ALIVE: Chapter 160 I AM Aloud

It was time to leave Jerusalem again. It was harder to break away from the crowd that day; the thirsty ones who wanted to cling to His teachings and know more and more enveloped Him absorbing every word that they could. Five of them felt as if they were listening to Moses who had just come down from Mt. Sinai.

Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly My disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

One cocky man shouted, “We are Abraham’s seed, and we have never been in bondage to any man. So, how can You say, you will be made free?”

Jesus answered him, “I’ll tell you the truth. Every one that commits sin is the slave of sin. He or she doesn’t want to sin, but they do, because they are obeying sin, like a slave obeys its master unthinkingly. But remember this: a slave can’t live in the house forever. Some day he or she will be sent away when they are old and useless to the slave-master. But the son or daughter will live there forever. They are family, they will never be tossed, no matter how old they are. If therefore the Son frees you from the slave-master (that is sin) then you are no longer a slave to sin. You have the authority over the sin, YOU become the master because of your power not to sin. That, My friends frees you.

When you become the master over the sin or over the demon tempter that wants to destroy you, then and only then can you be free indeed.” Jesus paused to let the concept sink in. He knew that it was complex and that each person, who chose to, would need to apply the message in a personal way, remembering a recent time when he or she allowed anger or ego to take over, perhaps against their better judgment. He waited. The crowd for the most part appreciated the pause and thought, while a few rudely murmured.

After a short while, Jesus continued with a shocking statement. “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for My word. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.”

The cocky man, fuming, responded, “Abraham is our father.” Several people were seen nodding in agreement. Those were the ones who couldn’t comprehend what Jesus had just said to them about sin. Their pride created a shield to keep them from accepting Wisdom.

Nevertheless, Jesus continued, for the sake of the humble, the open-minded, the open-hearted students. “If you were Abraham’s children,” He said, “then you would do what Abraham did. He trusted God, he humbled himself. But not you. As it is, you are looking for a way to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did NOT ignore or suppress the direction that God was giving him. You are doing the works of your own father.”

Another cocky man taking up the argument protested saying, “We are not illegitimate children. The only Father we have is God himself.”

Jesus replied equally loud, “If God was your Father, you would love Me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on My own; God sent me. Why is what I am telling you not clear and obvious? I’ll tell you. Because you are not able to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet, because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? Whoever belongs to God, hears what God says. The reason you don’t hear is that you don’t belong to God.”

A brash man, Jude, who loved himself for being good, fasting, going to synagogue daily, having one wife decided that it was his duty to defend his people and their religion by yelling out to Jesus, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan, and have a demon?”

Patiently, with all the self composure He could muster after having taught so much, and conveyed a treasure trove of truth, Jesus answered loudly, but without shouting, simply and truthfully describing not hubris, but reality, “I do not have a demon; but I honor my Father, and you dishonor Me. I am not looking to glorify Myself. The one God seeks and judges. This is the truth, listen to Me! If a man keeps My word, he shall never see death.”

What?!!!!! Jude responded to what he considered proof of his original accusation by yelling out to the crowd, turning his head left and right to blanket them with his words, as if speaking for everyone, Jude said, “Now we know that this man has a demon.” Then facing Jesus with his fury added, “Abraham died, and the prophets; and You dare say that if a man keeps YOUR word, he shall never taste of death!” Then building on his outrage he shouted directly at the face of Jesus, “Are you greater than our father Abraham, who DIED? and the prophets DIED! What are You making of Yourself?!” Jude was confident that he won that argument, and felt very good about himself, like a warrior king.

Jesus answered calmly, relying on nothing but the simple truth for His shield from the man’s ignorance, insensitivity, and insolence, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing: it is my Father Who glorifies Me, whom you call your God.  You don’t know your God, you have never known Him. But I know Him. If I should say, I don’t known Him, I would be like you, a liar: but I do know Him, and I keep His word.”

Jude was awestruck. He didn’t know how to respond to such an outrageous statement. The expression on his face was contorted with anger and malice.

After a brief pause, Jesus continued, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day; and he saw it, and was glad.”

Then Hiram standing near the overwhelmed Jude took up the baton and shouted, “You aren’t even fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?!”

Jesus answered, “Yes, that’s  right. Before Abraham was born, I am.” [I am the great I am.]

That was the last straw, Jude and Hiram, joined by others went outside to gather stones to throw at the guy who claimed such unconscionable things. Because the truth was that they didn’t know God. They only knew what the Scribes and Pharisee told them, like one who spends all his adult years listening to broadcast propaganda. Students of the wicked, beware. Look for the fruit of the Holy Spirit coming from your teachers, run from hostility and fear mongering.

While they were gathering stones to form their militia, Jesus slipped out of the temple.

Out of respect, as difficult as it was, the confused crowd push into each other to open a path for Jesus to slip through and watched Him leave out a side door, while others were still gathering stones out the front door or those inside, murmuring from nervousness.

Jesus took a circuitous path down empty back streets to reach His mother’s house to tell her His plans and for some privacy. James, John, Peter and Andrew, observing what was going on left from the front of the temple and headed to Mary’s home where they suspected He would go. They were right because when they arrived, they saw Him approaching but seeing Him safe and sound, they went their separate way, agreeing to allow Him personal time with His mother.

“My beloved! Come in!” greeted Mother Mary.

Jesus gave His mother a respectful peck on the cheek and a quick hug and then entered the home and plopped down on the divan. “It’s time for Me to leave Jerusalem mother.”

“I understand my dear. When will you go?”

“This time I will  look for a boat to take us up river; there is no time to waste.”

“What does that mean, there is no time to waste?” She inquired both with intense serious expressions shining a subdued holy light toward each other. That evening was a quiet one. Very little conversation. Mary put out supper and they dined in silence. Mary sensed the weight on her Son. Speaking the truth with ferocious response and threats of stoning was never something to be taken lightly. Not because there was ever any concern for His own safety. He knew that His life was fully protected until the time of His sacrifice, but deep sorrow over the spiritual ignorance of the angry disillusioned people was painful to be exposed to. He felt as if He was in a room of the deaf and blind, like broken machines pretending to work but unable to actually function, only to make sounds and motion, only to mimic life. Their anger and their threats revealed deep inner sickness, the kind that can’t be treated because it is ignored, it is not recognized. They can only attempt to function in a anti-life manner.

There are two worlds of humankind sharing this planet; one is awake and struggling through the hostile energy emitted by the other who are steered by demons and their own egos and ignorance, which is like a wind, sometimes they are able to withstand the wind, other times one can only lower his head and push through or just stand until it passes. That is what Jesus did when He escaped the stoning in the temple. He needed quiet time to recover from that and that is what He did that evening at His mother’s house. Someday, He knew, that He would get through the worst of their venom and rise above the worst hatred, the worst, ignorance, blindness to prevail through death. That day in the temple was only another exercise to prepare Him for the ultimate day of wrath against Him.

The next morning the disciples returned to His mother’s house.

“Come in gentlemen. Yes, He is here.”

The men came in and were offered tea and fresh bread.

Jesus went to the door to greet them and after they sat and started to eat He said, “Brothers, it’s time to go back to Galilee, but this time let’s take a boat up the river. There isn’t much time to spend walking and I know what I want to do there.”

Young John loved the idea of being on the water and perked up inside. John was troubled by all the resistance His Master was getting. He couldn’t understand how so many people could be so hard hearted and ignorant. And he didn’t understand what Jesus meant by saying that there wasn’t much time.

Meanwhile, Mary was busy preparing and packing food for their trip.

After breakfast, it was time to go. Jesus gave His mother a good long hug that brought tears to her eyes, which she wiped as soon as she was released from the hug so He wouldn’t see. “I’ll be back mama.”

“Of course you will, now Go!” replied Mary.

They walked to the river which took a few hours, but when they reached the dock, the timing was perfect. There was a fishing boat heading back up to Galilee looking for passengers.

Jesus and His men boarded the boat. The disciples could tell that Jesus had a lot on His mind and left Him alone while they enjoyed the breeze. For the most part, they too we’re getting nervous about the how bold Jesus was being to proclaim His relationship with God, Yahweh, the Creator of heaven and earth, and the ferocity of the response from the hierarchy and even the people. But if they had learned anything in the last couple of years, it was to trust Jesus. They too had to trust God, His Father, even as Abraham trusted God. The disciples had to become blind to the circumstances and natural response which may have told them to run for cover, go back and catch fish again.

A day and a half on the boat was infinitely more pleasurable and quicker than walking back to Galilee. It was around noon on another sunny day when they all disembarked at the Sea of Galilee and got on a bigger barge to Capernaum. The men were glad to be home again and felt safer than in Jerusalem. They enjoyed a fish lunch in the village before boarding the barge.

By the time they arrived in Capernaum everyone was feeling refreshed and safer, that is until the following day when after a good meal and a night’s rest inside Peter’s home, they went out to the town square. Unlike Jerusalem which was fully Jewish and controlled by the Jews, Galilee was a more eclectic region with Greeks, Lebanese, and other pagans. Jesus went back there as going into the world of the Gentiles where He grew up.

He was well known in Capernaum and many familiar faces were glad to see Him and His men back in town so they gathered around Jesus to hear what He had to say and to see if there would be any miraculous healing that day.

Jesus did not disappoint, He never did as He proclaimed loud enough for all pagans and Jews about Him to hear,

“Listen to me friends, Gentiles and Jews, I am here to warn you. Whoever does not enter through the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, is a thief and a robber. But he who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter opens; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

When he brings his sheep out, he goes in front of the pack, and his sheep follow him, because they know him, they know his voice and his smell.  They will not follow a stranger, but instead the sheep will run away from the stranger. They can tell from his voice that he is a stranger.”

Hearing that, Asa nudged his neighbor Gregory and said, “Um, why is He talking about sheep?”

“I don’t know. Shhhh.”

They both shrugged their shoulders, among many of the others who were thinking the same thing.

Intuiting their confusion Jesus continued, “I am the door of the sheep. All that came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture. The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy. I came that My sheep may have life, and may have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. Be aware! The wolf is coming. The hired man will run away and leave the sheep behind for the wolves to snatch. And of course the wolves will snatch them and the sheep will run and be scattered. The hired man ran to save his own life, he didn’t care about the sheep.”

Asa and Gregory looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders again, partially understanding, but not really.

Jesus continued, “I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me. Even as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; I must bring them in, and they will hear My voice and all My sheep will become will one flock of one Shepherd.

The Father, our God Yahweh, loves Me, because I will lay down My life, so that I may take it up again. No one will take my life away from Me, but I will lay it down of Myself. I have the power to lay down My life, and I have power to take it up again. My Father, Yahweh, commanded Me to do this.”

Asa and Gregory heard many of the people around them fuming at that. Hiram, Gregory’s coworker yelled out, “This man is mad! Don’t listen to him. He has a demon! Let’s get away from him!” Hiram turned and pushed through the crowd to leave hoping others would follow him. And many did. Some of them because they agreed, and others just because they were followers and had not thought through what was going on.

Rachel and Sarah, two beautiful young sisters with crystal blue eyes and raven black hair looked at each other in defiance of Hiram’s outburst. Sarah said, “Can a demon open the eyes of the blind? I saw Jesus do this the last time He was here. It was amazing. That old man had been blind from birth! How can He have a demon? Those people are wrong.”

The disciples who hadn’t gone to the feast and heard the bold statements that Jesus made in Jerusalem were also surprised. But they knew He was right and had a reason to proclaim His identity, although Bartholomew was concerned hearing about laying down He life. He knew Jesus has been indicating such, but he hated hearing it, and telling the people!  Well, He must have a reason.”

Having accomplished what He set out to by exposing Himself as God’s shepherd, it was time to return to Judea. This was a quick trip that also allowed Peter to check in with his family and the business. It may have been Jesus last time spent in Galilee.