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. . . For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God. (NASB) John 10:33 So Jesus throws them a puzzling statement when He quotes Psalm 82:6 and tells them that they are gods. The
Psalm was a derogatory statement about the leaders of that time who were acting like gods in the way that they
treated others. It was a rebuke. Then Jesus makes this statement.
. . . do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, "You are blaspheming, because I said, "I am the Son of God"? (NASB) John 10:36 Jesus connects "blasphemy" with the expression "Son of God." The religious leaders had accused Him of blaspheming
- of claiming to be God - because He had said that He was the "Son of God."
Both the gospel of John and the gospel of Mark open by declaring to the world - to anyone who
reads their good news - that God came in human flesh and His name is Jesus! John and Peter had seen Him, spoken
with Him, watched Him, and were witnesses to His signs, miracles, and wonders. They knew who He was and is!
The Priest. The gospel of Luke picks up the historical events surrounding Jesus' birth
here on earth. The prophets had been silent for 400 years. The last book of the Old Testament was Malachi,
and nothing had been recorded since. After 400 years the world was different. The prophecy of Daniel 9:25-26
was soon to be fulfilled. The time for the Messiah to come was near. The Greek Empire had been defeated by
Rome and the new Roman empire now controlled Palestine and the city of Jerusalem. The time had come for Messiah
to arrive. The time for the forerunner of the Messiah, the one who would prepare the people for the Messiah,
had come.
So Luke 1:5 opens by telling us when the great news about the forerunner of the Messiah had
started to unfold.
In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. (NASB) Luke 1:5 Zacharias was a priest during the reign of Herod, king over Judea. He was a simple but very spiritual man
whose life was about to be turned upside down. He was about to have the greatest experience of his life. It
is commonly believed that Herod died in 4 B.C., but new evidence suggests that Herod may have died as late
as 2 B.C. The two year difference is not significant, but it is important to note that Herod the Great was
still alive. This helps us determine the period of time in which these events occurred.
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