53~More About “True Colors”

Click here for dates these ancient writings were written

BACKGROUND FOR THIS EPISODE

(In Order of Appearance)

NEW TESTAMENT OF THE BIBLE:

Matthew 16:13, 21 – When Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi, he began to ask his followers, “Who do people say I^b am?”…¹³When Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi, he began to ask his followers, “Who do people say I^b am?”
Matthew 17:24 – They came to the town of Capernaum. The temple^b tax collectors came to Peter and said, “Your teacher pays the temple tax, doesn’t he?”
John 5:1, 8-9, 18 – Later, there was another Jewish festival. Jesus went up to Jerusalem…⁸Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your small bed and walk!” ⁹Instantly, the man got well. He picked up his bed and began walking around. (This happened on a sabbath day.)…¹⁸Because of this, the Jewish leaders were trying even harder to kill Jesus. They thought that Jesus was not only breaking the rules about the sabbath day, but he was also claiming that God was his own Father, thus putting himself on the same level with God.
John 7:12-13 – Many people in the crowd were arguing about Jesus. Some were saying, “He is a good man.” Others were saying, “No, he fools the people!” ¹³But no one was talking about Jesus openly because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders.
There were two Caesareas. One was built up by King Herod the Great and was located on the Mediterranean coast. The other was built by Herod’s son, Philip, around a temple to Augustus Caesar that Herod the Great had built there. Caesarea Philippi was in Philip’s territory.
Hebrews 10:3-4,12 – Instead, every year, when the sacrifices were made, the people remembered their sins. ⁴Goat’s blood or bull’s blood could never take away sin…¹²But after Jesus Christ offered just one sacrifice for sin forever, he sat down at God’s right hand.
Professor Benjamin Mazar, late Hebrew University president, excavated part of the Temple mount and discovered the ancient broad stairway (approximately 40 feet wide and 20 feet high) which Jesus and others used when entering and exiting the Temple court.
John 7:14-32 – The festival was already half over when Jesus came up to Jerusalem to the temple. Jesus began to teach the people. ¹⁵The Jewish leaders were amazed. They asked, “How did this man learn so much? He never went to our school!” ¹⁶Then Jesus said to them, “What I am teaching does not belong to me; it comes from the One who sent me. ¹⁷If anyone wants to do what God wants, that person will find out whether my teaching comes from God or if I am speaking on my own. ¹⁸The person who speaks on his own is trying to get glory for himself, but the person who wants the glory to go to the One who sent him is honest. There is nothing wrong with him. ¹⁹Moses gave you the law, but not one of you is obeying the law! Why are you trying to kill me?” ²⁰The crowd answered, “You are crazy! Who is trying to kill you?” ²¹Jesus answered them, “I did one miracle on the sabbath day and all of you are amazed. ²²Yet you will circumcise^b a child on the sabbath day. Moses gave you circumcision! Actually, circumcision did not come from Moses, but from our ancestors. ²³Since a child can receive circumcision on the sabbath day, so that the law of Moses won’t be broken, why are you so angry with me? I made a man completely well on the sabbath day. ²⁴Don’t judge by the way things look! Judge fairly.” ²⁵Some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “This is the man whom the Jewish leaders are trying to kill. ²⁶And look, he speaks in the open and they are saying nothing to him about it! Is it possible that the leaders know he is the Messiah? ²⁷But we know where this man comes from. When the Messiah comes, no one will know where he comes from!” ²⁸While Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courtyard, Jesus cried out, “Do you know me? Do you know where I come from? I have not come on my own. However, the One who sent me is true. You don’t know Him! ²⁹But I know Him, because I was with Him. He sent me!” ³⁰Then they tried to arrest Jesus. But no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come. ³¹Many people in the crowd believed in Jesus. They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he do more miracles than this man has done?”
John 11:43-46 – After Jesus said this, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus! Come out!” ⁴⁴The dead man came out. Lazarus’ hands and feet were bound with pieces of cloth. His face was wrapped with a handkerchief. Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.”⁴⁵Many Jews had come to visit Mary. They saw the things which Jesus did. They believed in him. ⁴⁶But some of them went off to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.
John 12:1-2 – Six days before the Passover Festival,^a Jesus came to the town of Bethany. Lazarus was there—the one whom Jesus had raised from death. ²They gave a dinner for Jesus there. Martha was helping, and Lazarus was one of the guests with Jesus.
John 10:30 – My Father and I are united.”
John 11:47-48 – The most important priests and the Pharisees called a meeting. They asked each other, “What are we going to do? This man is performing many miracles! ⁴⁸If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him. Then the Romans will come and take us away—our holy place and our nation.”
John 12:1, 9-11 – Six days before the Passover Festival,^a Jesus came to the town of Bethany. Lazarus was there—the one whom Jesus had raised from death…⁹A large crowd of Jews knew that Jesus was there. They came not only because they wanted to see Jesus, but also because of Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from death. ¹⁰The most important priests planned to kill Lazarus, too. ¹¹Many people were starting to abandon the Jewish leaders because of Lazarus. They were beginning to believe in Jesus.
John 12:4, 6 – One of Jesus’ followers was ready to turn against Jesus. This was Judas Iscariot…Judas did not say this because he cared about poor people. Judas was a thief; he was the one who was always carrying the group’s bag of money.
Mark 11:15-19 – They came into Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple courtyard and he began to throw out all the people who were buying and selling there. He turned over the tables of the money-exchangers and the benches of those who were selling pigeons. ¹⁶Jesus was not allowing anyone to carry a jar through the temple courtyard.^e ¹⁷Jesus was teaching them, “It is written, ‘My house will be called a place of prayer for all nations.’ (Isaiah 56:7) But you have changed it into a hiding place for thieves!” ¹⁸When the most important priests and teachers of the law heard this, they continued trying to find a way to kill Jesus. They were afraid of Jesus, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. ¹⁹When evening came, Jesus and his followers left Jerusalem.
Mark 11:27-33 – They came into Jerusalem again. While Jesus was walking around in the temple courtyard, the most important priests, the teachers of the law, and some Jewish leaders came to him. ²⁸They were asking him, “What sort of authority do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority to do these things?” ²⁹Jesus answered them, “I will also ask you a question. Answer me and I will tell you what sort of authority I have to do these things. ³⁰Was John’s immersion from God or from man? Answer me!” ³¹They began thinking this among themselves: “If we say, ‘from God,’ then he will say this to us: ‘Why didn’t you therefore believe John?’ ³²But if we say, ‘from man,’ we are afraid of the people. All of them truly believe that John was a prophet.” ³³So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know!” Jesus said to them, “Then I am not telling you what sort of authority I have to do these things, either.”
Numerous ancient coins have discovered throughout Palestine featuring the names of King Herod; Caiaphas, the High priest of Jerusalem; and Roman Emperor Caesar. The coin brought to Christ in an attempt to trap him was the silver denarius of Tiberius.
Luke 20:20-26 – So, the teachers and the priests waited for the right time. They sent some spies to Jesus and told them to act as if they were good men. They wanted to find something wrong with the things that Jesus said. (If they found anything wrong, then they could hand Jesus over to the power and authority of the governor to be punished.) ²¹So, the men asked Jesus, “Teacher, we know what you say and teach is right. You don’t care how important or unimportant a person is. You always teach the truth about God’s way. ²²Now, tell us, is it right that we should pay taxes to Caesar^b or not!?” ²³But Jesus knew that these men were trying to trick him. Jesus said to them, ²⁴“Show me a coin. Whose name and picture is on it?” They said, “Caesar’s.” ²⁵Jesus said to them, “Then give to Caesar the things which belong to Caesar. And, give to God the things which belong to God.” ²⁶The men were amazed at his shrewd answer; they could say nothing. The men were not able to trap Jesus in front of the people.
Matthew 23:13, 33, 37, 39 – “It will be horrible for you, O teachers of the law and Pharisees. You hypocrites! You shut the door to the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You will not go in, and you stop those who are trying to get in…³³“You snakes! You are from a family of poisonous snakes! How will you escape the judgment of hell!?…³⁷“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets. God sent you His men, but you stoned them to death. I have often wanted to gather up your people, as a hen gathers up her baby chicks under her wings, but you refused…³⁹I tell you, you will never see me again until you say, ‘Praise to the one who is coming with the authority of the Lord God.’ ”

OLD TESTAMENT OF THE BIBLE:

Zechariah 6:11,13 [PREDICTED 480 YEARS BEFORE JESUS] – Take some silver and gold,^o and shape it into a double crown.^p Then put it on the head of Joshua [Hebrew for Jesus], the son of Jehozadak. (Joshua is the high priest.) ¹²Tell him that this is what Yahweh of the armies of heaven says: ‘Look, there is a man; his name is “The Branch.” He will branch out from where he is.^q And, he will build the temple of the Always-Present One.^r ¹³He is the One who will build the temple of Yahweh. He will receive royal honor. He will sit upon his throne^s and he will rule. And, there will be a priest beside his throne. And, there will be harmony between the two.’^t
Leviticus 23:39-40 – “ ‘So, only on the 15th day of the seventh month, be sure to celebrate the Always-Present One’s festival for seven days. By then you will have gathered in the crops of the land. You must rest on the first day and on the eighth day. ⁴⁰On the first day, you will take good fruit from the fruit trees. And, you will take branches from palm trees, and willows beside the brooks, and other leafy trees.^s And, you will celebrate in the presence of your God, Yahweh, for seven days.

OTHER JESUS QUOTES IN THIS EPISODE

SPECIAL CHARACTERS APPEARING IN OTHER EPISODES

Season 2, Hearts Afire, “Holier Than Thou”

Season 2, Hearts Afire, “Interrupted Funeral”

Season 3, Folk Hero, “Desperation Point”

Season 5, Promise Keeper, Day Extraordinaire”

Season 2, Hearts Afire, “Whirlwind”

Season 1, Dream Maker, “Treasure of Doom”