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The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah Vol 1 - Predestination

The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah Vol 1 - Predestination

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And so, underst<strong>and</strong>ing from what He afterwards<br />

said to * <strong>the</strong> Jews' _ '. what He thought <strong>and</strong> felt in<br />

going thi<strong>the</strong>r, we are better prepared to «. si<br />

follow <strong>the</strong> Christ to Be<strong>the</strong>sda. Two pictures must<br />

have been here simultaneously present to His<br />

mind. On <strong>the</strong> one side, a multitude whose<br />

sufferings <strong>and</strong> false expectancies rose, like <strong>the</strong><br />

wail <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> starving for bread; <strong>and</strong>, on <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r<br />

side, <strong>the</strong> neighbouring Temple, with its priesthood<br />

<strong>and</strong> teachers, who, in <strong>the</strong>ir self-seeking <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

trifling <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir reUgious extemalism, nei<strong>the</strong>r<br />

understood, heard, nor would have cared for such<br />

a ovy. K <strong>the</strong>re was an Israel, Prince with God, <strong>and</strong><br />

if <strong>the</strong>re was a God <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Covenant, this must not,<br />

cannot be; <strong>and</strong> Christ goes to Be<strong>the</strong>sda as Israera<br />

<strong>Messiah</strong>, <strong>the</strong> Truth, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Life</strong>. <strong>The</strong>re was<br />

tw<strong>of</strong>old suffering <strong>the</strong>re, <strong>and</strong> it were difficult to<br />

know which would have stirred Him most: that <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> body, or <strong>the</strong> mistaken earnestness which so<br />

trustfully looked for Heaven's relief—^ yet within<br />

such narrow limits as <strong>the</strong> accident or good fortune<br />

<strong>of</strong> being first pushed into <strong>the</strong> Angel-troubled<br />

waters. But this was also a true picture <strong>of</strong> His

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