How did the nation’s leaders
investigate His claims?
As Jesus expected, the news of the
healing of the leper early in His ministry spread very quickly. The
healing of leprosy was a de-facto Messianic claim. Jesus, wishing to bring His claim to the
attention of the Sanhedrin sent the healed man to the priests to follow the
prescribed procedure. In the administration
of the law of the leper, the priest would require answers to three questions.
(1) Had he really been a leper? The priest would need either a testimony, or
a priestly record, or better still, both.
(2) Is he now clean? The priests would examine him over a period
of seven days to confirm that there was no trace of the disease.
(3) What was the agency of his
cleansing? Was it the result of an intervention by someone?
The leper of Luke 5 would have the
following answers. To the first question – Yes, he had been a leper, indeed a
very severe case, as many would testify.
As to the second question, after the seven-day period of examination the
priest would confirm his healing. Third and last, the leper would confirm that the
Messianic claimant, Jesus of Nazareth did it!
The healing of the leper required the
Sanhedrists to act. Investigating a
Messianic claim involved three stages:
(i) The stage of observation. This
first stage required a delegation from the Sanhedrin to visit and observe the
ministry of the Messianic claimant, and then return to Jerusalem and report to the authorities. During this stage, the Sanhedrists were not allowed
to cross-examine the claimant; only come to an opinion as to the significance
of the Messianic movement. If the movement was significant, they moved to the
stage of interrogation. If the movement was considered insignificant then the
Sanhedrin would take no further action.
(ii) The stage of interrogation. If the movement was
considered significant, the representatives of the Sanhedrin could question the
claimant, check his beliefs, raise objections and receive answers to any
concerns they had.
(iii) The stage of decision/declaration.
At this stage the Sanhedrin were required to declare whether they upheld
or dismissed the Messianic claims of the individual, and give reasons for their
decision.
Investigating a
Messianic Claim – Stage 1: The Stage of Observation
The healing of the leper caused such interest
that in addition to the delegation coming from Jerusalem
for the stage of observation, “there were Pharisees and teachers of the law
sitting by, which had come out of every town of Galilee,
Judea, and Jerusalem.”[1]
These were in the house where He was - observing, taking note. Five friends, driven by need, came to this
house, four of them carrying a fifth that lay on a pallet. Trusting that the young Rabbi, who helped the
disadvantaged, could help them, they tried to get admittance to the house, but
the crowd was too thick. So climbing to
the roof, they made a rough entrance and gently dropped their friend at the
feet of the Messiah in silent appeal for His help. Jesus, aware of the delegation from the
Sanhedrin and the procedure involved in the stage of observation, took the
opportunity presented by the presence of the paralytic to demonstrate His
Messianic credentials.
The condition of the paralytic was the result of
personal sin, which brought into focus the rabbinical teaching, “the sick is
not healed, till all his sins are forgiven him”.[2] The 28th chapter of Deuteronomy[3] lists
diseases of body and mind that could cling to those that obdurately refuse to
honour the Law. From these passages
arose the practice of giving up such offenders to a ‘cherem’ or curse, that is,
giving them up to Satan. An offender who
resisted correction and exhausted all remedy contained in the Law would become “a
curse among his people”.[4]
The Messiah remarked on such a one, “… ought not this woman, being a daughter
of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for
eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?”[5] The paralytic brought to Jesus was one who
had been an obdurate sinner whom Satan had bound!
So Jesus first says, “Son, be of good cheer; your
sins are forgiven you.”[6] Because it was the stage of observation, the delegation
could not question the Messiah but they were making mental notes of objections
that would later be raised, so it is recorded, “And some of the scribes were
sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who
can forgive sins but God alone?”[7] Their theology, of course, was correct, and confirmed
by three of the greatest writers of the T’nach. Daniel said, “To the Lord our
God belong mercy and
forgiveness”.[8] Moses
quoted God’s self-revelation: “The Lord,
the Lord God, merciful and
gracious, longsuffering and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for
thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin”.[9] And
David couples the healing of the body with the forgiveness of sins: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His
benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases”.[10] God
had never delegated the authority to forgive sins to any other, a truth that
was surely included in the statement, “my glory I will not give to another”.[11] Although the complaint of the scribes was unspoken,
yet the Messiah knew and responded to it: “But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, Why do you think evil in your hearts?
For which is easier, to say, Your
sins are forgiven you, or to say, Arise and walk? But that you may know that
the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins —then He said to the
paralytic, Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house. And he (the
paralytic) arose and departed to his house.”[12]
Therefore, this miracle was not only an attesting sign of Messiahship but also
implied deity. Of course, there was an
immediate effect on the crowd, who marvelled and glorified God. Thus, the great prerogative of deity, the ability
to forgive sin - was declared, questioned, validated and recognised, at least
by some. The Messiah had further
supported His Messianic claim and sent the delegation back to Jerusalem to report a significant Messianic
movement. The attesting signs were enough to indicate that the movement deserved
further investigation. But the issue
that would cause the most difficulty for the Jewish leaders was already visible
at this early stage – Jesus’ claim to deity!
As to His work, He was offering Himself to the nation as the Messiah of
God; but as to His person, they would have to appreciate that the Son of God
was among them.
On
the basis of attesting signs, the Sanhedrin decided to proceed to the stage of
interrogation.
[1] Luke
5.17
[2] Nedar
41a
[3]
vv.21,22,27,28,35,59-61
[4] Numb.5.27
[5] Luke 13.16
[6] Matt.9.2
[7] Mark 2.6,7
[8] Dan.9.9
[9] Exod.34.6,7
[10]
Ps.103.2,3
[11] Isaiah
42.8
[12]
Matt.9.4-7
