2-LJ 05 2nd Year

Lesson #5 LIFE OF JESUS 2nd Year of Ministry – Part 2 2019 Before starting this lesson, read Matthew 5:1-26; 10:2-4; 12:1-21; Mark 2:23 thru 3:19; Luke 6:1-23; John 5 or Harmony of the 4 Gospels, SECTIONS 49-54 (thru the Beatitudes) miles 0 10 20 30 40 50 In the previous lesson we saw Jesus began His 2nd year of ministry by leaving Nazareth and moving to Capernaum. He asked Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John to work with Him. Over the next 3 months they traveled thruout the province of Galilee with Jesus presenting Himself as their promised Messiah. We are told He did many miracles, including healing a leper - a man with a contagious and incurable skin disease. This was a Messianic miracle that the Sanhedrin said only the Messiah could do. It would be the way to know the true Messiah when He came. Nazareth test N EA N A R ER IT D E M A SE SAMARIA Jerusalem . JUDEA Jesus and His 4 followers had returned to Capernaum. Jesus had healed a man as well as taught the people. A few days later, He called Matthew, the tax collector, to follow and work with Him. miles 0 10 20 30 40 50 Capernaum GALILEE DEAD SEA Capernaum GALILEE > SAMARIA N EA N A R ER Jerusalem IT . ED M A JUDEA SE A few weeks go by and it is time for the yearly celebration of Passover. Jesus and His 5 disciples travel the 85 miles south to Jerusalem. John chapter 5 gives the details. Near the Temple courtyard Jesus heals a man who has been unable to walk for 38 years. Altho Jesus could have done it anytime and on any day, He chooses to do it on the Sabbath in order to get the attention of the Sanhedrin. He wants to make a distinction between Moses’ law, given by God and Mishnah law which was man-made. To understand the problem we need more background. The Sanhedrin They have the major role in the life of Jesus. 400 BC - God directed Ezra to form the Sanhedrin It was a group of 120 men called The Scribes who were to protect Jewish practice and teaching over the next centuries. They had 3 major responsibilities. > To teach God’s Word by putting it in the language of the people and explaining it. > To preserve Jewish faith especially by keeping alive the expectation of the coming Messiah. > To guard the faith, by investigating anyone who claims to be the Messiah and then deciding for the nation, Yes, He is our Jewish Messiah or no, He is not our Messiah and this is why. 200’s BC - The number was lowered to 71 - 70 scribes plus the high priest. At this time they also became the supreme court over Jewish religious issues. st 1 century AD - the Sanhedrin is divided into 3 branches - the chief priests, scribes and elders. Matthew 16:21 24 chief priests - we know them in the Gospels as The Sadducees. They are from the Sadducee party, known for their pro-Greek views and beliefs. They oversee the priests who serve in the Temple and influence who is chosen as high-priest. They are an elite group of priests from very wealthy Jewish families. 22 scribes - we know them in the Gospels as The Scribes or Teachers of Law. They are from the Pharisee party, known for their pro-Jewish beliefs; separatists who want all things Jewish, completely separate from any Gentile or Greek influence. Their responsibility is to teach and explain the law and the expectation of the Messiah. Originally, they only taught the 613 laws that God gave to Moses. Now in the first century, they spend all their time teaching the Mishnah laws. 24 elders - we know them in the Gospels as The Pharisees. They are older members, obviously from the Pharisee party, known for their pro-Jewish beliefs. Their responsibility is to enforce the law. Originally, they were concerned about people breaking the laws of Moses. Now all their attention is on people breaking Mishnah laws. They bring them before the complete Sanhedrin to reprimand them, charge them a fine or put them in prison. The Jews as a nation are under the Roman empire. But Rome has appointed the Sanhedrin to govern and judge their nation in all their religious matters. So the Sanhedrin are the Jewish rulers and supreme court. There are 70 members plus the high priest, who is their head. The Mishnah The Jewish laws the Sanhedrin are teaching and enforcing. 1400 BC - During the time of Moses, when the Jewish nation was being formed at Mt. Sinai, God gave them 613 laws, with the command to obey them. He put the Jews in the land He promised them - the land of Israel. 613 Laws of Moses Over the next 900 years, most of the time the Jews did not obey the laws of Moses (given by God). 500’s BC Finally, the Jews’ disobedience was so deliberate that God sent them into exile in Babylon. Seventy years later in response to their repentance, God brought them back to the land. They became a Jewish nation once again. 400’s BC Some 100 years went by. Now we come to the time of Ezra. God led him to not only form the Sanhedrin, but also to begin a school to train them. The School of the Scribes was like our Bible schools or seminaries. They learned how to explain God’s Word and make it practical. They would tell the people, God has given you these 613 laws. This is why you should obey them. By making it simple, the people would understand and be able to obey. Then the nation would never again go into exile. The Scribes in Ezra’s day loved this arrangement - they trained so they could effectively teach. But the next generation of scribes (Sopherim) decided that just teaching the law of Moses was not enough for the people. Laws of Scribes They needed new laws to be like a fence around Moses’(God’s) laws. Their little, detailed laws would keep people from breaking Moses’ (God’s) big laws. The scribes 613 memorized their new laws and passed them on from generation to generation, always Laws of Moses in spoken form. Everyone knew, the laws of Moses (God) must be obeyed. The laws of the scribes could be questioned. 350 - 30 BC After 300 years, with generation after generation of scribes teaching and emphasizing their laws, by 30 BC, the scribes now believe their laws are equal to Moses’ (God’s) law. 2 350 - 30 BC (continued) So the Sanhedrin forms another group called the teachers. (Tanaím) To help people obey, they make more laws as a fence around the laws of Moses and the laws of the scribes. The people must now obey both sets of laws - of Moses (God) and of the scribes. Only the laws of the teachers can be questioned. 30 BC – 220 AD These laws of the teachers continue from 30 BC to 220 AD. After 250 years, with generation after generation of teachers, teaching and emphasizing their laws, they finally decide their laws are equal to the laws of Moses (God’s) and the scribes. The people are now required to obey 3 sets of laws, the laws of Moses (God’s), laws of the scribes and laws of the teachers. So a 3rd group of leaders develop. (speakers - Amoraim). They finally put all the memorized, fence laws into writing and then write a commentary about them and about Jewish life Laws of Teachers Laws of Scribes 613 Laws of Moses Laws of Teachers Laws of Scribes 613 Laws of Moses Laws of God given to Moses became known as the written law or the Torah. They were given by God in 1400 BC. Laws of the scribes and teachers were called… The oral law, traditions of the elders, customs of the ancestors, law of the Pharisees, Mishnah These man-made laws were made over a period of 600 years from 350 BC to 220 AD. Analysis and commentary of the Mishna laws was developed from 220 - 500 A.D. It was called the Gemara. In Judaism today, the written Mishnah laws plus the Gemara commentary have been combined in a series of books called the Talmud. An English copy of the Talmud takes up 23 volumes. While Jews today read and study their Hebrew Scriptures, most of their attention is still given to the Mishnah. AUTHORITATIVE JEWISH LAWS Laws of God Laws - Scribes Laws - Teachers Comm. on Mishnah TORAH written law 1400 BC MISHNAH oral law 350 BC - 220 AD tradition of elders TALMUD GEMARA 220 - 500 AD 23 volumes This is the big picture, going up to 500 AD, to explain what the Talmud is, how it developed and who wrote it. 30 BC in Sanhedrin history – its importance… The Sanhedrin changed the facts about the Mishnah. Earlier they said only God’s laws thru Moses had to be obeyed. Their Sanhedrin, Mishnah laws could be questioned. But then they wanted their words to have equal authority. So they began teaching that when God gave Moses the 613 laws in written form, He also gave the Mishnah laws in spoken (oral) form. Since they were given at the same time, this made them equal. The Mishnah was equal to Moses’ law. They began to say it was a greater sin to break a law of the Mishnah than to break a law of Moses. In actual fact… Mishnah laws started being developed some 1000 years after Moses. 3 The Sanhedrin changed their rules on how to identify the Messiah when He came. Earlier the Sanhedrin said they would know who the Messiah was, because He would do the Messianic miracles of healing that no one else had ever done. But now, to hold on to their power and authority, they set up a new way to recognize the Messiah. He will be a Pharisee like they are. He will obey all the laws of Mishnah. He will join them in making new laws. He will support Sanhedrin authority and Mishnah laws. So in 30 BC, there were 2 sets of rules by which to identify the Messiah. From that point on, each generation of Sanhedrin would decide which set of rules to use. This information on the Sanhedrin and the Mishnah is crucial to understanding the Gospels. The Sanhedrin have the most important role in Jesus’ life – to decide for 1st century Jews if He is the promised Messiah. The conflict between God’s laws and Mishnah laws becomes the major issue. Also remember, the Jews are still under Old Testament standards Believing in the death and resurrection of Jesus is not yet possible because it has not yet happened. In addition, the Church has not yet been formed. Faith involves believing the prophets of the Old Testament and in Jesus as the promised Messiah. Jesus… In regards to the Sanhedrin – He presents Himself as the promised Messiah by what He says and does In regards to the Law He obeys Moses’ law (given by God) because He is a Jew living within the Jewish culture. He has to obey Moses’ law to be without sin. He teaches the Jewish people to keep both the letter of Moses’ law as well as the spirit of the law. He does not keep nor support the Mishnah - the man-made laws. It is around April – 4 months into Jesus’ 2nd year of ministry. The Sanhedrin in Jerusalem know Jesus did a Messianic miracle. They have observed Him claim to be deity. But now, as they continue their investigation, they decide to ignore the older rules of looking at Messianic miracles. They decide to use the newer rules that say the Messiah has to support the Mishnah laws. They do this out of fear, because if Jesus rejects Mishnah laws and gets the people to reject them, the Sanhedrin will lose their power and authority. Jesus is ready for the conflict. He will follow Moses’ (God’s) law to keep the Sabbath day holy. But He will not obey the 1,500 Mishnah laws about the Sabbath. This conflict happens during Passover week. Jesus has healed a man near the Temple courtyard, on the Sabbath. The healing itself does not violate any of Moses’ laws. But commanding the man to carry his mat violates Mishnah laws. When the Sanhedrin confront Jesus, He says to them, My Father is always at His work…and I too am working. John 5:17. In Western thinking, a father-son relationship is vertical, the father being superior and the son under him. In Middle East thinking, a father and his first-born son’s relationship is horizontal. The character of the father is the character of the son. Like father - like son. Jews referred to God as our Father - they only related to God as a nation and He as their Father. To call God my Father was blasphemy. It was claiming the position of the first-born son. When Jesus calls God, My Father, He is saying He is equal with the Father - He is deity. 4 In their role as supreme court, the Sanhedrin believe this violation of Sabbath and claim of deity deserves the death penalty. For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill Him; not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. John 5:18 There are people who say that in the Gospels, Jesus never claimed deity. This verse shows that He did and it is for that very claim the Sanhedrin want to kill Him. > miles Capernaum After a few weeks, Jesus and His disciples head back to Galilee. On the 0 10 20 30 40 50 Sabbath, they walk by a wheat field. Because the disciples are hungry, GALILEE they reach out and grab a few stalks of wheat. They pull off the ripened wheat and eat the grain. Sanhedrin members who are following them, ask SAMARIA Jesus why He allows His disciples to break the Sabbath? N Moses’ law said Jews could not reap or harvest grain on the Sabbath. But EA AN pulling a few heads of grain from the stalk certainly is not harvesting. R ER However, some of the 1500 Mishnah laws about Sabbath took things to an Jerusalem IT D . E extreme. M A JUDEA E S They said plucking grain as one walked by, was a form of reaping. Rubbing the wheat in the hand to remove the chaff was a form of threshing. Blowing the chaff out of the hand in order to leave the kernels of wheat was a form of winnowing. Eating the kernels was a form of storing the grain. Sanhedrin members are saying the disciples have broken 4 of their Mishnah Sabbath laws. A few days later, Jesus and the 5 disciples are back in Capernaum. On one of the following Sabbaths, Jesus goes to the synagogue. Sanhedrin members have deliberately put a man with a deformed hand in the synagogue to see if Jesus will heal on the Sabbath. Jesus reminds them that Moses’ (God’s) law says they should do good and show mercy on the Sabbath. Therefore He will do both by healing this man. The Sanhedrin can see they are losing power and authority and people are turning to Jesus. Because of this, they start making plans to kill Jesus. Notice the contrast and hypocrisy. They criticize Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. Yet, on the Sabbath, they start plans of murder - to kill Him. Jesus and the 5 men with Him, leave the synagogue. Jesus is now half-way thru His 2nd year of ministry. Up to this point He has had just a few disciples, meaning ones who are learning and following, but without any authority. Now He needs apostles - ones who are sent who have His authority. He will… choose a group to be with Him on a permanent basis train them send them out to proclaim the good news. give them authority to heal to prove He is the promised Messiah. Mk. 3:14 With this in mind, Jesus leaves Capernaum and goes to a mountain some 9 miles to the southwest. He spends all night in prayer. Remember, He is operating out of His humanity, living in obedience to the Father and in dependence on the Holy Spirit. He now prays for guidance and wisdom in the choices He will make. 5 0 10 20 30 40 50 N EA N RA ER EA T I S ED M miles Capernaum GALILEE SAMARIA JUDEA The next morning, from among His many followers, He chooses 12 whom He calls apostles. Five of them are His original disciples. There are the brothers Simon and Andrew, sons of a man named John. A year and a half earlier Jesus had said eventually Simon would be steady and firm like a rock – eventually he would be Cephas - the Aramaic word for rock. Translated into Greek, he would become Peter. Another set of brothers are James and John the fishermen. John is about 16 or 17 years old. They are sons of Zebedee. The two fathers, John and Zebedee, are partners in a fishing business. They own their own boats, with family and other people working for them. The mother of James and John is Salome. There are 2 women in Scripture named Salome - one is a very evil woman; the other is a godly woman. The mother of James and John is the godly woman. Her sister is Mary, the mother of Jesus. This means James and John are first cousins of Jesus. Jesus gives these brothers another name, Boanerges, Sons of Thunder. Mk. 3:17 Jesus also names Philip Nathanael Bartholomew Matthew Levi, the former tax collector. Thomas, is an Aramaic name; Didymus is his Greek name Both names mean twin. We know nothing about his twin. James, son of Alphaeus Judas Thaddeus Simon the Zealot The Zealots were a resistance movement who used assassination and violence against Rome. Imagine, a former tax collector who worked for Rome and a zealot violently fighting against Rome are now going to work together for Jesus. They must have had some interesting conversations Judas Iscariot Judas from Kerioth - a town in southern Judea. He is the only apostle from Judea. All the rest are from the northern province of Galilee, around Capernaum. After choosing the 12, Jesus comes down to a level area on the mountain so He can teach the apostles and the people that have followed Him. The Sermon on the Mount Purpose – to explain God’s requirement for Jews to enter His kingdom The requirements of Moses’ law as taught by the Sanhedrin was not sufficient. God required both external and internal obedience of Moses’ (God’s) law. This standard was impossible for anyone to attain - they needed a Savior. In the Old Testament, the prophets said when the Jews as a nation truly obeyed God, He would send their Messiah. He would be King over a perfect Kingdom. Since the kingdom would be perfect, only those who were right with God could be in that kingdom. That raised the question – How could the Jews GET right with God? How could they meet God’s standard of rightness? Over the last 400 years, the Sanhedrin had been re-interpreting Moses’ (God’s) law writing thousands of man-made laws – the Mishnah. So now in the first century AD, The Sanhedrin is teaching the people… “All Israel will have a share in the age to come” meaning… if you are born a Jew, you are automatically in God’s kingdom. But if you want a position of honor in the kingdom, you have to keep the outward letter of Moses’ law. The most effective way to do that is to keep all the Mishnah laws that they have written. 6 The Jewish people have found their religious life to be nothing but a heavy and restrictive burden. Jesus now tells the people 2 things about the teaching of the Sanhedrin 1. What the Sanhedrin is teaching about getting right with God is not enough to get you into God’s kingdom 2. What the Sanhedrin is teaching about the true requirements of Moses’ law is not correct. Unless your rightness exceeds that of the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:20 Notice the 2 groups He mentions - teachers of the law and Pharisees the 2 branches of the Sanhedrin that taught and enforced the law Thru His teaching, He will explain that no one can ever do enough or be good enough to meet God’s standards. God requires – not just outward obedience to His laws but also inward purity of thought and motive. The only way to meet that standard is to let God change them on the inside (a new birth.) This will happen when they believe and accept that He is their promised Messiah. Jesus knows that will raise another question – How can the Jews know if and when God has changed them – that they ARE right with God? The Sanhedrin has been telling them – you will know it by how much you do. Jesus now tells them – you will know it by your changed relationships with God and with others He then gives THE BEATITUDES – QUALITIES THAT PROVE GOD HAS CHANGED THEM. Humility - poor in spirit. This has nothing to do with a person’s financial situation. It is a person who says, Without God in my life, I would be spiritually bankrupt. Poor in spirit. It is the attitude of humility, I need Jesus in order to be right with God. Sensitivity to disobedience - A person grieves or mourns when they disobey God. Meekness In this context, it describes a person who accepts God’s authority in their life rather than insisting on their own way. Accepting God’s authority in this life will give them a position of authority in God’s future kingdom. Desire to obey God - to hunger and thirst for rightness. This does not mean perfection, but a deep and profound desire to obey. THESE QUALITIES SHOW A PERSON IS RIGHT WITH GOD BY THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO HIM Merciful - compassionate and responsive to others - Right Motivations in our responses to God and others - pure in heart. Peace-making This is not talking about making peace between nations at war. Jesus is talking about their spiritual leaders who were always fighting with each other to have the most power. Those who are right with God are not power-hungry. Acceptance of persecution when it is the result of obeying God. THESE QUALITIES SHOW A PERSON IS RIGHT WITH GOD BY THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS Let me emphasize. These qualities are not requirements to become right with God. They are evidence a person IS right with God. 7 Jesus says people who have these qualities… can be sure they will be in His kingdom will see God will be called sons of God will experience complete comfort and satisfaction. they are blessed. In everyday speech the Greek word blessed meant happy. But unfortunately in our English of today, the word happy has become a very superficial, shallow word. The word blessed in the Bible means, enriched by the Holy Spirit because of something we chose or do. Those who make a choice to repent, let God change them and develop these qualities within them will be blessed. They will be enriched by the Holy Spirit, bringing them a happiness of contentment and fulfillment. These qualities are in direct contrast to the history of the high priests, the leaders of the Sanhedrin over the past centuries. God had said the role of high priest was to go to the first-born in the family line. But over the last 400 years, younger brothers or close relatives wanted this highest power of leadership. So they spread lies, killed the first-born, gave bribes or literally gave the Jewish nation to the Romans, just so they could be high priest with absolute authority. And while doing this, they claimed to be “sons of God”. So Jesus tells the people, Spiritual leaders who are worthy to be called sons of God do not use violence and deceit to gain power. They do not fight and kill to get control. Enriched by the Holy Spirit are those who are not power-hungry or cause disunity among believers. Enriched by the Holy Spirit are the peacemakers - for they will be called sons of God. Thruout Jesus’ first year of ministry and up to this point in His second year, He has been presenting Himself to the Jewish people. He has come as the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. But if that were the only reason He came, He would have comes as King in all the splendor and power of His deity. Instead, even while still being deity, Jesus chose to empty Himself of the splendor and power of that deity. He chose to come into our world as a helpless human baby. He chose to live dependent on the power of the Holy Spirit. He chose to become obedient, to do and say only the things His Father gave Him to do and say. He made these choices to represent us - to become one of us - so He could make payment in our place, for our sin. He also made these choices to be like us. This affects the way Jesus prays for us and the way we pray to Him. When He prays for us, He prays - not just with power of deity, but also with the empathy of humanity. He knew what it was like to be tired or hungry, to be tempted, to grieve, to be angry, to be rejected. He feels what we feel when He prays for us. When we pray to Him, He understands how much we need His mercy and grace. The complete map is on the next page. 8 TRACKING JESUS in His The le&ers A-K are from the Outline on the next page. Each le&er gives you the geographical loca=ons and what happened at those places. MINISTRY - 2nd YEAR Lesson 4-7 GALILEE B Capernaum G of Sea Galilee Gerasenes of Gal. J/K H I DECAPOLIS Nain ea SAMARIA D/ E JUDEA Jerusalem Dead Sea 10 x 50 miles e dit Me nS a e n rra C 9 156 miles long Nazareth F Jordan River A PEREA 2nd YEAR of MINISTRY DEVELOPED OUTLINE 2nd year 29 or 30 AD - Jesus is now 35-36 years old. A. Nazareth to Capernaum c. 23 miles 1. Makes His residence in Capernaum Matt. 4:13 2. Calls 4 disciples to work with Him - Peter, Andrew, John and his brother, James Matt. 4:18-22; Luke 5:1-11 …had stayed with Jesus while in Judea and Samaria during 1st year (10 months) …had believed in Jesus and learned from Him (like a year of mentorship) …had gone back to their fishing business when they returned to Galilee 3. Teaches in the synagogue; heals a man with an evil spirit Luke 4:31-37 4. Goes to Peter’s house; heals his mother-in-law Luke 4:38-39 5. Heals many who are sick Luke 4:40-41 st B. Capernaum to all Galilee 1 trip January to March Mark 1:35-45 Takes the 4 disciples; teaches; heals a leper (Messianic miracle) C. Returns to Capernaum Mark 2:1-14 Heals a paralyzed man; calls Matthew D. Capernaum to Jerusalem 85 miles April 1. Heals a lame man; defends His authority John 5:1-47 2. Disciples eat grain on the Sabbath Luke 6:1-5 85 miles 1. Heals man with deformed hand Luke 6:6-11 2. Teaches and heals by the Sea of Galilee Mark 3:7-12 E. Jerusalem to Capernaum F. Capernaum to mountain 9 miles SW of Capernaum May - June Chooses 12 apostles; gives Sermon on the Mount Matt. 5 - 7; Luke 6:20-49 G. Mountain to Capernaum 9 miles Heals servant of Roman captain Luke 7:1-10 2nd trip Raises widow’s son in town of Nain Luke 7:11-17 Answers questions from John the Baptist Luke 7:18-35 Rebukes the unrepentant cities Matt. 11:20-30 Eats with Simon the Pharisee Luke 7:36-50 Visits all the towns and villages Luke 8:1-3 H. Capernaum to all Galilee 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. I. Returns to Capernaum June to August September to November 1. In Peter’s house, Matt. 12:22-50 casts out an evil spirit (Messianic miracle) teaches and is formally rejected by the Sanhedrin (unpardonable sin) 2. By the lake teaches parables Matt. 13:1-35 3. In Peter’s house, alone with disciples explains parables Matt. 13:36-50 J. Capernaum to Gerasenes 10 miles Mark 4:35 - 5:20 Calms the storm; heals the demon possessed man (Legion) 10 miles 1. Raises Jairus’ daughter and heals a sick woman Luke 8:41-56 2. Heals 2 blind men Matt. 9:27-34 3. Heals a man unable to speak because of an evil spirit (Messianic miracle) Matt. 9:27-34 K. Gerasenes to Capernaum 10