New Testament BIBLE STORY #16

 New Testament BIBLE STORY #16

ESPECIALLY  WRITTEN  FOR  CHILDREN

Chapter Twenty-four:

Seventy sent - Conflict with religious Leaders - Good Samaritan Parable

                   FROM THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

FEAST OF DEDICATION IN THE WINTER

     A few months or more had past and it was the heart of the

winter in Palestine. The word used by John in his gospel implies

that it was cold and inclement.

     Jesus was again in Jerusalem, this time for the feast of

"Dedication" or as more literal a translation "feast of renewing"

or "feast of renovation." Why it was so called will be seen from

the following history of how this feast came into being in the

Jewish calendar.

     The feast was instituted by Judaeus Maccabeus, in the year

164 before the birth of Christ. The Temple and city were taken

over by Antiochus Epiphanies in the year 167 B.C. He slew 40

thousand inhabitants, and sold 40 thousand more as slaves. In

addition to this, he sacrificed a sow on the altar of

bunt-offerings, and a broth being made of this he sprinkled it

all over the Temple. The city and Temple were brought back into

Jewish hands and domain three years later by Judaeus Maccabeus,

and the Temple was purified with great pomp and solemnity. The

ceremony of purification continued through 8 days, during which

Judaeus presented animal sacrifices, and celebrated the praise of

God with hymns and psalms (Josephus, Antiquities, book 12, c.11).

"They decked also the forefront of the Temple with crowns of

gold, and with shields, and the gates and the chambers they

RENEWED, and hanged doors upon them," 1 Mac. 4: 52-59. 

On this account it was called the feast of RENOVATION or 

Dedication. Then it is also known as the "feast of lights." 

Josephus the Jewish Pharisee historian of the first century A.D. 

calls it such and says the city of Jerusalem was illuminated, 

as expressive of joy.

The feast began on the 15th day of Chisleu, answering to about

the 15th day of December. The festival continued for 8 days with

festive joy (see Barnes' Notes on the NT, page 316, One volume

edition).

     This Jewish feast then can be known as "dedication" because

the Temple was re-dedicated to God in 164 B.C. It can be known as

the feast of "renovation" or "renewal" because much repair was

done to the Temple. And it can be known as the "feast of lights"

because Jerusalem was ablaze with many lights and great joy when

the rededicating of the Temple took place after Judaeus Maccabeus

and his men defeated the pagan armies  in 164 B.C. and retook the

Temple and Jerusalem for Jewish domain once more.

Jesus was walking through the porch of Solomon when the Jews

gathered around Him and asked, "Just how long are you going to

keep us in suspense by the way you talk? If you are the Christ to

come, then just tell us plainly." Jesus replied, "Look, I've

already told you with some plain words, but you will not believe

them. The works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness

as to who I am, but you do not believe because you are not a part

of my sheep. My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they

follow me; and I give to them eternal life, and they will never

perish forever, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My

Father, who has given them to me, He is greater than everyone,

and on one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. And

what is more, I and my Father are ONE."

     Once more the Jews knew exactly what He was meaning by

saying that He and the Father were one. They knew He was meaning

that He was God. They picked up stones again, ready to throw at

Him. Jesus then said, "I have shown you many good works from the

Father: for which of these good works do you stone me?"

     "Oh, it's not for any works that you have done, that we are

ready to stone you to death, but because you are just a man, yet

you make yourself to be God," the Jews answered.

     "Well, look at your own law! Is it not written in the law of

Moses, 'I said, you are gods'? (Psalm 82: 6). So, if He called

them 'gods' unto whom the word of God was given, unto the people

in general (and the Scripture cannot be broken, it is ever true),

why do you say to Him that the Father has sent into this world,

that I blaspheme because I have said 'I am the Son of God'? "

     When Jesus was saying that He was God, He was not telling

them that He was the God being who was still in heaven at the

time, the one He referred to as the Father. He was not saying

that He was the supreme God being, but that being a Son of God,

He carried the same name, and attributes....He was Jesus God, we

might say, and the one in heaven was the Father God. Jesus showed

that their Old Testament Scriptures clearing taught that those

human being who had received the word of God - the Israelites,

could be literal sons and daughters of God Almighty, and hence

they also could carry the name of God. 

     Jesus was answering them from the very word of God itself

and what the Lord had said, that He Himself called those who had

been given His word.....gods. It was part of the plan of God to

created more offspring from Himself, people who belonged to God,

so were God's  children, and so would also carry God's name.

     Jesus continued, "If I do not the works of my Father, then

you have a right not to believe me. But, on the other hand, if I

do God's works, then although you don't believe the words that I

speak about the matter, believe the works: that you might know,

and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in Him."

     All this made the Jews more angry, and were more determined

to stone Him, but it was not time for Jesus to be killed, not

yet, so He escaped out of their hands. He went for a while beyond

Jordan into the place where John the Baptist first baptized, and

He abode there for a while.  Many people came to Him there

because they said, "John did not perform one single miracle; but

all that he ever spoke about this man has been the truth."

     It was while in this area that many more believed on Jesus

(John 10: 22-42).

THREE PEOPLE THOUGHT THEY COULD BE DISCIPLES

     The days were fast drawing near for Him to offer Himself 

up for the sins of the world. It was time again to go back to the

city of Jerusalem. He would be going through the area of the

Samaritans, and sent messengers ahead to people in a certain

village where He thought He would pass through on His way to

Jerusalem, but they would not receive Him because He was only

passing through and not stopping with them. They were hoping He

would stop and teach and work the works of God among them, but

because He was setting His mind on going to Jerusalem, they got

offended and would not allow Him and His disciples to stay

overnight in their village.

     James and John, when they heard about this from the

returning messengers, said to Jesus, with righteous indignation

in their voices, "Lord, how about us calling for fire from

heaven, to come down and consume them?" Jesus rebuked them 

for such evil thoughts and words. And they went to another village

that was happy to receive them all for whatever length of time.

     As they were making there way to this village and walking

the dusty road, a man came up to Jesus and said, "I will follow

you wherever you go." He was probably taken up with way too 

much emotion and not enough thinking about the cold facts of reality

as to what his words to follow Jesus anywhere, would really mean.

Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have

nests, but the Son of man has no permanent home. Often He does

not know where He is going to lay His head down to sleep. It is a

life of wandering around, always on the go."

     The account does not say if the man continued to follow

Jesus after he heard those words.

     Then, Jesus Himself said to another man, " Follow me," but

the man replied, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father who

has just died." 

     "Oh, you need to let the dead bury the dead; but as for you,

go and proclaim the Kingdom of God," was Christ's answer to 

the man. We are not told if he listened and obeyed Jesus' directives

to him. There are times when we need to let the unconverted,

spiritual dead, take care of physical matters, and we need to be

about doing God's work, if God calls and if God has other

priorities He thinks we should be doing first, other than running

around over physical matters.

      

     Then yet another fellow along the way, said to Jesus, "I

will surely follow you, but let me first say farewell to those at

my home."

     The reply Jesus gave may not have sat too well with him. 

"No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit 

for the Kingdom of God."

     Jesus knew the heart of this man. It was not that it is

always wrong to say "good bye" to loved ones before going off 

to do the work of God, that is not wrong of itself, or under certain

situations. Yet it is obvious Jesus thought there were some

situations where it would only be used as an excuse to

procrastinate, to put off, and to reject, the calling of God. If

you are called to go and do the work of God as a special disciple

of Christ (as these three men were called to be and to do), then

no physical thing should be allowed to stand in your way. This

calling is not for everyone, but it is a reminder from Jesus that

with such a calling, He and God's work must come first, and

physical things are to come second, even sometimes having 

to leave off some physical things that are not wrong in and of

themselves, under a different situation. Jesus reminds those 

so called in this special way for His work, that it is not always

easy to follow, as far as the physical is concerned (Luke 9: 51-62).

SEVENTY ARE SENT OUT TO DO GOD'S WORK

     Jesus called seventy of His disciples together and sent them

out two by two to every town and village that He was planning 

to go visit. They were to go ahead of Him and teach the Kingdom 

of God and heal the sick. This was very much like what He had

told the twelve to do earlier. Luke records and mentions a few

things that was either not recorded or not specified when He sent

out the twelve in an earlier Gospel preaching mission.

     They were not to go "from house to house."  If people

received them, they were receiving Him, and in turn receiving 

the Father. Again, it was a woe to the cities that did not receive

them. 

     Then the seventy returned with joy, telling Jesus how even

the demons were subject to them through His name. He then told

them that He saw Satan one day in the distant past, fall from

heaven like lightning. This was probably at the time Satan

rebelled and took one third of the angels with him in that

rebellion, to fight God in heaven, but was defeated and cast down

to the earth (see Revelation chapter 12). All of that took place

before mankind was created, for when we read Genesis chapters 

one and two, Satan or the Devil, is already there in the garden of

Eden, ready to temp Adam and Eve. Two other parts of the

Scriptures that talk about who Satan was at the beginning and

what entered his heart, is found in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28.

     Jesus had given the seventy authority over serpents, and

scorpions, over the powers of the enemy, so that nothing was to

hurt them. But He told them that they needed to rejoice not in

having such authority and power of the evil one and danger, but

that they should rejoice that their names were written in the

book of life in heaven. And that is the important thing, for this

authority Jesus had given them was for that particular time and

event He sent them out on. Later times showed that Christ's

disciples did not always have protection from harm or danger or

loosing their lives in His service. The book of Acts will show us

all this when we go through it.

     The important thing is as Jesus said, to know that whatever

this physical life may hand out to us in a physical way, we have

our names written in heaven, that we are God's children, and will

be in His family Kingdom.

     

     Jesus at that time when the seventy returned to Him, gave

thanks to the Father in heaven, that these wonderful truths had

been revealed to them by Him, that they had been hid from many 

of the wise and prudent of this world, and revealed to babes so to

speak, ones who had simple belief and faith.

     He reminded them again that they were blessed for many

prophets of old had desired to see these days that they were

seeing and to hear the words they were hearing (Luke 10: 1-24).

WAY TO LIFE AND GOOD SAMARITAN PARABLE

     A lawyer stood up to put Jesus to the test. He asked Him

this question, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal

life?"

     Jesus answered, "What is written in the law? how do you

understand it all?"

     The lawyer answered, "I understand it as saying, that you

are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all

your life, and with all your strength, and with all your

mind; and you are to love your neighbor as yourself." 

     "You have answered correctly, do this, and you shall live,"

Jesus told him.

     But, the lawyer was not fully satisfied, he then asked Jesus

who his neighbor was, and Jesus gave this reply:

     "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho (Jerusalem

is on a higher ground level that Jericho - Keith Hunt), and

robbers beat him up and stole his money, leaving him half-dead.

Now by chance a priest came along the same road; and when he

saw him, he just passed by on the other side. So likewise a

Levite, when he came to the place and saw him lying there, he

passed by also on the other side. Then a Samaritan as he

journeyed by, came upon the man lying there half-dead, but when

he saw him he had compassion upon him. He went over to him and

bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he sat him

upon his own beast of burden and brought him to an Inn, and took

care of him there. The next day he took out of his pocket his own

money and gave it to the Inn-keeper, saying, 'Take care of him;

and whatever more you need to heal his recovery, spend it on him,

and when I come back this way on my return home, I will repay

you.' Now, which of these three do you think proved to be

neighbor to the man who fell among robbers?"

     The lawyer answered, "Why, of course, the one who showed

kindness and mercy to the man."

     "Yes, indeed. Go and do you likewise to anyone," Jesus told

him and all who were present there.

     Being a neighbor in the full sense of the overall law of God

as taught by the whole Old Testament, is doing unto any other, 

no matter what race, religion, education etc. what you would like

them to do to you, especially if in dire circumstances as the man

in Jesus' parable. That is what God teaches and expects, for one

half of the conditions to receiving and inheriting eternal life.

The other half is to love God with everything you have, your

mind, your life, your all. This we have seen explained and

amplified in Jesus' Gospel work and teaching, in past chapters.

PUTTING PRIORITIES IN THE RIGHT PLACE

AT THE RIGHT TIME

     Jesus and His disciples had over the time they had been

travelling up and down the country-side, preaching and healing,

made many friends in many towns and villages. They were coming 

to such a village where lived two sister, Mary and Martha. They

received them into their house. Mary sat at Jesus' feet hanging

on to every word He spoke, listening intently. But Martha was

working her fingers to the bone in the kitchen, just consumed

with all the material things that she thought needed to be done

to look after the physical needs of them all. She finally had had

enough of doing it all by herself. "Lord, do you not care that my

sister Mary has left me alone to do all this physical work?"

she said to Jesus with some exasperation in her voice.

     But the Lord answered her saying, "Martha, Martha, you are

anxious and troubled about many things; one thing is needful at

this time from you. Mary has chosen the correct good priority

here, which shall not be taken away from her (Luke 10: 38-42).

     Under this situation where Jesus was wanting to teach and

expound the truths of the Kingdom of God, it was the correct

thing to do, as Mary was doing, to sit and listen and drink in

the spiritual truths being taught. The physical could wait, when

it was time for the physical then it was time, and many would

then pitch in and help look after that physical need. But at this

moment the priority was to listen to the Son of God teaching

the word of God.

     So it is with us, we have to develop the sense and ability

to know what priorities must come first and when they should 

come first.

TEACHING ON PRAYER

     Jesus was praying in a certain place and after He had

finished one of His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray

even as John taught his disciples to pray.

     He then took the opportunity once more to repeat much of

what He had taught early on in His ministry, which we covered

under the chapters on Jesus' sermon on the mount.

     Jesus did add something new this time:

     "Which of you who has a friend and will go to him at

midnight and say to him, 'Friend, please lend me three loaves of

bread, for another friend of mine had arrived on a long journey,

and I have no bread to offer him'; and he will answer, 'Do not

bother me; the door is shut, and my children and I have gone to

bed; I cannot get up and give anything to you.' I tell you,

though in his mind he does not want to get up and give him

anything, he will rise and give him whatever he desires, because

of his continual importunity, asking and asking, and not giving

up."

     Jesus was teaching us that we also must ask, keep on asking,

and not give up until our Father in heaven answers us.

DOING GOD'S WORK THROUGH THE DEVIL?

     Once again when casting out a demon Jesus was accused of

doing it by the prince of demons. It was a repeat of a similar

incident that occurred earlier and that we have covered. A woman

did this time cry out from the crowd, "Blessed is the womb that

bore you, and the breasts that you have sucked!" Jesus once more

took the opportunity to tell people what was really blessed and

important, "Blessed rather are those that hear the word of God

and obey and keep it!"

     He again told the people that in the main this was an evil

generation that they all lived in, and the only sign He would

give them was the sign of Jonah to the men of Nineveh. He 

at this time, did not go into the part about the three days and 

three nights He would be in the grave.

     He told them that many from the past who were not given

salvation and offered repentance, would rise in the great

judgment period with many of that generation who could see all

that He was doing, and would condemn it to shame, for they will

readily repent while those around Him at that time, were

hard-hearted and unbelieving.

     He went through again the parable about the body, making

sure that it was full of light, and setting that light upon a stand 

that all would see the light of your life.

PLAIN TALK WHILE DINING WITH A PHARISEE

     And while He was speaking and teaching, a certain Pharisee

pleaded with him to come to his home and dine with him. So Jesus

went and sat down to eat. The Pharisee marvelled that He had not

washed before sitting to eat.

     Jesus knew of course what the Pharisees taught and practiced

as a ritual before eating any meal, and we covered all that

before. It was time for Jesus to lay the cards on the table and

be very frank about this and other such things that were

relatively small, but what the Pharisees made into a huge

production of "spiritual importance." Jesus said:

     "Now, you Pharisees make clean to a fault, the outside of

the cup and the plate; but your inward parts and motives and

attitudes are full of extortions and wickedness. You fools, is it

not that He which made the outside made also the inside? But 

give to the needy what you greedily posses, and you will be clean 

all over. But it will be terrible for you. Woe to you Pharisees! 

For you are so careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income

and produce, but you completely forget and ignore true justice

and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but you should not

leave undone the more important things. 

Woe to you Pharisees! For how you revel in respectful greetings

from everyone as you walk through the market place, and how 

you love to have the seats of honor in the synagogues. Yes, how

terrible it will be for you all. For you are like the hidden

graves in a field. People walk over them without knowing the

clandestine corruption they are stepping into and getting

involved in."

     "Well Teacher," spoke up an expert in religious law, "you

have insulted us, too, in what you have said."

     "Yes," replied Jesus, "that is very true. Woe to you also,

you lawyers of religious law. For you burden and crush people

under impossible religious demands, and you never lift a finger

to ease their burden. It will be terrible for you also, for you

build graves  and tombs for the very prophets your ancestors

killed ages ago, so sanctioning them and their deeds.  Murderers!

You are then actually agreeing with your ancestors that what

they did was correct. You would have done the same if you had

been in their boots so long ago. And this is what God had said in

His wisdom about you, 'I will send prophets and apostles to them,

and they will kill some, and persecute the others.'  And you of

this generation will be held responsible for the murder of all

God's prophets from the creation of the world - from the murder

of Abel to the murder of Zechariah who was killed between

the altar and the sanctuary (2 Chron.24: 20,21). Yes, because

your attitude is the same as past murderers, it will surely be

charged against you. Yes, woe to you experts in religious law!

For you hide the keys to true knowledge from the people. You 

will not enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others 

from also entering."

     The attitude of mind for many of these so-called "religious

lawyers" or experts of the law of the Old Testament was no

different that the mindset of others who had in the past, even

from the beginning, killed God's honest and faithful people. So

in that respect they accumulated all their sins into their minds.

Jesus had shown them that their deeds  with the people was like

killing them, ruling and governing them in such a heavy handed

way that they might just as well have taken a sword and killed

them. The power that religious leaders have used over the

centuries to burden and chain up people, emotionally,

spiritually, and even sometimes physically, is all over the

history books for all centuries of the past ages.

     Such people who have ruled others in this religious way, are

ones who have found the many clever and deceitful ways to lock

away the true keys of knowledge and are able to keep others under

a kind of spell, we might say. They are what is known today as

"cult" leaders. They often exhibit profound technical "letter of

the law" knowledge of God's word, being able to remember and

recite whole chapters of the Bible. And because it has been and

still is so prevalent in the 20th century, many books have been

written on either escaping from cults or how not to get involved

with them in the first place. It is not only the cults we need to

be careful with, even many in so-called "orthodox" Christianity,

with their PhD's in religion, have it wrong and have entrapped

millions with their false theology. They also are guilty of not

lifting a finger to undo the chains from the people. They also

are guilty of keeping the keys of the Kingdom locked away from

the common person in the darkness of false ideas and false

traditions. 

     But the bottom line is always "buyer be ware" - it is up to

the individual to obey Isaiah 8: 20, no matter who comes to you

in religious clothes, even if they are recognized by the world of

Christian religion as "experts in their field" because their

field may be full of weeds and thistles.

     As Jesus spoke these things the Pharisees and teachers of

the religious law were furious. And from that time on they

continued to hound Him with hostile questions, trying to trap

Him, and hoping He would say something they could use 

against Him, in the eyes of the people and the governing secular

authorities of the land (Luke 11: 37-54). 

TRUST AND WATCHFULNESS

     The crowds of people were so multiplied that they were

falling over each other and  even trampling on one another under

foot. It was a good time for Jesus to warn His disciples about

the "leaven of the Pharisees" which He had done on an earlier

occasion. This time He used a slightly different metaphor,

saying, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is

hypocrisy, mere play acting, pretending to be godly when they 

are anything but. Nothing is covered up that will not be finally

revealed and shown to be what it really is, or hidden away from

people that will not be seen openly. Whatever you have

said in the dark and behind closed doors will be heard in broad

daylight, and what you have whispered in private rooms behind

closed doors, shall be proclaimed upon the housetops with loud

speakers."

     The truth can be known. People do not have to "pull the wool

over your eyes" or keep you brain washed from the truthful

reality and righteousness of the Lord. Jesus had said in His

sermon on the mount that they who hunger and thirst after

righteousness shall be filled. Those in Acts 17 who heard Paul

preach and teach the word of God, did not allow themselves to 

be psychologically manipulated to where they stopped thinking,

reasoning, and searching the Scriptures daily, for themselves, to

see if what Paul taught was from the word of God, or just his own

man made ideas.

     It is the responsibility of each individual to prove all

things and to hold fast to that which is good, as the apostle

Paul taught should be done by each person for themselves 

(1 Thes. 5: 21).

     Jesus went on to tell His followers once more who they

should really fear. Not men who cannot kill you forever, but Him

who can destroy you forever in the fires of the second death.  He

told them again that they were dearly beloved of the Father. And

that everyone who would stand tall and strong in not denying Him

before men, would not be denied by Him. He told them once more

about the unpardonable sin, a refusal to repent when the Holy

Spirit was leading you to acknowledge sin and to turn from it.

And finished this discourse with not worrying about what words 

to speak if brought before the courts of men because of your

religious faith in Him and the Father. He promised that the Holy

Spirit would, at that time, inspire you to speak what you would

need to say.

                 ..........................

Written October 2002