The Response of the Rulers and Authorities
Notes
Transcript
Did you hear about the italian chef with terminal illness? He pasta way. Cannoli do so much. Now hes just a pizza history
Six months since i joined the gym, still no progress, tomorrow im going there to see whats really going on
What we are going to look at now, is the actual title I used last week, we are going to look at the response of the rulers and the authorities, the religious leaders and the civil leaders.
1 (7:32) Jesus Christ, Response—Religionists: the response of the rulers, both religious and civil. Note several facts.
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him.
So what was it they were saying about him?
25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill?
26 And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ?
So we see that the Pharisees are the ones who take the lead on this… they know that Jesus is a threat and they don’t want to allow him to take them down so they take it to the chief priests and start to explain their point
They are starting to see the people are having some belief in him and what he is saying and they are not very happy about it....
What exactly are they upset about? First, we have to really understand these pharisees, you know its easy to think they are just the devils because thats how Jesus kind of labeled them, but they weren’t doing anything that would inheritantly wrong… they were so devout for the Jewish religion that they refused to keep the greek laws because they wanted to make sure the Jewish religion survived… so they kept every rule they could think of, and then they eve made up ones to keep them from breaking the law and make them more strict, so they are fed up with Jesus, because he didn’t go through any of hte training that he did, and to top it all of he is breaking the rules and telling other people that they don’t have to keep them either… so obviously they are ready to having him arrested.
So who are these chief priests? The chief priests were primarily leaders among the Sadducees who held most of the high offices of Jewish government under Roman rule. When Rome became dissatisfied with a chief priest, he was removed and another one was placed in authority. The removal from office was a common occurrence, so there were quite a few chief priests surviving. In the eyes of the people, they were still honored despite being removed. The people blamed Rome for their removal, not the chief priests.
It is important to note here that in the gospels, when the Pharisees, chief priests, and scribes are mentioned as standing together against Jesus it means the Sanhedrein had made a decision. In the present situation, the Sanhedrin had apparently met and dispatched the palace or temple police to arrest Jesus. From what follows it seems that they were told to watch for an appropriate moment lest they cause a riot among His supporters.
Look at what disturbed the religious leaders so much... It was the murmuring of the people, in particular the fact that so many were “believing on Him” (v.31). He was a threat to their security and position, esteem and authority, profession and livelihood. They wanted nothing to do with Him; they wanted things to be left alone. They wanted to get rid of Him as soon as possible.
Let’s be honest, this is a lot of the reaosn people today will murmur against Jesus… because Jesus completely opposes his way of life. And we are unwilling to change. So Jesus becomes a threat to our security and way of life. SO because of that we do our best to get rid of him anyway that we can.
And we know the dangers of that lifestyle...
26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.
12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
So it becomes clear that we can become just like them… we can be so caught up in the passions of our own life that we are not doing what we need to be doing, that is we aren’t following the Lord.
So knowing what is going on, Jesus replies to the crowd and here is what he says
33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me.
34 You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.”
and to this is a really perplexing answer… what does he mean… the people who didn’t realize he was the Messiah would have been completely confused… thsi reply to so many today that are unbelieving is also confusing.... but what we see as people who believe is Jesus is foretelling his destiny....he’s telling of his death...
He is saying… I am with you a little while longer..... and we can see Jesus echo these words in so many different places...
33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’
28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
and then he takes it a little step further in John16:5
5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’
and in the same verse in 7 he also is foretelling of his ascension into Heaven.. then I go to him who sent me… and he would tell them over and over....
14 Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.
2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
And clearly this seems like an odd way to reply to the people that aren’t believing in you… why would he say all of this to people who are trying to having him killed? Well he was trying to show them they could reject him and have nothing to do with him if thats what they wanted… that there would be a time they would be able to get rid of him if they wanted… they would be allowed to do that… BUT BUT BUT He was also saying He wouldn’t just cease to exist… even if they killed him it wasn’t going to stop him… eventhough you may kill me and stop me from living on this earth, its not going to stop me from the task at hand… he would after death arise and go back to the father in heaven who sent him… he would be what gives great hope to all men in raising from the dead...
Not only did Jesus foretell of his own destiny, but he foretold mans destiny… He predicted a very tragic end for the people who opposed him and wanted nothing to do with him… he said
“ You will seek me… but you will not find me.... and where I am you will not be allowed to come… and that is tragic… understand… Jesus is saying EXACTLY what he means… he is telling them, and anyone who doesn’t believe… if you want to push me away thats fine… but soon you will want me… but you won’t be able to find me… and where I am going you won’t be able to go...
And he is telling us that the day will come that we will all seek him… whether it be in this life as we are seeking a savior… or when it is too late… and waht we see through the Bible is that the spirit doesn’t always abide in man… he won’t always be after us.. that there will come a time if we feel the pull and continuously deny to go to him that the pull will slowly fade and we will get exactly what we want… he will allow us to not be with him… and we won’t feel that pull anymore...
3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.”
And even more in Pr. 29:1
1 He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing.
But we know that at the day of judgment the believer and unbeliever alike will seek Jesus...
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’
and again in Mt. 25:10-11
10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.
11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’
and the tragedy is the unbeliever is given exactly what they wanted… Christ will leave them alone and tehy will not be able to find him, because it is too late. Because they did not walk in the Lord’s Kingdom on earth, they will not be a part of the eternal kingdom… Where the unbeliever is in life, and they don’t want him to come… in life eternal where he is, they won’t be able to come...
35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?
36 What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”
And What is clear is that Jesus has left them confused… they have no idea what he means… they are trying to figure this out… maybe he’s going to go hide...
a. The dispersed (diasporan) refers to the Jews who were scattered all over the world. It seems that the rulers thought Jesus was going to leave Israel and go to some foreign nation, preaching to the Jews there.
b. Those who opposed Jesus were puzzled by His death and resurrection and ascension. It was difficult for them to grasp its meaning and to believe in Him. In fact, it was offensive to them. This was exactly what Jesus had said (see note—Jn. 6:62).
The most interesting thing about all of this is Jesus ministry only lasted about 3 years, and after his disciples led ministry that lasted about forty years, and after that, Jerusalem fell to the roman empire and was dispersed… and the people of Jesus’ following ended up going to the places they had initialy thought Jesus would go.