The Pharisees Are Thieves!

By Mary Vee
John 9 

Peter

The hill where shepherds watched their sheep
overlooking Bethlehem.
Photo by Mary Vee

My name is Peter, I am a disciple of Jesus. 

The Pharisees persistently tried to find ways to prove Jesus wrong. They followed him nearly everywhere he went, asking him questions before the crowds and hoping to steer the people away from him. Today was no exception.

Jesus had healed the man born blind. This turned into a long ordeal. I'm not saying it took Jesus a long time to heal the man, he, of course, did that in an instant. But afterward, the Pharisees followed the man born blind, conducting an investigation, looking for ways to disprove Jesus' words and actions. You can read what happened before this moment in the last post.

Jesus is currently speaking with the man who was blind. Outside the temple. Even here the Pharisees looked to cause a disruption.

Jesus had just said He left Heaven to help the blind see, and make those who pretend they see-blind. 

The Pharisees said, "Does that mean you're calling us blind?"

The hill overlooking Bethlehem
where shepherds watched over their sheep by night.
Photo by Mary Vee

They knew he was.

Jesus said, "If you were really blind, you would be blameless, but since you claim to see everything so well, you are held accountable for every fault and failure you do.

"For example, if a person climbs over or through the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through the gate, he is up to no good. He is a sheep rustler. The true shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice.

"He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out then shows them the way to find food and water. They follow because they trust his voice. The same sheep, though, will scatter across the countryside if a stranger calls to them. They will wander here and there not knowing where to go."

From the looks on the Pharisees' faces, they didn't understand what Jesus was talking about. 

I wasn't surprised when Jesus offered to give another explanation, even to these Pharisee who only wanted to harm him.

"Then I will tell you the meaning," said Jesus. "I am the gate for the sheep. Everyone else is up to no good, they are sheep stealers. The sheep won't listen to the thieves. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for. They will freely go in and out and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal, kill, and destroy. I came to give the sheep real and eternal life, a more and better life than they ever dreamed of having. 

"I am the Good Shepherd."

Jesus is going to explain what he means by the Good Shepherd. Stop by next week to see what he says. 

 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.


*********************************************************************************************

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.

Jesus Searched for the Man Thrown Out of the Temple

By Mary Vee
John 9 

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. I am in the temple courts. 

Last time I told you about a man born blind whom Jesus miraculously healed. The Pharisees have had a problem with what was done. First, they didn't believe the man who could now see was the man born blind. His parents had to be called to the courts to prove the fact. 

Next, the Pharisees couldn't believe that Jesus was the one who performed the miracle. Their reason: No one who performs a miracle can be from God if it is done on a Sabbath. No work is to be done on the Sabbath according to the law of Moses. That was the proof for their dispute. 

When the man born blind confirmed that Jesus was the one who gave him sight and that he firmly believed Jesus was God, the Pharisees became so angry they threw him out of the Temple.

By this time the other disciples and I joined up with Jesus. We looked and found the man born blind outside the temple. 

Jesus said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

The man born blind had a puzzled look, "Who is he, sir? Tell me. I want to believe in him."

Jesus said, "You have now seen him. He is speaking with you."

Photo by Mary Vee.
The pool where people came to be healed.
Jerusalem

The man looked at Jesus and smiled. "Lord, I believe." He bowed to his knees and worshipped Jesus.

Jesus put his hand on the man, "I have come into this world to help the blind see and to cause those who see to become blind."

A few Pharisees had followed the man and listened to this conversation. They squinted in anger. One said, "Are you saying we are blind?"

Jesus has a fantastic answer that will take another post. I will share it with you next time.

Photo by Mary Vee
The blind man wasn't the only person
Jesus healed. This sign is near the pool
shown above. Jerusalem

The battle isn't over. 

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.


*********************************************************************************************

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.

Why The Pharisees Lost a Debate with A Blind Man

By Mary Vee
John 9 

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. 

A few moments ago, Jesus healed a blind man. He told his friends and neighbors. They didn't believe he was the same man who had been blind all those years. 

The Jews took the man to the Pharisees who asked the man, "How is it that you can see when you have been blind?"

The man answered, "A man named Jesus put mud on my eyes and told me to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam. I did as he said, and now I see."

The Pharisees shook their heads and whispered to each other before saying, "Jesus cannot have come from God as He claims. This is the Sabbath, a day in which we are to rest. Healing this man is an act of work. He has disobeyed the Law of Moses."

Some of the people in the crowd asked, "If that is so, then how can a sinner do such a miraculous sign?"

The two groups argued for some time. They finally turned to the blind man and asked, "Tell us about this man, Jesus. It was your eyes that you claim he opened."

The man said, "Jesus is a prophet."

The Jews standing there still didn't believe that the man standing before them used to be blind. They sent for his parents to come and settle the matter. The Pharisees asked them, "Is this your son?"

The man and wife looked at the one who said he used to be blind. "Yes. He is our son."

The Pharisees still did not seem satisfied. They asked, "Is this the one you say was born blind. If that is so, explain to us how he can see right now?"

The father shook his head. "I know my son. This is him. He has been blind since birth. As for how he is able to see now, or who was it that caused him to see, I don't know. Ask him. He is old enough to answer your question. Let him speak for himself." 

The parents were afraid of these Jews. The Pharisees had announced: anyone acknowledging Jesus as the Christ would be banished from the synagogue. 

Photo by Mary Vee.
The pool where people came to be healed.
Jerusalem

The Pharisees called the man who had been bind again and said, "Give glory to God. We know this man, Jesus, is a sinner."

The healed man said, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I have no idea. But this I know, I was blind but now I see!"

The Pharisees said, "Tell us what he did. How did he open your eyes?"

"I told you already and you didn't listen. Why should I tell you again? Do you want to become one of his disciples?"

This made the Pharisees very angry. "You are a disciple of Jesus. We are disciples of Moses. We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this man, Jesus, we don't even know where he comes from."

Photo by Mary Vee
The blind man wasn't the only person
Jesus healed. This sign is near the pool
shown above. Jerusalem

The man who had been blind said, "Now isn't that amazing! You say you don't know where Jesus comes from, yet he opened my eyes and gave me sight. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man did not come from God, he couldn't do any miracle. 

The Pharisees said, "You were full of sin at birth. That is what made you blind. How dare you lecture us as though you are smarter than us!" They grabbed the man who had been blind and tossed him out of the temple area."

The battle isn't over. 

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.


*********************************************************************************************

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.

The Man Born Blind

By Mary Vee
John 9 

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. 

Jesus walked in the courts of the temple and saw a man who had been blind since birth. I asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents. One of them had to be responsible for his being born blind?"

"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus. "This happened so others could see the work of God displayed in his life. We must do the work of my Father as long as we have days on earth. The night is coming, though, when no one can work. While I am here in this world, I am the light of the world."

Jesus turned back to the blind man and spat on the ground, made some mud from it, and put it on the man's eyes. "Go wash in the Pool of Siloam." 

Photo by Mary Vee.
The pool where people came to be healed.
Jerusalem

The man's friends helped him find the way to the pool. He knelt down to the water and washed his eyes. He blinked water from his eyes and shouted, "I can see!! I can see!!"

His neighbors and friends who had seen him begging asked, 'Isn't this the blind man? The one who sat and begged all these years?" 

"Yes, that's him."

Others said, "No. That man can see. He only looks like the one we know."

The once blind man said, "Believe me. I am the one you want. I once was blind and now I see."

Photo by Mary Vee
The blind man wasn't the only person
Jesus healed. This sign is near the pool
shown above. Jerusalem

The neighbors said, "How is it that you can see?" They scoffed at him. Clearly, they didn't believe him.

The once blind man said, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to the Pool of Siloam and wash. I did what he said and washed. Now I can see."

The people looked beyond the crowd, "Where is this man?"

The blind man looked into the crowd and said, "I don't see him. I don't know where he went."



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.


*********************************************************************************************

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.

He Is Greater Than Our Father Abraham

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. 

The Feast of the Tabernacle is coming to a close. The other disciples and I are standing in the temple courts again today, listening to Jesus teach. 

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

Anytime crowds gather near Jesus, the Pharisees quickly find there way near the front. Then, as Jesus speaks, they whisper among themselves before asking questions. Even I could see the purpose of their questions was to trap Jesus. Today, they have been especially cruel with their words. For example, a few minutes ago one said, "Aren't we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?"

See?

Jesus said, "I am not possed by a demon, but I honor my Father. You dishonor me. I'm not looking for any glory, but there is one who seeks it. And he is the judge.  I speak the truth. If anyone keeps my word, he will never see death."

The Pharisee leaders squinted in anger. Some raised their fist. "This is our proof," they said to the crowd then turned to Jesus. "Now we know you are demon possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never see death. Do you think you are greater than our father Abraham? He died. So did the prophets. Who do you think you are?"

I would have liked to answer their question, but I wouldn't have done it as well as Jesus. So, I waited.

Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, it will mean nothing. My Father, the one you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If this wasn't true, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day. He saw it and was glad."

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

Well, this certainly made the Pharisees angrier. They raised their voices. One burst out, "You are not fifty years old and you claim to have seen Abraham!"

Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am."

That was when the Pharisees became violent. They picked up stones and brought their arms back to throw them at him, but Jesus hid himself. He slipped away from the temple grounds where they couldn't see him.

Jesus wasn't afraid. He once told the other disciples and me he did His Father's work every day. This was not his time. 

I didn't understand what He meant at this time. But later, I did. 

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.


*********************************************************************************************

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.

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.


*********************************************************************************************

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.

They Failed to Seize 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 other disciples and I stood nearby when Jesus when a crowd gathered. They waited for him to speak.

Jesus turned to them and said, "I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

The Pharisees moved among the crowd. These were the same men who tried to test Jesus by bringing the adulterous woman for him to judge. They ended up walking away without throwing a stone at her.

They probably saw he crowd and rushed over to prevent them from listening to Jesus' teachings. They seemed ready to question Jesus again as they pushed toward the front of the crowd. One Pharisee said, "Here you are. You are acting as your own witness and that makes the testimony you share among these witnesses not valid."

Jesus said, "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid. I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I was or where I will go. You judge me by your human standards. I pass judgment on no one. 

"But if I do choose to judge, my decisions are right. I am not alone. I stand with the Father who sent me. In your own Law, it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. I am one who testifies for myself. My other witness is the Father who sent me."

A Pharisee said, "All right. So, where is your father?" He looked around the temple. "Is he here?"

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

Jesus said, "You do not know me or my Father. If you knew me you would know my Father."

As expected the Pharisees were not happy with Jesus. They tried to seize him but failed. Later I learned that this was not yet the appointed time. Jesus had more work to do.

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.


*********************************************************************************************

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.

When She Truly Repented

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.

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

Last time I wrote, I told about the first day we spent with Jesus in the Temple for the Feast of Tabernacles. Jesus taught, answered questions, and, of course, dealt with the Pharisees. At the end of the day, the crowd and Pharisees returned to their homes or inns. 

Jesus didn't have a place to rest that night. No one who was at the Temple followed the custom to invite travelers, in this case, Jesus, into their home for rest.

Jesus walked up a steep road to the Mount of Olives for the evening, the same place where  he taught us how to pray. The next morning he rose early, walked back down the mountain, across the field and into the Temple for another day of the Feast of the Tabernacles.

Many men arrived at the early morning hour for the celebration. They gathered around Jesus. Quiet a few of these people lived far away and seemed interested in hearing Jesus teach one more time before they returned home.

Jesus sat down and prepared to teach. He hadn't spoken long before a group of Pharisees and teachers of the law dragged a woman through the crowd. They forced her to stand before the group then faced Jesus. "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone a woman guilty of such a crime. What do you say?" 

The Pharisees scowled while roughly dealing with the woman. Clearly they brought her before Jesus and this crowd to discredit Jesus. 

The crowd watched Jesus, but he didn't look at them, nor the Pharisees. He bent low to the ground and wrote in the dirt with his finger.

The Pharisees asked him again, "What do you say?" They badgered him, refusing to stop pressing him for an answer.

After a few minutes, Jesus stood and faced the Pharisees. He said, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." When finishing these words, Jesus stooped down and wrote again in the dirt. 

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

I learned later that Jesus knew what evil the Pharisees had done only the night before. Their sin was greater that the woman's and yet they accused her, and made a show of their superiority in front of the crowds. None of them could stay and punish the woman, and they knew it.

There is only one person who could stay. Only one who had never sinned. The Son of God. And so Jesus looked and saw the accusers had all left, leaving him and the woman. He stood and asked her, "Woman, where are those who accused you? Has no one remained to condemn you?"

She raised her eyes toward him. "No one, sir."

Photo by Mary Vee
This very old olive tree
stands on the Mount of Olives

It was during one of the private times later, when Jesus explained and answered our questions that we learned he saw true repentence in the woman. As God's Son, he had he power to forgive true repentance rather than condemn and make a spectacle of her as the evil Pharisees planned. 

Jesus said, "Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin."

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.


*********************************************************************************************

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.