Who Is This Man Called Jesus?

By Mary Vee
John 8 

Peter

Photo by Mary Vee. View from the Mount of Olives facing
the Temple area

My name is Peter, I am a disciple of Jesus. We are in the temple courts standing near the place where the offerings are placed.

Photo by Mary Vee, The top of
the Mount of Olives today.

The Pharisees have questioned Jesus relentlessly before the crowds who came to hear him speak. They seem to want to catch him in a mistake. But, no matter what they ask, Jesus always has a strong answer.

Jesus faced the Pharisees and said, "I am going away. You will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going you cannot come."



The Jews asked each other, "Will he kill himself. Is that why he said we could not go to the same place?"

Jesus said, "You are from below. I am from above. You are of this world. I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins. If you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.

The Pharisees spoke among themselves for a moment before one said, "Who are you?"

Jesus said, "I am what I have been claiming all along. I have so much to say that concerns you. Judgments that affect you, but if you choose not to accept the truth from the One who has sent me to teach then none of it matters."

Photo by Mary Vee
On top of the Mount of Olives,
the Disciples Prayer is
posted in many languages.

They turned to each other again. "Who is this One that he speaks of?" They shrugged.

Jesus said, "When you raise up the Son of Man, you will know who I am. You will know that I have spoken the truth as my Father instructed. The One who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone for I will always do what pleases him."

It was those last words that helped many to believe Jesus is the Christ. The Son of God.

"To those of you who believed," Jesus said, "If you hold to my teachings, living them every day, you are really my disciples and will know the truth. The truth will set you free. 

One Pharisee said, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?"

Jesus said, "This is the truth, everyone who chooses the life of sin is a slave to it. A slave cannot come and go as he wants. The Son, though, has an established position. He has permission to go where he wants. I know you are trying to kill me because you have no room for this message in your heads. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence. You, on the other hand, simply do what you have heard from your fathers.  


What happened next? Next week I will tell you more. 

 Come back to read the next story.

*Author of blog's note: If you have questions, please feel free to leave them in the comment section. I will see them and will answer as best I can or direct you to a source.


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sources: 
*A Harmony of the Gospels for Historical Study, An Analytical Synopsis of the Four Gospels by William Arnold Stevens and Ernest DeWitt Burton, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York 1932
*New International Version, New King James Version. 
*My Bible College training.
*My notes and walk through classes I've taught in Children's church. Answers to student questions, etc.
*Pastoral sermons on this time
*Matthew Henry Commentary
*F. LaGard Smith Commentary
*My notes from my trip to Israel.
*Photos from my trip to Israel.