The Glory of His Celebration of Purim

The Deity of Christ · AD 29

For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

John 5:22–23

Though the Son of God concealed His glory in the weakness of human flesh, He never ceased to be God, and He never hid it. In mid-March of AD 29 He journeyed to Jerusalem for the Feast of Purim, healed a man paralyzed for thirty-eight years at the Pool of Bethesda, and openly declared Himself equal with God. This unit follows His bold defense of His own deity — and the shadow of John the Baptist's death that fell across it.

Read: John 5:1–47; Esther 9:20–22; Mark 6:14–29

The Pool of Bethesda

It had been about a year since His baptism. Christ was now heading to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Purim — one of the most festive of Jewish holidays, remembering the deliverance of the Jews from Haman's plot in the days of Esther, a time appointed for feasting, gladness, and gifts to the poor. And the Lord Jesus loves the poor.

So He came to the Pool of Bethesda, whose name means “house of mercy.” It lay just outside the Sheep Gate, sheltered by five covered colonnades, where the blind, lame, and infirm gathered in hope of healing. There His eyes fell on one of the most desperate cases — a man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years, with no one to help him into the water.

Christ needed no angel and no stirred water. He simply commanded the man to rise, take up his bed, and walk — and the man obeyed and was healed. But it was the Sabbath, and when the scribes and Pharisees saw him carrying his mat they rebuked him, caring nothing for his healing. The man, not knowing his Healer's name, later reported Jesus to them.

When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?”

John 5:6

Declares Himself the Son of God

When the scribes and Pharisees accused Him of breaking the Sabbath, Christ answered that He was only doing His Father's work: “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” This enraged them, for by calling God His own Father He was making Himself equal with God — in their eyes a blasphemy worthy of death. From that day their desire to kill Him was settled.

Some claim Jesus never said He was God. But on that Sabbath in March, AD 29, He plainly defended His deity. He declared that whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise, and that the Father had given Him power over the very things only God can do: life and death, judgment, and salvation.

The scribes and Pharisees judged Christ as though His life were in their hands, but in truth He was their Judge and their lives were in His. To those who believe He gives eternal life; those who refuse Him He has authority to cast into hell. This power reaches even to the final resurrection, when all will come out of the grave to stand before Him — and those same leaders will bow and confess that He is God.

For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son.

John 5:21–22

The Proof, and the Reason for Unbelief

So that no one could say they did not know, Christ laid out a fivefold testimony to His deity. His own teaching bore witness to Him; John the Baptist had testified that He is the Son of God; His mighty works were a greater witness than John; the Father Himself had spoken from heaven at His baptism; and the Scriptures the leaders claimed to revere pointed to Him.

Why, then, did they reject such overwhelming evidence? Christ named three reasons. First, their hearts were full of hate and did not have the love of God within. Second, their pride craved the praise of men more than the glory that comes from God. Third, they did not truly believe Moses — for if they had believed him, they would have believed the Christ of whom Moses wrote.

It was never a lack of evidence that kept them from believing. And rather than judge the scribes and Pharisees harshly, we should turn the question on ourselves: Do we believe that Jesus is God? Do we believe the Scriptures? Do we have the love of God within us? We too are without excuse, and we too may bow the knee while there is still hope for salvation.

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.

John 5:39

The Death of John the Baptist

It was around this time that Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee, heard the reports of Jesus and, tormented by a guilty conscience, feared He might be John the Baptist raised from the dead. Herod had unjustly beheaded John, and he knew John was a righteous man who did not deserve to die.

It had happened at Herod's birthday banquet, likely in his new palace at Tiberias. When his stepdaughter Salome danced and pleased his guests, he foolishly vowed to give her whatever she asked, up to half his kingdom. Prompted by her mother Herodias — who bore a grudge because John had condemned her unlawful marriage — the girl demanded the head of John the Baptist on a platter.

Caught between his pride before the leading men of Galilee and his conscience, Herod chose the fear of man. He sent the executioner, and John's head was brought on a platter. So the Pharisees said Jesus was an agent of Satan, the people said He was Elijah or a prophet, and Herod said He was John raised again — everyone knew He was more than a man, yet few would confess that He was God.

And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her.

Mark 6:26

For Reflection

Down, down, down the Son of God traveled. Though He was God, the leaders of Israel would not believe it; against every proof of His divine authority they rejected Him. But He was not taken by surprise, for He knew before His incarnation that men would refuse Him. The truth is that people did not believe because they did not want to believe — He was too humble a God for proud men to serve. Yet for all who have eyes to see, Jesus of Nazareth is exactly who He said He is: the Son of God.