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mikokiko

posted on Dec 19, 2007 - 11:21 PM

"My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.” Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?” The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’? If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.

Does anyone know why the Lord Jesus gives such an answer to them? Why did He not simply state saying that He was the only Son of God?

God Bless

Joined: Feb 11, 2003 | Posts: 1001

exGreek

posted on Dec 19, 2007 - 11:34 PM

Perhaps He wanted them to figure it out for themselves (?).

Joined: Oct 28, 2004 | Posts: 1381
Location: Spring Lake, Michigan

mikokiko

posted on Dec 22, 2007 - 06:24 AM

Man oh man. I think I found the answer. Most often when our Lord quoted Scripture He only quoted the beginning of it to bring to remembrance the listeners the entire passage. Here is the passage, and then a comparison with other passages:
I said, “You are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High. But you shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.”
Arise, O God, judge the earth; for You shall inherit all nations.

The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus answered and said to him, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
(Psalms 82:6-8, 2:7-9, John 1:14, 3:10,16)
The Scriptures are truly amazing.

Joined: Feb 11, 2003 | Posts: 1001

Overgrownegyptian

posted on Dec 24, 2007 - 03:40 PM

The answer to your question is within the very quote you put.

"My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.”

Jesus said He and the Father were one, revealing the plain and simple truth to the Jews but then they took stones again to stone him. Key word being again because they didn't believe the first time and they didn't believe the second time when He said it.

Then Jesus said I've done nothing wrong but I've done good works (Jesus is essentially saying I've proved myself to everyone that I am the God by doing all these miracles and etc)

So Jesus asks again why are you going to stone me? Is it because I've done all these miracles? So they answered him saying The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”

The important thing again is their response. They said we're not stoning you because you did miracles and good works but because you are saying you are God (meaning they didn't believe him again even though he flat out said it)

The answer to your question is here:

Jesus said If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me

He said to them if I'm not really God then don't believe me and that's that.

but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”

Then he says I am God, though you don't believe me, I do these works to prove, to make people believe, that the Father is in Me and that I am in Him...that I am God.

So Jesus never dodged a question. He did say several times he was God, but the way you expected (for Him to say I AM GOD) wouldn't matter because they still wouldn't believe him because he said several times that he was God but they were stubborn and hard-headed to believe Him.


Plus, here's some Old Testament prophecies with New Testament fulfillment concerning this:

John 12:37-50
37 But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, 38 that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke:


“ Lord, who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?”

39 Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again:
40 “ He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts,
Lest they should see with their eyes,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.”

41 These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.

42 Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. 44 Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. 45 And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. 46 I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. 47 And if anyone hears My words and does not believe,[d] I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. 49 For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. 50 And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”


The Pharisees hearts were hardened to not believe to fulfill the prophecy in Isaiah 6:9-10

9 And He said, “Go, and tell this people:


‘ Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
10 “ Make the heart of this people dull,
And their ears heavy,
And shut their eyes;
Lest they see with their eyes,
And hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart,
And return and be healed.”

I know this is long but I hope it helped. God bless you.

_________________
andrew

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, pleasing to you.

"O God, my God, I will rise up early unto You; for my soul has thirsted for You: to make my flesh blossom for You, in a barren land and a trackless and dry place." (Psalm 62:1)

"My son, give me your heart, And let your eyes observe my ways." (Proverbs 23:26)

"Every meeting with Christ is a prayer of renewal. Every prayer is an experience of faith. Every experience of faith is eternal life." Abouna Matta El-Meskeen

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mikokiko

posted on Dec 24, 2007 - 07:34 PM

Thanks a lot Overgrown Egyptian...I think my main focus was on the passage that the Lord Jesus provided, when instead of calling Himself the Only-Begotten Son of God He told them that they were all gods. So I gave the passages, where it clearly states the Divinity of God. As it says in the Psalm "You are all gods, but shall die like princes. Arise O God, and judge the earth, and inherit the nations." Inheriting the nations was always a messianic prophecy as we see in the Psalm of "You are My Son, today I have begotten You, ask of Me the nations for Your inheritance."

So that passage was a prophecy of the Resurrection, as you will see it used quite often on Bright Saturday in the Church.

Joined: Feb 11, 2003 | Posts: 1001