Jesus was an escape artist

JESUS WAS AN ESCAPE ARTIST
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Jesus slipped away from many situations and hid
himself. Some situationswere deadly and had He not
excaped He would not have died on the cross but by
stoning. At the end of these examples we will lookat
His escape from deadly violence.
John 6:15 15Jesus, knowing that they intended to
come and make him king by force, withdrew againto
a mountainby himself.
John 8:59 59At this, they picked up stones to stone
him, but Jesus hid himself, slippingaway from the
temple grounds.
Luke 4:30 But Jesus passed through the crowd and
went on His way.

John 10:39
New InternationalVersion
Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their
grasp.
New Living Translation
Once again they tried to arrest him, but he got away
and left them.
English StandardVersion
Again they sought to arresthim, but he escapedfrom
their hands.
Berean Study Bible
At this, they tried again to seize Him, but He escaped
their grasp.
Berean Literal Bible

Therefore they were seeking to seize Him again, but
He went forth out of their hand.
Here is the full context-
John 10:31-39 31Againhis Jewish opponents picked
up stones to stone him, 32but Jesus saidto them, "I
have shown you many good works from the Father.
For which of these do you stone me?" 33"Weare not
stoning you for any good work," they replied, "but for
blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be
God." 34Jesus answeredthem, "Is it not written in
your Law, 'I have said you are "gods"'? 35If he called
them 'gods,' to whom the word of God came-and
Scripture cannot be set aside-36what about the one
whom the Fatherset apart as his very own and sent
into the world? Why then do you accuseme of
blasphemy becauseI said, 'I am God's Son'? 37Do not
believeme unless I do the works of my Father. 38But
if I do them, even though you do not believeme,
believethe works, that you may know and understand
that the Father is in me, and I in the Father."39Again
they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.

STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES
Adam Clarke Commentary
They sought againto take him - They could not reply to his arguments but by
stones. The evidence of the truth could not be resisted;and they endeavoredto
destroy the person who spoke it. Truth may confound the obstinately wicked,
but it does not convert them; and it is a just judgment of God, to leave those to
perish in their gainsayings who obstinately continue to gainsayand disbelieve.
But he escaped- In such a way as we know not, for the evangelisthas not
specifiedthe manner of it.
Albert Barnes'Notes onthe Whole Bible
Sought againto take him - They evidently understood him as still claiming
equality with God, and under this impression Jesus left them. Nor canit be
doubted that he intended to leave them with this impression; and if so, then he
is divine.
He escaped- See John 8:59.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
Therefore they sought againto take him,.... Notto take away his life by
stoning him, as before, in the manner the furious zealots did, and was the part
they were about to act just now; but to lay hold upon him and bring him
before the sanhedrim, as they had done in John 5:18, he being so far from
clearing himself from the charge of blasphemy, they had brought againsthim,

that in their opinion he had greatly strengthenedit; and they thought they had
now sufficient proof and evidence to convicthim as a blasphemer, in their
high court of judicature; and therefore attempted to lay hands on him, and
bring him thither:
but he escapedout of their hands; either by withdrawing from them in some
private way; or by open force, exerting his power, and obliging them on every
side to fall back, and give way to him; or by rendering himself invisible to
them; and this he did, not through fear of death, but because his time was not
yet come, and he had other work to do, before he suffered and died.
Geneva Study Bible
11 Therefore they soughtagain to take him: but he escapedoutof their hand,
(11) Christ flees danger, not because ofmistrust, nor for fear of death, nor
that he would be lazy, but to gather a Church in another place.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Therefore they sought againto take him — true to their original
understanding of His words, for they saw perfectly well that He meant to
“make Himself God” throughout all this dialogue.
he escapedout of their hand — (See on Luke 4:30; John 8:59).
People's New Testament
Therefore they sought againto take him. A few moments before they would
have stoned him by mob violence (John 10:31), but when they had cooled
somewhatthey sought to arrest him.

Robertson's WordPictures in the New Testament
They sought againto seize him (εζητουναυτονπαλιν πιαζαι — ezētoun auton
palin piazai). Imperfect active, “Theykept on seeking to seize” (ingressive
aoristactive infinitive of πιαζω — piazō for which see John 7:30) as they had
tried repeatedly (John 7:1, John 7:30, John 7:44; John 8:20), but in vain. They
gave up the effort to stone him.
Out of their hand (εκ της χειρος αυτων — ek tēs cheiros autōn). Overawed,
but still angry, the stones fell to the ground, and Jesus walkedout.
Vincent's Word Studies
Again
Pointing back to John 7:30, John 7:32, John 7:44, where the word πιάσαι , to
seize, is found.
Escapedout of ( ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ )
Rev., literally, went forth out of. The phrase occurs only here.
The Fourfold Gospel
They sought againto take him1: and he went forth out of their hand2.
They sought againto take him. The word "again" eitherrefers back to John
7:30,32,44.
And he went forth out of their hand. The calm reasoning of Jesus cooledtheir
violence, and so far changedtheir evil designs that they now sought to arrest
him that they might bring him before the Sanhedrin.

Calvin's Commentary on the Bible
39.Thereforethey sought again to seize him. This was undoubtedly that they
might drive him out of the temple, and immediately stone him; for their rage
was not at all abated by the words of Christ. As to what the Evangelistsays,
that he escapedout of their hands, this could not be accomplishedin any other
way than by a wonderful exertion of Divine power. This reminds us that we
are not exposedto the lawless passions ofwickedmen, which God restrains by
his bridle, wheneverhe thinks fit.
Ver. 39. "They sought therefore againto take him; but he went forth out of
their hands."
Perhaps this softenedform in which Jesus had just repeatedthe affirmation of
His divinity had had the effectof calming somewhatthe irritation of His
hearers;they abandon the purpose of immediately stoning Him. But, while
they are plotting that they may arrestHim and bring Him to judgment, He
succeedsin breaking the circle which they had formed around Him, and, after
having rejoined His disciples, in leaving the temple with them. Nothing in the
story leads to the supposition of a miracle.
It is absolutely impossible to suppose that a later writer, the inventor of the
theory of the Logos, should have imagined an argument such as this passage
contains. How could such a man have thought of ascribing to Jesus an
argument which, superficially understood, seems to contradict everything
which he had made Him affirm hitherto with relation to His divinity? This
mode of discussionevidently bears the characterof immediate historical
reality. It testifies, at the same time, of the most lively understanding of the
Old Testament. Evidently this whole discourse canbe attributed only to Jesus
Himself.

Scofield's ReferenceNotes
escaped
Or, went forth out of their hand. See, Luke 4:30; John 8:59.
John Trapp Complete Commentary
39 Therefore they soughtagain to take him: but he escapedoutof their hand,
Ver. 39. Therefore they soughtagain to take him] They could not answerhis
arguments, they turn them therefore to a course of violence, wherein they
doubted not but to be too hard for him. Thus they dealt with Ridley and
Latimer at Oxford; thus with other martyrs, who yet overcame them by the
blood of the Lamb, yea, were more than conquerors, Romans 8:37. A fagot
will make you recant, saith the Bishop to Mr Hawks, martyr. No, no, said he,
a point for your fagot;you shall do no more, and your master to help you,
than God permits you. In the year 1166, the synod at Oxford burned in the
foreheads, and afterwards banished out of the realm, thirty Dutch doctors
that taught here the right use of wedlock and the sacraments. (Alsted.
Chronol.)
Expository Notes with PracticalObservations onthe New Testament
Observe here, 1. The violence and fury of these unbelieving Jews, againstthe
holy and innocent Jesus!They sought againto take him.
Observe, 2. The prudential care of Christ for his ownpreservation; his time
being not yet come, he withdraws from Jerusalem, the nest of his enemies, and
goes beyond Jordan; when Christ was persecutedin one city, he fled to
another; he has sanctified a state of persecutionto his ministers and members,

by his own being in it. 'Tis no disgrace for any of them to fly, when their
Captain did it, and bids them do it, saying, When they persecute you in one
city, flee unto another.
Observe, 3. The successofChrist's ministry beyond Jordan; Many resortedto
him, and believed on him. This place about Jordanwas the place where John
had exerciseda greatpart of his ministry, and now, many years after John's
death, the fruit of his ministry appears: for many believed on him there: that
is, about Jordan, where John had preachedand baptized.
Learn hence, That the labours of faithful ministers may seemto be lost, and
lie long like seedunder the ground, and yet at last, by some new watering,
may spring up, and the fruit appear in abundance. Here John's ministry
about Jordan hath fresh fruit upon Christ's coming, long after John was dead.
Observe, 4. The dignity of Christ above John, John did no miracle: but Christ
did all. The wisdom of God so ordered it, that through the Old Testament
prophets, Elijah and Elisha, wrought many miracles for the confirmation of
their divine mission, yet John the Baptist coming immediately before Christ,
as his messengerand forerunner, wrought none, for these three reasons
probably:
1. That so the glory of Christ in working miracles, when he came upon the
state of his ministry, might be the more clearand evident.
2. That the evidence of Christ being the Messiasmight be the more clearby
the miracles which he wrought.
3. That the minds of the people might not be divided and distracted between
John and Christ, and that there might be not pretence or competition between
them: Therefore John did no miracle; but all things that John spake of Christ
were true.
Greek TestamentCriticalExegeticalCommentary

39.]The attempt to stone Him seems to have been abandoned, but (see ch.
John 7:30) they tried againto take Him into custody: and, as before, He
(miraculously?) withdrew Himself from them.
Johann Albrecht Bengel's Gnomonof the New Testament
John 10:39. ἐξῆλθεν, He went forth) without any difficulty.
Matthew Poole's EnglishAnnotations on the Holy Bible
Therefore they sought againto take him; because he said, that the Fatherwas
in him, and he in the Father;by which they well enough understood, that he
asserteda union with the Father. They did not againgo about to stone him, as
they did before;he had sufficiently stopped their mouths as to their
imputation of blasphemy; but they seek to apprehend him, with a design (no
doubt) to carry him before the sanhedrim, their great court, which had
cognizance ofthose things. But as he had once and againbefore, so he now
againescapethout of their hands; whether by darkening the air before their
eyes, or (as some would have it) making his body invisible, by his Divine
power, or what other way, the Scripture tells us not, and it is greatrashness to
determine.
Justin Edwards' Family Bible New Testament
They sought againto take him; because he still claimed to be the Messiah, the
Son of God, truly divine-because he claimed to be what John, under the
guidance of the Holy Ghost, at the beginning of this gospeldeclaredhim to be,
God-in the language of Paul, "over all, God blessedfor ever." Romans 9:5.
Cambridge Greek Testamentfor Schools andColleges
39. ἐζήτουνοὖν πάλιν. Both οὖν and πάλιν are of somewhatuncertain
authority: the termination of ἐζήτουνmight cause the omissionof οὖν. Πάλιν.

refers to John 7:30; John 7:32; John 7:44, and shews that πιάσαι (see on John
7:30) means ‘arrestHim’ for the Sanhedrin, not ‘take Him’ and stone Him.
ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ. Went forth out of. There being nothing in the text to shew that His
departure was miraculous, it is safest(as in John 8:59, where also ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ
occurs)to suppose that there was no miracle. He withdrew through the less
hostile among those who encircledHim, while the others were making up their
minds how to apprehend Him. The majesty of innocence suffices to protect
Him, His hour not having come. They cannotsnatch His sheep out of His hand
(John 10:28), but He goes forth out of their hand.
PeterPett's Commentary on the Bible
‘They sought againto take him and he went forth out of their hand.’
They did this by some of them leaving and arranging for Temple police to
make the arrest, but once again He escapedthem. While the crowds were with
Him they would have a difficult time finalising any arrest without a riot. This
was why they would later recognise thatthey could only do it in a lonely place
late at night, in Gethsemane.
Whedon's Commentary on the Bible
39. Sought again—Theyhad paused to hear the Lord’s defence. His first
words for a moment seemedto indicate a lowering his title from the divine to
the purely human level. But as he advancedby firmly maintaining higher
claims, and closedby reasserting the highest, againthey commencedtheir
onset.
Escaped—Divine loving escaping human wrath. Jesus disappearednow from
Jerusalem;he reappearedat his last Passover, whichwas to terminate with
the crucifixion.

§ 101.—JESUSGOES AGAIN TO BETHABARA AFTER THE FEAST OF
DEDICATION, John10:40-42.
Expository Notes ofDr. Thomas Constable
Jesus" critics correctlyunderstoodHis latestwords ( John 10:38) as a claim to
equality with the Father. Therefore they againtried to seize Him. Jesus eluded
them againbecause it was not yet time for His passion(cf. John 7:30; John
8:20). This actwas the climax of official antagonismduring this period of
Jesus" ministry so far.
Schaff's Popular Commentary on the New Testament
John 10:39. They sought againto seize him: and he went forth out of their
hand. ‘Again’ seems to point back to chap. 7, where the same word ‘seize’ is
found three times (John 7:30; John 7:32; John 7:44). We cannot suppose that
the Jews hadlaid aside their design of stoning Him in consequence ofthe
words just spoken, for these words would either lead to faith or repel to
greaterenmity. For some reasonnot mentioned they now seek notto stone
Him on the spot, but to seize Him and carry Him away. As in chap. John 8:59,
‘He went forth’ out of their hand, thus illustrating againHis ownwords in
John 10:18.
The Expositor's Greek Testament
John 10:39. ἐζήτουν… αὐτῶν. His words so far convinced them that they
dropped the stones, but they sought to arrest Him. The πάλιν refers to John
7:30; John 7:44. But He escapedout of their hand, and departed againbeyond
Jordan to the place where John at first was baptising, i.e., Bethany. Cf. John
1:28, also John4:1. Holtzmann considers that the πρῶτον is intended to

differentiate the earlierfrom the later ministry of the Baptist. It might rather
seemto point to the beginning of the ministry of Jesus, especiallyas following
πάλιν.— καὶ ἔμεινεν ἐκεῖ, “and He remained there” until John 11:7, that is,
for a little more than three months.
George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary
And he escapedout of their hands; perhaps making himself invisible, or
hindering them by his divine power. (Witham)
E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes
take = arrest. See John 7:30, John 7:32, John 7:44.
escaped= went forth. Compare John 8:59 and Luke 4:30.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged
Therefore they sought againto take him: but he escapedout of their hand,
Therefore they sought againto take him - true to their original understanding
of His words, because they saw perfectly well that He meant to "make Himself
God" throughout all this dialogue.
But he escaped, [ exeelthen(G1831), 'went'or 'passed']out of their hand -
slipping, as it were, or gliding awayout of their grasp, just when they thought
themselves sure of having Him. (See the note at Luke 4:30; and at John 8:59.)
The Bible Study New Testament
Once more they tried to arrest him. Their "violence" is cooleddownby the
quiet words of Jesus, andthey drop their stones. But they still rejecthim and
intend to arresthim.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(39) Therefore they sought againto take him.—He has removed all ground for
the charge ofblasphemy, and they have abandonedthe attempt to stone Him,
though He here repeats the very truth which led to that attempt before (John
10:30-31). The word “again” refers to previous attempts to take Him (John
7:30; John 7:32; John 7:44).
But he escapedout of their hand.
Jesus just walkedaway from any situationthat wouldprevent his dying on the
cross.
How did Jesus escape crowds
I can think of times in the bible when the scripture ended with things like
" and the crowd closedor rushed on him, but Jesus was gone from it."
Please forgive me for not looking up the exactscriptures,but I think you will
know. I wonder, how. Did he just dissapear, was he shelteredby the hand of
the father. I just cannot come up with a realgoodtheory.
US-Libertarian
He probably just left, honestly. Crowds canget fairly chaotic so he probably
just slipped away.
Non-Denom
And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee:and there went out
a fame of him through all the region round about.

And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom
was, he went into the synagogue onthe sabbath day, and stoodup for to read.
And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when
he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preachthe
gospelto the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach
deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at
liberty them that are bruised,
To preach the acceptable yearof the Lord.
And he closedthe book, and he gave it againto the minister, and satdown.
And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastenedon him.
And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your
ears.
And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which
proceededout of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?
And he said unto them, Ye will surely sayunto me this proverb, Physician,
heal thyself: whatsoeverwe have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in
thy country.
And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is acceptedin his own country.
But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when
the heavenwas shut up three years and six months, when greatfamine was
throughout all the land;
But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto
a woman that was a widow.
And many lepers were in Israelin the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of
them was cleansed, saving Naamanthe Syrian.

And all they in the synagogue, whenthey heard these things, were filled with
wrath,
And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the
hill whereontheir city was built, that they might casthim down headlong.
But he passing through the midst of them went his way,
And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the
sabbath days.
And they were astonishedat his doctrine: for his word was with power. <----->
Luke 4:14-32
Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm. <-----> 1st
Chronicles 16:22 & Psalm 105:15
Jesus saithunto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not
yet come. <-----> John 2:4
Therefore does my Father love me, because Ilay down my life, that I might
take it again.
No man takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have powerto lay it
down, and I have powerto take it again. This commandment have I received
of my Father. <-----> John 10:17+18
By The Authority of His Father, Jesus couldeasily deter even the most
enragedindividuals from laying a finger upon him, with a mere thought,
solemn glance, orsoftly spokenword...until it was the time appointed for him
to surrender himself, according to His Father's will.

Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established. <---
--> Proverbs 16:3
For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded:
therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be
ashamed.
He is near that justifies me; who will contend with me? let us stand together:
who is mine adversary? let him come near to me. <-----> Isaiah50:7+8
And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And,
behold, the LORD passedby, and a greatand strong wind rent the mountains,
and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD;but the LORD was not in the
wind: and after the wind an earthquake;but the LORD was not in the
earthquake:
And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after
the fire a still small voice. <-----> 1stKings 19:11+12
How did Jesus escape?
John 8:59; Luke 4:29-31 [they "led" Him?]; John 10:31-39 [they took up
stones, He continued to preach (while dodging?), They soughtto "take" Him,
but He escaped. Here are my guessesto the method(s) He may have used. If
you canlist at leastone more with scintilla of possibility, then you have
correctly... show more
Update: 1. Martial arts

2. the 12 used Martialarts
3. He beheld their eyes like in John 20:14 & Luke 24:36-48
4. ran really fast.
5. Obi 1 Konobie "force" techniques
Update 2: Korban ¡nice!
PapaS…thatmay accountfor o1 of the escapesin question. It doesn’t saythey
did not through stones.
Major…Bestso far!I did think of this, but not hard enough.
ChesireC…Ithoroughly enjoy your speculations, but disagree with the mule
question. Ask on you own time;[!
Update 3: Capt N…Noteven remotely possible enough to qualify. Thanks n e
y.
Wry…¡nice!
BestAnswer: He let a rock hit Him, played dead, then when they took Him to
His tomb, He used the same trick as He did at His crucifixion "resurrection".
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None of the above. Jesus had a lot of followers, many of which were armed.
No Kung Fu needed when you have a swordhandy. How do we know? When
Jesus is arrested, one of the disciples cuts the ear of a Roman soldier. This
might not strike people as odd, but I note two issues:(1) he probably didn't

cut the ear with a fingernail and (2) why don't the irate Romans then not
slaughterthem all outright? My deduction is this: the disciples were armed
and the Roman soldiers were outnumbered.
If that situation were to follow for the escape,then we have two possibilities:
1. Jesus eludes capture thanks to a large helpful crowdof people in which to
disappear.
2. Jesus has armed companions that blockedcapture.
These ideas were not simply inferred though. I was in a Bible study about
Jesus complaining in the Temple when the minister in charge explained the
missing details, such as Jesus not being simply thrown out because he was
followedby a crowdof disgruntled Baptists that could easily beatup the
Rabbis if they were to lay a hand on Jesus!It sheds a different light on things
when you realize there is much betweenthe lines.
That led me to another interesting question: how did the disciples actually
procure the mule for the ride into Jerusalem? Could it be that the details left
out ultimately lead to the reasonwhy Jesus was crucifiedwith thieves? Such
are the weaknessesofone-sided story telling, particularly if the story tellers
are specificallythose responsible for taking the mule!
He had the powers of a gentle balloon.
Haven't you read the part where he rose into the sky? Two of Jesus'official
biographers report he rose into the sky, in the last chapter.

In the casesyou mention he rose about thirty feetand drifted off into a grove
of trees or whatever.
And they were left standing around muttering "What the -- ?"
It was all thanks to the South BeachDiet. He gotso skinny on it that he was
able to get thru betweenthe bars of his prison cell
It doesn't say that they actually threw any stones, only that they took them up.
He was able to reasonwith them.
He disappeared before them!
Padre Pio was able to do this too.
No great thing for God to do!
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080818070855AAO2pSO
Biblical Illustrator
Then took they up stones to castat Him.
John 8:59
The Jews and Jesus
G. Hutcheson.

Followethnow the issue of this long dispute, and particularly of this last
contest. Theylook upon Him as so absurd in what He had just spokenthat
they will reasonno more, but seek to cut Him off as a blasphemer; and He
takes no more pains to convince them, but delivers Himself miraculously from
their fury. Whence learn —
1. Malicious persecutorswill not hearken to truth, though never so clearly
told them; but when all arguments fail them, they will betake themselves to
violence;for "then they take up stones to castat Him," wherein they were
injurious, in returning Him the reward of a blasphemer, who had told them
the truth, and unjust, in their tumultuous procedure, and not taking a legal
way. And this is it which may be expectedof all contradictors of Christ's
doctrine, if they getpower and be not bridled.
2. It is lawful for God's servants to withdraw from the fury of bloody
persecutors, whenthe persecutionis personal, as Christ's example doth teach.
3. Our blessedLord did condescendto sanctify all the weak means prescribed
to His people in hard times, in His own person; for, He who could have
destroyedthem, "hid Himself," and made use of fleeing, "He went out," etc.
4. Christ can disappoint persecutors, and deliver His people, even in greatest
extremity; for, when they have Him among their hands in the Temple, He first
"hid Himself," and then "wentout of the Temple, going through the midst of
them," etc. Either he dazzled their eyes, and made Himself invisible, both
when He hid Himself, and went away;or having done so for a while, while he
hid Himself, He did bind up their hands that they could not touch Him when
He went openly through them out of the Temple. And so He evinced His great
powereven in His infirmity, and so also doth He make His people prove
strong while they are weak, and perfects His strength in their weakness.
(G. Hutcheson.)
Hatred of the truth
Schnur.

Truth is hated because —
I. IT SEES TOO DEEPLY.
II. SPEAKS TOO PLAINLY.
III. JUDGES TOO SEVERELY.
(Schnur.)
Jesus hid Himself and went out of the Temple.
Christ and His Church in a bad world
Plain Sermons by Contributors to, Tracts for the Times.
The escape ofour Lord was no doubt a greatmiracle. As an old Divine
remarks on it, "Christ here hides Himself, not by shrinking behind partition
walls, nor by interposing anything else betweenthem and His own Body, but
by the powerof His Godhead making Himself invisible to those who sought
Him." Once before, as it seems, He had wrought the same wonder, but not in
the same place, nor among the same people (Luke 4:29, 30). Thus, as another
old writer observes, "youmay understand that our Lord's passionwas
endured not of constraint, but willingly: that He was not so much taken by the
Jews, as offeredby Himself. Forwhen He will, He is taken; when He will, He
escapes;when He will, He is hanged on a tree; when He will, they can lay no
hold on Him." St. John says, He hid Himself; St. Luke does not say so —
therefore it may be, that in the one case His enemies could not see Him, any
more than Balaamcould the angel;in the other ease, that though they saw
Him, the hand of Godwas on them in some remarkable way, to keepthem
from laying hands on Him. Another circumstance much to be observed, in our
Lord's manner, in both these two severalmiracles, is His passing immediately
from His dangerand the midst of His enemies, to the performance of works of
mercy among worthier and more thankful people. When He became visible
again, it was to heal those who had need of healing. The particular way in
which at presentI wish to considerthis great miracle is the following: How it
throws light on the true condition of Christ and His servants here in this evil

world. It shows us what the true Church of Christ and what true Christians
must expect; and it shows us also how they may behave themselves, in such
trials, worthy of Him whom they serve. The plain doctrine of Scripture is, that
as affliction is the lot of all men — for man is born to trouble as surely as the
sparks fly upward — so persecutionis the lot of Christians. They declare
themselves in baptism bound to be always at war with the world and the devil;
and the world and the devil for their part will never leave them alone. But
further: the attack onour Lord on this occasionseems to show what way of
thinking it is, and what particular part of the Church's doctrine, which is
most apt to draw on itself the censure and enmity of the world. Why did the
Jews try to stone our Lord? because He representedHimself as having been
before Abraham. So a while after, when He plainly said to them, "I and My
Father are one," they presently took up stones to stone Him. And His final
condemnation to death by the High Priest went on no other ground. Thus it
has ever been betweenChrist and the wickedworld. They would hear him
teachmany things — speak in praise of love and charity, or utter His great
unspeakable promises. But when it comes to this, You are members of Christ,
walk worthy, then, of the vocationwherewith ye are called;Christ, who
accounts you part of Himself, is the MostHigh God; you, as united to Him,
are partakers ofthe Divine Nature; therefore you must really keepthe
commandments, you must be inwardly and really holy as He is holy: when
this kind of doctrine is put forth, and urged home to the hearts of men, they
grow uneasy, and start objections, and make difficulties, and sayit is
requiring too much; they never cancome up to so high a standard, and they
take people to have become their enemies, who talk to them in such a tone.
This of course makes our duty, in respectof God's Truth and worship, harder
to perform; but it does not in the leastmake it obscure or doubtful. We must
not neglect, orforget, high and mysterious doctrines, or severe rules, because
those with whom we are concernedare impatient of being put in mind of
them; yet again, we must so teachthem as they may be able to bear —
tempting them as little as possible to irreverent hearing and careless
forgetting. Jesus Christ, His hour being not yet come, retired out of the way of
His enemies, and gave them time to considerand repent. So it becomes us,
when we bear witness to the truth, to be full of that greatcharity, which will
make us put ourselves in the gainsayers'place, and always considerwhat is

most likely to do them good, and bring them to a better mind. As for example:
if a bad or profane word is spokenin our hearing, it cannever of course be
right to seemamused at it, or in any wayto become partakerof the sin; but it
may often be best not openly to rebuke it at the time, but rather to turn the
discourse for the present, and awaitsome opportunity, when we canspeak
with the offender alone, and he is otherwise more dis. posed to listen to us.
This is withdrawing the name of our Lord out of the way of reproach, as He
did His Personfrom the stones that were castat Him. Only we must be very
careful, that we do not so retire through cowardice orsloth, or out of care
what men may say of us: and the proof of this will be, if we seek anxiously
afterwards for opportunities of doing the good, which we thought we could
not do at that time; and if we deny ourselves something for the sake of doing
it.
(Plain Sermons by Contributors to "Tracts forthe Times. ").
Did Jesus escape the tomb (naturally)?
Introduction
“No, after all…
Jesus couldn't move the stone
Jesus would not have been able to move the stone from inside the tomb.1
We know that Jesus couldnot have moved the stone for two reasons:
i) Tomb blocking-stones weighedabouta ton, which was far too heavy for an
individual to move, even if it was not cube-shaped, like the sealing stone
blocking Jesus's tomb was.
ii) Jesus had suffered severe blood loss, dehydration, and wounded hands/feet,
among other things.

• J.P. Holding: “…the fact that the temperature in the tomb was probably
about 56-58 degrees Fahrenheit, whichwould cause deathby exposure on its
own after 36 hours (note that linen is not much of a protectorin this
context)… lain out shivering and losing energyin a tomb… after hanging for
hours on a cross (how do those dislocatedshoulders and/or strained muscles
feel about pushing anything?).” [Defending the Resurrection(Xulon, 2010),
382.]
• Craig Keener:“Further, if one could revive [from crucifixion], one would
still be trapped within the tomb, which would soonlead to death. (Char.
Chaer. 1.4.11-12;1.8.)” [The HistoricalJesus of the Gospels (Wm. B.
Eerdmans, 2009), 341.]
• John R. W. Stott: “…are we to believe that after the rigours and pains of
trial, mockery, flogging and crucifixion He could survive thirty-six hours in a
stone sepulcher with neither warmth nor food nor medicalcare? That He
could then rally sufficiently to perform the superhuman feat of shifting the
boulder which securedthe mouth of the tomb” [Basic Christianity (IVP,
1958), 48-49.](Citedby McDowell)
• James Rosscup:“Those who hold this theory have to say that Christ in a
weakenedcondition, was able to roll back the stone at the entrance of the
tomb-a featwhich historians say would take severalmen” (As cited by
McDowell)
Guards were stationedat the tomb
Guards were stationedat the tomb of Jesus.[Forthcoming]This is relevant
because they would know if Jesus had startedto escape(especiallygiven the
considerable noise involved in moving the stone). Jesus would have been re-
executed.
https://beliefmap.org/jesus-resurrected/body-missing/tomb-escape/

John 7:30 So they tried to seize Him, but no one laid a
hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.
STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES
Then they sought to take him - The rulers and their friends. They did this:
1.becauseofhis reproof; and,
2.for professing to be the Messiah.
His hour - The proper and the appointed time for his death. See Matthew
21:46.
Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible
They sought therefore to take him: and no man laid his hand on him, because
his hour was not yet come.
Confounded and openly contradictedby Christ, the Pharisees were furious
and eagerlywantedto take him; but the press of the people around him was
so great, and there were so many who believed in him, that considerations of
prudence restrained their evil purpose.

His hour was not yet come ... also implies a supernatural restraint imposed
upon Jesus'enemies. An overruling providence prevented his arrest, despite
the factthat they actually sent a company of men to take him.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
Then they sought to take him,.... By force, and carry him before the
sanhedrim, in order to be tried and condemned as a blasphemer, being
enragedto hear him claim a descentfrom God, whom they took to be a mere
man, the son of Josephthe carpenter:
but no man laid hands on him; though they had a goodwill to it, they had no
powerto do it, being restrained by the, secretprovidence of God from it, and
awedby the majesty of Christ, which showeditself in his looks and words;
and perhaps also they might be afraid of the people, lestthey should rise in his
favour; and so every man being fearful of being the first that should seize him,
no man did: however, so it was ordered by divine providence, that he should
not be apprehended at, this time,
because his hour was not yet come; to suffer and die, to depart out of this
world, and go to the Father: there was a precise time fixed for this in the
council and covenantof God, by mutual compact, called"due time"; as his
coming into the world is called"the fulness of time"; nor could he die before
that time, and therefore no man was suffered to lay hands on him, whatever
goodwill he had to it. And there is a time for every man's death, nor canany
man die before that time, or live beyond it; see Ecclesiastes3:2; and this is the
sense ofthe ancient Jews;for they sayF8,
"a man before his years, or his time, does not die;'
that is, before he comes to the years appointed for him: and they askF9,
"who is there that goes before his time? i.e. dies before his time?'
And it is saidF11 ofa certain person who was in his house, and ‫אטמ‬ ‫,הינמז‬ "his
time was come";and he died without sickness:though it must be ownedsome
of them were otherwise minded, and sayF12, thatdeath, by the hand of

heaven, or God, shortens a man's years;and that there are some reasons for
which righteous men depart out of this world before their time is come;and
particularly of Enoch they say, God took him before his time was comeF13.
Geneva Study Bible
13 Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him, because his
hour was not yet come.
(13) The wickedcannotdo what they desire, but what God has appointed.
People's New Testament
They sought to take him. "They of Jerusalem" angeredbecausehe said they
did not know God. This was the attempt of a mob, not an official act.
Robertson's WordPictures in the New Testament
They sought therefore (εζητουνουν — ezētounoun). Imperfect active of
ζητεω — zēteō inchoative or conative, they began to seek. Eithermakes sense.
The subject is naturally some of the Jerusalemites (Westcott)rather than
some of the leaders (Bernard).
To take him (αυτονπιασαι — auton piasai). First aoristactive infinitive, Doric
form from πιαζω — piazō from the usual πιεζω — piezō occasionallyso in the
papyri, but πιαζω — piazō always in N.T. exceptLuke 6:38.
And (και — kai). Here = “but.”

Laid his hand (επεβαλεν την χειρα — epebalentēn cheira). Secondaorist
active indicative of επιβαλλω — epiballō to castupon. Old and common idiom
for arresting one to make him a prisoner (Matthew 26:50). See repetition in
John 7:44.
His hour (η ωρα αυτου — hē hōra autou). In John 13:1 we read that “the
hour” had come, but that was “not yet” (ουπω — oupō). “John is at pains to
point out at every point that the persecutionand death of Jesus followeda
predestined course” (Bernard), as in John 2:4; John 7:6, John 7:8; John 8:10;
John 10:39; John 13:1, etc.
Was not yet come (ουπω εληλυτει — oupō elēluthei). Pastperfect active of
ερχομαι — erchomaias John looks back on the story.
Vincent's Word Studies
Then
Another of the frequent instances in which the A.V. of this Gospelrenders the
logicalparticle as a particle of time. Translate as Rev., therefore; because of
His claim to be sent from God.
To take ( πιάσαι )
See on Acts 3:7.
Wesley's ExplanatoryNotes
Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him, because his
His hour — The time of his suffering.

The Fourfold Gospel
They sought therefore to take him1: and no man laid his hand on him,
because his hour was not yet come2.
They sought therefore to take him. Becausethey understoodhis language as
referring to God and were incensedthat he should so openly declare them
ignorant of God.
And no man laid his hand on him, because his hour was not yet come. Because
it was not the will of God that he should be arrestedat this time.
Abbott's Illustrated New Testament
His hour; the time predetermined for his sufferings and death.
Calvin's Commentary on the Bible
30.Thereforethey soughtto seize him. They had no want of will to do him
mischief; they even made the attempt, and they had strength to do it. Why,
then, amidst so much ardor, are they benumbed, as if they had their hands
and feetbound? The Evangelistreplies, because Christ’s hour was not yet
come;by which he means that, againstall their violence and furious attacks,
Christ was guardedby the protection of God. And at the same time he meets
the offense ofthe cross;for we have no reasonto be alarmed when we learn
that Christ was draggedto death, not through the caprice ofmen, but because
he was destined for such a sacrifice by the decree ofthe Father. And hence we
ought to infer a generaldoctrine; for though we live from day to day, still the
time of every man’s death has been fixed by God. It is difficult to believe that,
while we are subject to so many accidents, exposedto so many open and

concealedattacks bothfrom men and beasts, and liable to so many diseases,
we are safe from all risk until God is pleasedto call us away. But we ought to
struggle againstour own distrust; and we ought to attend first to the doctrine
itself which is here taught, and next, to the objectat which it aims, and the
exhortation which is drawn from it, namely, that eachof us, casting all his
cares on God, (Psalms 55:22;1 Peter5:7,) should follow his own calling, and
not be led away from the performance of his duty by any fears. Yet let no man
go beyond his own bounds; for confidence in the providence of God must not
go farther than God himself commands.
Ver. 30. "They sought therefore to take him; and yet no one laid hands on
him, because his hour was not yet come."
The result of this strong protestation(therefore)was to confirm His declared
enemies in the designof arresting Him. It is clearthat the ζητεῖν (to seek)was
an affair of the rulers, as in John 5:16; John 5:18. They were strengthened in
their resolution of accomplishing it and in the searchfor the means of arriving
at the result. But the appointed hour had not yet struck. The expression:his
hour, does not designate that of His arrest (John 18:12), as Hengstenberg
thinks, but that of His death as the result of His arrest(comp. John 7:8).
The divine decree, to which the evangelistalludes thereby, does not exclude
secondcauses;on the contrary, it implies them. Among these, the interpreters
make especiallyprominent the veneration with which the multitudes at this
time regardedJesus. Yes, assuredly;comp. Luke 20:19. But we may also
think, with Hengstenberg, ofthe resistance whichthe conscienceofHis
enemies was still opposing to the extreme measures to which their hatred was
impelling them. When the hardening of their hearts was consummatedand
the Spirit of God ceasedto restrain their hands, then the hour of Jesus struck.
There is, therefore, no reasonto assert, with Reuss, that "the historical
interpretation of this verse creates a contradiction." The sequelis about to
show us a first attempt in the sense indicated, but one which fails precisely
because the moral ground was not yet sufficiently prepared. This verse is thus

the transition to the following narrative, which relates the first judicial
measure takenagainstJesus.
John Trapp Complete Commentary
30 Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him, because his
Ver. 30. Because his hour was not yet come]i.e. God would not suffer them.
Those that bandy and bend their forces againstthe Lord and his Anointed are
bounded by him, in whose hands alone are the issues ofdeath, with the
manner and time.
Greek TestamentCriticalExegeticalCommentary
30.]Namely, the rulers,—instigatedby what had been above remarkedby the
people, John 7:25-26. There was some secondaryhindrance to their laying
hands on Him,—possibly the fear of the people:but the Evangelistpassesat
once to the real cause;—thatGod’s appointed time was not yet come.
Heinrich Meyer's Critical and ExegeticalCommentaryon the New Testament
John 7:30. οὖν] BecauseHe had so clearly assertedHis divine origin and
mission, His adversaries regardedthis as blasphemy (comp. John 5:18).
The subject of ἐζήτουνis ἰουδαῖοι,the hierarchy, as is self-evident from the
words and from the contrastedstatementof John 7:31.
καί]as in John 7:28.
ὅτι οὔπω, κ. τ. λ.] because the hour appointed for Him (by God—the hour
when He was to fall under the power of His enemies)was not yet come;comp.

John 8:20. The reasonhere assignedis that higher religious apprehensionof
the history, which does not, however, contradictor exclude the immediate
historicalcause, viz. that through fear—not of conscience(Hengstenberg,
Godet), but of the party who were favourably inclined to Christ, John 7:31—
they dared not yet lay hands on Him. But John knows that the threads upon
which the outward history of Jesus runs, and by which it is guided, unite in
the counsels ofGod. Comp. Luthardt, I. 160.
Matthew Poole's EnglishAnnotations on the Holy Bible
By this time the news was come to the sanhedrim, the great court of the Jews,
to whom belongedthe cognizance of church affairs, false prophets,
blasphemy, violation of the sabbath, &c.: they took counsel, and used
endeavours to apprehend him; or it may be, some of the ruder sortof people
that were his enemies used some such endeavours, but not with any effect;for
by the mighty providence of God, who had setthe time when Christ should
suffer, till that hour was come, mentioned also John 8:20 12:23, there was
such a restraint upon the rage of the rabble, yea, (as we shall hereafterhear),
upon the spirits of the officers, who were sent from the sanhedrim to
apprehend him, that they had no power to lay hold upon him. Men shall do us
no hurt, till God’s time comes. A sparrow falls not to the ground without the
will of our Father.
Cambridge Greek Testamentfor Schools andColleges
30. ἐζήτουνοὖν. They soughttherefore, in consequenceofHis claiming Divine
origin and mission; for though He has not mentioned God, they understand
His meaning. Imperfect of continued action(John 11:27), the nominative
being οἱ ἄρχοντες or οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, notὁ ὄχλος. Πιάζειν occurs Revelation
19:20;Revelation19:7 times in this Gospel;elsewhere only Acts 3:7; Acts
12:4; 2 Corinthians 11:32. see on John 1:14, John 4:6, John 11:44 and John
19:37.

καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐπ. And (yet) no one laid hands. That καί in S. John often= ‘and
yet,’ as here and John 7:28, is most true; that καί ever = ‘but’ is true neither
of S. John nor of any other Greek writer. In A.V. καί is rendered ‘but’ here
and in John 7:26, while in John 7:31 δέ is rendered ‘and.’ see on John 1:5 and
John 8:20.
ἡ ὥρα αὐ. The hour appointed by God for His Passion(John 13:1), this
meaning being clearly marked by the context (see on John 7:6 and John 2:4).
The immediate cause of their not seizing Him was that they were as yet afraid
to do so;but S. John passesthrough proximate causes to the prime cause of
all, the Will of God. When the hour was come God no longerallowedtheir
fear, which still existed(Matthew 26:5), to deter them.
PeterPett's Commentary on the Bible
‘But no man laid his hands on him because his hour was not yet come’.
Their fear and hesitancywas all part of God’s plan. His hour (the hour of His
death) was not yet come. Until God was ready they would not be able to touch
Him. God canwork through human vacillation to bring about His purposes.
‘His hour was not yet come.’Compare John 8:20; John 12:27;John 13:1. The
hour would gradually approach, and then finally came.
Schaff's Popular Commentary on the New Testament
John 7:30. They soughttherefore to seize him. Jesus had not mentioned the
name of God, but those with whom He spoke (familiar with modes of speech
in which the Divine Name was left unspoken and replacedby a pronoun, as
here, or by some attribute) did not miss His meaning. He had denied to them
the knowledge ofGod, and at the same time had claimedfor Himself the
closestfellowshipwith Him, to be indeed the very expressionof what He was.
And no man laid his hand on him, because his hour was not yet come. Their
zeal and enmity were at once aroused; the ‘men of Jerusalem’followedin the

steps of ‘the Jews’(John 7:1). Yet they could not touch Him, for it was not yet
God’s time.
E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes
sought = were seeking.
take = arrest. See in verses:John 7:32, John 7:44, and Acts 12:4. 2
Corinthians 11:32.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged
Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him, because his
Then they sought to take him: but [rather, 'and yet' kai(G2532)]no man laid
hands on him (their impotence happily being equal to their malignity),
because his hour was not yet come.
The Bible Study New Testament
Then they tried to arrest him. Johnsonthinks this was the actionof the
citizens of Jerusalem, rather than an official actby the authorities.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(30) Then they soughtto take him.—The tense is imperfect, marking the
continuance of a series of efforts to take Him. The persons who thus soughtto
take Him are, of course, the members of the Sanhedrin. The people are
mentioned in contrastin the next verse. Forthe present their efforts are
confined to plots. No one attempts to use actual force.
His hour was not yet come.—This is the writer’s explanation of the fact that
they did not seek to take Him. Jesus had Himself used these words at the first

sign at Cana of Galilee (John 2:4), and againbefore going up to this very
festival (John 7:6). The beloved disciple has learnt the religious interpretation
of history. That the hour was not yet come, was not the immediate cause
which influenced those who desired, but dared not, to lay hands upon Him.
The next verse points out that there was a division in the multitude (comp.
John 7:43-44), and in the uncertainty of what the consequencesmay be, no
one was bold enough to take the decisive step. But if not the immediate cause,
the writer regards it as the primary cause. Looking back onthe life of his
Lord, from the old age of his own life, so full of eventful issues, he has learnt
that every deed of that life, as every deed of every life, had its hour mapped
out in the eternal counsels ofGod.
END STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES
What does John 7:30 mean? [⇑ See verse text ⇑]
Severaltimes in the gospelofJohn, Jesus escapes arrest. The Bible does not
give much in the way of details—how exactlyJesus evades capture—butit
does give an explanation. Jesus is obedient to God's timetable, and God's
timetable is unchangeable. This is not "his hour," which in context means the
moment of His ultimate sacrifice. This will come later, as acknowledgedby
Jesus Himself (John 17:1).
These escapesfrom arrest might have been through miraculous intervention,
especiallyin moments where Jesus seems to have been physically trapped
(John 10:23–24, 39). Theymay have been mundane, where Jesus simply
slipped into the crowd and was lost (John 5:13). Speculationis all welland
good, but at the end of the day, all we really know is that efforts thus far to
bring Jesus in have failed.

It's possible that this attempt at arrest was driven by the crowd, since the next
few verses mention a specific, separate orderfrom the Pharisees(John7:32).
Jesus has just claimed to have come from God, and criticized the people of
Israelfor not knowing God (John 7:28–29)!This would have offended more
than just the religious authorities. https://www.bibleref.com/John/7/John-7-
30.html
What did Jesus meanby "My hour has not yet come"?
"And Jesus saidto her, "Woman, what has this to do with me? My hour has
not yet come." John2:4
John 2:1-4
ESV - 1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the
mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his
disciples.
Clarify • Share • Report• Asked August 14 2014 • ida Juenger
Answers (2)
Discuss (2)
Community answers are sortedbased on votes. The higher the vote, the
further up an answeris.
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★
Jennifer Rothnie Supporter Housewife, Artist, Perpetually Curious

He meant that the hour for him to show Himself as Messiahand king of the
Jews had not yet arrived. In a broader view, His hour did not "fully come"
until He was crucified(John 7:30, John 19:30, Luke 17:20-21). ThoughHe did
do as His mother wished, His hour still had 'not yet come'. After the water-to-
wine, He did perform miracles and conversations,but He did not publicly
declare Himself as the Messiah. There was a lot of speculation, however, by
the people and the authorities (John 7:25-26).
This is further explained in John 7:1-13.
" But when the JewishFestivalofTabernacles was near, Jesus’ brothers said
to him, “Leave Galilee andgo to Judea, so that your disciples there may see
the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret.
Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” For even his
own brothers did not believe in him. Therefore Jesus toldthem, “Mytime is
not yet here; for you any time will do. The world cannot hate you, but it hates
me because Itestify that its works are evil."
Jesus'brothers wishedHim to publicly announce Himself as the Messiahand
prove it with public miracles. [It is very possible that they were teasing or
mocking Him, for they did not believe He was the Messiah]. Theywere saying
that if He was the Messiah, He needed to announce it before the whole people
and prove it, not just walk around Galilee with His Disciples performing
miracles. Jesus did later go up to the Festival, but in private. He taught there,
too (John 7:14-15)He was viewed as a wise teacherwith the power of God
behind Him (John 3:2), but only a few were beginning to understand that He
was the Messiah(John 7:40-41).
Jesus had performed severalmiracles up to this point, some very public (John
2:23-24)- but the question of whether or not He was the Messiahhad not been

decided by the people. Some, thinking He was, wantedto crownHim king
(John 6:14-15). Others, believing His ministry false, wished to kill Him (John
7:1).
The Jews expectedChrist to come in glory and set up an earthly kingdom, as
He will at His secondcoming. The kingdom of God, however, is an eternal one
that reigns over our hearts (John 18:36-37, Luke 10:9, Luke 11:20, Rom
14:13-18, Mark 10:15, Mark 12:28)and Christ revealedits coming by His
death and Resurrection(Daniel2:31-35).
When His hour 'fully came', He was acknowledgedas king of the Jews and
put to death (John 19:21).
" Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is delivered into the
hands of sinners". (Mark 14:41)
"Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture
would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegarwas there,
so they soakeda sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssopplant,
and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had receivedthe drink, Jesus said, “It is
finished.” With that, he bowedhis head and gave up his spirit." (John 19:28-
30)
The signs accompanying, including the Resurrection, finally proved Him as
the Messiahto many who had doubted. (Matt 2:54).
After His Resurrection, He announced "“All authority in heavenand on earth
has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing

them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am
with you always, to the very end of the age.”"(Matt28:18-20)
This is the very public announcement of His authority and kingdom that His
brothers had wanted Him to make earlier. It is possible that his mother asked
Him to perform the miracle of waterto wine because she wanted Him to
publicly declare Himself as the Messiah, as she knew "He will be greatand
will be calledthe Son of the MostHigh. The Lord God will give him the
throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever;
his kingdom will never end." (Luke 1:32-33)
Billy P Eldred
Jennifer as always gave a greatanswer. I want to add my personalview that I
hope some can relate to.
I have mentioned in another post the video "The Star of Bethlehem" (which
can be seenon youtube). I believe Mr. Larson presents an amazing
demonstration of the Majestyof God. When I watchedthis video, I was
amazed at how God chose the exacttime of Jesus deathon the cross (and of
his birth) when the universe was first formed. The heavenly bodies were put
in motion so that through mathematics we can view events in the skies atany
time in history.
The events of Jesus life (and death) obviously are the most important things
that have ever happened. And this was setin motion from the very beginning
of time, wheneverthat was. The specific timing of these events could not be
changed.

Therefore when Jesus saidmy "hour" has not yet come, he was referring to
the preordained specific timing of God's plan. The Greek word hour,
according to Strongs dictionary, literally means "a specific time".
Escape Rooms have sweptthe nation! Whatonce was anintriguing activity has
now become anobsession. Fromonly22 Escaperooms in2014 to now over
2300 in2019 inthe U.S., the industry has quickly risenin the ranks of
entertainment activities. Literallymillions of people are escaping themed
rooms everyyear, with themes varying from pirate ships to virtual reality
museums. Some have transcendedjustcasual playand are considered“Escape
Artists”. There are evencompetitions now!
With this pastweek being HolyWeek andtomorrow being Easter, Ithought it
would be interesting to look ata greatexample ofhistory’s greatest escape
artist, andno it’s not the Davenportbrothers orHarry Houdini. We are going
to see 3 reasons whyJesus ofNazarethwasthe greatestescapeartist.
Prelude: Escaping Temptation
Then Jesus leftthe Jordan, full of the Holy Spirit, and was ledby the Spirit in
the wilderness 2forforty days to be tempted by the devil.
Luke 4:1-2
While this attribute didn’t quite fit the theme of the list, it does helpset
everything up. Jesus wouldnothave been able to do any ofthe following things
had He given into temptation. Jesus wasjustas much human as we are, and
included in humanity is a temptation to sin. Jesus couldhave takenthe easy
wayout. In escape terms, he couldhave usedall the hints, cheatedthe system,
and skippedto the end result, but that’s not how He did it. He was tempted by
the devil to break His fast, fasttrack His rise to powerand authority overthe
earth, andto testGod. Jesus’discipline shines throughand he perseveres. He

lived His life entirely sinless so thatHe would be blameless whenfacedwithHis
mostdifficult task.
1. Escaping the PhariseesTraps
MentalEscape
When the Phariseessaw this, theysaidto him, “See, yourdisciples are doing
whatis not lawful to do on the Sabbath.”
Matthew 12:2
Then the Pharisees wentandplotted how to trap him by whathe said.
Matthew 22:15
Certainly one ofthe most challenging parts ofescape rooms are the mental
barriers. We are giventasks thatare usuallynot obvious to solve and require
some deductionand investigation.
One thing Jesus oftenencounteredwas religious elites thatwouldtry to trap
Him in his ownlogic. The PhariseesandSadduceesdidnot start as a malicious
group. BecauseofIsrael’s failings, Godwas silentfora few hundred years and
a group of people wantedto remain devotedto YHWH. So they studied the
texts and createda systemofmaking sure they followedGod’s commandments.
Where they went wrong was transitioning into absolute legalism. No longer
was following God’s law enough, younow hadto follow this enormous listof
extra rules as well, manyof which the Phariseeswere hypocritical about.
Jesus was notsatisfiedwiththis and the extra burden it put on people. He was
constantlychallenging the status quo and was right every single time. Too
often, people think that Jesus justhad this knowledge becauseofHis divinity.
The truth is, while His divinity certainlywas animportant factor, Jesuswas
extremely intelligent because ofHis devotionto studying. After being left
behind by his family ona trip to the temple, a tweenJesus was found
impressing the priests with his inquisitive mind. Luke 2:52 states that“Jesus
increasedinwisdom and stature, andin favor with God and with people.”
Jesus workedforthe amount ofwisdom that He had. Eventhough He could

have tapped into His divinity to gatherthe necessaryinformation, He humbled
Himself to do things the hard way.
Jesus hadbeendisrupting the wayof the life ofthe religious elite and they were
sick ofit! They constantlytried to plot and scheme ways to trap him
intellectually, oftenby using scriptures from the TaNaKoutofcontext. Jesus
answeredtheirscripture with scripture and provided soundlogic to defeat
their arguments. This is truly a greatexample of the type ofthinking that you
needto break out ofan escape room(thoughthere is obviouslya much greater
applicationof this information to our everyday lives).
2. Escaping the Large Crowds
Physical Escape
When they heard this, everyone in the synagogue wasenraged. Theygotup,
drove him out oftown, and brought him to the edge ofthe hill that their town
was built on, intending to hurl him overthe cliff. But he passedrightthrough
the crowdand wenton his way.
Luke 4:28-30
Then they were trying againto seize him, but he eluded their grasp.
John10:39
Did you know that Jesus was a ninja? Myfriend NathanPonce taughtthat to
me whenI was helping him with a middle school Bible lesson. Jesus wasn’t
going to be caughtunless He wantedto be caught(as evidencedinJohn19:8-
11).
When the crowds gottoo big and wantedto graba hold ofJesus, whether
because theywere madand wanted to kill Him or extremely excitedand
wantedto make Him king, He wouldelude their grasp. And if sneaking out
wasn’tabsolutelynecessary, He always founda way to send people away.
Sometimes He would saysomething shocking like “EAT ME AND DRINKMY
BLOOD”. He usedhyperbole to exaggeratea pointthat made sense incontext,
but He would oftensayit in a waythat was meantto confuse andshock people

to getthem to go away. Mostofthe time, Jesus neededpeople to go awayto
allow Him to go somewhere else, because theywere there forthe wrong
reasons, orbecauseHe justneededa nap! Rememberthat He snuck awayto a
boatand took a nap on the net aftergetting awayfrom a big crowdbecause
evenJesus gottired.
The type of strategyand discernmentthat it took to escape thesecrowds forthe
variety of reasons thatJesus neededto getawayis definitely the kind of mind
any escape artistneeds. Whenyouthink of sneaking througha crowd, you
probably think of Assassin’s Creedorsome Spythriller. I encourage youto
add these images ofJesus to thatlist!
3. Escaping DeathandHades
Spiritual Escape
On the first day of the week, veryearlyin the morning, they came to the tomb,
bringing the spices theyhad prepared. Theyfound the stone rolled awayfrom
the tomb. They wentin but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they
were perplexedabout this, suddenly two men stoodby them in dazzling clothes.
So the womenwere terrified and boweddownto the ground.
“Why are you looking forthe living among the dead?” askedthe men. “He is
not here, but he has risen! Rememberhow he spoke to youwhen he was still in
Galilee, saying, ‘Itis necessarythatthe SonofMan be betrayedinto the hands
of sinful men, be crucified, and rise onthe third day’?” And they remembered
his words.
Returning from the tomb, they reportedall these things to the Elevenand to all
the rest. MaryMagdalene, Joanna, Marythe mother of James, andthe other
womenwith them were telling the apostles these things. Butthese words
seemedlike nonsense to them, andthey did not believe the women. Peter,
however, gotupand ran to the tomb. When he stoopedto look in, he saw only
the linen cloths. So he wentaway, amazedatwhathad happened.

Luke 24:1-12
There are many theories onhow Jesus couldhave appearedto rise from the
deadwithout actuallydoing so. Manyofwhichwould make greatqualities of
an escape artist!Maybe Jesus conspiredwithHis disciples aheadoftime to find
someone thatlookedlike Him so that He couldfake the whole thing! It was
definitely Jesus thatwas beaten, tortured, andcrucified, but maybe the person
they found lookedenoughlike Him to make it seemlike He rose fromthe dead!
Maybe some commonJews ranging fromfisherman and tax collectors who
could barelyuse a sword(Petertriedto kill a guy and completely missed, only
hitting his ear) were able to overpowertrainedRomankilling machines to steal
Jesus’deceasedbody.
Maybe Jesus didn’t actually die onthe cross andHe just fainted as the swoon
theory suggests. The Romans thatwere experts inkilling people somehow just
made a mistake andthought Jesus wasdeadafterthe stabbed Him with a spear
and his blood and plasma were alreadyseparating due to his lack ofheart
function. Then whenHe woke up in a dark tomb with little to no bloodleft in
His body, He was able to walk onankles thathad beenpierced, rollawaya
gigantic flatstone with hands that were dangling because ofthe mutilation
causedto His wrists due to giant nails being driven through them and having to
tug on those nails just to catcha breath so that He wouldn’t suffocate. Thenin
this brokenstate, He beatup the guards Himself and they were so embarrassed
that they pretended none ofit happened. And ofcourse, Jesus hadto cleanand
healHimself up to look normalagainafterbeing beatenand tortured so badly
that it was describedthatHe was barelyrecognizable inthat state.
All of these skills wouldbe greatforbeating escape rooms! Jesus, however, is
more than great. He escapedsomething muchmore remarkable than just what
was describedabove. He notonly escapedbut defeateddeathand Hades (and
with a recordofroughly 36 hours stretchedacrossa 3 dayperiod). Atthis
point in History, no one had everbeen resurrectedfrom the dead by their own
power. Sure, some people were broughtback, butthey didn’t do it on their
own. What’s greataboutthis is that Jesus didn’t just escape andgo into hiding!
He revealedHimself multiple times to thousands of people overthe next 40
days.

Lastly, this greatescape wasamazing becauseJesus didallof the work, butso
many others escapedwithHim. Notonly did Jesus bring those resting with
father Abraham in Sheolto paradise with Him, but He also offeredanescape
from death, hell, and sin for anyone willing to follow Him.
Postlude
This Easterseason, lookbeyondthe bunny and the eggs. Considerfinding a
church to go to to learnmore aboutthe greatestescapeartist: Jesus! Ifyou’re
not “spiritual” or “religious” andevenif you land in the atheistcategory, there
is still plenty to learn from these examples! Inthe escape roomoflife, put Jesus
in your squad!
Written by Brandon Minter who is often overly cheesywhenit comes to this
sortof stuff!
By BrandonMinter
About Author
Brandon Minter
Rev. BrandonMinter is first and foremosta servant ofthe Lord Jesus Christ.
Brandon and his beautiful wife Ashley have beenmarried since 2015andlove
to share exciting experiences withothers. Brandonwrites aboutescape rooms,
movies, video games, tvshows, churchexperiences, theology, andpersonal
experiences.
Jesus the Escape Artist

Daily Reflection/ Producedby The High Calling
“Wellthen,” he said, “give to Caesarwhatbelongs to Caesar, and give to God
what belongs to God.”
Luke 20:25
Ever since I was young, I have been fascinatedby escape artists. My
fascinationbegan, I think, when I saw the movie Houdini starring Tony
Curtis. Soonafterwards, I read a juvenile biography of Houdini, who was
perhaps the greatestescapeartistof all time. He could get out of just about
anything: handcuffs, straitjackets, chains, jails, water-torture cells...youname
it.
In Luke 20:20-26, Jesus showshimself to be an escape artistof a different
kind. The Jewishleaders were seeking a way to getJesus in trouble with the
Roman officials, so they deviseda clever plan. Severalof their agents asked
Jesus, “Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesaror not?” (20:22). If Jesus said,
“Yes, it’s right,” then his popularity with the people would plummet, because
they hated paying taxes to Rome. If, however, he said, “No, it’s not right to
pay taxes to Caesar,”then Jesus wouldbe arrestedas an insurrectionist and
severelypunished. Either way, Jesus would no longer be a problem for his
opponents. They had laid the perfecttrap.
Or so it seemed. But they failed to accountfor Jesus’escape-artistskills.
When askedwhether it was right to pay taxes to Caesarornot, Jesus
instructed his questioners to show him one of their Roman coins, asking,
“Whose picture and title are stamped on it?” (20:24). They replied correctly
that Caesar’sface adornedthe coin. Then, Jesus said, “Wellthen,...give to
Caesarwhatbelongs to Caesar, andgive to God what belongs to God” (20:25).

This answershockedhis interlocutors, who were amazed by what Jesus had
said.
How did Jesus escape fromthe trap that had been setfor him? Forone thing,
he did not answerthe question in the way it had been posedto him. Rather, he
reframed the issue in a way that both clarified and confounded. He suggested
that it was possible to do what Caesardemanded (pay taxes)and to be loyal to
God. It was as if he was saying, “If you’re going to use Caesar’s money, then
give back to him the portion he demands. Yet your highest duty is to give to
God what belongs to him, and you can do this even as you pay taxes to
Caesar.”
In tomorrow’s reflection, I will considerfurther what it means to live
faithfully in a world dominated by “Caesar.”Fornow, I would encourage you
to think about what it means for you to “give to God what belongs to God.”
QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION:What does it mean for you to
give to God what belongs to God? What in your life belongs to God? How can
you give it to him? What difference would it make today if you were to give to
God all that belongs to him in your life?
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I must sayI’m impressed by your escape artistryhere.
Yet you didn’t just getout of a tight jam. You also helped us to see our lives in
a challenging new way.
Like most people, I don’t like paying taxes. Yet, I am reminded today that I
must strive to pay what I owe, to obey the laws of my country, and to do so in
obedience to you.

Yet, there is a sense in which everything in my life belongs fully and finally to
you, even the money in my pocketthat bears the name of my country. This
can be confusing, Lord. Help me to understand how to rightly live as a citizen
of earth, while at the same time living as a citizen of heaven. After all, you are
my King, the King of kings and Lord of lords. Amen.
https://www.theologyofwork.org/the-high-calling/daily-reflection/jesus-
escape-artist
Anthony Martin (escape artist)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Anthony Martin is a professionalescape artist, locksmithand Christian
Evangelistmost knownfor his daredevil skydiving and underwater escapeson
network television.[1]
Early Anthony[edit]
Todd Anthony Martin is of German Russiandescentand was born March 4,
1966 in Sheboygan, WisconsinU.S.A. His greatgrandfather fled Russia just
prior to the RussianRevolution. He is the first of two children born to David
and Georgene Martin. Born to a working-classfamily in a Midwesterntown,
Anthony began his careerwithout the advantages offinancial backing or
theatricalconnections. His early beginnings and news clippings indicate an
unusually early effort to document and substantiate his escapeswhichhas
since become the cornerstone of his career. His first police substantiated
escape was atthe age of 12 while still in elementary school.[2]He currently
offers a reward to anyone who can prove he resorts to the use of any fake
locks orhandcuffs.[3]

Philosophy/Credentials[edit]
Martin adheres to a purest philosophy in regards to his work and rejects the
use of trick or altered locks to achieve his escapes.[4]This philosophy resulted
in his exposing on his ABC Network TelevisionSpecialsome ofthe tricks used
by magicians to perform their escapes.[5]
Martin is a member of severallocksmithing organizations and is a bonded
locksmith.[6]He has actedas securityconsultant for both FolgerAdam
(detention equipment) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security.[7] The
escape artistis also responsible for having written severaltechnicalarticles
for a leading locksmith publication.[8] As time allows he services and opens
antique safes whennot performing.[9]
Schoolof Hard Locks[edit]
The escape artists mostnotable jail escapesinclude over a dozen documented
challenges ofall steelcell blocks. He has escapedfrom cells that have held
such infamous crime figures as Baby Face Nelsonand Edward Gein of
"Psycho" fame.[10]The Gein jail escape presentedhim with the task of
circumventing 6 sets of handcuffs and 6 prison doors to reachfreedom.[11]
His subsequent appearancesin Ripley's Believe It Or Not have been
translated into 17 languages worldwide.[12]
Escape orDie[edit]
Anthony's most dangerous stunts include a successfulescape from a locked
box thrown out of an airplane at 15,000feet. The aerial box escape required
the escapistto free himself from a falling coffin, skydive awayfrom it and
open his parachute before impacting the ground. He freed himself at 6500 feet
to accomplishthe harrowing ordeal.[13]
The frigid winters of Wisconsinhelped to provide another unique test for the
daredevil when he was lockedin a steelcage loweredbeneaththe ice of a
waterfilled quarry. Chainsaws hadto be used to cut a hole in the ice to create
an entrance point for the steelcage. Lockswere removedfrom their original
factory packaging to secure the cage. One minute and forty five seconds later
Anthony emergedfrom his would be waterygrave.[14]

For the DiscoveryChannel he leaped shackledoverthe Snake River Canyon
and parachuted to safetyon the north rim. Untested since Evel Knievels stunt,
the Snake RiverCanyon presented Anthony with unusual wind and
turbulence concerns. He had to free his hands in freefall in order to deploy his
parachute. The handcuffs used in the attempt were purchased by the Jerome
County Commissioners Office, verified by a locksmith and securedin a vault
prior to the attempt.[15]
For the ABC TelevisionSpecial"Secretsofthe Worlds GreatestEscape
Artist" he was buried alive at the Las Vegas Hilton and escapedfrom beneath
2000 pounds of desertsand. The restraints used in all these escapeswere
verified by certified bonded locksmiths.[16]
Besides having his own network specialhe has appearedon: GoodMorning
America, A Current Affair, Dick Clark Presents, The Late Show and many
others. His televisionappearances have beenaired in over 40 countries. His
first televisionappearance was atthe age of 13.[17]
On August 6, 2013, Martinwas handcuffed, chained and lockedinside a
plywood box (coffin) that was releasedout of an airplane at 14,500feet. The
successfulevent occurredover Serena in northern Illinois.[18]
Ambassadorin Chains[edit]
In recent years he has been using his talents to evangelize and promote his
Christian beliefs. AmbassadorIn Chains ministries was launched in 1998 as a
ministry tool for localchurches. Anthony uses his escapesas a metaphor for
escaping eternaldeath through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.[19]
Martin is the author of the book "EscapeorDie an escape artistunlocks the
secretto cheating death" which was releasedin 2013.[
The GreatEscape!(A sermon based on Acts 5:12, 17-32)

What a jail break took place that night! The Apostles of Jesus flew the coop
and the guards weren't even aware until morning when they found their cell
still locked, but the disciples gone! We've experienceda jail break of our own.
We've escapedfrom sin, death, and hell! But neither of these escapescame
about because ofsome greatplan the apostles or we came up with. No. God set
them free by a miracle of his grace. That's how God setus free too. And he did
it by his own greatescape -- his escape from the tomb! Reador listen to
(download) this sermonbased on Acts 5:12, 17-32 (orwatch the whole service
at www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Webcast)and rejoice in Gods'Great
Escape wonfor you!
Rise and Go Free
The GreatEscape!
A sermon basedon Acts 5:12, 17-32
Sunday, April 3, 2016 – Easter2C
In 1943 members of the Royal Air Force were captured by the Nazis and put
into a high security prison camp. Becausethese allied soldiers had escaped
before, this time, the Germans put them in an unescapable prison.
But the prisoners refusedto believe that it really was unescapable. So overthe
course of the next year the men dug three tunnels (three so that if one was
discoveredthe Germans would assume they cut off their only escape and
would leave the other two undetected). The prisoners affectionatelycalled
their tunnels, Tom, Dick, and Harry.
And finally, in the spring of 1944, wearing civilian clothes and carrying forged
papers to cross any borders, sixty-six prisoners crawledthrough Harry to
their freedom. Six years later, Paul Brickhill, one of those escapedprisoners
wrote a book about his experience, which 13 years later was turned into a
movie by the same name: The GreatEscape.

This morning we hear about another greatescape.The Apostles of Jesus
pulled off an even more spectacularprison break! They broke out of a locked
and guarded jail cell without their guards even being aware of the escape and
finding the cell doors lockedagainbehind them! They didn't tunnel out or
even devise an escape plan, but an angelof the Lord miraculously freed them
and told them to go stand in the temple courts and teachthe people!
Of course those who imprisoned the apostles were baffledat how they
escaped. Muchlike they were baffled at how Jesus had carried out his great
escape from tomb! They tried to silence the escapeartists, but couldn't. They
wouldn't stop talking about Jesus.
You and I have had our own greatescape. We were once prisoners to sin, to
death, to hell. But we've escaped!Of course, like it was for the disciples, that
wasn't because we couldcome up with any escape plan, but because ofwhat
God pulled off for us. By Jesus blood, by his death, and by his resurrection—
by his escape from the grave—we escape sin!We escape hell!And one day we
will even escape the grave!And we can't keepthat messageto ourselves!It's
just too exciting! We have to share it!
This morning we hear of three greatescapes:one of the disciples from their
prison cell, one of all people from sin, death, and hell. And both were made
possible by Jesus'escape fromhis tomb. All three are describedfor us in Acts
5:12, 17-32…
12 The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the
people. And all the believers used to meet togetherin Solomon's Colonnade…
17 Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party
of the Sadducees,were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrestedthe apostles and
put them in the public jail. 19 But during the night an angelof the Lord
opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. 20 "Go, standin the temple
courts," he said, "and tell the people the full message ofthis new life."

21 At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and
beganto teachthe people.
When the high priest and his associatesarrived, they called togetherthe
Sanhedrin—the full assemblyof the elders of Israel—andsent to the jail for
the apostles. 22 Buton arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there.
So they went back and reported, 23 "We found the jail securelylocked, with
the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one
inside." 24 On hearing this report, the captainof the temple guard and the
chief priests were puzzled, wondering what would come of this.
25 Then someone came and said, "Look!The men you put in jail are standing
in the temple courts teaching the people." 26 At that, the captain went with
his officers and brought the apostles. Theydid not use force, because they
fearedthat the people would stone them.
27 Having brought the apostles, theymade them appearbefore the Sanhedrin
to be questionedby the high priest. 28 "We gave you strict orders not to teach
in this name," he said. "Yet you have filled Jerusalemwith your teaching and
are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood."
29 Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men!
30 The God of our fathers raisedJesus from the dead—whomyou had killed
by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him to his ownright hand as Prince
and Saviorthat he might give repentance and forgiveness ofsins to Israel. 32
We are witnesses ofthese things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has
given to those who obey him."
What brought about such hostility towardthe apostles from the leaders of
Jerusalem. Our text seems to indicated that they were jealous ofthe disciples'
ability to do miracles, connecting verse 12 to verse 17. But the Greek word
translated jealousyis zaylos, the word from which we getthe English,
"zealous." Ipersonally don't think it was petty jealousy("People will like
Jesus'disciples more than they like us."). I think they were genuinely zealous

to stop anyone from blaspheming God by suggesting thathe was the homeless
bum named Jesus.
They wanted to stop this "Christian heresy" from spreading, from robbing
people of their Jewishfaith, from taking them awayfrom the true God. And
to stop the message, theyhad to stop the messengers. Theytried to command
them to stop and "gave [them] strict orders not to teach in this name."
But these apostles, as they calledthemselves, refused. They continued to meet
togetherin public places, right next to the temple itself! Well, one sure way to
shut them up was to lock them up. And we see their considerable powerand
authority that they can and did.
How bleak it must have seemedfor those apostles as they spent the night in
that cold, dark cell. Here they were, only trying to do what Jesus had told
them to and now they were facing such opposition they were lockedup. How
would they spread the messagenow?
Well, we know what it's like. Okay, maybe we don't know what it's like to be
jailed or imprisoned for talking about Jesus… atleast, not yet. The day may
come soonerthan we think. But still, we do know what it's like to face
persecutionfor what we believe. We know what it's like to be teasedfor being
"holier than thou." We know what's like to have others shun us because of
our faith.
And, in a sense, we know whatit's like be imprisoned too—shackledto our
guilt, lockedin to our sinful habits and patterns, cagedby our selfishnature,
so the goodwe want to do we don't do and the evil we don't want to do, well,
that's what we find ourselves doing again and again.
We know what it's like to be stuck in sin. We know what it's like to be too
timid to speak up about Jesus outof fearof persecution. We know what it's
like fail to put our trust in God and to look only to our own resourcesand
strength for deliverance.

And so we too are "guilty of this man's blood." We are responsible for Jesus'
death. He died because of our sin. And we were in a bleak situation, lockedup
with no way out, deserving of eternal prison in hell that makes any Nazi
prison camp seemlike a vacationcruise. And no matter how wellorganized
we were, no matter what schemes we devised, that prison really was
unescapable. We could never break out…
Though the apostles couldnever devise a plan to break out of their jail cells,
they didn't need to. They didn't spend that long in prison before their
jailbreak! And what a mystery facedthe leaders in the morning. How in the
world did these Houdinis do it?! How did they escape andleave the doors
lockedbehind them with the guards still there, yet oblivious to their
disappearance? How did they sneak out?
Of course, we know the answer. Luke tells us how the apostles flew the coop:
the angelof the Lord miraculously broke them out! What a greatescape!And
no wonder the Sadducees,who denied the existence of heavenor hell, of angels
or demons, of anything supernatural really… no wonder they were left
puzzled. No wonder the guards and the chief priests were puzzled at the
report of this jailbreak!
It must have been almost as puzzling as that other greatescape:Where in the
world did the body of Jesus go? How could the disciples have hidden it?
Where did they take it? How did they pull it all off?
But it's no mystery to us. We know that Jesus came back to life after his death
on the cross. We know he sends his angels to guard and protectus. And we
know how he sprung us free from the prison of hell.
Jesus broke us out by his blood. By being killed, by hanging on a tree, by his
blood, Jesus paid for our sins. By his exaltation, by his resurrection, by his
jailbreak from the tomb, we have the proof! We know that our Prince and
Savior has given us repentance (that is, a change of mind about our sin and
need for deliverance)and he has given us forgiveness ofsins (for every sin –

for being too scaredto speak about our Savior, for our failure to put our trust
in him, for trying to work out our own escape, forevery one of our sins!)
Our "Savior" has done just that; he savedus. He has set us free! The Greek
word that's translated "forgiveness"in verse 31 is aphesis, whichliterally
means deliverance, liberty, or release fromimprisonment. Talk about a great
escape!This is the greatestescapeever!We are free from sin, free from guilt,
free from despair, free from having to work out our own escape plan! We're
free from satan's grasp, free from hell, free from death itself—forwe will live
againeven after we die!
Jesus came to "to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and… to release the
oppressed." And that's exactlywhat Jesus did. He saidin John 8:36, "If the
Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." And we are free indeed—free from
sin, death, and hell, but also free to serve God in thanks…
How frustrated the Jewishleaders must have been. Even after being
imprisoned, even will all their threats, those pesky apostles justwouldn't shut
up. "We must obey God rather than men!" they declaredand just went right
on teaching right in the temple courts, even preaching to the Sanhedrin!
What courage these persecutedmen had! They came to trial when they were
summoned and didn't disobey the very government that had them unjustly
arrestedwhen their command was in no way in conflict with God's Word. But
when they were commanded to keepquiet, that command was in direct
conflict with Jesus'command to go into all the world and preach the Good
New!It was in direct conflictwith God's command through his angelto "Go,
stand in the temple courts," he said, "and tell the people the full messageof
this new life." So that's exactly what they did! With no concernover the
consequencestheyboldly defied the command of their superiors.
How different these men were from before! Before they were hiding behind
lockeddoors. Now they were in the temple courts. Before they were scaredfor
their lives. Now they openly defy those who had the authority to lock them up
and throw awaythe key! What made the difference? Easter. ByJesus

resurrectionthe Holy Spirit set them free from their sin, from fear of death or
torture or pain. It made them bold to live for him, come what may, so they
boldly preached and taught and filled Jerusalemwith their teaching.
And friends, Easterdoes the same for us! We have been set free from sin and
death and hell and guilt and shame. We have been set free from fear of
persecution, of death, of torture and pain. We too have seen—throughthe
eyes of faith—the greatescape thatJesus made from the tomb! We've seenthe
greatescape that Jesus wonfor us!
And God has given his Holy Spirit to us too, who makes us bold to say, "We
must obey God rather than men!" and to preach and teach the truth of God's
Word, come what may. We may face persecutionfor it. We may be
commanded to shut up. But what can they do? Lock us up? Take our lives?
We'll escape!—Evenfrom death! We'll escape helland go to be with Jesus!So
bring it on!
With an even greatercouragethan those brave soldiers in that Nazi prison
camp, we will boldly share the message ofGod's greatescape forJesus from
death! We'll boldly share the messageofGod's greatescape forus from sin
and from death! We'll bold go and fill the Kenai Peninsula and the internet
with this teaching that others too may enjoy God's greatescape!In Jesus'
name, dear friends, amen!
In Him,
PastorRobGuenther
What does John 10:39 mean? [⇑ See verse text ⇑]
This statementis both amazing and frustrating. According to prior verses,
Jesus was walking in a specific part of the temple, the colonnade ofSolomon.

This was a porch-like structure, on the easternside of the temple grounds,
consisting of a roof supported by columns. One side of this walkwaywas open
to the temple area. The other was blockedby a solid wall in some places, or
ended in a steepdrop in others. This means that Jesus was in an area from
which there was no "escape"if cornered. According to the prior verses, the
hostile crowdpressedin on Jesus, using a Greek wordrelated to the siege ofa
city (John 10:22–24). Theyapparently came looking for blood, since they lift
stones to throw (John 10:31). Since they are standing in an area where there
would have been no stones to pick up, they brought the stones with them.
Jesus partly diffuses the mob by turning their own approach to Scripture
againstthem. He shows that His words need to be judged according to His
actions. And, that His actions—His miracles—clearlyprove He is divinely
empowered(John 10:34–38). All the same, the men try again to seize Jesus.
Despite being surrounded by men with murder on their mind, and in an area
with no outlet, this verse simply says Jesus "escapedfrom their hands." This
is not the first time such attempts have failed (John 5:13; 7:30; 8:20; 8:59).
This is, however, the first time when the situation strongly suggestsa
supernatural element to the escape. Whetherthis was, in fact, a miracle, or
there was some other interruption, John choosesnot to say. For whatever
reason, that information must not have servedhis purposes in writing this
gospel. As other verses indicate, we can know "why" Jesus escaped:it wasn't
yet the time God appointed for His death. We can't know "how," simply
because we're not told.
Context Summary
John 10:22–42 happens a few months after the controversydescribedin
chapter 9 through the first half of chapter 10. Here, Jesus is cornered, in an
overt threat, by the same religious leaders He has been castigating for years.
He echoes the metaphors of sheepand shepherd He employed after giving
sight to a blind man. Jesus points out that His teachings and miracles are all

consistentwith predictions of the Messiah, but these men refuse to accept
Him. This culminates in another attempt on Jesus'life, which He somehow
avoids. This represents the last time Jesus will publicly teachprior to His
crucifixion.
https://www.bibleref.com/John/10/John-10-39.html
John 8:59 59At this, they picked up stones to stone
him, but Jesus hid himself, slippingaway from the
temple grounds.
STUDYLIGHTRESOURCES
Adam Clarke Commentary
Then took they up stones, etc. - It appears that the Jews understoodhim as
asserting his Godhead;and, supposing him to be a blasphemer, they
proceededto stone him, according to the law. Leviticus 24:16.
But Jesus hid himself - In all probability he rendered himself invisible -
though some will have it that he conveyedhimself awayfrom those Jews who
were his enemies, by mixing himself with the many who believed on him, (
John 8:30, John 8:31;), and who, we may suppose, favored his escape. Pearce.

But where did they find the stones, Christ and they being in the temple? It is
answered:
1st. It is probable, as the buildings of the temple had not been yet completed,
there might have been many stones nearthe place;or,
2dly. They might have gone out so the outer courts for them; and, before their
return, our Lord had escaped. SeeLightfootand Calmet.
Going through the midst of them, and so passedby - These words are wanting
in the CodexBezae, and in severaleditions and versions. Erasmus, Grotius,
Beza, Pearce,and Griesbach, think them not genuine. The latter has left them
out of the test. But, notwithstanding what these critics have said, the words
seemnecessaryto explain the manner of our Lord's escape.
1st. He hid himself, by becoming invisible; and then,
2dly. He passedthrough the midst of them, and thus got clearawayfrom the
place.
See a similar escape mentioned, Luke 4:30, and the note there.
The subjects of this chapter are both uncommon and of vast importance.
The case ofthe woman taken in adultery, when properly and candidly
considered, is both intelligible and edifying. It is likely that the accusationwas
well founded; and that the scribes and Phariseesendeavoredmaliciouslyto
serve themselves of the fact, to embroil our Lord with the civil power, or ruin
his moral reputation. Our Lord was no magistrate, and therefore could not,
with any propriety, give judgment in the case;had he done it, it must have
been consideredan invasion of the rights and office of the civil magistrate,
and would have afforded them ground for a process againsthim. On the other
hand, had he acquitted the woman, he might have been considered, not only
as setting aside the law of Moses, but as being indulgent to a crime of great

moral turpitude, and the report of this must have ruined his moral character.
He disappointed this malice by refusing to enter into the case;and
overwhelmed his adversaries with confusion, by unmasking their hearts, and
pointing out their private abominations. It is generallysupposed that our
Lord acquitted the woman: this is incorrect;he neither acquitted nor
condemned her: he did not enter at all juridically into the business. His
saying, Neither do I condemn thee, was no more than a simple declaration
that he would not concernhimself with the matter - that being the office of the
chief magistrate;but, as a preacherof righteousness, he exhorted her to
abandon her evil practices, lestthe punishment, which she was now likely to
escape, shouldbe inflicted on her for a repetition of her transgression.
In severalplaces in this chapter, our Lord shows his intimate union with the
Father, both in will, doctrine, and deed; and though he never speaks so as to
confound the persons, yet he evidently shows that such was the indivisible
unity, subsisting betweenthe Father and the Son, that what the one witnessed,
the other witnessed;what the one did, the other did; and that he who saw the
one necessarilysaw the other.
The original state of Satanis here pointed out - he abode not in the truth,
John 8:44. Therefore he was once in the truth, in righteousness and true
holiness - and he fell from that truth into sin and falsehood, so that he became
the father of lies and the first murderer. Our Lord confirms here the Mosaic
accountof the fall of man, and shows that this fall was brought about by his
lies, and that these lies issuedin the murder or destruction both of the body
and soul of man.
The patience and meeknessexercisedby our Lord, towards his most fell and
unrelenting enemies, are worthy the especialregardof all those who are
persecutedfor righteousness. -When he was reviled, he reviled not again. As
the searcherofhearts, he simply declaredtheir state, John 8:44, in order to
their conviction and conversion:not to have done so, would have been to
betray their souls. In this part of his conduct we find two grand virtues united,
which are rarely associatedin man, Meekness andFidelity - patience to bear
all insults and personalinjuries; and boldness, is the face of persecutionand
death, to declare the truth. The meek man generally leaves the sinner

unreproved: the bold and zealous man often betrays a want of due self-
management, and reproves sin in a spirit which prevents the reproof from
reaching the heart. In this respectalso, our blessedLord has left us an
example, that we should follow his steps. Let him that readethunderstand.
Then took they up stones - It seems they understood him as blaspheming, and
proceeded, evenwithout a form of trial, to stone him as such, because this was
the punishment prescribedin the law for blasphemy, Leviticus 24:16. See
John 10:31. The fact that the Jews understoodhim in this sense is strong proof
that his words naturally conveyedthe idea that he was divine. This was in the
temple. Herod the Great had not yet completedits repairs, and Dr. Lightfoot
has remarkedthat stones would be lying around the temple in repairing it,
which the people could easilyuse in their indignation.
Jesus hid himself - See Luke 4:30. That is, he either by a miracle rendered
himself invisible, or he so mixed with the multitude that he was concealed
from them and escaped. Whichis the meaning cannot be determined.
The Biblical Illustrator
John 8:59
Then took they up stones to castat Him.
Stones of the visible Temple castat the cornerstone of the Temple of God. (W.
H. Van Doren, D. D.)
The Jews and Jesus
Followethnow the issue of this long dispute, and particularly of this last
contest. Theylook upon Him as so absurd in what He had just spokenthat
they will reasonno more, but seek to cut Him off as a blasphemer; and He

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