Blasphemy
John 10:19-4
Should you want to kill someone for saying he is God?
Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash
Again the Jews were divided because of these words. Many of them were saying, "He has a demon and is out of his mind. Why listen to him?" Others were saying, "These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?" At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." Jesus answered, "I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father's hand. The Father and I are one." The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus replied, "I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?" The Jews answered, "It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God." Jesus answered, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, you are gods'? If those to whom the word of God came were called 'gods'-- and the scripture cannot be annulled-- can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, 'I am God's Son'? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father." Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands. He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there. Many came to him, and they were saying, "John performed no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true." And many believed in him there. - John 10:19-42
At first, Jesus is challenged. They are demanding him to tell them plainly if he is the Messiah.
Later, he tells them plainly that he is God's son, and they want to arrest him so they can kill him.
Obviously, they were not trying to understand but to condemn.
We haven't changed much in two thousand years, have we?
If I say I believe I am on a mission from God, will you believe what I say?
Does it matter what you believe? Or is it only what I believe that counts?
So long as I don't have a huge following, I am not a threat, but today, anyone can amass a large number of followers, thanks to social media.
So, we can all become like gods, as Jesus points out in Scripture. But as we have seen lately, once you become popular, you can be hated, and people can want to kill you.
They have their reasons. But it all boils down to fear. If I fear you, I hate you, and I can want to kill you.
You see, we are no different than our ancestors. They were narrow minded and fearful, and so are we.
More to come...
Good comparison.