Ch. 43, At the Feast of Dedication
“Son of Man: Urantia,” 2nd edition
At the Feast of Dedication
While everyone else was setting up the Pella camp, Jesus took Thomas and Nathaniel and snuck away to Jerusalem for the feast of dedication. But it was not until they had crossed the Jordan at the Bethany ford that the two apostles realized that Jesus was going to Jerusalem. Thomas and Nathaniel were shocked and used every argument they knew to try and dissuade him, but Jesus was determined to go. All he would say about the dangers of putting himself in the hands of the Sanhedrin was “I would give these teachers in Israel another opportunity to see the light before my hour comes.” The three reached Jericho about four thirty in the afternoon and stopped there for the night.
Story of the Good Samaritan
That evening when speaking to a large group of people, a lawyer who was present just to try and trap Jesus into blasphemy said “Teacher, I want to ask you just what I should do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus replied asking him “What is written in the law and the prophets; how do you read the scriptures?”
The lawyer knowing what both Jesus and the Pharisees taught, said “To love the Lord God with all your soul, mind, heart, and strength, and your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus replied “You have answered correctly. If you do this, it will lead to life everlasting.”
But the lawyer was not sincere. Wanting to explain himself and hoping to embarrass Jesus he moved closer, and said “But Teacher, I want you to tell me just who is my neighbor?” The lawyer asked this question because Jewish law defines a person’s neighbor as only those of one’s own people. Everyone else they consider to be gentile dogs. This man knew Jesus did not believe this way and he was hoping to get Jesus to say something that broke the law.
But Jesus knew the lawyer’s intentions and to avoid falling into the trap Jesus told the crowd a story, one that would be especially appreciated by the people from Jericho.
Jesus said “A man was walking down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he was robbed. The thieves took his cloths, beat him up, and left him on the side of the road half dead. Soon a priest came along, saw this wounded man, and made it a point to cross the road so he could avoid him. Then later a Levite came along and did the same thing—he crossed the road to avoid the injured man. After this a Samaritan came by and when he saw the man he was moved with compassion. He went over to him, bandaged his wounds, massaged his bruises with oil, and satisfied his thirst with wine. Then he put the man on his donkey and brought him back here to the inn. The next day he gave the innkeeper money to care for the man, and told him that if it came to more he would cover the expense when he returned. Now let me ask you, “Which of these three men turned out to be the neighbor of the man who was robbed?”
When the lawyer realized that he had fallen into his own trap, he said “He who showed him mercy.”
Jesus said “Go and do the same.”
The lawyer had worded his answer, “He who showed mercy,” so he would not even have to say the word Samaritan, which was offensive to the Jews. Jesus forced the lawyer to give him the answer he wanted but that if Jesus had said would have made him guilty of heresy. Jesus out maneuvered this dishonest lawyer, gave his followers a beautiful story, and scolded the Jews on their attitude toward other people who were not Jews. This story continues today to promote brotherly love to the believers in Jesus’ gospel.
At Jerusalem
Jesus went to the feast of tabernacles to deliver the gospel to people from across the Roman Empire. Now he was going to the feast of dedication to give the Jewish leaders another chance to see the light.
Friday night at Nicodemus’ house Jesus met with twenty-five Jewish leaders who were now in the kingdom. Fourteen of these men were former members of the Sanhedrin; also present were Eber, Matadormus, and Joseph of Arimathea. All of these were educated men, and they and the two apostles were amazed at the depth of Jesus’ remarks. Not since the times when he was teaching in Rome, Alexandria, and the Mediterranean islands had he shown such a grasp of humanity’s earthly and religious affairs.
These men were meeting with Jesus hoping to advise him on his efforts to convert the other members of the Sanhedrin. Jesus listened to all that they had to say, but he knew that none of their plans would work. He figured that while most of the Sanhedrin would never accept the gospel, he was still going to give them all one more chance to change their minds. When the meeting broke up the men who had come to advise Jesus all left mystified by his personality, charmed by his grace, and well, in love with the man. But when Jesus, Thomas, and Nathaniel left to spend the night on the Mount of Olives, Jesus still had not yet decided on how he was going to get the Sanhedrin’s attention.
Thomas and Nathaniel did not sleep much that night. They were too amazed by everything they had heard at Nicodemus’ house. The night before the ex-members of the Sanhedrin had offered to go with Jesus to speak to their ex-associates, but Jesus declined and said “No my friends, it would serve no purpose. You would multiply their anger against you, but you would not in the least lessen their hatred for you. Each of you go about the Father’s business like the spirit leads you to do, while I once more bring the kingdom to their notice in the way that my Father may direct.”
Healing the Blind Beggar
The next morning Jesus, Thomas, and Nathaniel went to Martha’s house in Bethany for breakfast and then immediately into Jerusalem. That Saturday morning as Jesus and his two apostles were walking to the temple they happened on a blind beggar. Although beggars did not ask for or receive charity on the Sabbath, they were still allowed to sit in their normal places. Jesus paused in the road, and as he looked at this man who had been born blind he decided on how to get the Sanhedrin to once again take notice of his mission on Earth.
While Jesus stood there before the blind man deep in deep thought, Nathaniel who had been curious about what caused this man’s blindness, said “Master who sinned, this man or his parents, so that he would be born blind?”
Nathaniel was curious because the rabbis taught that all cases of people being born blind were caused by sin. Not only were children conceived and born in sin, but a child could be born blind as punishment for some specific sin committed by the father. The Jews even taught that the child itself could sin before it was born, and that some sin or other excess by the mother while she was pregnant caused birth defects.
Throughout all of these regions the people still believed in reincarnation. The older Jewish teachers along with Plato, Philo, and many of the Essenes tolerated the theory that someone would receive in one incarnation the reward or punishment for what they had done in a previous existence. Jesus found it hard to get people to understand that their souls did not have past lives. While being born blind was supposed to be the result of the person having sinned, the Jews also believed that it was highly commendable to give charity to these beggars. It was even the blind beggar’s custom to constantly chant to the people walking by, “O tenderhearted, gain merit by assisting the blind.”
Jesus discussed this case of blindness with Thomas and Nathaniel because he had already decided to use the blind man to get the Sanhedrin’s attention, and because he prioritized urging his apostles to look for the truth behind natural or spiritual events: he had warned them many times against simply thinking that something mystical was behind ordinary occurrences. Responding to Nathaniel, Jesus said “This man did not sin and neither did his parents. God did not make him blind: it was just the natural course of events. But now we must do the Father’s will while it is still daylight because it will be impossible to do the work we are going to do when the night comes. When I am in the world I am the light of the world, but in only a little while I will not be with you.”
Then to Thomas and Nathaniel Jesus said “Let us give this man back his sight on this Sabbath day, so that the scribes and Pharisees have all the reason they need to accuse the Son of Man.” Jesus made a point of saying this loud enough for the blind man to hear him. Bending over, Jesus spit on the ground and mixed his saliva with the clay soil into a paste. He then went over to Josiah and put the clay paste over his eyelids and said “Go my son and wash away this clay in the pool at Siloam, and immediately you will have your sight.” Josiah went and washed the clay away in the pool of Siloam, and returned to his friends and family able to see.
Since Josiah had always been a beggar, he knew nothing else so after the initial excitement wore off he went back to his usual place for begging. His friends, neighbors, and everyone else who had known him all his life said “Is this not Josiah the blind beggar?”
Some of the people said it was while others said “No it is one like him, but this man can see,” and when asked himself Josiah said “I am he.”
When they wanted to know how he could see, he said “A man named Jesus came by. When he was talking about me with his friends he made clay with his spit, put it over my eyes, and told me to go and wash it off in the pool of Siloam. I did as he told me and immediately I could see. That was only a few hours ago. I do not yet know what I see means.” When the crowd asked where they could find this strange man who had healed him, Josiah could only say that he did not know.
This is one of the strangest of Jesus’ miracles: Josiah did not ask to be healed. He did not know that the Jesus who had told him to wash at Siloam and who had promised him his sight was the prophet of Galilee who had preached in Jerusalem during the feast of tabernacles. Josiah had little faith that he would be able to see, but the people back then did have enormous faith in the power of the spit of a holy man. After hearing Jesus talk with Thomas and Nathaniel, Josiah decided that his would-be helper was an important man; maybe an educated teacher or even a prophet. Because of that he did as Jesus said.
Jesus used the clay and the spit and told Josiah to wash in the symbolic pool at Siloam for three reasons. First, this was not a miracle that occurred because of the person’s faith. This was a wonder that Jesus chose to perform for his own reasons, but in such a way that Josiah would get lasting benefit. Since Josiah had not asked for healing and his faith was so weak, Jesus had him do material acts to encourage him because Josiah did believe that spit had power and he knew the pool of Siloam was a semi-sacred place. But Josiah would not have gone there if he had not needed to wash the clay out of his eyes: there was just enough ceremony about this whole deal to get him to do something. Second, this was a miracle done purely by Jesus’ own choosing. By using material acts he wanted to teach his followers then and in all later ages not to neglect or deride material ways of healing the sick, and third, Jesus gave Josiah his sight by working a miracle in Jerusalem on this Sabbath morning and near by the temple to openly challenge the Jewish leaders. This was Jesus’ positive way of announcing a public break with the Pharisees and making them take notice of his wonder.
Josiah before the Sanhedrin
Jesus’ healing of Josiah caused such a commotion in the temple that by noon the Sanhedrin decided to violate their standing rule against meeting on the Sabbath and held council in their normal chamber. Jesus knew that one of the main charges against him was going to be breaking the Sabbath by healing the blind man, and he wanted it to work out so that the Sanhedrin themselves were breaking their own self-imposed law. But the Sanhedrin did not summon Jesus before them: they were afraid. Instead they sent for Josiah. After some initial questioning the spokesman for the Sanhedrin (there were about fifty of them present) told Josiah to tell them what had happened to him.
Since his healing that morning, Josiah had learned from Thomas, Nathaniel, and others that the Pharisees were angry about him being healed on the Sabbath and that they were likely to make trouble for everyone involved. But Josiah did not yet realize that Jesus was the person who was called the Deliverer. So when the Pharisees questioned him, he said “This man came along, put clay on my eyes, and told me to go wash in the pool at Siloam; now I can see.”
After making a long speech one of the older Pharisees said “This man cannot be from God because he does not observe the Sabbath. He violates the law, first by making the clay, and then by sending this beggar to wash in the pool at Siloam on the Sabbath. This kind of a man cannot be a teacher sent from God.”
Then one of the younger men who secretly believed in Jesus said “If this man is not sent by God, how can he do these things? We know that a person who is a common sinner cannot do such miracles. We all know this beggar, that he was born blind and now he sees. Will you still say that this prophet does all of these wonders by the power of the prince of devils?”
For every Pharisee who dared to accuse and denounce Jesus, another one would stand up to ask hard and embarrassing questions. A serious divide was created. The presiding officer saw the direction the crowd was heading, and to calm everyone down he decided to question the man himself. Turning to Josiah he said “What do you think about this man, this Jesus that you claim opened your eyes?”
Josiah replied “I think he is a prophet.”
Not knowing what else to do, the Sanhedrin sent for Josiah’s parents to find out if he had actually been born blind. They were unwilling to believe that the beggar had been healed.
It was well known in Jerusalem that not only was Jesus not allowed in the synagogues, but neither was anyone who believed in him: they were all kicked out of the congregation of Israel and this meant that they were denied any and all rights and privileges that came with being a Jew. When Josiah’s poor and fear-ridden parents showed up before the Sanhedrin, they were afraid to speak freely. The spokesman for the court asked “Is this your son and do we understand correctly that he was born blind? If this is true how is it that he can now see?”
Josiah’s father said “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind, but how it is that he can now see or who it was that opened his eyes we do not know. Ask him: he is of legal age. Let him speak for himself.”
The Sanhedrin called for Josiah a second time. Their scheme of holding a formal trial was not going well, and some of them were beginning to feel strange violating the Sabbath. This time they tried to trap Josiah with a different type of attack. The officer of the court asked “Why do you not give God the glory for this? Why do you not tell us the whole truth about what happened? We all know that this man is a sinner. Why do you refuse to see the truth? You know that both you and this man stand convicted of breaking the Sabbath. If you still claim that your eyes have been opened today, will you not make up for your sin by admitting that God is your healer?”
Josiah was neither dumb nor lacking in humor. He replied “Whether this man is a sinner I do not know. But I do know one thing: that I was blind, and now I can see.” Since they could not trap Josiah they continued to question him, and asked “Just how did he open your eyes? What did he actually do to you? What did he say to you? Did he ask you to believe in him?”
Josiah became impatient, and replied “I have told you exactly how it all occurred. If you do not believe my testimony why do you want to hear it again? By any chance do you also want to become his disciples?”
Josiah’s answer sent the Sanhedrin into confusion. The leaders, angry and on the verge of violence rushed up to Josiah and said “You may speak about being this man’s disciple, but we are disciples of Moses and we are the teachers of the laws of God. We know that God spoke through Moses, but as for this man Jesus, we do not know from where he comes.”
Josiah stood up on a stool and shouting out to everyone present said “Listen up you who claim to be the teachers of Israel while I tell you that here is a profound mystery, because you confess that you do not know from where this man comes and yet you are certain from the testimony that you have heard that he opened my eyes. We all know that God does not do such things for the ungodly; that God would do such a thing only at the request of a true worshiper—one who is holy and righteous. You know that not since the beginning of the world have you ever heard of someone who was born blind having their eyes opened. Look now all of you at me and realize what has happened today in Jerusalem! I am telling you that if this man was not from God, he could not do this.”
As the Sanhedrin left angry and confused they shouted at him, “You were born in sin and now you presume to teach us? Maybe you were not born blind, and even if your eyes were opened on the Sabbath day this was done by the power of the prince of devils.” Then they went at once to the synagogue to cast Josiah out of the congregation of Israel.
Josiah entered this trial not knowing much about Jesus, his mission, or the nature of his healing. Most of his daring testimony that he so cleverly and courageously used against Israel’s highest court came to him as the trial unfolded in such an unfair way.
Teaching in Solomon’s Porch
While the Sanhedrin was breaking the Sabbath law holding their hearing in one of the temple courts, Jesus was nearby teaching on Solomon’s Porch. He was hoping to be called before the Sanhedrin so he could tell them the good news of the joy and the liberty of divine sonship in the kingdom of God. But they were afraid to send for him. They were always caught off-guard by Jesus’ sudden public appearances in Jerusalem. The very opportunity they had wanted for so long Jesus now gave them, but they were afraid to bring him before the court even as a witness and they were even more afraid to arrest him.
It was midwinter in Jerusalem and people were gathered under the partial roof over Solomon’s porch to stay warm. The crowd asked Jesus questions and he taught for over two hours. Some of the Jewish teachers tried to trap him by publicly asking “How long will you hold us in suspense? If you are the Messiah why do you not plainly tell us?”
Jesus replied “I have told you about myself and my Father many times, but you will not believe me. Can you not see that the works I do in my Father’s name bear witness for me? But many of you do not believe because you do not belong to my fold. The teacher of truth attracts only those people who hunger for the truth and who thirst for a virtuous life. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me. To all who follow my teaching I give eternal life; they will never die and no one will snatch them from me. My Father who has given me these children is more elevated than all so no one is able to pluck them out of his hand, and the Father and I are one.”
Some of the unbelieving Jews rushed over to where workers were still building the temple to collect rocks to throw at Jesus, but the believers in the crowd held them back. Jesus continued teaching and said “Many loving works I have shown you from the Father. Now I want to know which one of those good works makes you want to stone me?”
One of the Pharisees replied “We would not stone you for any good work, but instead for blasphemy, speaking against God, because you who are only a man are daring to say that you are equal with God.”
Jesus said “You charge the Son of Man with blasphemy because you refused to believe me when I told you that I was sent by God. If I do not do the works of God do not believe me, but if I do the works of God even though you do not believe me I would think you would believe the results. But so you can be certain of what I say, let me state again that the Father is in me and I am in the Father, and that as the Father lives in me so will I live in every one who believes this gospel.”
Again many people ran outside looking for rocks to throw, but Jesus left through the temple precincts. He, Thomas, and Nathaniel waited until they heard that Josiah had been expelled from the synagogue and then they went to his house where Thomas called him outside. Jesus looked at Josiah and said “Josiah, do you believe in the Son of God?”
Josiah replied “Tell me who he is so that I may believe in him.”
Jesus replied “You have both seen and heard him; it is he who is now speaking to you.”
Josiah said “Lord I believe,” and going to his knees he worshiped.
Josiah was at first dejected when he learned that he had been cast out of the synagogue. But he was wonderfully encouraged when Jesus said that he should immediately prepare to go with them to the camp at Pella. Yes, this simple-minded man of Jerusalem had indeed been cast out of a Jewish synagogue, but now watch as the Creator of a universe leads him forth to become associated with the spiritual nobility of that day and generation.
Jesus left Jerusalem and would not return again until the final scenes of his life; with Josiah and the two apostles he returned to Pella. Josiah proved to be fruitful and became a lifelong preacher of the gospel of the kingdom.