Paper 142 Overview: The Passover at Jerusalem

Jesus and his apostles spent the month of April working in Jerusalem during the Passover season, with Jesus teaching daily in the temple while the apostles conducted teaching groups outside when crowds grew too large. Their teaching centered on four key principles: the kingdom's nearness, faith in God's fatherhood, love as the rule of living, and obedience to God's will as the kingdom's law. Throughout this period, they faced growing opposition from religious authorities while simultaneously spreading their message to visitors who would carry these teachings throughout the Roman Empire.

Jesus used this time to introduce more advanced concepts about God's nature, carefully explaining the evolution of religious understanding from primitive fear-based perspectives to the higher concept of a loving Universal Father. Through private conversations with individuals like Jacob, Nicodemus, and Flavius, and in group discussions with his apostles, Jesus systematically revealed a more mature understanding of God while addressing cultural misconceptions that had limited spiritual growth among believers.

Throughout April, Jesus and his apostles worked in Jerusalem, typically spending their nights in Bethany except when Jesus occasionally stayed with Flavius, a Greek Jew whose home provided a meeting place for prominent Jews who came secretly to discuss Jesus's teachings. During this period, Jesus maintained connections with various segments of Jerusalem society while carefully navigating growing religious tensions.

On his first day in Jerusalem, Jesus visited Annas, the former high priest and relative of Zebedee's wife, but was received coldly despite their prior relationship. When Jesus perceived Annas's fearful reservation, he departed with the pointed observation that "Fear is man's chief enslaver and pride his great weakness," challenging Annas to consider whether these qualities were blocking his spiritual progress and preventing him from recognizing truth.

Throughout the Passover month, Jesus or one of his apostles taught daily in the temple, and when crowds became too large to accommodate inside, the apostles conducted additional teaching sessions outside the sacred grounds. Their message concentrated on four fundamental principles: the kingdom of heaven is at hand, faith in God's fatherhood enables entrance into the kingdom, love is the rule of living within the kingdom, and obedience to the Father's will producing spiritual fruits constitutes the kingdom's law. This consistent teaching created a clear framework that many Passover visitors could understand and embrace.

The growing popularity of Jesus's message alarmed the chief priests and religious rulers, who began debating what actions to take against him and his followers. Meanwhile, believers who heard Jesus during the Passover celebration carried his message to "the uttermost parts of the Roman Empire and also to the East," marking a significant expansion of the gospel beyond Palestine for the first time in Jesus's ministry. This pivotal moment established the pattern for how the kingdom message would eventually spread throughout the world.

Jacob, a wealthy Jewish trader from Crete, arranged a private meeting with Jesus to resolve his confusion about seemingly contradictory concepts of God. He pointed out the tension between Jesus's teaching of a loving, compassionate Father and the traditional Jewish view from Moses and the prophets depicting God as jealous, wrathful, and vengeful. This sincere question represented a common struggle for many Jews attempting to reconcile ancient religious traditions with Jesus's new revelation.

Jesus explained that God remains unchanging while human understanding of him evolves through successive generations of spiritual insight. He used the analogy of how children initially misinterpret parental discipline as anger but later recognize it as loving correction as they mature. Jesus taught that humanity should likewise outgrow primitive concepts of God and embrace the more mature understanding of a loving heavenly Father who cares personally for each individual, not just collectively for his people. This answer so satisfied Jacob that he declared his belief and desire to enter the Father's kingdom.

That evening, the twelve apostles, deeply affected by Jesus's conversation with Jacob, asked many questions about God's nature. Jesus provided a comprehensive explanation of how the Jewish concept of Deity had evolved throughout history, identifying six progressive phases of understanding God. He outlined this evolution from the tribal deity of the Sinai clans (Yahweh), through the Most High God concept taught by Melchizedek, to the Egyptian influence of El Shaddai, the Trinity concept of Elohim, and Isaiah's universal Creator, culminating in Jesus's revelation of the Father in heaven.

Jesus then illuminated how this evolution was reflected in Jewish Scripture and law, showing how the Ten Commandments themselves had transformed from primitive ritual requirements to higher moral standards. He explained that the original commandments at the Exodus focused largely on ritual observances, while the later version given at Sinai contained more ethical content, and finally Isaiah's teaching elevated them to the supreme law of love for God and neighbor. The apostles were stunned by this revelation of progressive divine revelation, which challenged their understanding of Scripture and religious tradition.

Flavius, a Greek Jew who had accepted some Jewish beliefs without full conversion, was initially concerned that Jesus might disapprove of the statues and artistic treasures throughout his home. Many Jews considered such objects to be violations of the commandment against graven images, but contrary to Flavius's expectations, Jesus showed genuine interest and appreciation for the collection, asking thoughtful questions about each piece as they toured the house.

Jesus used this opportunity to clarify that Moses's prohibition against images was appropriate for his time to combat idolatry, but that appreciating art and beauty should not be confused with worshiping false gods. He explained that in the coming kingdom, people would focus on the positive duty of loving God and serving others rather than on prohibitions, saying: "But even this is not a new idea. Many of the spiritually minded among you have known this truth." Flavius was so moved by Jesus's teaching that he was baptized by John's disciples and later hosted a feast for Jesus where many of Flavius's friends also became believers.

During Passover week, Jesus delivered a powerful sermon in the temple addressing a question from the audience about how they could know with certainty he was sent by God. Jesus responded by comparing God's relationship with believers to that of a loving earthly father with his children, explaining that just as a good father doesn't keep his children in anxiety about their family status, neither does the heavenly Father leave his children in doubt about their spiritual standing.

Jesus assured his listeners that those who receive God as Father become secure in their position as divine sons and daughters. He taught that the Supreme Spirit bears witness within human spirits that they are truly God's children, and this inner spiritual connection provides the power to overcome all doubt. This message of spiritual certainty profoundly affected both the crowd and the apostles, who began preaching with greater confidence after witnessing how Jesus's teaching about assurance resonated with people's deepest spiritual needs.

Nicodemus, a wealthy and elderly member of the Jewish Sanhedrin, arranged through Andrew to meet Jesus privately at night at Flavius's home, concerned about being seen associating with Jesus publicly. When Nicodemus acknowledged Jesus as a teacher sent by God, Jesus immediately challenged him with the need to be "born from above" to see the kingdom of God. Confused by this concept, Nicodemus asked how an old man could be born again, taking Jesus's words literally rather than spiritually.

Jesus patiently explained that spiritual rebirth comes through surrendering to God's will and following the guidance of the indwelling spirit. He identified Nicodemus's fundamental problem as his inability to submit his will to God's will as a child submits to a father's guidance, despite his accomplishments in self-development and moral refinement. Although Nicodemus did not fully comprehend Jesus's teaching that night, the seed was planted that later enabled him to defend Jesus before the Sanhedrin and, with Joseph of Arimathea, claim Jesus's body after the crucifixion.

After returning to Bethany from Jerusalem, Jesus responded to Thomas's practical question about how kingdom believers should handle matters like slavery, property, poverty, law, and justice. Rather than providing specific rules, Jesus explained that the kingdom concept would be better understood in future ages through the model of family relationships—the fatherhood of God and brotherhood of humanity—than through political terms.

Jesus outlined seven fundamental characteristics of family life that illuminate our relationship with God: existence (the inherent parent-child relationship), security and pleasure (parents providing for children's needs), education and training, discipline and guidance, companionship and loyalty, love and mercy, and provision for the future. Over several hours, he applied these family features to humanity's relationship with God, culminating in his revelation that he perfectly understood this father-son relationship and had opened the way for all believers to experience spiritual perfection as children of the heavenly Father.

By late April, opposition from religious authorities had intensified to the point that Jesus and his apostles decided to leave Jerusalem temporarily. They spent the month of May doing personal ministry in Bethlehem, Hebron, and surrounding villages, deliberately avoiding public preaching to let the tensions in Jerusalem subside. During this time, Jesus and Abner also visited the Nazarite community at Engedi, though most of these ascetics rejected Jesus because he did not teach fasting and self-denial.

After their productive work in southern Judea, Jesus and the apostles returned to Jerusalem in early June when the agitation had quieted down. They lived discreetly in tents at Gethsemane garden on the Mount of Olives, entering the city rarely while receiving interested inquirers at their camp. Their peaceful arrangement lasted until a member of the Sanhedrin named Simon publicly supported Jesus's teachings, reigniting opposition and prompting Jesus to depart for Samaria and the Decapolis to avoid confrontation with religious authorities.