Last week we looked at Systemized
Error, the idea that there are intentional schemes and plans made to divide
or cover up truth. One simple error can cause a huge amount of planned errors,
in order to support the first error. Historically speaking, the one error of
compromise over Jonathan Maccabee being appointed high priest, but staying to
serve in the temple, led to many, many schemes to keep people worshipping in
the temple. The one error that the religious people made caused a system of
errors to cover up the first error. Always having to prove that a religious
system is right is a sure sign that, at its roots, it is wrong. Later, after
the Jews were kicked out of Jerusalem and the temple destroyed in 70 AD, more
systematic error developed to erase Jesus as Messiah. As we have studied
previously, nothing worked. Even the yeshiva curses recited three times a day
did not prevent people from receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior. One of the
schemes planned but not carried out was to kill Lazarus, as his resurrection
was the miracle that drew many to follow Jesus. Caiaphas foretells sacrificing
Jesus to save the nation, but Caiaphas did not mean “save” as unto eternal life,
but “save” as in keeping the Romans from destroying Jerusalem and the temple.
The plan to kill Jesus was inspired by the devil who was allowed to influence
the religious leaders’ ideas because they were working to cover their initial
error. If we can unravel the veins of wrong thinking, wrong teaching, and wrong
practice, we will be able to understand what took place towards the end of
Jesus’ life.
There is not much written about Lazarus, but we know from
this context that he had two sisters and that he was ill. Mary was the person
who later would anoint Jesus with perfume. Apparently Jesus knew Lazarus well
and loved him, so it seems strange that when the sisters send for Jesus, Jesus
does not go to Bethany to see them. If we remember our context, it was winter
at the time of the Feast of Dedication, or Hanukkah, when Jesus was speaking in
Jerusalem around Solomon’s porch. He was explaining the good shepherd and the hireling.
Jesus leaves Jerusalem heading east, crosses the Jordan, and remains there
until late winter or early spring. This was the desert, the place where the
Essenes lived. The place where John baptized people, and the places the
Prophets lived. Jesus spent his last few months in this region.
John 11:1 NOW A certain man named Lazarus was ill. He was
of Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived. 2 This Mary was
the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped His feet with her hair. It
was her brother Lazarus who was [now] sick. 3 So the sisters sent to Him,
saying, Lord, he whom You love [so well] is sick. 4 When Jesus received the
message, He said, This sickness is not to end in death; but [on the contrary]
it is to honor God and to promote His glory, that the Son of God may be
glorified through (by) it. 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
[They were His dear friends, and He held them in loving esteem.] 6 Therefore
[even] when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He still stayed two days longer in
the same place where He was. 7 Then after that interval He said to His
disciples, Let us go back again to Judea. 8 The disciples said to Him, Rabbi,
the Jews only recently were intending and trying to stone You, and are You
[thinking of] going back there again? 9 Jesus answered, Are there not twelve
hours in the day? Anyone who walks about in the daytime does not stumble,
because he sees [by] the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks about in
the night, he does stumble, because there is no light in him [the light is
lacking to him].
Jesus wasn’t afraid of going back to Judea, because he knew
he was walking in the light. This is a good point, and something we should
consider. If we are doing what the Holy Spirit tells us to do, we are walking
in the light. Therefore we should have no fear, we are walking in the day or
light. Jesus then explains that Lazarus is dead, and that what is about to
transpire will help them to believe.
John 11:11 He said these things, and then added, Our friend
Lazarus is at rest and sleeping; but I am going there that I may awaken him out
of his sleep. 12 The disciples answered, Lord, if he is sleeping, he will
recover. 13 However, Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He
referred to falling into a refreshing and natural sleep. 14 So then Jesus told
them plainly, Lazarus is dead, 15 And for your sake I am glad that I was not
there; it will help you to believe (to trust and rely on Me). However, let us
go to him. 16 Then Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow
disciples, Let us go too, that we may die [be killed] along with Him.
Jesus got word Lazarus was ill, he waited in the desert two
days, then “knew” he was dead, but by the time they got to Bethany, Lazarus had
been in the grave four days. Jesus and the disciples were across the Jordan
River, in Jordan and the desert regions, so it took time to cross the Jordan
and travel over the mountains to get to Bethany.
John 11:17 So when Jesus arrived, He found that he
[Lazarus] had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near
Jerusalem, only about two miles away, 19 And a considerable number of the Jews
had gone out to see Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother.
20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet Him, while Mary
remained sitting in the house. 21 Martha then said to Jesus, Master, if You had
been here, my brother would not have died. 22 And even now I know that whatever
You ask from God, He will grant it to You. 23 Jesus said to her, Your brother
shall rise again.
Martha spoke accurately, Jesus said the same thing, however
it was better that he wasn’t in Bethany otherwise Lazarus would not have died.
The benefit was that people, including the disciples, would believe that Jesus
was the Messiah when Lazarus arose. We have to imagine the way that people
thought about Jesus. They knew he was doing miracles, like healing the blind,
the deaf, the lame, and the mute. He was fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecies. He was
an Essene, a Nazarene, and a Therapeutae, and was schooled in all three veins.
But some of them had a hard time being sure he was the Messiah. He didn’t look
particularly Messiah-ish. He didn’t look like Thor, and he didn’t have a
charming sales pitch as to why people should follow him. And even though the
miracles should have spoken for themselves, he lived among the Therapeutaes who
were known healers, so maybe he just knew how to heal people. And while he had
a great knowledge of spiritual matters, he was schooled among the Essenes, so
maybe he was a scholarly person. His personal holiness could have spoken for
itself because he was also of the Nazarenes, who lived a chaste and dedicated
life to Yahweh, yet he ate with sinners and talked to sinners, and healed on
the Sabbath. He was just a confusing guy to the people of that time.
We also have to keep in mind our history, as by this time
nearly two hundred years had passed since the people had split up during the
Hasmonean era, where the one group who later became known as Pharisees, stayed
and served in the temple while the other people, who later became known as
Essenes, Nazarenes, and Therapeutaes, left Jerusalem. The contention between
those two groups fueled the Pharisees’ hate for Jesus and for the miracles he
did. Remember who the lost sheep were? They were the people Jesus came to talk
to, the Pharisees and Sadducees and all those who followed them. If we zoom out
our view, we see the Pharisees and Sadducees in Jerusalem, thinking they are
correct in their beliefs and fighting tooth and nail against anything or anyone
who attempted to stop them from serving in the temple. Devising schemes and
plans to “herd” all the simple people to their way of thinking, the religious
leaders of the day continued to systemize error over error. But it is odd that
the Essenes/Nazarenes/Therapeutaes were not living a contentious existence at
all. The Pharisees and Sadducees were living in the dark and attempting to walk
in darkness, stumbling along, while the Essenes/Nazarenes/Therapeutaes were
walking in the light and not afraid of falling down.
Imagine the people of Jerusalem trying to decide whether to
follow Jesus or stay with the Pharisees. The people were in such darkness, but
they saw a great light, if the followed they would be condemned by the
religious leaders, and that would make them outcasts from the religious system.
Doesn’t it seem that religious systems systemize error in order to control
people? Control is witchcraft enacted on people via manipulation, intimidation,
and domination. Control has its own pathway leading to destruction.
Martha understood the resurrection, the time when all the
dead in Christ would rise to heaven. This is what Jesus came to do, he came to
set the captives free, taking the dead in hades, who were in the compartment of
Abraham’s Bay, to paradise, to await the resurrection. This is why Jesus says
that whoever believes on him shall never actually die. From the days of Adam until
the day Jesus went into hades to witness to the imprisoned spirits, the
righteous dead went to Abraham’s Bay and were separated by a chasm from the
unrighteous dead. But after Jesus led captivity captive, and took back the keys
to hell and death, he opened the way to paradise for the righteous, and he now
gives those overcomers to eat of the tree of life in the midst of the paradise
of God. When the door of heaven opens, the dead in Christ rise first, and the
living righteous will join them in the air. The redeemed, purchased by Jesus’
blood, will join the other sons of God in heaven and prepare for Jesus’ return.
We have studied all of these elements before, this is simply a recap so that we
can understand what Jesus is saying to Martha.
John 11:24 Martha replied, I know that he will rise again
in the resurrection at the last day. 25 Jesus said to her, I am [Myself] the
Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in (adheres to, trusts in, and
relies on) Me, although he may die, yet he shall live; 26 And whoever continues
to live and believes in (has faith in, cleaves to, and relies on) Me shall
never [actually] die at all. Do you believe this? 27 She said to Him, Yes,
Lord, I have believed [I do believe] that You are the Christ (the Messiah, the
Anointed One), the Son of God, [even He] Who was to come into the world. [It is
for Your coming that the world has waited.]
The world was waiting for Jesus to redeem the dead out of
hades. The god of this world used to be in charge of hades, but he is not any longer.
This was the first part of Jesus’ plan in coming to earth, to redeem the
righteous dead out of hades and into paradise. The second part will be to make
an army out of the select redeemed to establish his kingdom on earth.
Jesus had only gotten as far as the outskirts of Bethany,
he hadn’t gone to Mary and Martha’s house yet. Martha had gone out to meet
Jesus on the road. Now Martha went back to her home and told Mary Jesus was in
town.
John 11:28 After she had said this, she went back and
called her sister Mary, privately whispering to her, The Teacher is close at
hand and is asking for you. 29 When she heard this, she sprang up quickly and
went to Him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the
same spot where Martha had met Him. 31 When the Jews who were sitting with her
in the house and consoling her saw how hastily Mary had arisen and gone out,
they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to pour out her
grief there. 32 When Mary came to the place where Jesus was and saw Him, she
dropped down at His feet, saying to Him, Lord, if You had been here, my brother
would not have died. 33 When Jesus saw her sobbing, and the Jews who came with
her [also] sobbing, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. [He chafed in
spirit and sighed and was disturbed.] 34 And He said, Where have you laid him?
They said to Him, Lord, come and see. 35 Jesus wept.
Jesus was moved with compassion for the sadness of his
friends. He knew their hearts were breaking. Now the entire group, Mary,
Martha, the Jews who were mourning with them, Jesus, and his disciples, all
went to Lazarus’ tomb. Notice the conversations of the Jews along the way, they
knew Jesus wept because he loved them. They wondered if Jesus had been there
whether Lazarus might not have died. They also note that Jesus had opened the
eyes of the blind. They knew Jesus as a healer. Now they will come to know him
as Messiah.
John 11:36 The Jews said, See how [tenderly] He loved him!
37 But some of them said, Could not He Who opened a blind man's eyes have
prevented this man from dying? 38 Now Jesus, again sighing repeatedly and
deeply disquieted, approached the tomb. It was a cave (a hole in the rock), and
a boulder lay against [the entrance to close] it. 39 Jesus said, Take away the
stone. Martha, the sister of the dead man, exclaimed, But Lord, by this time he
[is decaying and] throws off an offensive odor, for he has been dead four days!
40 Jesus said to her, Did I not tell you and promise you that if you would
believe and rely on Me, you would see the glory of God?
Jesus speaks to Martha as he had spoken to her earlier. She
thought he was speaking about the far future, Jesus was actually speaking of
the present time. If she believed on Him she would see the glory of God. Notice
Jesus was sighing and deeply disquieted, his heart was moved with compassion.
One of the keys to healing ministry is compassion on the part of the one who prays
for the sick. Compassion energizes healing, as compassion comes from the heart
waves of the one inspired by the Holy Spirit to stimulate the heart waves of
the sick individual.
John 11:41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up
His eyes and said, Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 Yes, I know
You always hear and listen to Me, but I have said this on account of and for
the benefit of the people standing around, so that they may believe that You
did send Me [that You have made Me Your Messenger]. 43 When He had said this,
He shouted with a loud voice, Lazarus, come out!
Here is the communication between Jesus and the Heavenly
Father. Jesus says: for the benefit of the people so they believe you sent me.
The rain falls on the just and the unjust, the sun shines on the wicked and the
good, we all live and then we die, good and bad happen to everyone. However,
the dunamis, miracle working power,
is always a witness to the unbelievers. After Jesus’ death the disciples use dunamis
as a witnessing tool, this is what we sometimes miss. Healing is not about God
wanting everyone to be healthy. Mistakenly we seem to think if people are not
healthy they have done something wrong. Seeking healing for the sake of healing
is wrong. That is the same wrong thinking of the Pharisees. Healing is about
making disciples. But sickness falls on the just and the unjust, the wicked and
the good, the believer and the unbeliever. Everyone dies, the first question is,
where will an individual go when he/she dies? The second question is did he/she
endure to the end, did he/she overcome? Those are not questions we on earth can
answer, we can only guess. Rather, as the Essenes believe, we should simply
endeavor to do our best. Lazarus walks out of the tomb. I’m sure he had a few
stories to tell, being dead for four days and all. History claims that Lazarus
never smiled after being in the grave, as he saw hades and knew where the
unbelieving, unrighteous go.
John 11:44 And out walked the man who had been dead, his
hands and feet wrapped in burial cloths (linen strips), and with a [burial]
napkin bound around his face. Jesus said to them, Free him of the burial
wrappings and let him go. 45 Upon seeing what Jesus had done, many of the Jews
who had come with Mary believed in Him. [They trusted in Him and adhered to Him
and relied on Him.] 46 But some of them went back to the Pharisees and told
them what Jesus had done.
Did you notice verse 46? Some of the Jews, who just saw a
man who they knew had been dead for four days, walk out of the tomb, went to
tell the Pharisees. This is never a good thing, even if those Jews meant it as
a witnessing tool for the unbelieving Pharisees. We cannot re-communicate the
miracles we see to those who are unbelieving, with the expectation that they
too will believe. People don’t change their hearts because someone else sees a
miracle. Subsequently the Pharisees and the chief priests have a meeting with
the Sanhedrin.
John 11:47 So the chief priests and Pharisees called a
meeting of the council (the Sanhedrin) and said, What are we to do? For this
Man performs many signs (evidences, miracles). 48 If we let Him alone to go on
like this, everyone will believe in Him and adhere to Him, and the Romans will
come and suppress and destroy and take away our [holy] place and our nation
[our temple and city and our civil organization].
That is in fact what happens. In 70 AD the Zealots and
Idumeans started a civil war with the Jews, and eventually the Romans took over
all of Jerusalem, destroying the temple, and kicking the Jews out of the
region. Caiaphas prophesies that Jesus should die for the nation, but Caiaphas
is not a prophet. The actions of Caiaphas throughout the scriptures bear out
that he is not a prophet, as the Pharisees lost the Holy Spirit when they
decided to stay and serve in the temple. Caiaphas is simply stating that
getting rid of Jesus is better for them, as they would be squashing an uprising
and the Romans would not take the city and temple from them. Caiaphas’ words
are fueled by his intent during Jesus’ trials taking place in the middle of the
night. Also recognize that Caiaphas and Annas had temple guards, a Roman
military force, at their disposal, so they could kill Jesus. This made Caiaphas
and Annas and those who followed them look good to the Romans who were not
interested in an uprising. All this scheming and planning was to eliminate
Jesus to save themselves and the temple from Roman takeover. But this was/is part
of Jesus’ plan to redeem the righteous dead from hades.
So while it seems that this meeting is a systemized
conspiracy against Jesus, it was going to enable the exact thing Jesus came to
do. Remember Jesus’ conversation with Peter after the mount of transfiguration?
Jesus knew he came to die for the world, not just Jews, but for everyone who
would believe. After the Holy Spirit infills the believers on the day of
Pentecost, Caiaphas and the religious leaders arrest Peter and John for healing
the lame man and talking to people about how healing is possible. 5,000
believed. Caiaphas and the other religious leaders are lectured by Peter and
John and could not stop the disciples speaking Jesus’ name. Notice that
Caiaphas keeps going in the wrong direction, never repenting. Systemized error
surrounding the entire Parasitical set up in the temple caused constant
misdirection in all matters, not just regarding Jesus. The Pharisees became so
focused on what people did wrong that they forgot about what people did right.
Healing on the Sabbath is not evil or breaking the Sabbath, it is doing good
rather than evil.
John 11:49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was the high
priest that year, declared, You know nothing at all! 50 Nor do you understand
or reason out that it is expedient and better for your own welfare that one man
should die on behalf of the people than that the whole nation should perish (be
destroyed, ruined). 51 Now he did not say this simply of his own accord [he was
not self-moved]; but being the high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus
was to die for the nation, [Isa 53:8.] 52 And not only for the nation but also
for the purpose of uniting into one body the children of God who have been
scattered far and wide. [Isa 49:6.] 53 So from that day on they took counsel
and plotted together how they might put Him to death. 54 For that reason Jesus
no longer appeared publicly among the Jews, but left there and retired to the
district that borders on the wilderness (the desert), to a village called
Ephraim, and there He stayed with the disciples.
The system of error was put in place to turn people against
Jesus and to kill him, but notice Jesus’ actions, he is waiting for the right
time to be killed. Again Jesus goes to the desert and stays with disciples. Jesus
knows that he will be crucified when he goes back to Jerusalem and he is
waiting for the Passover, meanwhile the Pharisees, priests, and Sanhedrin are
plotting and systemizing error to keep people from believing that Jesus is
Messiah. As far as these religious leaders know, all the “simple minded people”
will follow after Jesus the healer, especially after Lazarus was raised from
the dead after four days. The religious leaders don’t have any clue what is
supposed to take place. For that matter the devil did not know either, because
if he had known the mystery of the infilling of the Holy Spirit on all
believers, he would never have crucified the Lord of Glory, 1 Cor 2:8. Even
though the scheming of the Pharisees, priests, and Sanhedrin was inspired by
the devil, and from an earthly vantage point it seemed like they were doing the
Jews a favor keeping them from following Jesus, their plan freed the righteous
dead from hades.
We’ve now come to the week before Nisan 14, the Passover.
Passover was irrespective of the day of the week and this particular year it
was on a Wednesday. They were watching for Jesus.
John 11:55 Now the Jewish Passover was at hand, and many
from the country went up to Jerusalem in order that they might purify and
consecrate themselves before the Passover. 56 So they kept looking for Jesus
and questioned among themselves as they were standing about in the temple
[area], What do you think? Will He not come to the Feast at all? 57 Now the
chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was,
he should report it to them, so that they might arrest Him. AMP
On the 8th of Nisan Jesus comes back to Bethany
to have dinner with Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. Seemingly, Lazarus was not
suffering any ill effects from being dead for four days. Now Mary anoints
Jesus’ feet with perfume. This is what John told us in the beginning of chapter
11. This is the same Mary.
John 12:1 SO SIX days before the Passover Feast, Jesus came
to Bethany, where Lazarus was, who had died and whom He had raised from the
dead. 2 So they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of
those at the table with Him. 3 Mary took a pound of ointment of pure liquid
nard [a rare perfume] that was very expensive, and she poured it on Jesus' feet
and wiped them with her hair. And the whole house was filled with the fragrance
of the perfume.
This anointing of Jesus’ feet took place six days before
his crucifixion. Now Judas enters the picture. Several systems of error have
been working out in Judas’ life. Judas was a thief, helping himself to the
money he was to hold for the disciples. If we remember the ways of the Essenes
and their community rules, upon entering the community one gives his money to
the treasurer. If after one year that person wishes to leave the community he
receives his money back in full. If after one year that person instead stays in
the community, his money is merged with the common funds of the community.
Judas was holding the purse of the twelve, which means that none of the twelve
had his own money anymore. Judas helped himself to the money, which was
dishonorable. This incident put a spotlight on Judas. His attitude about the
perfume probably made some of the others think something was wrong. Jesus knew
what Judas was doing but Judas didn’t think anyone knew. Selling Mary’s perfume
(had she donated it) he would have taken some money to replenish the treasury
and give a bit to the poor. Since that wasn’t going to happen he needed another
plan. Selling Jesus to the Pharisees, priests, and Sanhedrin for money would
help replenish the money he stole. Judas probably didn’t think Jesus would be
killed. All of these systemized errors in Judas’ life built upon one another.
He was stealing money, so he condemns Mary for her extravagance, appearing to
look concerned for the poor. He condemns her with the intent to take the
perfume and sell it to replenish money he stole, but Jesus tells him to leave
her alone. Because everyone knew the religious leaders were looking for Jesus,
Judas went to strike a deal for money. This pattern of error continues in Judas
even after Jesus’ death. The devil knows how to lead people into intentional
systematic error.
John 12:4 But Judas Iscariot, the one of His disciples who
was about to betray Him, said, 5 Why was this perfume not sold for 300 denarii
[a year's wages for an ordinary workman] and that [money] given to the poor
(the destitute)? 6 Now he did not say this because he cared for the poor but
because he was a thief; and having the bag (the money box, the purse of the
Twelve), he took for himself what was put into it [pilfering the collections].
7 But Jesus said, Let her alone. It was [intended] that she should keep it for
the time of My preparation for burial. [She has kept it that she might have it
for the time of My embalming.] 8 You always have the poor with you, but you do
not always have Me.
The bursar was a very important office in the Essene
communities, and that was Judas’ job among the twelve. Judas would have bought
food and clothes for the twelve disciples and Jesus, and he would have been
thought of as a banker or accountant. Because none of the twelve would have had
their own money, no one would have been overfed while someone else was left
hungry or cold. They shared all things in common, just like we saw the first
century believers do as soon as they repented and believed on Jesus, they acted
like Essenes. This was the way people started to live, in community.
It is interesting that people heard Jesus was in Bethany,
and a great crowd of Jews went there to see Jesus as well as Lazarus. The
religious leaders put the word out and now they knew where Jesus was. But
remember that we studied a while back how the crowds grew and grew throughout
Jesus’ ministry. As Jesus healed more and more people, more and more Jews
followed him. The crowds grew out of control, especially in the eyes of religious
leaders who were not gaining followers. Between this and the fear that the
Romans would take Jerusalem from the Jews, the religious leaders had to stop
this movement.
John 12:9 Now a great crowd of the Jews heard that He was
at Bethany, and they came there, not only because of Jesus but that they also
might see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests
planned to put Lazarus to death also, 11 Because on account of him many of the
Jews were going away [were withdrawing from and leaving the Judeans] and
believing in and adhering to Jesus.
Because Lazarus had been raised from the dead people were
leaving the religious order, so the chief priests planned to kill Lazarus.
Let’s think this through. They planned to kill Jesus six days before Passover.
Now they plan to kill Lazarus as well. It seems like the bad ideas just keep on
multiplying. Once Jesus was dead, Lazarus wouldn’t be raised up again, so it
seems a safe bet that the plan was to kill Jesus first. Lazarus was a living
testament to the power Jesus had over the grave, and people were leaving Judea
to follow Jesus, who had been spending quite a bit of time in the desert with
disciples there. Bethany is only two miles east of Jerusalem, so this was not a
long journey for the average person. Today however, people would not walk two
miles, but drive instead. Because the Jews were hunting Lazarus, he left for
Cyprus and was eventually appointed bishop of Kition by Paul and Barnabas. We
don’t know what happened to Martha or Mary but they may have left Bethany for
Cypress with Lazarus.
There is a period of a few days here before Jesus rides
into Jerusalem on a donkey on the 10th or 11th of Nisan. Jesus
goes to Bethany and eats dinner with his friends. A huge crowd goes to Bethany
to see Jesus. Then he sends the disciples out to get a donkey and he rides into
Jerusalem. As Jesus comes down from Bethany, the Jews who witnessed Lazarus
rising form the dead kept on telling people what happened. And as we know from
the other gospel accounts, Jesus rides a donkey into the city, he weeps over
Jerusalem, goes into the temple, overturns the tables in the temple, is
questioned by the religious leaders, he heals the blind and lame, and as he
leaves Jerusalem for Bethany, he curses a fig tree. Jesus goes back to
Jerusalem the next day, passing by the withered fig tree, teaches in the temple,
and is questioned by religious leaders again. It doesn’t seem like a triumphal
entry or a joyous occasion. However in hindsight, we can say that he rode into
Jerusalem as a future King, took authority over the evil money schemes in the
temple (another system of error that had developed over time), healed people
and taught in the outer courts of the temple. He then left the religious
leaders in a mess.
John 12:12 The next day a vast crowd of those who had come
to the Passover Feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took
branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him. And as they went, they kept
shouting, Hosanna! Blessed is He and praise to Him Who comes in the name of the
Lord, even the King of Israel! [Ps 118:26.] 14 And Jesus, having found a young
donkey, rode upon it, [just] as it is written in the Scriptures, 15 Do not
fear, O Daughter of Zion! Look! Your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's
colt! [Zech 9:9.] 16 His disciples did not understand and could not comprehend
the meaning of these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified and exalted,
they remembered that these things had been written about Him and had been done
to Him. 17 The group that had been with Jesus when He called Lazarus out of the
tomb and raised him from among the dead kept telling it [bearing witness] to
others. 18 It was for this reason that the crowd went out to meet Him, because
they had heard that He had performed this sign (proof, miracle). 19 Then the
Pharisees said among themselves, You see how futile your efforts are and how
you accomplish nothing. See! The whole world is running after Him! AMP
Let’s look at verse 19 in the Greek TR Interlinear.
John 12:19
|
|
oi(
3588 hoi |
ou@n
therefore 3767 oún |
Farisai=oi
The Pharisees 5330 Pharisaíoi |
ei@pon
said 2036 eípon |
pro\$
among 4314 prós |
e(autou/$
themselves 1438 heautoús |
|
Qewrei=te Perceive ye 2334 Theœreíte |
o%ti
how 3754 hóti |
ou)k
3756 ouk |
w)felei=te
5623 œpheleíte |
ou)de/n:
nothing 3762 oudén; |
i&de
behold 1492 íde |
o(
the 3588 ho |
|
ko/smo$ world 2889 kósmos |
o)pi/sw
after 3694 opísœ |
au)tou=
him 846 autoú |
a)ph=lqen
is gone 565 ap¢¡lthen |
(Interlinear Transliterated Bible (TR Edition).
Copyright © 2011 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved. [For more detail see
the full copyright page.])
Notice that the untranslated words here renders
this more emphatic. Perceive how
nothing prevails, nothing. Nothing was stopping people from following
Jesus. This tells us that there was at least one plan that the Pharisees had in
place that was not working. There may have been several plans attempting to
stop people from following Jesus. But no matter how many schemes religious
leaders come up with to keep people from Jesus, people will find Jesus if they want
to.
Given the idea that the religious leaders were deceptive,
crooked, and evil, it is hard to believe that anybody actually wanted to follow
them; but the “spell” of manipulation kept people bound. As we see from
history, one error leads to many schemes, systemizing error, so that people
can’t tell what the truth is. This is why from hindsight it is hard to believe
there are still people today who wish to act like the Pharisees, binding people
under the law. Clearly history reveals a lot of dirty secrets among the
religious leaders, and we are hard pressed to simply give them all a pass. It
is important to understand that systematic error is not only a religious
problem, but a cultural, societal, and political problem. It takes time to
unravel these schemes, but if we do, we can be set free from continual error.
Then we can walk in the day and in the light, and not be afraid to stumble.
