The Gospels | Episode 12
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The Gospels | Episode 12
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- Jesus was leading the way to Jerusalem.
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- Remember, Mark wrote, "They were on their way up to Jerusalem,
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- with Jesus leading the way.
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- And the disciples were astonished, while those
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- who followed were afraid," Mark 10:32.
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- Jesus and his disciples had gone to Jerusalem before, but there
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- was clearly something different this time.
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- Their rabbi was laser focused. He was determined.
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- He was a man on a mission.
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- [music]
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- [music]
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- [music]
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- [music]
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- [music]
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- [music]
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- Dave: Mark records that, at one point in the journey, people
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- were, quote, "Bringing children to him, that he might touch
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- them, and the disciples rebuked them."
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- So, picture the scene.
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- Jesus was so determined to get to Jerusalem
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- that his disciples were actually afraid.
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- And along the way, people began bringing
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- their children up to Jesus.
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- Perhaps not surprisingly, many of his disciples thought that
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- Jesus had more important things on his mind
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- and tried to put a stop to it.
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- But Jesus said this: "Let the little children come to me,
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- and do not hinder for them,
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- for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
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- Truly, I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of
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- God like a little child will never enter it," Mark 10:14-15.
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- "And Jesus picked up the children and blessed them."
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- Interestingly, people often overlook these passages in the
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- gospels because they don't seem to carry that much
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- theological or historical importance.
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- But Jesus was doing something significant here.
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- Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, fathers blessed
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- their children, from Noah blessing Shem and Japheth,
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- to Abraham blessing Isaac, Isaac blessing Jacob,
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- and Jacob blessing his 12 sons, who went on to become
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- the fathers of the 12 tribes of Israel.
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- Fathers blessing their children was an
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- important part of Israelite culture.
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- It was a tradition at the time of Jesus that fathers would
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- bring their children to the local synagogue, where the
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- elders would join the father in a prayer of blessing.
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- The traditional prayer for the child was that they would be,
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- quote, "Famous in the law, faithful in marriage,
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- and abundant in good works."
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- The father would lay his hands on the child's head.
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- The elders of the synagogue would
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- surround them and bless the child.
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- It was a special event in the local community.
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- Now, the people were bringing their children to Jesus, which
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- seems to be consistent with this kind of blessing.
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- Dave: There was an interesting contrast to be found
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- in this story that Jesus touched the children when he blessed
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- them because that is something that the scribes
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- and the Pharisees never did.
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- In fact, they made it a point not to touch people
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- because they believed that they would defile themselves,
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- religiously speaking.
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- But Jesus never held himself back from people in that way.
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- To bless these little children as those to whom the kingdom of
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- God belongs was an extraordinary thing for Jesus to do.
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- In the presence of the Pharisees and other important religious
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- leaders of the day, Jesus was giving a place of honor and
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- prominence not to them, but to little children.
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- But Jesus' real rebuke was for his own disciples,
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- who were trying to hinder the children from coming to him.
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- He wanted the crowds to know that, in God's kingdom,
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- no one is a nuisance and no one is insignificant.
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- The kingdom of God cannot be received with presumption
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- or entitlement, but with humility and, like a child,
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- with dependence and trust.
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- Shortly after Jesus left the children, Mark records this.
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- "And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up
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- and knelt before him, and asked him,
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- 'Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?'
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- And Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call me good?
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- No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments.
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- Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal,
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- do not bear false witness, do not defraud,
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- honor your father and mother.'
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- And he said to him, 'Teacher, all of these
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- I have kept from my youth.'
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- And Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
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- 'You lack one thing.
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- Go, sell all that you have and give to the poor,
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- and you will have treasure in heaven.
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- And come, follow me.'
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- Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful,
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- for he had great possessions,"
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- Mark 10:17-22.
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- Dave: In the case of the rich young man, since prosperity
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- was seen as proof of God's approval in ancient Israel,
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- certain members of the religious community taught
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- that rich people were the most likely candidates
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- for the kingdom of God.
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- Jesus just dismissed that notion.
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- "When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished
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- and asked, 'Who then can be saved?'
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- Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man, this is impossible.
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- But with God, all things are possible.'
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- Peter answered him, 'We have left everything to follow you.
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- What then will be there for us?'
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- And Jesus said to them, 'Truly I tell you, at the renewal
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- of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne,
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- you who have followed me will also sit on 12 thrones,
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- judging the 12 tribes of Israel.
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- And everyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters,
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- or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or fields for my
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- sake will receive 100 times as much
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- and will inherit eternal life.
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- But many who are first will be last,
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- and many who are last will be first.'"
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- Dave: Well, it was time to get back into Steve McQueen
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- and head back to the city of Tiberias one last time.
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- Just driving through modern-day Tiberias,
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- folks, having a good day.
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- It is uncomfortably warm, but I'd say that's more than made up
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- for by the unbearable humidity.
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- Could be worse, though. Could be raining.
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- Oh. Oh!
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- Oh, you got to be kidding me.
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- Whoa.
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- That whole no window design is not exactly sound engineering.
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- I'm soaked.
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- Back in the day, Tiberias was a grand spectacle
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- on the sea of Galilee.
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- Herod Antipas made it his capital city in about 20 AD, and
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- named it after the Roman emperor, Tiberias.
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- The city was known for its large palace, theatre,
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- and port complex.
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- Today, Tiberias is a modern city of some 40.000 people, and a
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- popular spot for Jewish tourists.
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- Not many ancient ruins have survived in here, but those that
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- have bump right up against this modern city.
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- Perhaps as you've watched this series, you may have noticed
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- that Jesus uses the phrase "kingdom of God" many times.
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- In fact, the phrase appears in the gospels over 40 times.
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- But what did Jesus mean by this concept, the kingdom of God?
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- Well, after the rich man walked away disappointed,
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- Jesus explains this concept.
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- Jesus presented a new perspective.
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- He contrasted the short-term view that men hold of the world
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- with God's long-term view of eternity.
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- He promised that those who had given up a great deal to follow
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- him in this life would be greatly rewarded
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- in the life to come.
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- This eternal perspective is what made the kingdom of God
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- radically different from the kingdom of man.
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- Jesus continued, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers
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- of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials
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- exercise authority over them.
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- Not so with you.
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- Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your
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- servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.
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- For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,
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- and to give his life as a ransom for many," Mark 10:42-45.
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- Dave: Jesus taught his followers an ultimate paradox
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- between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of man.
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- Like today, leaders of Jesus' time were all about
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- ego, power, and control.
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- The whole point of achieving leader status was to gather
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- enough power to boss people around or, in the words
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- of Jesus, to lord it over the people.
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- But Jesus announced a new type of leadership,
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- servant leadership.
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- And he would lead by example.
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- For instance, the ruler of the Galilee region, the man
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- who first built this city, was Herod Antipas.
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- Now, Herod Antipas was the representation of supreme local
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- power, and he named the city Tiberias in honor
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- of the Roman Caesar at the time.
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- Now, Jesus was becoming known to the public and was gaining a
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- following over the course of a relatively short period of time,
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- perhaps slightly over 3 years, while Antipas ruled
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- for over 4 decades.
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- Herod Antipas at the very least was probably a little annoyed,
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- and maybe even scared at the following
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- that Jesus was accumulating.
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- And Jesus made a habit of using Antipas or people like him
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- as negative examples.
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- Jesus often made thinly veiled statements that he was the true
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- ruler of Israel, implying that Herod Antipas was merely
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- a flawed, mortal ruler appointed by men.
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- Dave: Jesus once warned his followers to beware
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- of the leaven of Herod, Mark 8:15.
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- In so doing, he was warning the people to beware of idols,
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- hypocrisy, and lies spreading from the Roman culture, which
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- Antipas had incorporated into the city he built here.
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- Jesus also compared Antipas to one who wears soft clothing and
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- lives in a luxurious royal palace, and also a reed shaking
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- in the wind, Luke 7:24-25.
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- Many believed Jesus got this reed metaphor from one of the
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- coins that Antipas had minted, showing a reed on one side.
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- And referring to him as a reed shaking in the wind, Jesus may
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- have been implying that Antipas was weak and easily swayed
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- by Roman influence.
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- Well, whatever Jesus was implying,
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- it was not a compliment.
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- These were covert digs at the local leader.
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- Once, Jesus referred to Antipas as a fox, referencing his
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- continual hunting of Jesus.
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- Antipas had attempted to track Jesus down like he had
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- John the Baptizer, but had been unsuccessful.
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- Later, Herod Antipas got paranoid that Jesus was actually
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- John the Baptizer resurrected from the dead.
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- Herod continued the hunt for Jesus, but was unsuccessful.
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- As we'll soon see, their first and only meeting came later
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- at the trial of Jesus.
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- Dave: In the end, what probably frustrated Herod
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- Antipas more than anything was the fact that some even
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- in his own household came to follow Jesus.
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- This clash of kingdoms had come right into Herod's home.
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- As the group continued to travel to Jerusalem,
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- Jesus was a man on a mission.
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- Not surprisingly, his teaching reflected that mission.
- 00:13:17.100 --> 00:13:20.240
- As the number of Jesus' followers continued to grow, so
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- too did the promise that to follow him would come at a cost.
- 00:13:24.150 --> 00:13:28.250
- At one point, Jesus said to his followers, "Whoever wants to be
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- my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily,
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- and follow me.
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- For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever
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- loses their life for me will save it."
- 00:13:44.090 --> 00:13:48.090
- Jesus was telling his followers that if they really wanted to be
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- his disciples, that it wasn't going to be easy.
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- In fact, it was going to get more and more difficult
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- as time went on.
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- It was going to be so difficult that Jesus used a Roman cross
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- as a metaphor for following him.
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- Now, the Romans perfected this form of torture and execution.
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- For Jesus to use this particular example would be very unusual
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- for a leader trying to gain a following.
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- Most leaders tell people what they want to hear.
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- No one could accuse Jesus of that.
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- With Jesus' teaching becoming more difficult, opinions about
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- him became more and more polarized.
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- Many people were drawn to Jesus, but many were angered by him.
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- Some religious leaders were willing to discuss ideas with
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- him, but others hatched plots against him.
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- Some said Jesus was possessed by the devil, and that, they said,
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- was how he was able to do his miracles.
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- Some saw Jesus as a political savior.
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- Others saw him as a political threat.
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- And sometimes, Jesus' teachings were so controversial that they
- 00:14:56.270 --> 00:15:00.070
- ended with the listeners picking up stones to throw at him.
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- For the disciples, life with Jesus was always interesting,
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- but it was about to get more so.
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- Jesus and his disciples were resting by the Jordan River
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- when news came that his friend Lazarus, the brother
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- of Mary and Martha, was very ill.
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- Jesus did something a bit puzzling to those with him.
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- He waited 2 days before setting out to see him.
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- Then Jesus told his disciples, "Lazarus is dead.
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- And for your sake, I am glad I was not there
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- so that you may believe."
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- So, they set out for the village of Bethany, a small settlement
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- on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives,
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- and the hometown of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.
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- Dave: Now, Bethany today is known as the traditional
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- Palestinian town of al-Azariya, which means the place
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- of Lazarus in Arabic.
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- It's about a mile and a half from Jerusalem.
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- Now, this city was the first century home of Mary and Martha.
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- In fact, some first century ruins have recently
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- been uncovered here.
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- Jesus had been here before.
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- Here is how that visit was recorded in the Gospel of Luke.
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- "As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a
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- village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.
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- She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet,
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- listening to what he said.
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- But Martha was distracted by all the preparations
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- that had to be made.
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- She came to him and asked, 'Lord, don't you care that my
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- sister has left me to do the work by myself?
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- Tell her to help me.'
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- 'Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered,
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- 'you are worried and upset about many things,
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- but few things are needed, or indeed only one.
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- Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away
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- from her,'" Luke 10:38-42.
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- Now, the story of Jesus' friendship with Mary
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- and Martha is a favorite of many.
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- In the culture of the Middle East, men didn't typically have
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- these kinds of intimate encounters with women.
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- For Jesus to softly teach these two women
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- in their own home was unheard of.
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- It seems the friendship between Jesus, Mary, Martha,
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- and Lazarus was a very close one indeed.
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- Now back to the story of the death of Lazarus.
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- After Jesus arrived here in Bethany, he learned that Lazarus
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- had been dead and in the tomb for 4 days.
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- Mourners had gathered at the house of Mary
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- and Martha to comfort them.
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- Now, Martha was able to pull herself together enough to go
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- out and greet Jesus, but Mary was so distraught
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- that she stayed inside.
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- "'Lord,'" Martha said to Jesus, 'if you had been here,
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- my brother would not have died.
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- But I know that even now, God will give you whatever you ask.'
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- Jesus said to her, 'Your brother will rise again.
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- I am the resurrection and the life.
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- The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.
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- And whoever lives by believing in me will never die.
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- Do you believe this?' 'Yes, Lord,' she said.
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- 'I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God,
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- who is come into the world.'
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- After she had said this, she went back
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- and called her sister, Mary.
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- 'The teacher is here and is asking for you,'" John 11:21-28.
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- When Mary saw Jesus, she fell at his feet,
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- and he had compassion on her.
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- Now, it's here we get the shortest verse in the gospels,
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- in the entire Bible in fact, John 11:35,
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- which says simply, "Jesus wept."
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- Then Jesus led his grieving friends
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- over to an ancient tomb here in Bethany.
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- This location has been recorded as the tomb of Lazarus going
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- all the way back to the historian Eusebius 330 AD.
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- A large stone blocked the tomb's entrance.
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- People must have been shocked when Jesus told
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- them to take away the stone.
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- In fact, Martha objected.
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- "'But Lord,' said Martha, the sister of the dead man.
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- 'By this time, there is a bad odor,
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- for he has been there 4 days.'"
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- According to Jewish tradition, Lazarus' body would
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- have been wrapped in linens and scented with oils,
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- but the Jews did not embalm their dead.
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- Thus, the perfumes only lasted so long.
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- Anyway, Jesus insisted and the people moved the stone.
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- Jesus looked up and prayed to God.
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- He prayed to God as his Father.
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- "Father, I thank you that you have heard me.
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- I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit
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- of the people standing here, that they may believe
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- that you sent me," John 11:41-42.
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- "When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice,
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- 'Lazarus, come out.'
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- The dead man came out, his hands and feet
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- wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
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- Jesus said to them, 'Take off the grave clothes
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- and let him go.'
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- Therefore, many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary
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- and had seen what Jesus did believed in him," John 11:45.
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- Dave: Now, picture the scene.
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- Still wrapped in his grave clothes, Lazarus stumbled
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- out of the tomb and into the light.
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- It was the fulfillment of Jesus' earlier promise to Martha
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- that if she believed, she would see the glory of God.
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- But for the Jewish religious leaders,
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- this miracle provoked a crisis.
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- [music]
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- [music]
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- [music]
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- Dave: According to the Gospel of John, news of Jesus raising
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- Lazarus from the dead spread like wildfire.
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- The Jewish council of the Sanhedrin was enraged.
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- Surely a miracle like that would seduce the people
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- to follow Jesus to a rebellion.
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- The fear was that such a rebellion would provoke
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- a clampdown by the Romans.
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- Caiaphas, the high priest, made his position clear
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- to the religious authorities.
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- "Then the chief priests and the Pharisees
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- called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.
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- 'What are we accomplishing?' they asked.
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- 'Here is this man performing many signs.
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- If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him,
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- and then the Romans will come and take away
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- both our temple and our nation.'
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- Then one of them named Caiaphas,
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- who was high priest that year, spoke up.
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- 'You know nothing at all.
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- You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die
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- for the people than that the whole nation perish,'"
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- John 11:47-50.
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- Protecting his own power and preserving public order
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- were now his highest priorities.
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- And Caiaphas knew that Jesus must die.
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- [music]
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- [music]
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- Dave: Caiaphas was the Jewish high priest
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- who served in Jerusalem from about 18 to 36 AD.
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- History tells us that he was the son-in-law of Annas
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- and likely from the tribe of Levi.
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- As a member of the Jewish priestly class,
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- he was part of the sect of the Sadducees.
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- Now, the Sadducees had priestly,
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- but also political and judicial roles.
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- The other main religious group was the Pharisees,
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- and they focused more on religious laws
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- and teaching in local synagogues.
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- Now, the Sadducees tended to be corrupted by money.
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- And they were more interested in the political power and benefits
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- from their close ties with the Romans.
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- Caiaphas, who served as the high priest at the temple
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- in Jerusalem, is an important historical anchor
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- for three of the gospels: Matthew, Luke, and John.
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- He is also attested in the writings of Roman historian
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- Flavius Josephus, where Josephus attests to his name, position,
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- and time of service as high priest.
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- Interestingly, Josephus specifies that he was Joseph,
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- son of Caiaphas, but that he was also known as Joseph
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- who was called Caiaphas.
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- This explains why the gospels merely use the name Caiaphas.
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- The name Joseph, son of Caiaphas, is also found
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- on an ossuary or a bone box found just outside
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- the walls of first century Jerusalem.
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- In 1990, a tomb was accidentally discovered
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- during a construction project and subsequently excavated.
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- Twelve ossuaries were found inside the rock-cut tomb,
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- two of which contained the family name Caiaphas.
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- The ossuary, inscribed with Joseph son of Caiaphas,
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- was particularly ornate.
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- Inside, remains of six individuals were discovered,
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- including a man about 60 years old.
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- The tomb where the ossuary was found also contained a coin of
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- Herod Agrippa the first, dated to 42 or 43 AD, which places
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- this ossuary in the right place at the right time.
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- Because of the evidence, most scholars accept that this
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- artifact really is the ossuary which held the bones of Joseph
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- Caiaphas, the Jewish high priest, the man who
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- became such an important part of the gospel story.
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- Dave: According to the Gospel of John, Caiaphas was the one
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- who advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good for one
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- man to die for the people, John 18:14.
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- So, the chief priest gave orders that anyone who knew
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- the whereabouts of Jesus should notify them immediately
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- so that he could be arrested.
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- Passover was soon approaching, and the temple officials figured
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- that Jesus would not pass on an opportunity
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- to show up here in Jerusalem.
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- Meanwhile, Jesus was alone with his disciples,
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- away from the city.
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- It was time to prepare them for what was coming.
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- "We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written
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- by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.
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- He will be delivered over to the Gentiles.
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- They will mock him, insult him, and spit on him.
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- They will flog him and kill him.
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- On the third day, he will rise again," Luke 18:31-33.
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- While many of the Jewish people were still holding out for a
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- conquering Messiah, Jesus was delivering the harsh reality:
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- the Messiah must first suffer and die.
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- [music]
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- [music]
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- [music]
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- [music]
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- [music]
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- [music]
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- [music]
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- [music]
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- [music]
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