Every Jew coming to the festival knew all-to-well of our obligation to buy a kind of kosher indulgence.
We tried to follow this KING
ALL of Jerusalem was abuzz with this Jesus, who had ridden into our captive city like a KING! And this Son of Man (as he called himself) began the day overturning tables of moneychangers and chasing merchants and animals out of the Temple courts!
Of course the Temple police appeared (though unprepared for such a disturbance as this), then pharisees and priests and scribes, even the chief priests.
In fact — they WITNESSED the marvelous miracles, signs of JESUS’s power from God!
.. and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”
Gospel of Matthew 21:15b New King James Version – witness of Jesus in the Temple
Rather than praising GOD as even the children were now doing, THEY BECAME INDIGNANT.
One of them said to him (I think it was a chief priest):
“Do You hear what these are saying?”
YES, this Jesus answered him AND then quoted a familiar Psalm.
“Yes, Have you never read,
‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?”
Gospel of Matthew 25:16 NKJV – Jesus’ response to children singing about Him
By now a few more Legions became clearly visible in the distance, yet the Temple police seemed to be nowhere in sight.
In general the crowds were JOYFUL and above all praising the healings which Jesus had been doing for some who came to Him.
This irked the officials of the Sanhedrin, although they now turned away from making any trouble today for this Son of Man and Son of David, who some zealots in the multitudes were urging to be KING.
This Jesus slipped out through the crowds quickly and headed toward a gate leading to the road to Bethany.
an earlier Passover
I'm trying to recall if it was last year [A.D. 29] or the year before that I had heard from someone that this was not unusual for this humble Nazarian Rabbi.
Jesus had shown signs to more than five thousand men near Nazareth.
Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said,
“This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.
Now I have to tell you, God’s Temple, with its several strict regulations of the Sanhedrin has always been a lucrative place for a Jew to do business.
The Pesach festival week this year had not seemed to be much different than any the last five decades since Herod the Great began construction of the still not-quite-finished Temple grounds for God’s ordinary people.
Trouble is that more and more Zealots have more openly attacked our occupiers’ Legions even though ROME has included Judea in its ‘peace‘ for a hundred years or so.
Every Jew coming to the festival knew all-to-well of their obligation to buy a kind of kosher indulgence.
This KING Jesus who called himself Son of Man (rather than son of David)would have none of it.
There were already dozens of these authorized vendors at work with hundreds of early bird customers like us.
When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!”
As a good Jew I thought I knew these sayings this new Prophet Jesus quoted. One is about the gentiles — and believe me they were all there too.
Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
You know what else I remember from this Prophet from seven centuries ago concerning Israel’s leaders?
His watchmen are blind..
And they are shepherds Who cannot understand; They all look to their own way, Every one for his own gain, From his own territory.
Isaiah 56:11b NKJV
Isaiah calls them ‘greedy dogs’ who are never satisfied.
It seems fit that this Man would clear the Temple of these dogs indulging our Council of leaders comfortably walled-up away from God’s place of worship.
THIS JESUS even knew that our captive weeping Prophet had called it “a den of thieves!”
We tried to follow this KING
This Jesus had our attention. He was right in everything he said and did.
But because of the crowds WE could only get glances of this King as He moved about the Temple courts.
WE kept hearing stories though — confirmation of things Jesus did that no other man or prophet could do.
Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.
In addition to several Jews, including Jason who had been a leader of the local synagogue, the Church of the Thessalonians had many Macedonians (and perhaps Roman citizens as well.)
And some of them were persuaded, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
ACTS 17:5 But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. 6 And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying,
These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; 7 whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Cæsar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus. 8 And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. 9 And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go.
10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea..
Jason and other Jews have undoubtedly continued in Christ as members of the church in Thessalonica.
And they [Berean believers] that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus [who had remained in Berea] for to come to him with all speed, they departed.
18 After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth.. 5 And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.
How was our first epistle received?
PAUL, TIMOTHY, SILAS (Silvanus), Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others [from Athens and other cities] COMMUNICATED with the Church in places where Paul and Silas had proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ. Timothy, Jason and others became part of church leadership in cities throughout Asia Minor, Macedonia and Achaia.
APOSTLES SENT EPISTLES TO COMMUNICATE WITH AND SUSTAIN THE CHURCHES in a similar fashion as when in about A.D. 50 the Council of Jerusalem had sent clarifications of the faith into all the world of their ROMAN provinces.
The Apostles must have sent AND RECEIVED letters and brief messages much more frequently than these exemplary New Testament Epistles record.
Paul’s Second Letter to the Thessalonians
Once again PLEASE endure a most appropriate formality (17th c. King's English) of the KJV & Authorized KJV for this Apostolic Epistle.
- RH
~ A.D. 51 (a few months after Paul’s First Epistle)
.. we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:
Silas, Timothy, Jason and others had delivered first-hand or second-hand accounts of events in Thessalonica after Paul had escaped.
Paul knew that the Thessalonian believers were suffering. So the Apostle encourages the faithful:
5 which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:
Skipping ahead in Paul's Second Epistle:
II Thessalonians 3:6
Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. ..
11 For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. 12 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
HOW did Paul, Silas and Timothy know about these serious challenges to the Thessalonians?
COMMUNICATION between church leaders and the Apostles.
IF you are SUFFERING on account of your witness of the Lord JESUS Christ GOD has chosen you and GOD will repay those who trouble you.
BUT IF some in your church DO NOT OBEY the commands and example of the Apostles they DO NOT and SHOULD NOT represent Christ as a member of your church.
When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed!
Paul preaches clearly about the Judgment to come.
II THESSALONIANS 1:7-12 AKJV – Paul’s Points concerning Judgment
that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord,
and from the glory of his power;
when he (The Lord Christ JESUS] shall come to be glorified in his saints(all believers),
and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.
with his mighty angels,
in flaming fire
Let no man deceive you
Paul continues in encouraging these faithful Thessalonians currently enduring persecution to look forward to THE DAY Christ will return and draw the saints unto Him in victory over death.
.. by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and by our gathering together unto him,
be not soon shaken
in mind,
or be troubled,
neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
Don't believe such things.
.. for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first,
and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himselfabove all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2 Thessalonians 2:8-10 AKJV
We can hardly overlook Paul’s warning of Satan’s deception which will precede the returning of Christ for those He has saved.
Persecuted Thessalonians would obey the Apostle – having received the Holy spirit AND to whom Paul had already written in his first epistle:
He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit. – 1 Thessalonians 4:8
Quench not the Spirit. – 1 Th 5:19
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Th 5:23
ONCE MORE PAUL ENCOURAGES BELIEVERS IN THE TRUTH OF THE RETURN AND JUDGMENT OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.
Pray that we might be delivered..
.. pray for us
..that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men:
for all men have not faith.
But the Lord is faithful,
.. and keep you from evil.
And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you.
And .. into the patient waiting for Christ.
Walk away from evil men
I have already addressed [above] Paul's concern from evil influencers who claim to be 'christians' AND Paul's COMMAND to stay away from such men.
But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.
And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
11 Thessalonians 3:13-15 AKJV
And so, my dear brother or sister in the Lord, WHY NOT respond to Paul’s Epistle by your COMMENT?
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
