Wednesday, June 07, 2006
JEWISH INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Mark 3:22a. And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, "He is possessed by Beelzebul,"
This is no small confrontation because there were the scribes who came down from the capital of Judaism, Jerusalem (+2500 ft. msl); the higher elevation to Galilee (-600 ft. msl) with Jesus focused in their sights. It is important to know that the scribes were the intelligencia who had studied the oral law as lifelong students. These were those who had generated rules and regulation for their day, culture, and tradition. They had mastered and wrote the law and were called “rabbi” by their students; the Pharisees.
Mark has now set the stage for Matthew to play the scene within the multitude that would have been dispersed by the cold water applied by Jesus’ own people.
Matt. 12:22-24. Then there was brought to Him a demon-possessed man who was blind and dumb, and He healed him, so that the dumb man spoke and saw.
23. And all the multitudes were amazed, and began to say, "This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?"
24. But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons."
This is no small confrontation because there were the scribes who came down from the capital of Judaism, Jerusalem (+2500 ft. msl); the higher elevation to Galilee (-600 ft. msl) with Jesus focused in their sights. It is important to know that the scribes were the intelligencia who had studied the oral law as lifelong students. These were those who had generated rules and regulation for their day, culture, and tradition. They had mastered and wrote the law and were called “rabbi” by their students; the Pharisees.
Mark has now set the stage for Matthew to play the scene within the multitude that would have been dispersed by the cold water applied by Jesus’ own people.
Matt. 12:22-24. Then there was brought to Him a demon-possessed man who was blind and dumb, and He healed him, so that the dumb man spoke and saw.
23. And all the multitudes were amazed, and began to say, "This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?"
24. But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons."
# posted by Castusfumus : 6:36 PM
