Demon’s Recognition of the “Son of God”

Posted on by K.B. Vogelman

Gospel accounts of the supernatural realm of principalities recognizing Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God occurred in a specific hierarchical sequence. Demons were the last of those in the Gospels who recognized Jesus as the Son of God.

Before Jesus was born, Matthew and Luke accounts report the birth was announced by God through an angel saying that Mary miraculously conceived her baby by the Holy Spirit with Luke reporting he would be the Son of God.^[1]

As an adult, God Himself was the first to recognize Jesus as the Son of God. Immediately after Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, the Voice of God called out: ^[2]

^{MK 1:11} “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” _(NKJV)

John the Baptist himself testified to what he had seen and heard that day when he baptized Jesus of Nazareth:^[3]

^{John 1:32-34} “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” _(NKJV)

Fasting for 40 days in the wilderness after his baptism, Satan approached Jesus in his emaciated condition. In the second recognition of Jesus as the Son of God, Satan cunningly began his temptations by saying to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God…” Rebuffing the temptations, Jesus quoted from the Scriptures.

Beginning his public ministry, Jesus traveled from Nazareth to a Capernaum where he taught in a synagogue. A man in the audience was possessed by an “unclean demon” and its voice cried out: ^[4]

^{LK 4:34} “Let us alone! What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are — the Holy One of God!” _(NKJV)

Paying close attention to the pronouns using the word “us,” the demon spoke on behalf of other demons, then spoke for himself. Commanded to be silent and to come out of the man, the demons threw the possessed man down with convulsions before leaving him unharmed. Those who witnessed the exorcism were “amazed” exclaiming Jesus was someone of authority and power making his fame to spread quickly.^[5]

It would not be the only instance when demons proclaimed Jesus to be the Son of God. Mark and Luke wrote that whenever demons saw Jesus, they forced their hosts to fall down before him crying out, “You are the Son of God.”^[6]

Matthew, Mark and Luke record another especially harrowing encounter with demons in the Gerasenes (Gararenes) region.^[7] The incident occurred after the miracle of calming the storm during a journey across the Sea of Tiberius (Galilee) to the Gentile side in present-day Syria.

Living naked among the tombs, restraints on the possessed man were useless – chains and shackles would only be broken into pieces. Out of fear, people obviously avoided the area of the tombs.

Mark and Luke accounts say there was just one possessed man while Matthew’s Gospel says there were two. Differences do not mean there was not a second demon-possessed man.

Mark and Luke based their accounts on witnesses’ memories telling of one specifically, most frightening possessed man while Matthew, who very well have been present, said there were two possessed men. All three Gospels speak of multiple demons.^[8]

Arriving on shore, the head demon spotted Jesus and forced its host to run and bow down before him. A voice of one demon cried out asking for mercy:

^{MK 5:7} “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.” _(NKJV)

Asked for his name by Jesus, the demon-voice answered said, “My name is Legion, for we are many.”^[9] When Jesus commanded the demons to come out, Legion begged Jesus for mercy not to be thrown into the abyss; instead, asking that they would be allowed to enter a nearby herd of swine.^[10]

Begging for mercy to the Son of God, the demons recognized that Jesus had complete power and discretion over them. Granting their request, Jesus allowed the demons to enter a herd of pigs which then charged down a steep hill into the sea and drowned.

Herdsmen of the hogs ran into the town and told their story of what had happened. A crowd gathered, went out to see for themselves and found the former fearsome, demon-possessed man clothed and calmly sitting at the feet of Jesus.

Fear gripped the crowd and they implored Jesus to leave them alone. Honoring their request, Jesus told them to return to their homes, then sailed back across the sea.

Meanwhile, the healed man proclaimed throughout the town what Jesus had done for him. Accounts of the exorcisms carried such a degree of credibility, the enemies of Jesus eventually believed the witnesses.

Pharisees became involved and accused Jesus of casting out demons in the name of Beelzebub, another name for Satan.^[11] In a response, Jesus asked two rhetorical questions:

^{LK 11:18-20} “”If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub. And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.”_(NKJV)

The Book of Acts, written by the same author as the Gospel of Luke, recounts another demon encounter, but this one did not end well. Some Jewish exorcists, the seven sons of high priest Sceva, attempted an exorcism.

Invoking the name of Jesus, they said to the demon, “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.”^[12] Not impressed by their command, the demon retorted, “I know about Jesus and I am acquainted with Paul, but who are you?”^[13]

Reaction by the demon forced the possessed man to overpower the seven sons and beat them to a point they ran from the house naked and bleeding. According to the author, word of the incident spread throughout Ephesus causing fear and praise for the name of Jesus.^[14]

In the supernatural realm, if God, Satan and his demons recognized Jesus as the Son of God, should mortal people recognize Jesus, too?

Updated May 21, 2024.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

REFERENCES:

[1] Luke 1:30-32, 35. CR Matthew 1:20-22.
[2] Mark 1:11. Luke 3:21-2. NKJV. CR Matthew 3:13-17; Luke 4:16-28; John 1:32-33.
[3] NKJV.
[4] Luke 4:34. NASB. CR Mark 1:24.
[5] Mark 1:27-28; Luke 4:36-37.
[6] Mark 3:11; 9:17-27; Luke 4:41, 6:18. NKJV.
[7] Matthew 8:29-34; Mark 5:1-13; Luke 8:26-39.
[8] Matthew 8:28. NetBible.org. Footnote 1. Kant, Garth. WND. “How skeptic turned demon hunter.” photo. 2016. <https://www.wnd.com/2016/08/all-american-girl-turns-skeptic-into-demon-hunter>
Matthew 8:28. BibleHub. “Commentary.” n.d. <https://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/8-28.htm>
[9] Mark 5:9. NET.
[10] Luke 8:29-33.
[11] Matthew 9:34; 12:22-24; Mark 3:20-30;. Luke 11:14-23.
[12] Acts 19:13. NET. Acts 19:13-17.
[13] Acts 19:15. NET.
[14] Acts 19:13-17.

John – the Eyewitness Gospel

Posted on by K.B. Vogelman

John – the Eyewitness Gospel

Gospel of John is widely believed to be an eyewitness account written independently of the Synoptic Gospels. Identifying himself as a Disciple, the list of possibilities for authorship is thus limited to the eleven Disciples.^[1]

Possibilities can then be narrowed to the inner circle of Jesus – Peter, James and John. They were the only three Disciples chosen by Jesus to be with him during the Transfiguration and his final prayer on the Mount of Olives.^[2]

James was executed decades before John’s Gospel was written excluding him as a possibility.^[3] Peter can be ruled out because he is identified as the one who motioned to the Disciple author who was leaning on the chest of Jesus to ask for more details about the betrayer among them. By deduction, John is the Disciple author of the Gospel.^[4]

Oldest of the fragments of the Gospel of John are dated to as early as 125 AD, possibly from the original manuscript text.^[5] John’s account is believed to have been written when John was in his 90s, a few short years before he died in approximately 100 AD.^[6]

Some assert that the Disciple John, aka Apostle John, was not the actual author, rather someone else wrote it for him.^[7] If indeed that is the case, advanced age may have required someone else to write the words on his behalf. Nonetheless, written or dictated, the account reflects intimate knowledge of someone who was there.

Like the other three Gospels, the author does not specifically identify himself. One reason for no authorship can be attributed to the Jewish literary protocol of that era not to pen a name to literary works.^[8]

To draw a conclusion on authenticity, it must be drawn based on the evidence within the Gospel. A credible eyewitness statement is expected to begin when the witness becomes engaged in the event; typically written chronologically as memory recall dictates; makes references to specific dates and times, locations and names; and may include quotes.^[9]

One of the most obvious examples that the author was there is the description of the Resurrection morning events. After a pretext setting, his description begins at the point when Mary Magdalene and other women burst into the room telling John and Peter what they had seen and heard at the empty tomb — the account begins when the author became personally involved.^[10]

Ending the Gospel is a another personal situation after breakfast on the Sea of Tiberias shore with the resurrected Jesus. A conversation is described that the author overheard between Jesus and Peter.^[11]

Compared to the parallel Jewish writing style of Matthew, Mark and Luke, naturally there are going to be chronological timeline variations.^[12] Chronologically written, the Gospel marks the sequence of events using the annual Feasts in Jerusalem.^[13]

Time frames covering three years are clearly defined beginning with the first year of ministry by Jesus when John writes “the Passover of the Jews was near.”^[14] Next, marking the the second year midpoint, “Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near.”^[15]

Lastly, the Gospel account moves into the third and final year with “Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover.”^[16] Times of day, in some instances the very hour, are pinpointed in the Gospel.^[17]

Locations details are so frequent, it is easy to map the journey of Jesus throughout his ministry. Obscure locations are named, “Aenon near Salim” and a “Samaritan town called Sychar” as well as places near Jerusalem, “the Kidron Valley” and the “Mount of Olives.”^[18]

Precise locations within Jerusalem are identified, the “Sheep Gate a pool called Bethzatha in Aramaic, which has five covered walkways;“ “‘The Stone Pavement’ (Gabbatha in Aramaic)” and “the Roman governor’s residence” of Pilate.^[19]

“Cana in Galilee” is named three times, first where Jesus turned water to wine and is later identified as the hometown of Disciple Nathanael.^[20] Bethany is cited as the hometown of the siblings Mary, Martha and Lazarus as well as a place where John the Baptist performed baptisms.^[21]

Personal names are many offering yet another validation to the identify of the Gospel’s author. The author referred to “John the Baptist” only as “John” – there was no need to distinguish between another “John.”^[22]

Some Disciples were identified as Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip, Nathanael, Thomas and ”Judas (not Judas Iscariot).”^[23] Named also are two Pharisee members of the ruling Jewish council Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea; adversaries Caiaphas, Annas, and Pilate; and other followers of Jesus, Mary the wife of Clopas, Mary Magdalene and the siblings Mary, Martha and Lazarus.^[24]

Quotes appear throughout the account; Nicodemus said, “you are a teacher who has come from God.”^[25] Martha said to Jesus of her brother, Lazarus, “I know that whatever you ask from God, God will grant you.”^[26] Mary Magdalene’s errant exclamation to Peter and John, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”^[27]

Doubting Disciple Thomas said, “Unless I see the wounds from the nails in his hands, and put my finger into the wounds from the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe it!” Days later, his excited utterance is quoted upon seeing and touching the resurrected Jesus, “My Lord and my God!”^[28]

Disciple Peter said “I will lay down my life for you!”^[29]The author himself writes of his encounter with the resurrected Jesus at the Sea of Galilee with another excited utterance, “It is the Lord!”^[30]

Providing other very specific details strongly suggest the author observed these things himself. Miraculously changing the water to wine, not just a small jug of water, rather “six stone waterpots…containing twenty or thirty gallons each.”^[31]

“Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard” and anointed the feet of Jesus.^[32] Critics who were present asked, “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”^[33]

After Judas exited the Passover meal, the Last Supper, four chapters describe teaching and admonitions of Jesus that are unique. Jesus foretells of Peter denying him three times before the cock crows that next morning; the coming of the Holy Spirit; the vine and the branches, and prayers for his Disciples and believers.^[34]

On the Mount of Olives, “Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave’s name was Malchus.” Not just an ear, it was the right ear of a slave with a name, Malchus.^[35]

Describing the crucifixion, “bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center.”^[36] Crucifixion witnesses were identified as the mother of Jesus (Mary), her sister (Salome, mother of John), Mary the wife of Clopas, Mary Magdalene and the Disciple author himself.^[37]

“One of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out,” is recorded by the author. According to medical experts, it is an indication of death corroborating the conclusion that Jesus died.^[38]

Writing “Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.”^[39] In-spite-of the author’s disclaimer, some critics use the omission of events as evidence to challenge the credibility of John’s Gospel because they do not appear in one or more of the three Synoptic Gospels accounts of Matthew, Mark and Luke.^[40]

Towards the end of the Gospel finalizing his account of the three year ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, the author wrote:

“…he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe.”^[41]

Is the Gospel of John an eyewitness account?

Updated December 5, 2023.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

REFERENCES:

[1] “Gospel of John.” Theopedia.com. Encyclopedia of biblical Christianity. n.d. <http://www.theopedia.com/Gospel_of_John> “The Book of John.” Quartz Hill School of Theology. n.d. <http://www.theology.edu/biblesurvey/john.htm> Smith, Barry D. “The Gospel of John.” Crandall University. n.d. <http://www.mycrandall.ca/courses/NTIntro/John.htm> “Crucifixion.” Jewish Encyclopedia. 2011. <http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/4782-crucifixion>
[2] Matthew 17:1; 26:36; Mark 1:29; 5:37; 9:2; 14:33; Luke 8:51; 9:28; 22:8; John 13:23-25.
[3] Acts. 12:2. “St. James.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2020. <https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-James-son-of-Zebedee>
[4] John 13:23-25; 21:20.
[5] Rylands, John. “P⁵²: A Fragment of the Gospel of John (a.k.a. John Rylands P457).” Trans. K. C. Hanson. KCHanson.com. photo. 2004. <http://www.kchanson.com/ANCDOCS/greek/johnpap.html> Kenyon, Frederic G. The Chester Beatty Biblical Papri Descriptions and Text of Twelve Manuscripts On Papyrus of the Greek Bible. p 40, John X, 31-XI, lO. photo. 1934. <https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiunOPjrcGBAxWKmmoFHdURD6wQFnoECBMQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fchesterbeatty.ie%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F11%2FBiblical-Papyri-Descriptions-and-Texts-of-Twelve-Manuscripts-on-Papyrus-of-The-Greek-Bible-II-text-Opt.pdf&usg=AOvVaw10CaOofK-DYt13LtHoJguP&opi=89978449>
[6] Quartz Hill School of Theology. “Gospel of John.” Theopedia.com. “Gospel of John Commentary: Who Wrote the Gospel of John and How Historical Is It?” Biblical Archeology Society. 2019. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/new-testament/gospel-of-john-commentary-who-wrote-the-gospel-of-john-and-how-historical-is-it/&gt/
[7] “St. John the Apostle.” Catholic News Agency. n.d. <https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-john-the-apostle-671> “John the Apostle.” TheFamousPeople. n.d. <https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/john-the-apostle-37257.php> “Gospel of John.” Theopedia.com.
[8] Hoffe , Peter Charles. “Plagiarism.” University of Massachusetts Amherst. 2013. <https://web.archive.org/web/20120709005620/http://www.umass.edu/wsp/reference/conventions/plagiarism.html>
[9] Sapir Avinoam. LSI Laboratory for Scientific Interrogation. <http://www.lsiscan.com/id37.htm>
[10] John 20:2-10.
[11] John 20:1-9; 21:20-23.
[12] Smith, Ben C. “Gospel manuscripts – The manuscripts extant for the four canonical gospels.” TextExcavation.com. 2018. <http://www.textexcavation.com/gospelmanuscripts.html> “Synoptic Gospels.” Theopedia.com. Gloag, Paton J. Introduction to the Synoptic Gospels. pp 5, 9, 23-38. 1895. <http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008728595> “The Book of Matthew.” Quartz Hill School of Theology. Mareghni, Pamela. “Different Approaches to Literary Criticism.” Ehow.com. 2014. <http://web.archive.org/web/20140628042039/http://www.ehow.com/about_5385205_different-approaches-literary-criticism.html> “Gospel of John.” Theopedia.com.
[13] Fonck, Leopold. “Gospel of St. John.” The Catholic Encyclopedia.Vol. 8. 1910. New Advent. 2014. <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08438a.htm> “The Book of John.” Quartz Hill School of Theology. Smith, Barry D. “The Gospel of John.”
[14] John 2:13. NASB, NRSV. CR John 4:45.
[15] John 6:4. NASB, NRSV.
[16] John 19:14. NASB, NKJV.
[17] John 1:39; 6:16, 17; 19:14, 31, 42: 20:1, 19.
[18] John 3:23; 4:5. 8:1; 18:1. NET.
[19] John 5:2; 18:28; 19:13. NET.
[20] John 4:43-46; 5:2.
[21] John 1:28; 11:1, 17, 18; 12:1, 9.
[22] John 1:19, 28; 3:24; 5:33; 10:41.
[23] John 1:40, 42-45; 6:8; 11:14; 14:22; 20:24; 21:2.
[24] John 3:1; 11:1, 49; 18:10, 13-14, 28, 33, 38; 19:25, 38; 20:1.
[25] John 3:1.
[26] John 11:21.
[27] John 20:22.
[28] John 20:25, 28. NET.
[29] John 13:37.
[30] John 21:7.
[31] John 2:6. NASB.
[32] John 12:3. NKJV.
[33] John 12:5. NKJV.
[34] John 13:38; 14:26; 15; 16; 17.
[35] John 18:10. NASB.
[36] John 19:16-18. NJKV.
[37] John 19:27. NKJV. CR Matthew 27:36.
[38] John 19:30. NASB, NKJV. “A doctor on why “blood and water” gushed from Jesus’ heart.” Aleteia.org. 2019. <https://aleteia.org/2019/06/22/a-doctor-on-why-blood-and-water-gushed-from-jesus-heart/> Treloar, Adrian. “The Medicine of the Crucifixion.” Catholic Medical Quarterly. 2011. <http://www.cmq.org.uk/CMQ/2013/Feb/Crucifixion.html>
[39] John 20:30; 21:25. NASB, NKJV.
[40] Smith, B. D. “The Gospel of John.” F. 5.3.
[41] John 19:35. NKJV.

Pharisees & Jewish Leaders vs. Jesus

Posted on by K.B. Vogelman

Pharisees & Jewish Leaders vs. Jesus

Pharisees and the Jewish leadership were the dogged antagonists of Jesus of Nazareth. Their provocations at times elicited from Jesus his revelations about being the Son of God, the prophesied Messiah, to which they had forbidding reactions.

Three main religious factions played an influencing role in Jerusalem – the Pharisees, Sadducees and Essenes – all with common ground being the written Law of Moses.^[1] Key to understanding the friction between the Jewish leadership and Jesus of Nazareth is knowing the backdrop of this Jewish religious power base, especially Pharisees.

Essenes were a very closed sect keeping to themselves and are not mentioned in the Gospels. References in the Gospels to the Pharisees are 10-fold greater than the Sadducees who strongly disagreed with the Pharisees:

“…[Pharisees] have delivered to the people a great many observances by succession from their fathers which are not written in the laws of Moses; and for that reason it is that the Sadducees reject them” – Josephus ^[2]

Jewish leadership was comprised of the high priests, Pharisees and Sadducees who often had membership in the Sanhedrin (Sanhedrim), a supreme court of 71 judges established under Moses.^[3] The Sanhedrin progressively gained political power during its final years under the Roman Empire.

Four prominent Jewish historical and Biblical figures were Pharisees who provided insights to the Jewish authority apparatus. Flavius Josephus was a Sanhedrin-appointed Pharisee General before he was captured by the Romans and became an official Jewish historian for Rome.^[4]

Nicodemus and Josephus of Arimethea were both Pharisee members of the Jewish Council. Saul, who became the Apostle Paul after his conversion, also was previously a Pharisee.^[5]

Power and influence increased significantly for the Pharisees under Jewish Queen Salome Alexandra a generation before King Herod.^[6] On his death bed, King Alexander advised his daughter, Queen Alexandra, to grant some of her powers to the Pharisees to gain their favor in the kingdom.^[7]

Queen Alexandra followed the King’s advice and granted the Pharisees “all things into their power, both to the dead body, and as to the affairs of the kingdom…”^[8] In return, the Pharisees threw their support behind Alexandra as ruler…but it came with a price:

“Now Alexandra hearkened to them to an extraordinary degree….while she governed other people, and the Pharisees governed her.” – Josephus ^[9]

Josephus described the Pharisees as legal experts “esteemed most skillful in the exact explication of their law.”^[10] According to the historian, the Pharisees “valued themselves highly upon the exact skill they had in the law of their fathers, and made men believe they were highly favored by God.”^[11]

Gospel accounts of the Pharisees indicate Jesus of Nazareth had a very similar view as Josephus. Jesus acknowledged the religious authority of the Pharisees yet despised their hypocritical behavior.^[12]

Pharisees had their own contingent of officers with full arrest powers.^[13] Once they were sent to arrest Jesus simply because the crowd was murmuring about things he was teaching.^[14]

Officers of the Pharisees were part of the posse that arrested Jesus on Mt. Gethsemane.^[15] Saul, later known as Paul, admitted zealously arresting Christians on behalf of the Sanhedrin before his own conversion to Christianity.^[16]

Confronting Jesus numerous times, the Jewish leadership wanted to know by what authority he was forgiving sins and performing miracles. Responses from Jesus came in the form of parables, riddles or not answered at all. On a few dramatic occasions shortly before he was arrested and crucified did Jesus answer them directly.

October is the month when the Feast of the Tabernacles celebration, now known as Sukkot, is observed in Jerusalem.^[17] Six months before Jesus would be crucified, the Disciples of Jesus went to this week-long festival without him, however, midweek Jesus secretly slipped into the city and taught at the Temple.^[18]

Officers reported the appearance of Jesus to the Pharisees and Jewish leadership prompting them to find him.^[19] When they heard Jesus say “I am the light of the world,” the Pharisees objected and pressed him further when Jesus said:^[20]

^{JN 8:24}“…for unless you believe that I AM, you’ll die in your sins.” _(ISV)

Turning to his Judean believers, Jesus explained further, then the dialog turned to Abraham. When Jesus spoke as though he knew Abraham, it led to this exchange:

^{JN 8:57-58} “‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.’” _(NKJV)

In this exchange, Jesus claimed to be I AM and since God called Himself “I AM,” it was considered blasphemy. According to the Law of Moses, blasphemy was to be punished by stoning.^[21]

“They picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out from the temple area.” Noted, the Greek word Ioudaios is translated as Jews or Judean and does not say the Pharisees were the ones wanting to stone Jesus although they were present.^[22]

December before Jesus would be crucified, he attended the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, today known as Hanukkah.^[23] Under Solomon’s Portico at the Temple, the Jewish leaders known to include Pharisees, surrounded and confronted Jesus asking, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”^[24] They got a succinct answer:

^{JN 10:30} “The Father and I are one.” _(NET)

Again, the reaction was severe – the Jewish authorities picked up stones to kill Jesus when he asked them why they were reacting this way?^[25] Instead, Jesus suggested they should consider the “good deeds” he had performed because miracles could only be accomplished with the power of his Father – God.^[26]

^{JN 10:36-38}“…do you say about the one whom the Father set apart and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I do not perform the deeds of my Father, do not believe me. But if I do them, even if you do not believe me, believe the deeds, so that you may come to know and understand that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” _(NET)

Response from the Jewish leaders: “We are not going to stone you for a good deed but for blasphemy, because you, a man, are claiming to be God.”^[27] An attempt was made to seize Jesus rather than to stone him. A change in their reaction may have been more for political self-interests and less for religious reasons.

Jewish leaders were reportedly afraid of the people because they viewed Jesus as a prophet. He also threatened their controlling influence over the people. Raising Lazarus from the dead caused his popularity to reach a point that it became the catalyst for the Jewish leaders to devise a plan to eliminate Jesus.^[28]

Just hours before he was to be crucified came the most dramatic moment involving the high priest himself. During his nighttime trial by the Jewish leadership at the Temple, undoubtedly knowing it would cost him his life, Jesus testified under oath that he is ego eimi, Greek for “I AM”.^[29]

^{MK 14:62} Jesus said, “I AM, and ‘you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power’ and ‘coming with the clouds of heaven.'” _(ISV)

Jewish leadership and the Sanhedrin bore witness to the fact that Jesus testified under oath that he is “I AM.” Caiaphas immediately exclaimed, “‘He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? Listen! You yourselves have just heard the blasphemy! What is your verdict?’ They replied, ‘He deserves to die!’”^[30]

On three occasions, Jesus specifically identified himself as equal to God, the Son of God, and each time those who heard it wanted to kill him. Jesus said it – the question is who was correct, the Jewish leadership or Jesus?

Updated October 1, 2023.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

REFERENCES:

[1] Josephus, Flavius. Antiquities of the Jews. Book XIII, Chapter V.9. The Life of Flavius Josephus. I.2. <http://books.google.com/books?id=e0dAAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false> “Scrolls from the Dead Sea.” Library of Congress. n.d. <https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/scrolls/late.html>
[2] Josephus. Antiquities. Book XIII, Chapter XI.6.
[3] Exodus 18:25-26; Deuteronomy 1:15-17, 16:18-20. Josephus,. Antiquities. Book XIII, Chapter X.4 foot note *. Josephus, Flavius. Wars of the Jews. Book II, Chapter VIII.7-11. “Sanhedrin.” Jewish Encyclopedia. 2011. <http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13178-sanhedrin> “Sanhedrin.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2020. <https://www.britannica.com/topic/sanhedrin> “Sanhedrin.” Jewish Virtual Library. 2020. <https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-sanhedrin> *93 Gospel mentions of Pharisees, 9 Gospel mentions of Sadducees or which 6 also included the Pharisees.
[4] Josephus, Flavius. The Life of Josephus. 12.[5] John 3:1, 7:50; Acts 8:1-3; 9:1-23. “Paul the Apostle.” Denova, Rebecca. Ancient History Encyclopedia. 2013. <https://www.ancient.eu/Paul_the_Apostle/#:~:text=Paul%20was%20a%20Pharisee%2C%20and,was%20the%20Law%20of%20Moses> “St. Paul the Apostle.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2020. <https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Paul-the-Apostle >
[5]Josephus. The Life of Josephus. 12.
[6] Weiner, James. WorldHistory.org. “The Forgotten Ancient Queen: Salome Alexandra of Judea.” 2013. <https://etc.worldhistory.org/interviews/the-forgotten-ancient-queen-salome-alexandra-of-judea/> Whitson, William. The Complete Works of Josephus. “Antiquity of the Jews, Book VI, Chapter IV.3 foot note †;” “Book XIV, Chapter IX.4, footnote †;” Dissertation I.V; Book XIII, Chapter XVI foot note †. <http://books.google.com/books?id=e0dAAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false> Josephus. Antiquity. Book IV, Chapter VII.14; Book XIV, Chapter IX.4. Josephus. Wars. Book II, Chapter XV.6. “Salome Alexandra.” New World Encyclopedia. 2019. https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Salome_Alexandra>
[7] Josephus. Antiquities. Book XIII, Chapter XV.5, XVI.1.
[8] Josephus. Antiquities. Book XIII, Chapter XVI.1.
[9] Josephus. Wars. Book I, Chapter V.
[10] Josephus. Wars. Book II, Chapter VIII.14. Josephus. Antiquities. Book XIII, Chapter XI.6.
[11] Josephus. Antiquities. Book XVII, Chapter II.
[12] Matthew 3:7, 16:6, 12, 23:1-13, 15, 25, 27, 29, 33; Mark 12:38-40; Luke 11:43, 12:1, 18:11, 20:45-47. Rembrandt (Harmenszoon van Rijn). Welcome Collection. photo. 1649. <https://wellcomecollection.org/works/j7evnu32>&nb
[13] John 1:24; 7:32, 45; 11:57; 18:3, 12.
[14] John 7:32.
[15] John 18:1-12.
[16] Acts 8:1-3; 9:1-23.
[17] “Sukkoth.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2020. <https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sukkoth-Judaism> “The Meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles.” One For Israel. 2020. <https://www.oneforisrael.org/bible-based-teaching-from-israel/the-meaning-of-the-feast-of-tabernacles>
[18] John 7:2. Footnote [18 (previously 17) DELETED (references added to #4)
[19] John 7:1-9, 14, 32, 45; 8:12. CR John 1:24; 11:57; 18:3, 12.
[20] John 8:12.
[21] Leviticus 24:16.
[22] John 8:59. Ioudaios <2453>. NetBible.org. 2023. <https://classic.net.bible.org/strong.php?id=2453>
[23] John 10:22. “Hanukkah.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2020. <https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hanukkah> “Hanukkah.” History.com. 2020. <https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/hanukkah>
[24] John 10:24. NET.
[25] John 10:31-32. NET. John 10:24. Netbible.org. Footnote 1. <http://classic.net.bible.org/verse.php?book=Joh&chapter=10&verse=24> CR John 10:31. International Standard Version, New Heart English Bible. <https://biblehub.com/john/10-31.htm>
[26] John 9:16. CR John 10:40-41.
[27] John 10:33. NET.
[28] Matthew 19:2, 21:46, 26:4-5; Mark 11:18, 14:1-2; Luke 12:1, 21:38; John 11:47-48; 12:18-19. Josephus. Antiquities. Book XIII, Chapter XI.5, Chapter XI.5-6, Book XVII, Chapter II.4.
[29] Matthew 26:63-64.
[30] Matthew 26:65-66. ISV. CR Mark 14:63-64.