5:27
Jesus refers to Himself as Ben Adam or Son of Man
In John 5:22
we see that all power & authority to judge has been given from the Father to Jesus. In
John 12:48 Jesus turns all judgment over to the Words He has spoken
The hypocrisy and lack of
compassion by these false shepherds is demonstrated in this Scripture.
2. Luke 14:1-6 “And it came to pass, as he
went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that
they watched him.
2 And, behold, there was a certain man before him
which had the dropsy.
3 And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and
Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?
4
And they held their peace. And he took
him, and healed him, and let him go;”
5 And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have
an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath
day?
6 And they could not answer him again to these
things.”
3. Luke 13:12-17
And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou
art loosed from your infirmity.
13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she
was made straight, and glorified God.
14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with
indignation, because Jesus had healed on the
sabbath day, and said to the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in
them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.
15 The Lord then answered him, and said, You
hypocrite, do not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his donkey from the
stall, and lead him away to watering?
16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of
Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the
sabbath day?
17
And when he had said these things, all
his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that
were done by him.
4. John 5: 7-9
The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is
troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and
walk.
9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took
up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
5. John 9:1-7, 14
“As he went along, he saw a man
blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his
parents, that he was born blind?"
"Neither this man nor his parents
sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be
displayed in his life. As long as it is day,
we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.
While I am in the world,
I am the light of the world."
Having
said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, put it on the man's eyes. (This involved an act of
creation since the man was probably born without any eyes in the sockets-probably why
Jesus uses clay.) "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam"
(this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. NIV
14
And it was the sabbath day
when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.
Isaiah 61:1-2 “The Spirit of the
Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the
prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's
favor …”NIV
3. Jesus indicates that some of His miracles are a response to the faith of the person. Examples: Mark 5:24-32
24 “So Jesus went with him.
(raising of Jairus’ daughter from the dead)
A large crowd followed and pressed
around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years.
26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had,
yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up
behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, "If I just
touch his clothes, I will be healed." 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she
felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
30 At once Jesus realized that power
had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my
clothes?"
31 "You see the people crowding
against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched
me?'"
32 But Jesus kept looking around to
see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at
his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, "Daughter,
your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." NIV
Now on his way to Jerusalem,
Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a
village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a
loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"
When he saw them, he said,
"Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. One
of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw
himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him-and he was a Samaritan.
Jesus asked, "Were not
all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was
no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith
has made you well." NIV
Example B)
In this Scripture we see Jesus
touching a leper with no fear or regard for the ban on lepers mixing with normal
Jewish society:
5. In one healing, Jesus shows us that some types of
illnesses were caused by sin.
Example A)
John 5:7-9
and John 5:14-15 The Paralytic at Bathesda:
7
"Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when
the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of
me."
8 Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk."
9 At once
the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked."
John 5:14 "Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."
This miracle laid the basis
of two charges that the Sanhedrin would make
later against Jesus:
·
Violating the Sabbath
·
Blasphemy, making Himself
equal with God (For this sin a man was to be stoned Lev 24:16)– with his body to be
hung upon a tree as a warning to others. (Deut 21:22-23) If the Pharisees doubted
Jesus’ authority, they were required by their own law to stone Him at the time of the
offense. The fact that they did not must have certainly added to the awe of the people.
6. However not all
illnesses were caused by sin: John 9:3-5
"Jesus
answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should
be revealed in him.
"I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when
no one can work.
"As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
Try telling someone this – sickness that gives glory to God and you are likely to have several people laying hands on you for either prayer or removal.
7. Some illnesses are
attributable to the enemy.
Jesus’ Power over the
Kingdom of Darkness
Luke
13:10-13
Example A) “Now He was teaching
in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.
And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent
over and could in no way raise herself up.
But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed
from your infirmity."
And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified
God."
Example B) Mark 9:7
"And a
cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is
My beloved Son. Hear Him!"
This
is why Jesus gave His disciples the gift of healing & casting out demons when He sent
them forth to preach Good News.
Matt
10:1
“And when he had
called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast
them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.”
Example C) Mark 5:1-17
1 "Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the
country of the Gadarenes.
2 And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man
with an unclean spirit,
3 who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains,
4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled
apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.
5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and
cutting himself with stones.
6 When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.
7 And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus,
Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me."
8 For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!"
9 Then He asked him, "What is your name?" And he answered, saying, "My name
is Legion; for we are many."
10 Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.
11 Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains.
12 So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter
them."
13 And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered
the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place
into the sea, and drowned in the sea.
14 So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country. And
they went out to see what it was that had happened.
15 Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the
legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.
16 And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and
about the swine.
17 Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region." NKJV
Then He
began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they
did not repent: "1. Woe to you, Chorazin! 2. Woe to you, Bethsaida! For
if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would
have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable
for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. 3. And you, Capernaum, who are
exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hell; for if the mighty works which were done
in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you
that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for
you."
Judgments
of Jesus:
As for His
authority, all judgment has been given to the Son John 5:22
The Son
has delegated all of His judgmental authority to the Words He has spoken – John 12:48
The
Judgments pronounced by Jesus upon the cities who witnessed His ministry, saw a great
Light and still believed not.
Matt
11:21-24
1.
"Woe to you, Chorazin!
2.
Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if
the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have
repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for
Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.
3.
And you, Capernaum, who are
exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done
in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you
that
it shall be more
tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."
Just as Jesus will judge the nations Matthew 25, and certain cities that we see here, individuals will be judged based upon the amount of light given to each of us.