Fall-Winter 32 AD

The Feast of Tabernacles

Because the Jews sought to kill Jesus, He traveled through Galilee to avoid them. The Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was at hand in Jerusalem (John 7:1-2). The feast of tabernacles , or in-gathering, was a time of harvest, when they harvested the grapes and olives, specifically, and occurred from the 15th-21st of their month, Tishri, which, as you know, occurs sometime in September to October. It is also known as the Feast of Booths, and does, in fact, commemorate the exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt. It is also known as the Feast of Booths, and does, in fact, commemorate the exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt. Even today the Jewish people celebrate this feast by building these booths, or shanties, and spend time and eat meals in them.

Jesus and some of his followers then went up to Jerusalem, quietly, to observe the Feast of the Tabernacles. For the first three days Jesus managed to avoid those who sought His life. Then, in the middle of the feast, Jesus went up to the temple and taught (John 7:14).

The chief priests and Pharisees rejected Him and sent officers to arrest Him, but the hand of God the Father prevented it because it was not yet the right time. However, some of the people believed Jesus and His teaching (John 7:30-32).

On the last day of the feast Jesus stood up and said, "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink." (John 7:37). This is still an invitation to us today, whereby we can claim the promises of Christ for our own. Then He said, he that believes on me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water (John 7:38). So the one who comes, drinks, and trusts (believes) in Christ, will be filled by the Holy Spirit. Some believed, and some did not, so there was a division among the people (John 7:43).

The Adulterous Woman

Early in the morning, He went to the temple and taught again. The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman taken in adultery and set her in their midst, then asked Jesus what they should do with her (John 8:2-3). In the Old Testament, those who had committed adultery, both man and woman, were to be stoned to death. If Jesus had told them to stone her according to the law of Moses the Romans might be upset because they reserved the right of the death penalty for themselves (John 8:4-6). We note, too, that they did not bring the man. Where the law permits stoning, the witnesses to the sin are to cast the first stone. However, only those who were not guilty of the same sin, could participate. So, Jesus then said to them, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." They were convicted by their own consciences, and left one by one, beginning with the eldest to the last. He told the woman that He didn't condemn her, and for her to go and sin no more (John 8:11).

Jesus The Light of The World

All the world was plunged into darkness when Adam sinned. Jesus said in John 8:12 that He is the light of the world and those that follow Him, those that walk in the light, will not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life. For those that reject Jesus, those that walk in darkness, will die in their sins and it will be by their own choice (John 8:24; John 8:12-59).

Man Born Blind Healed

When Jesus left the temple, He saw a man who had been blind from birth. Jesus healed the blind man and the healing was on the Sabbath, and this made the Pharisees very angry. The Pharisees then went to the parents of the blind man and they confirmed that the man had been blind from birth. The blind man first recognized Jesus as an ordinary man, then as a prophet. Later he would recognize Jesus as the Son of God and worship Him. The Pharisees threw the man who had been blind out of the temple (John 9:1-41).

The Good Shepherd

Jesus is the good shepherd that gives life to His sheep. He is the only true Shepherd, all others are false. Jesus is the only way to come to God, there is no other way, John 10:1-2. So Jesus is the way to salvation, sanctification and peace with God (John 10:3-10). The good Shepherd provides pasture and safety for His sheep and gives His life for the sheep. Jesus taught that He was going to lay down His life for His flock, and then come to life again. Jesus said that no man takes His life from Him but He will lay it down. He has the power to lay it down and the power to take it up again. These teachings of Jesus made the Pharisees even more hostile toward Him.

Jesus Sends Seventy Others

Jesus appoints seventy other followers and sent them in pairs into every city and place where He was to go (Luke 10:1). They were to proclaim the kingdom of God (Luke 10:9). Most of these went to Judea because this was the area where Jesus was about to go.

The seventy returned with joy, telling Jesus that even the devils are subject to them in His name. Jesus told them He had given them authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and that nothing would harm them. Then He told them to not rejoice because the spirits are subject to them, but to rejoice because their names are written in heaven (Luke 10: 1-24).

Parable of the Good Samaritan

A lawyer tempted Jesus by asking Him what he should do to inherit eternal life (Luke 10:25). Jesus answered by asking a question --by asking him what the law said, and how he interpreted it. The lawyer then replied that, "You shall love the Lord thy God with all your heart, soul, strength, mind and love your neighbor as yourself". Jesus said that was right, and for him to do likewise and he would live. The lawyer then asked, Who is my neighbor? Jesus proceeded to tell him a story about a good Samaritan. A man was robbed and left half dead. When one of the priests came along, he passed him by. Next, a Levite also passed him by. Then along came a Samaritan man, (Samaritans were despised by the Jews), who not only helped the man, but took him to an inn and paid for his care. At this point Jesus asked the lawyer which of these three proved to be a neighbor. The lawyer said the one that showed mercy. Jesus then told him to go and do likewise (Luke 10:25-37).

Jesus Guest of Mary and Martha

Jesus then went to Bethany, near Jerusalem, and visits the sisters Martha and Mary. Mary sat and worshiped at the feet of Jesus, while Martha was kept busy serving the refreshments. Mary then came to Jesus and wanted to know if He cared that her sister, Mary,had left her to serve alone. Jesus did not condemn Martha for asking, yet He also did not chastise Mary, either. He focused Martha's attention on what is really important, learning about God and worshiping Him, and that if we keep our focus on God, we will not feel so overburdened (Luke 10:38-42).

Disciples Taught to Pray

When the disciples observed the prayer life of Jesus, they desired to learn to pray. Jesus gave a short version of the Lord's prayer from (Luke 11:1-13). It is a model for us to follow --Submission to God as Lord, adoration of God, submission to God's will, requests for our needs and the needs of others, forgiveness , request for God's guidance in our lives, acknowledgment of God's ownership and ruler-ship over all that exists.

Blasphemous Accusation of League with Beelzebub

When Jesus, once again, cast out a demon the Pharisees accused Him of casting out demons by evil powers. Jesus showed them that their thinking wasn't logical (Luke 11:14-16; Matthew 12:22-30; Mark 3:20-30). He said that, if they were right, then was it Satan that was casting out Satan? If so, then Satan was divided against himself. Since some of the scribes' own sons had cast out demons, He asked them another question, "By whom do your sons cast out demons?" Then Jesus proclaimed openly that if He had cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God had indeed come to them (Matthew 12:25-28; Luke 3:23-26).

Jesus said, in an open rebuke, to them that those who were not on His side, were, in effect, against Him. Jesus also, and rather pointedly, stated that those who were not gathering souls with Him were causing them to be scattered, or lost. He basically slammed the established hierarchy for not teaching the truth (Luke 11:23).

Eating with a Pharisee

A Pharisee asked Jesus to come to his house for a meal. Jesus went in and sat down to eat. His host seemed surprised that Jesus had not first washed before dinner (Luke 11:37-38). Washing before a meal was a custom the Pharisees had instituted, and while this is a sanitary practice, there was nothing written in the law that required it. Jesus then condemned the Pharisees who looked good on the outside, by being good and observing the law, but were inwardly dark and unclean. He pointed out examples of their hypocrisy. Jesus let them know that they had taken away the key knowledge of entering the kingdom of God and they, the Pharisees, had not entered in themselves, and had hindered those that were wanting to enter, Luke 11:39-52. After condemning the religious leaders, Jesus then warned the onlookers about imitating the Pharisees, about following their hypocrisy and covetousness (Luke 12:1-15).

Parables of Service

Jesus continued speaking to the crowd, and told them of the parable of the rich man. He told of the rich man who, after his harvest, didn't have enough room to store his harvest. So he decided to tear down his barns and built bigger ones. Then he could relax, drink, eat, and be merry (Luke 11:16-19). God called him a fool and told him that on this very same night he would die, and asked him who all this would belong to after he was dead. Those who lay up treasures only to benefit themselves here on earth, and are not generous towards God and His kingdom, are just as foolish as this rich man. Jesus said He would provide for us, and for us not to focus on what we shall eat or drink, because God the Father knows what we need. He told them, and us, to seek the kingdom of God, as our primary focus, and all those things would be provided to us (Luke 12:20-31).

Jesus then began to tell them a parable about a group of servants. The wise servants, those whom, when the Lord comes, He finds watching and doing what God had asked them to do, will be blessed. There were two other servants, one who did not know the will of God, and one who did. Since they were not serving God, they will both be punished, but the one who knew the will of God, and did not do it, will receive the greater punishment (Luke 12:37-39). Jesus tells us to be ready, for He will come at a time when we are not expecting Him (Luke 12:40). Jesus also taught them many other things while He was there (Luke 12:41 thru Luke 13:9).

Crippled Woman Healed on the Sabbath

Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath, and there was a crippled woman there who had been crippled for 18 years and couldn't walk upright. Jesus, showing compassion for her, laid hands on her and healed her (Luke 13:10-13).

The ruler of the synagogue became very angry because Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath. Jesus directed his answer to the ruler, but asked the question of the whole crowd -- which one of them would not take his livestock to water, even on the Sabbath? Then Jesus pointed out that it was more important that this woman, whom Satan had afflicted for eighteen years, be healed, even on the Sabbath.

Feast of Dedication

Jesus next went to Jerusalem, where it was time for the Feast of Dedication and since it was cold, Jesus walked on the sheltered side of the temple, to Solomon's porch. The Jews who were there gathered around Him and wanted to know if He was truly the Christ (John 10:22-24). Jesus told them that He had already told them and they didn't believe Him. He said the works that He had done in His Father's name bear witness of Him. He told them that they didn't believe because they were not His sheep but His sheep, hear His voice. They knew that sheep will only follow their own shepherd, so they understood what He was saying. He said, "I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." (John 10:25-30). The Jews then became angry and they proceeded to pick up stones to stone Him. They told Him they were stoning Him because He, being a man, made, or claimed, Himself to be God (John 10:31-33).


Sitemap

Romans 10:9-10
Romans 10:13

Romans 10:9-10
Romans 10:13

Back to Top