Jesus at the Feast of the Dedication.
It was now near the end of Khislev—the cold month—equivalent to part of our November and December. The twenty-fifth of the month, which, according to Wieseler, fell this year, on the 20th of December, was, with the next seven days, a time of universal rejoicing; for the Dedication Festival, in commemoration of the renewal of the temple worship, after its suspension under Antiochus Epiphanes, was held through the week. Jesus, ever pleased to mingle in innocent joys, and glad to seize the opportunity for proclaiming the new kingdom, which the gatherings of the season afforded, once more returned to Jerusalem to attend it. He had been in the neighborhood since the feast of tabernacles, nearly three months before, and this visit would be the last, till his final entry, to die. The weather had been wet and rough, so that he was fain to avail himself, like the crowds, of the shelter of the arcade running along the east side of the temple inclosure, known as Solomon's porch, from a fragment of the first temple, left standing by Nebuchadnezzar. The rain drove the people from the open courts, and Jesus, like others, was in the porch, apparently without his disciples. The time was fitted to wake the old temptation of ambition, had it had any charms. How easily might he eclipse the hero of all this rejoicing, and by his supernatural powers achieve victories, compared with which those of Judas Maccabæus would be nothing! But he had far nobler aims. The Pharisaic party, themselves, may have had such secret thoughts in connection with him. Be this as it may, they now suddenly came and began to ask him if he would not, at last, relieve their minds by some direct and express declaration whether he were the Messiah or not. "We have waited long and anxiously," said they, "for some decisive word. If thou art the Messiah, tell us openly." "I have already told you," answered Jesus, "both by the witness of the miracles I have done in my Father's name, and in words, but you have not believed me, because, as I said not long ago, you are not my disciples, or, as I love to call them, my sheep. If you had been, you would have believed in me. You may, yourselves, see that you are not of my flock, for those who are so, listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, as sheep know and listen to the voice of their shepherd, and are known by him, and follow him. Nothing, indeed, can be more close and abiding than my relations to them, for I lead them not to mere earthly good, but give them eternal life, and am their shepherd hereafter as well as here; taking care that they shall never perish, and that no one, even beyond death, shall snatch them out of my hand. Moreover, being in my hand, they are, in effect, in that of my Father, for he is ever with me, and works by me. He gave them to me at first, and he still guards them, nor can any one snatch them from his hands, for he is greater than all the powers of earth and hell. Wonder not if I speak of their being both in my Father's hands and in mine, for I and the Father are One." The excitable, fanatical crowd had listened patiently till the last words, which seemed the most audacious blasphemy—a claim of essential oneness with the Almighty. In a moment they were once more scattered in search of stones, with which to kill him, for what they deemed his crime, and presently gathered round him with them, to fell him to the earth. But Jesus remained undismayed. "I have done many great works of mercy," said he calmly, "which show that the Father is with me, because they could only come from the presence of his power. They are enough to show you that he thinks me no blasphemer. For which of these mighty works will you stone me?" "We would not think of stoning thee for a good work," answered the crowd; "it is for your blasphemy—that you, a man, should make yourself God." "Is it not written in your law," replied Jesus, "of the rulers of Israel, the representatives and earthly embodiments of the majesty of Jehovah, your invisible king, 'I said ye are gods?' If God himself called them gods, to whom this utterance of his came, and you cannot deny the authority of Scripture,—how can you say of me,—whom the Father has consecrated to a far higher office than ruler, or even prophet—to that of Messiah; and whom he has not only thus set apart to this great office, but sent into the world clothed with the mighty powers I have shown, and the fullness of grace and truth you now see in me,—that I blaspheme, because I have said I am God's Son? Your unbelief in me, which is the ground of the charge, would have some excuse if I did not perform such works as prove me to have been sent by my Father. But if I do such works, then believe them, if you will not believe me; that you may thus learn and know that what I have said is true—that the Father is in me, and I in the Father." They had waited for a retraction, but had heard a defense. Instantly hands were thrust out on every side to lay hold on him, and lead him outside the temple to stone him; but he shrank back into the crowd, and passing through it, escaped.—Geikie.