A Forty-Day Study of John's Gospel: Who Exactly Is Jesus?

By Rick Jory

Did Jesus claim to be God? Without question. And he did so repeatedly. That’s why John, a member of the “inner circle” of the disciples, wrote his own account of Jesus’ time on earth. A Forty-Day Study of John’s Gospel answers the question, “Who exactly is Jesus?” and shows how the works and words of Jesus validate his claim that he is God the Son. Other books in this series include A Forty-Day Study of the Biblical Story, volumes one and two; A Forty-Day Study of the Book of Hebrews; and A Forty-Day Study on Sin, Salvation, and Sanctification.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Nov 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664250109

Rick Jory

Dr. Rick Jory has authored the two-volume work, A Forty-Day Study of the Biblical Story as well as A Forty-Day Study of John’s Gospel, A Forty-Day Study of the Book of Hebrews, and A Forty-Day Study on Sin, Salvation, and Sanctification. This book completes this series. After forty-three years in the business world, upon the sale of his company, Dr. Jory formalized his passion for studying the Bible. He received his Master of Arts degree, Biblical Studies - New Testament, from Denver Seminary in 2012; the Doctor of Ministry, with emphasis in Theological Exegesis, from Knox Theological Seminary in 2017, and his Doctor of Educational Ministry, with emphasis in Adult Christian Education, from Dallas Theological Seminary in 2019. His ministry today includes teaching pastors and church leaders in Vietnam. He is the founder of Friends of Vietnam Ministries, a non-profit organization aiding several Vietnamese faith-based centers that provide care to Vietnamese orphans and at-risk children, as well as scholarships to help young Vietnamese attend Bible college.

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WestBow Press rev. date: 11/30/2021

CONTENTS

Author’s Foreword

Part I: Background – Why John Wrote his Account of Jesus

Chapter 1     The Accusations against Jesus

Chapter 2     Christ, Son of God, and King

Chapter 3     What Is Meant by Belief?

Chapter 4     What Is Meant by Life in His Name?

Chapter 5     Who Is John?

Part II: Preparing for the Arrival of the Christ, Son of God, and King

Chapter 6     The Seed of Woman (Genesis 3:15)

Chapter 7     Christ in the Old Testament

Chapter 8     Christ from the Psalms

Chapter 9     Christ from the Prophet Isaiah

Part III: John’s Gospel: Christ through His Words and Works

Chapter 10   John 1:1–18, The Messiah Has Come

Chapter 11   John 1:19–32, Look, the Lamb of God

Chapter 12   John 1:32–51, The Baptism of Jesus and the Calling of His First Disciples

Chapter 13   John 2: The First Sign – All Things New

Chapter 14   John 3, Religion versus Christianity – Entering the Kingdom of God

Chapter 15   John 4:1–4:42, Further Teachings on the Kingdom of God

Chapter 16   John 4:43–John 5:15, The Second and Third Signs

Chapter 17   John 5:16 – 5:47, The Deity of Jesus

Chapter 18   John 6:1–29, The Fourth and Fifth Signs

Chapter 19   John 6:30 – 6:70, The Bread of Life

Chapter 20   John 7, Streams of Living Water

Chapter 21   John 8:12–59; The Light of the World

Chapter 22   John 9, Blindness

Chapter 23   John 10, Two Paths through Life

Chapter 24   Salvation

Chapter 25   John 11:1–37, The Sign of Jonah

Chapter 26   John 11:38–12:11, The Raising of Lazarus

Chapter 27   John 12:12–50, The Arrival of the King

Chapter 28   The Passion Week

Chapter 29   John 13, The Passover Supper

Part IV: John’s Gospel: Christ through His Death and Resurrection

Chapter 30   John 14, Comforting the Disciples

Chapter 31   John 15, Abiding in Christ

Chapter 32   John 16, The Comforter for the Disciples

Chapter 33   John 17, The Prayer for the Disciples

Chapter 34   John 18:1–24, The Arrest and Trials of Jesus, Part One

Chapter 35   John 18:25 – John 19:15, The Arrest and Trials of Jesus, Part Two

Chapter 36   John 19:16–42, The Crucifixion and Burial of Jesus

Chapter 37   John 20, The Resurrection of our Lord and Savior

Chapter 38   John 21, The Reinstatement

Part V: Conclusion

Chapter 39   To My Fellow Believers – Life in His Name

Chapter 40   To Those Who Are Not Yet Part of the Kingdom

Appendix A Group Bible Study

Appendix B Faith

Appendix C John 7:53 – 8:11, The Woman Caught in Adultery

Appendix D The Seven Signs

Appendix E The Seven I AM’s

Appendix F Other Sevens in John’s Gospel

To my daughter, Christen Lee Blissett

Solus Christus

AUTHOR’S

FOREWORD

Who, exactly, is Jesus?

I have asked this to a number of people, including over a dozen Buddhists. Without exception, the responses from those practicing the Buddhist philosophy are always the same: Jesus was a great teacher.

And their answers are correct.

I’ve also had people tell me that Jesus was a great moralist.

That answer, too, is correct.

And occasionally, people don’t tell me who Jesus is—but instead tell me who Jesus is not. They look straight at me and assert, Jesus never claimed to be God.

When I hear this, I know this person has never read the Bible—or certainly not John’s Gospel.

And when I follow this up, asking if they have ever read the Bible, I normally get a response along the lines of, I don’t believe in the Bible.

This has happened with enough frequency that I have a question at hand when I hear this. I ask: Oh really? Which author? Which book don’t you believe in?

Ten times out of ten, their puzzled look is saying, What do you mean which author, which book—we are talking about the Bible, aren’t we?

Most of us know that the Bible isn’t just one book. It is sixty-six different writings from some forty different authors. So, when I ask this question, I’m curious as to which of these books they don’t agree with? With which of the authors are at variance?

They can’t answer this of course. They simply don’t know what the Bible is, or what the Bible says or doesn’t say.

And sometimes I go so far as to challenge them with an exercise. Since they seem to be in disagreement with parts of the Bible, I offer to provide a Bible, along with a ruler, a black marker, and a pair of scissors. I tell them they are free to mark through any passage of the Bible that they don’t like or cut out any portions that they don’t believe in, and we’ll simply talk about whatever is left.

No one has ever taken me up on that offer.

It is much easier for a person to say, I don’t believe in the Bible than it is for them to make efforts to find out what the Bible actually says and put together a rational argument as to which portions of it, if any, they believe to be untrue. History, archeology, fulfilled prophecy, transformed lives—all point to the veracity of what these forty authors and their writings have to say. Two thousand years after Jesus walked on his earth, we still have people ill-informed concerning what the Bible is and what the Bible says. They remain ignorant of the claims of Jesus and those of his eyewitnesses.

But let’s get back to the statement, Jesus never claimed to be God. Jesus did claim to be God—and he did this regularly in both his actions and in his words.

It was this claim that led to his execution. And it was his resurrection from the dead that validated this claim.

And the Bible contains eyewitnesses who attest to this. One eyewitness who walked alongside Jesus was the disciple Simon Peter. In a letter he wrote that is one of the sixty-six writings included in the Bible, Peter refers to Jesus as our God and Savior (2nd Peter 2:1). Peter recognizes Jesus as God.

A second close disciple, and also an eyewitness, is Matthew—also known as Levi. He begins his recording of the life of Jesus by claiming Jesus is the Jewish Messiah—the one prophesied in the Hebrew Scriptures that would be a descendant of Abraham and the Son of David (Matthew 1:1). He reminds his mostly Jewish audience of words from the prophet Isaiah: The Messiah would be Emmanuel, which means God with us (Matthew 1:23). Jesus of Nazareth was God with us. Matthew recognizes Jesus as God.

A third disciple of Jesus, the Apostle John, wrote what is unarguably the most comprehensive and compelling witness to Jesus as Deity. John begins his message,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1–5, 14; emphasis added)

John tells us that Jesus is from the beginning—that he is both with God and he is God. And Jesus, God in the flesh, has made his dwelling among humankind. John recognizes Jesus as God.

So, is Jesus really God?

In this series of forty lessons, we are going to dig deeper into all this, looking specifically at what the disciple/Apostle John has to say about Jesus of Nazareth.

If we are going to spend time reading John’s words, it is natural to ask, Can we trust what John tells us? In addition to his historic account of Jesus’ time on earth, John also wrote three letters that are included in our bibles. John begins one of these letters:

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have gazed upon and touched with our own hands—this is the Word of life. And this is the life that was revealed; we have seen it and testified to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us.

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And this fellowship of ours is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. We write these things so that our joy may be complete. (1st John 1:1–4)

John knew Jesus. He walked alongside of Jesus before the crucifixion. He witnessed Jesus dying on the cross. He was with Jesus after the resurrection.

He heard the teachings of Jesus. He saw Jesus with his own eyes. He touched Jesus with his own hands.

And in the above letter, John uses the plural. He talks about the things "we have heard, "we have seen, we have gazed upon and touched with our own hands."

When John writes the plural we, he is including Matthew and Peter—the two fellow disciples mentioned above. And he is also including others that were close to Jesus and attest to who Jesus is.

What about the words from Jesus, himself? Did Jesus claim to be God?

Throughout our review of John’s Gospel, we are going to see how Jesus states his deity openly and repeatedly, and he does that which only God can do. He does this on many different occasions and in many different ways. Yes, Jesus was a man—fully man. But Jesus is also God incarnate.

John has much to say about Jesus—and throughout John’s writing, Jesus has much to say to you and me. We are going to be focusing on this.

This study of John’s Gospel, the Good News about Jesus is part of a series of books that center on various aspects of Christianity. They are designed to answer five key questions:

- What is the Bible and the Biblical Story?

- Who is Christ?

- What is a Christian?

- How does the arrival of Christ complete the Old Testament and usher in God’s New Covenant with those chosen to participate in His kingdom?

- What is involved in the Christian’s journey?

Let’s briefly review the books in this series:

• The first two books are titled A Forty-Day Study of the Biblical Story: The Story of Christ. In volume one, the many descriptions of God’s promised Messiah are examined as found in the Hebrew Scriptures—the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. These writings are discussed in parallel with the history of God’s chosen people, the descendants of a man named Abraham, showing why these descendants, and the world, needs a Savior. These writings also reveal in considerable detail what to expect regarding this Savior.

The Old Testament prepares the way for the arrival into the world—of the Savior of the world.

• Volume two of A Forty-Day Study of the Biblical Story: The Story of Christ takes us into the words and works of Jesus as recorded by historians who knew him or who were close to those who knew him. These are the Gospel writers, and volume two looks at our Savior from their perspective.

• The book you are now reading, A Forty-Day Study of John’s Gospel, takes an even closer look at Jesus, addressing the question, Who, exactly, is Jesus? While this builds on the material shared in the two Biblical Story volumes, it is not necessary to have read these before launching into this study.

Reviewing what John has written lets us experience Jesus’ ministry on earth the way John did. From John’s eyewitness account, we are provided with the important words Jesus spoke and the specific actions of Jesus that both fulfill Hebrew prophecy and affirm Jesus as God’s Anointed (God’s Messiah or Christ), the Son of God, and King.

• The fourth book in this series, which is expected to be in print shortly, is A Forty-Day Study of Paul’s Letter to the Romans. While our review of John’s Gospel helps us understand who Jesus is, the review of Paul’s letter to the Romans answers the question, What is a Christian? A major focus is to help one understand the difference between religion—humankind reaching for God—and Christianity—God reaching for humanity. There is a world of difference.

• A Forty-Day Study of the Book of Hebrews helps tie together some of the Jewish aspects of Jesus and the closing of the Mosaic Covenant, replaced by the New Covenant. The New Covenant was inaugurated through Jesus’ death on the cross and the triumph of his resurrection. We see the importance of the cross and the security of our salvation because of the completed work of the cross.

• The final book in the series is titled A Forty-Day Study on Sin, Salvation, and Sanctification. This takes us through our journey from being spiritually dead to the Christian’s present new life and future glorification—all because God has made us a part of His eternal kingdom. It begins by explaining what sin is and why we need a Savior. It then delves into the many facets of salvation, covering such topics as election, regeneration, substitution, imputation, propitiation, redemption, reconciliation, adoption, and glorification—among others.

Sin is something we do in rebellion against God. Salvation is something God does in His love and mercy toward us. Sanctification is what we do with our salvation.

Salvation involves the work of each member of the Trinity—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We have no role to play in the activities of salvation—we are recipients of an unmerited gift. Sanctification is the process where we become more like Christ. Here, we actively do take part in God’s kingdom as God works through us due to the Holy Spirit within us.

Some suggest A Forty-Day Study on Sin, Salvation, and Sanctification should have been first in the series and read before the others. Perhaps they are right. You might enjoy adding this to your reading list and deciding for yourself.

So, let’s continue the journey as we go through John’s Gospel together.

Our study is written as forty relatively short lessons. It is easy to complete a lesson in a sitting, doing one lesson each day. This material can also be used for small group study, with discussion questions included in the appendix to help facilitate this. Here I recommend that group members independently go through five lessons each week and then cover the discussion questions when they meet together.

May God bless you richly as we go through the John’s Gospel together and as we are transformed by God’s word.

PART I

Background – Why John

Wrote his Account of Jesus

1

The Accusations against Jesus

Why was Jesus executed?

Was he a lawbreaker?

He told those around him, Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:19). (Note: items shown in bold are given additional explanation at the end of each lesson.)

Was he out to destroy Judaism, the religion of that part of the world?

He explained to the ultra-religious, those diligently striving to follow the Mosaic law, Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17).

Was he a subversive?

He taught his audiences to pray for those who are persecuting them (Matthew 5:44). To those who being wronged, he told them to turn the other cheek—and even to love one’s enemies (Matthew 5:39, 44).

He admonished people to give to the needy and to live in communion with God through prayer (Matthew 6:2, 5–6). He taught reliance on God for one’s daily provisions (Matthew 6:11, 25–34). He was against greed, telling people to store up treasures in heaven, not on earth (Matthew 6:19).

Here is a man who equates anger with murder—one who spoke out against adultery, divorce, violence, and revenge.

And yet he was executed as a criminal.

But maybe it wasn’t what he said that got him into trouble, but rather what he did.

What did Jesus do?

Mathew, one of his followers, writes:

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed—and He healed them. (Matthew 4:23– 24)

Here is a man whose message is one of good news. He brought peace and blessings—and healing—to those around him.

And yet he was considered a criminal, condemned, and executed.

Why?

All four of the Gospel writers provide us with descriptions of the events associated with his arrest, trial, and execution. They tell us that Jesus was arrested during the Jewish festival associated with Passover and was taken before the religious leaders in Jerusalem. We know that the Sanhedrin—equivalent to the supreme court of Judaism—was trying to rid themselves of Jesus of Nazareth.

Let’s read Matthew’s description of what happened:

Those who had arrested Jesus led Him away to the house of Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and elders had gathered. But Peter followed Him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. And he went in and sat down with the guards to see the outcome.

Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking false testimony against Jesus in order to put Him to death. But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward.

Finally, two came forward and declared, This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’

So the high priest stood up and asked Him, Have You no answer? What are these men testifying against You?

But Jesus remained silent. (Matthew 26:57–63a)

Notice what is happening. There is a purposeful attempt to find something that would allow the Jewish leaders to condemn Jesus. They are not looking for some petty crime. They want him accused of something significant enough to require his execution. They want him dead and buried.

But he has done nothing wrong.

And throughout this, Jesus remains silent. They can’t even get him to incriminate himself.

And the sham trial continues:

Then the high priest said to Him, "I charge You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God." (Matthew 26:63b; emphasis added)

This is what it all boils down to. Does the man standing before the high priest consider himself to be the Christ? Is he the Son of God?

The fate of Jesus rests on how he answers the high priest—whether he lays claim to these two specific titles.

Now Jesus no longer remains silent.

You have said it yourself, Jesus answered. But I say to all of you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven. (Matthew 26:64)

The high priest reacts and responds to what he has just heard:

At this, the high priest tore his clothes and declared, He has blasphemed! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?

He deserves to die, they answered. (Matthew 26:65–66)

The question asked by Caiaphas and Jesus’ response will lead to Jesus’ death.

After Jesus’ appearance before Caiaphas, he is taken before the Sanhedrin—the religious ruling body of the Jews. Luke records this event:

At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and scribes, met together. They led Jesus into their Sanhedrin and said, "If You are the Christ, tell us."

Jesus answered, If I tell you, you will not believe. And if I ask you a question, you will not answer. But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.

So they all asked, "Are You then the Son of God?"

He replied, You say that I am.

Why do we need any more testimony? they declared. We have heard it for ourselves from His own lips. (Luke 22:66–71; emphasis added)

We see those two terms again: Christ and Son of God.

What made the high priest’s questions and those of the Sanhedrin so important? And why was Jesus’ answer deemed to be so inflammatory?

What is meant by the terms Christ and Son of God? Where does Judaism get these? What do they imply? Why would this verbal exchange condemn Jesus to Roman crucifixion?

We are going to discover answers to these throughout these lessons. But for now, let’s see how this relates to John’s Gospel. John tells us:

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name. (John 20:30–31; emphasis added)

Here are those two terms again: Christ and Son of God. The high priest demands from Jesus an answer. Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God. The Sanhedrin ask this same question. And John will devote his account of Jesus’ life on this earth to help us answer this as well.

And how we answer is important. John tells us he has written his record of Jesus so that you and I might believe Jesus is the Christ—that Jesus is the Son of God. And John tells us if we believe this, we are given life in His name.

How we spend eternity depends on whether we believe Jesus is the Christ and Son of God. Can there be anything more important?

There is a third term in Jesus’ trial that we need to look at. It is important because Jesus’ claim to this third title also led to his crucifixion.

The Jewish religious leaders want to execute Jesus, but they have a problem. The scepter had departed from Judah. The Jews were under the authority of Rome and they could not carry out capital punishment. Only their Roman occupiers could do this.

So after his appearance before the high priest and his appearance before the Sanhedrin, Jesus is sent to the Roman governor over Judea—Pontius Pilate.

Pilate asks those who have arrested and brought Jesus to him, What accusation are you bringing against this man? (John 18:29).

Note how they respond:

If He were not a criminal, they replied, we would not have handed Him over to you. (John 18:30)

At this point, no charges are presented against Jesus—because there are no legitimate charges that can be made against him. Pilate recognizes this, and retorts, You take Him and judge Him by your own law (John 18:31). If you read the Gospel accounts of Jesus before Pilate, we see that Pilate wants no part in condemning Jesus, an innocent man, to Roman execution. One can count ten times where the biblical record shows Pilate trying to escape having to convict Jesus!

Pilate, being a Gentile, is not concerned with such titles as Messiah or Son of God. As long as there is peace in Judea, squabbles among the Jews over their beliefs and practices are their business. Let the Jews judge the man standing before him.

But the Jewish religious leaders will accept nothing but the execution of this troublemaker and threat. They respond to Pilate.

We are not permitted to execute anyone, the Jews replied. (John 18:31)

The Jews demand death.

It is here that Pilate brings up a third term and title—that of king.

Pilate asks Jesus, Are you the king of the Jews?

John continues his description of what happened:

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world; if it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is not of this realm.

Then You are a king! Pilate said.

You say that I am a king, Jesus answered. For this reason, I was born and have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to My voice. (John 18:36–37)

Pilate now has a reason to have Jesus taken away, beaten, and nailed to a cross. Pilate knows there is but one king—the Roman caesar. Anyone claiming to be king could be immediately executed. Pilate still sees Jesus as an innocent man, and he offers the release of Jesus if the Jewish crowd desires this. But the people shout, Crucify him and Pilate will relent and send Jesus to his death.

The Jewish leaders want to execute Jesus because of his claim associated with the titles Christ (Messiah) and Son of God. Pilate’s focus is on Jesus’ claim to be a king. At the trials of Jesus, we find these three terms are all focused on a single individual—Jesus of Nazareth.

And we find these three terms in the sacred writings of the Hebrew people. These three terms come together and also focus on a single individual—the Jewish Messiah. This is found in a sacred song among the Jewish nation that we call Psalm 2.

We will look at this important Psalm in our next lesson.

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Matthew: For copyright reasons, the biblical text being used is from the Berean Study Bible unless noted otherwise. While this translation capitalizes pronouns that reference Jesus, my comments on the text will omit doing this (I do capitalize pronouns referencing God the Father).

When I teach the Bible, I always encourage students to read several translations of the biblical text. Usually this provides broader insights into the text and the various nuances as the translators go from Hebrew and Greek (plus some Aramaic), the original languages of the Bible into English.

Of course, for the most accurate understanding, one should look at the original Hebrew (Old Testament) and Greek (New Testament) and the word definitions associated with these original languages. This is quickly and easily done via websites such as www.biblehub.com.

Mosaic law: Also known as the law of Moses, these include God’s commandments and instructions contained in the first five books of the Bible.

four: The New Testament contains four written accounts of Jesus while he was on earth: writings from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Matthew and John were of the original group of disciples—making them close followers of Jesus and eyewitnesses. Mark was not a disciple but was a close friend of the disciple/Apostle Peter, who was a disciple and eyewitness. He also became a close friend of the Apostle Paul. Scholars, supported by writings from our Church Fathers, tell us Mark’s writing came mainly from things he learned from Peter. The fourth writer, Luke, was a traveling companion of Paul. The Apostle Paul began as rabbi Saul, a member of a strict, Jewish sect of Judaism, the Pharisees, which persecuted the early Christians. On a journey from Jerusalem to Damascus to arrest Christians for punishment, Paul was confronted by an appearance of Jesus—resulting in Paul’s conversion in becoming a Christ-follower and becoming an Apostle and missionary for the Christian movement.

scepter: There are significant implications concerning the Jews, capital punishment, and the Messiah (God’s Anointed) that go all the way back to the book of Genesis in the Old Testament and the foundation of the Jewish nation. What we find is just one more confirmation that Jesus of Nazareth is the Jewish Messiah.

In the Old Testament book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible, we read where God selects a man named Abram (later changed to Abraham) from which the Messiah will come. This blessing flows through to Abram’s son Isaac, and then to Isaac’s son Jacob (this will be covered in more detail in lesson 7).

Jacob, also called Israel, has twelve sons and before his death he blesses each of them. These blessings are also predictions (prophecy). Regarding his son, Judah, Jacob foresees the future of Judah’s descendants and proclaims to the family:

The scepter will not depart from Judah,

nor the staff from between his feet,

until Shiloh comes

and the allegiance of the nations is his. (Genesis 49:10; emphasis added)

What is meant by scepter and the departing of the scepter? And who, or what, is Shiloh?

The scepter is an ornamental staff carried by rulers on ceremonial occasions to represent one’s authority to rule. The individual holding the scepter or in possession of the scepter is the one in authority.

Jacob prophesizes that it will be the descendants of his son, Judah, that will rule over the other sons and their descendants (collectively, these are known as the twelve tribes of Israel). And, historically, the tribe of Judah continually ruled over these chosen people of God. It was the descendants of Judah that possessed the right to enforce the Mosaic law, which included carrying out capital punishment when required.

According to Jacob’s prophecy, this rule, this scepter, would not depart from those from the tribe of Judah until Shiloh comes. Shiloh is a reference to the Messiah. Some translations of this verse and term use phrases such as "The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until the one whom it belongs comes." The rule by the tribe of Judah would not end until the one whom this rule truly belongs—the Messiah—appears. The true, final, and everlasting authority to rule belongs to the Messiah. The scepter belongs to the Messiah.

In other words, according to Genesis 49:10 and Jacob’s blessing, the rule associated with those from the tribe of Judah, including the ability to exact capital punishment, would not be removed until such time as the arrival of the Messiah (Shiloh).

Was the scepter ever removed from Judah?

Yes.

This should suggest the Messiah has come (this should create conflicts for orthodox Judaism where it is taught that the Messiah has yet to come).

As importantly, when was the scepter removed from Judah? By knowing this, we can make some fairly solid assumptions regarding the Messiah—assuming Jacob’s prophecy is accurate.

Throughout all of Jewish history, Israel maintained the authority for disciplining its people. Even when the Jews were in exile in Babylon, the Jewish tribal system remained in place. This continued after this period of captivity, when the people were able to return to Jerusalem and the land. It also remained in place, for a time at least, during the period when the people were under Roman rule. This included the time of King Herod the Great who was appointed by Rome.

After King Herod’s death, there was a brief period when one of Herod’s sons, Archelaus was placed on the throne. But this rule did not last long. He was removed around 7 A.D. and replaced by a Roman procurator named Caponius.

As part of this transition, greater controls and restrictions were placed on the Jews—and the right to perform capital punishment was removed from the Jewish ruling body, the Sanhedrin. This was normal policy in lands under Roman control, but for the Jewish people, this meant the scepter had been removed from Judah. The adjudication of capital cases was lost (which is also why the Jews had to hand Jesus over to the Roman authority, Pilate, if Jesus was to be executed).

This transfer of power is mentioned by Josephus, a Jewish historian of the first century and it is also mentioned in the Talmud—the body of Jewish civil and ceremonial law. Note these words from Josephus:

After the death of the procurator Festus, when Albinus was about to succeed him, the high priest Ananius considered it a favorable opportunity to assemble the Sanhedrin. He therefore caused James, the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, and several others, to appear before this hastily assembled council, and pronounced upon them the sentence of death by stoning. All the wise men and strict observers of the law who were at Jerusalem expressed their disapprobation of this act... Some even went to Albinus himself, who had departed to Alexandria, to bring this breach of the law under his observation, and to inform him that Aranius had acted illegally in assembling the Sanhedrin without the Roman authority (from Josephus, Antiquities, 20:9; emphasis added).

Here Josephus mentions the Sanhedrin pronouncing the death sentence on James, the half-brother of Jesus who, at the time, was the leader of the Christian movement in Jerusalem. But Josephus recognizes this was not legal. The scepter had departed from Judah! It might be noted that Josephus was not a Christian—and yet here, and in other of his writings, he mentions Jesus, the term Christ, and other facts which support the biblical record of Jesus of Nazareth. But let’s continue.

Jacob’s deathbed pronouncement said the scepter would not depart from Judah until the Messiah had come. And the Messiah had come! He had been born in Bethlehem before the scepter had been removed from Judah!

If you have Jewish friends who believe Jesus of Nazareth is not their Messiah, you might ask them if they, therefore, think Jacob—the father of the Israelites—was a false prophet!

Before we leave this topic, there is one other item that might come to mind. If you are familiar with the Bible, you might recall Christianity’s first martyr, Stephen. He was stoned to death by the religious authorities (this is described in Acts 6:8 – 8:1).

Doesn’t this suggest the Jews did indeed have the authority to carry out capital punishment?

No.

Stephen’s death was not the result of a court of law, nor was his death part of a judicial sentence. He died at the hands of an angry mob.

Gospel accounts: Jesus before the high priest is recorded in Matthew 26:57–68; Mark 14:53–65; Luke 22:66–71 and John 18:19–24. His appearance before Pilate can be found in Matthew 27:11–26; Mark 15:1–15; Luke 23:1–23; and John 18:28–40.

ten times: There are ten references to Pilate not wanting to execute Jesus:

- Judge him yourselves (John 18:31).

- I find no basis for a charge against him (John 18:38).

- Pilate sent Jesus to Herod (Luke 23:7).

- I found no basis for your charges against him (Luke 23:14).

- Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas or Jesus (Matthew 27:17).

- What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore, I will have him punished and then release him (Luke 23:22).

- Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him . . . Here is the man! (John 19:4–5).

- You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him (John 19:6).

- From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free (John 19:12).

- He took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. I am innocent of this man’s blood (Matthew 27:24).

Messiah: Throughout this book, the terms Messiah (from the Hebrew) and Christ (from the Greek) are used interchangeably. There is no attempt for consistency or the use of one term over the other—they are synonymous. If this were written mainly for a Jewish audience, I would use the term Messiah throughout (from the Hebrew). I will sometimes also use the term Redeemer in referring to the Messiah.

2

Christ, Son of God, and King

When Jesus affirms before the high priest and the Sanhedrin that he is the Christ and Son of God, the Jewish leadership demand his execution. When Jesus asserts that he is king—even though his kingdom is not of this world—Pilate has all that he needs to send Jesus to the Roman cross.

Where do we get these terms—Christ, Son of God, and king? What do they imply regarding this man, Jesus?

We find all three of these titles in Psalm 2. And if you understand Psalm 2, you will understand the trajectory of the history of the world.

We will go through Psalm 2 verse by verse. It helps our reading to recognize that there are three different voices that come into play throughout this Psalm: the voice of the Psalm’s narrator, the voice of God the Father, and the voice of God the Son—the Messiah.

Psalm 2:1, 2 – [Narrator]:

Why do the nations rage

and the peoples plot in vain?

The kings of the earth take their stand

and the rulers gather together,

against the LORD

and against His Anointed One…

The nations and their leaders are conspiring and plotting—but this is in vain. What they are trying to do is both futile and fruitless. Despite this, they join together to go against God ("LORD") and against someone anointed by God.

The word translated His Anointed One is where we get the word Messiah. This is from the Hebrew. From the Greek translation of this word, we get Christ.

The Psalmist is depicting world opposition to God and His Anointed, the Christ. The entire history of our world is a display of this ongoing hostility—and the Bible not only explains why this is the case, it tells us how the conflict ends.

And so when Jesus of Nazareth stands before Caiaphas, the high priest, he is asked if he is the Psalm 2 Christ. The Sanhedrin asks this same question of Jesus. And John writes his Gospel hoping that his readers, you and I, will truly know that Jesus is the Christ.

Psalm 2:3 – The narrator continues, telling us what these earthly kings are saying:

"Let us break Their chains

and cast away Their cords."

The earthly rulers want nothing to do with God’s rule or Christ’s rule. They view this as being placed into chains and cords (the word cords can also be translated shackles—the equivalent of modern-day leg chains or handcuffs).

This is an ongoing theme of our world’s history. Humankind has rebelled against God’s rule and God’s order. God’s requirements and desires seem too restrictive. We don’t want subservience to the God of creation. We want to be our own God. For those who don’t know God in a personal way, they perceive the God of Christianity as a God that places people in chains and cords—and they don’t want this.

No one would want this.

Of course, for the Christian, God does not offer bondage—He offers freedom. But let’s continue.

Psalm 2:4 –

The One enthroned in the heavens laughs,

the Lord taunts them.

In verse 4, the narrator tells us that God (the One enthroned) laughs at these earthly kings and their peoples, as does the Lord (here the Hebrew word is Adonai, not YHWH—see the notes on LORD below).

Psalm 2:5 – But the laughter turns to anger. Describing God, the narrator continues,

Then He rebukes them in His anger,

and terrifies them in His fury…

The patience of God has run out. He is no longer laughing at the futility of the earth’s rulers. God now rebukes them in anger. Their rebellion provokes His wrath. Yes, God is a God of unfathomable love. But God’s righteousness and righteous justice demand that sin and rebellion be righteously judged and punished. God’s wrath is His righteous punishment of sin.

And now God speaks.

Psalm 2:6 –

"I have installed My King on Zion,

upon My holy hill."

We now are given a second term for God’s Anointed (that is, God’s Christ or Messiah). Here he is given the title King, and he will rule on Zion.

Zion is Jerusalem. This is not a figure of speech. This depicts a reign of the Messiah on this earth and from this earth’s Jerusalem. This has not yet occurred—but it will occur. This is spelled out in the Bible. God has clearly revealed what His plans are, and here I could add, and how the story ends. However, the story does not end. There is an eternity that every human being will experience. Again, this, too, is spelled out in the Bible. But let’s continue.

Psalm 2:7 – We now hear words from the Messiah as he quotes what has been spoken to him by the Father:

I will proclaim the decree

spoken to Me by the LORD:

"You are My Son;

today I have become Your Father."

We are now introduced to the third term: Son of God. When God says, You are My Son; today I have become Your Father, we can now connect the three titles Christ, King, and Son of God—and we will see that they all refer to Jesus of Nazareth—the one who stood before the Jewish high priest Caiaphas, the Jewish ruling council called the Sanhedrin, and before the Roman governor Pilate.

Let’s look at this phrase, You are My Son. In the Bible, God promises an heir to Israel’s king David—a descendant, or son of David, who will sit on David’s throne and rule a kingdom that is everlasting. This is revealed in 2nd Samuel 7:11–14.

The LORD declares to you that He Himself will establish a house for you. And when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he will be My son (emphasis added).

Note, this king is also the Son of God, as we have just seen in Psalm 2:7. We also see both of these terms confirmed by the angel Gabriel in announcing to Mary, the mother of Jesus, that she will deliver a child:

"Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign