Page 38 - Life of Christ - textbook (3)

Also, according to the Law, two
doves or pigeons were required to
be offered in sacrifice (Leviticus
14:22; Luke 2:24). Yet it was difficult
to bring them from the distant parts
of Judea, so a lucrative business
selling the birds sprang up, with the
sellers gouging the faithful by
charging exorbitant prices. There
were other merchants selling cattle
and sheep for the temple sacrifices
as well. Because of these sellers who
preyed on the poor and because of
The Temple of Herod the Great and Court of the Gentiles on Mt. Moriah His passion for the purity of His
Father’s house, Jesus was filled with
righteous indignation. As He overturned the tables of the money-changers, He condemned them for
having turned God’s house of prayer into “a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:13). As He did so, His disciples
remembered Psalm 69:9, “Zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall
on me”.

Nicodemus. John’s mention of the Passover gives the impression that Nicodemus came to Jesus during
the feast, immediately following the temple cleansing. Nicodemus was a Pharisee and declared Jesus as
a “teacher come from God” since no one could perform the miraculous signs that Jesus demonstrated
unless He were from God. As the “son of Man” who “came down from heaven, Jesus could reveal
“heavenly things” such as the concept of being born again. This was confusing to Nicodemus. Jesus
sought to illustrate the concept by referencing Moses in the wilderness. Moses lifted up a fiery serpent
on a pole and those who gazed at the site were spared; those who refused to look, died (Numbers 21:4-
9). Jesus was helping him understand that “as Moses
lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son
of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may
have eternal life” (John 3:14-16). It is apparent later
that Nicodemus did trust in Christ for salvation and was
involved in His burial.

Woman at the Well. Jesus and His disciples embarked
on a journey north to Galilee. The normal route north
was to cross over to Jericho, then travel north along the
Jordan River. Jews took this route to avoid passing
through the territory of the Samaritans. But Jesus
insisted in going directly north from Jerusalem through
Samaria. On the first day of the journey, Jesus came to
a well in Sychar. There he met a woman who was by An ancient well in Sychar
herself drawing water.

The woman was a Samaritan and Jesus struck up a conversation with her. Jesus crossed ethnic, moral,
and gender barriers that most of His contemporaries felt should not be crossed. The Samaritans were
considered by Jews as “half-breeds”. They were a mixture of Assyrian and Jewish blood and were
considered impure. They ridiculed each other’s holy places. In fact, the Judeans had destroyed the

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