2022-08-28 13:59:51
Everything in Matthew 16 centers around the question of time. Where are we on the map of history? From the ancient Israelites’ perspective, world history moves in a particular direction toward a definite destination: the new heavens and the new earth, or “the age to come,” when God takes up His rule and reign on the earth via the Messiah. Jesus followed John the Baptist’s claim that the Kingdom of God was arriving now with an even more powerful assertion of this claim through signs and wonders.
The Pharisees and Sadducees were ticked with Jesus because He didn’t submit His candidacy to them before going public. He by-passed their authority as if He didn’t need it. This issue of authority is the main problem the Pharisees and Sadducees had with Jesus. The reason the Pharisees and Sadducees kept wanting to see a special sign is because they wanted Jesus to subject Himself to their authority. Jesus refused to do it. What would the Pharisees and Sadducees have done if Jesus had submitted to their demand?
If Jesus had capitulated to the powers that be, they would have rendered their verdict about time: “Yes, the Kingdom of God is arriving,” or “No, we don’t think this Jesus is God’s anointed. Wait and look for someone else, someone with our stamp of approval.” But Jesus didn’t give His antagonists that kind of power because He didn’t need their approval. Jesus knew what time it was and they did too, only they didn’t want to recognize it because it didn’t suit their scheme.
219 viewsKarl Gessler, 10:59