“At that point, they picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus was hidden from them and left the temple.”
– John 8:59 NLT
He had just finished declaring He was God in front of the unbelieving crowd. And like they tried to do to the woman caught in adultery and brought to Jesus (see verses 1-11), they were preparing to cast stones at Him. The words that came from the mouth of Christ were perceived as presumptuous and blasphemous, worthy of nothing less than death itself.
Yet even important things can slip under the radar. In another act of quiet defiance, Jesus somehow disappeared from the crowd, avoiding their ire as well as the threat of death. This is not unlike what had happened when He visited Nazareth and preached in the synagogue. They were so furious at His teaching, the people “intended to push him over the cliff, but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way” (see Luke 4:16-30). Thankfully, the Lord knows how to protect those He sends out to do His will.
Both of these instances occurred when it was not yet His time to go. Ironically, this section of John 8 begins with Christ telling the unbelievers, “I am going away. You will search for me, but…cannot come where I am going.” (v 21) Though a case of multiple interpretation, he technically foretold His departure from the temple area, also warning them that they “will die in (their) sin” due to their refusal to believe in Him (also in verse 21).
Pray that we may be able to speak the truth in love to those around us, without fear of retribution or some other worst-case scenario. Pray also that the Holy Spirit would show us a way of escape when our enemies are surrounding us on all sides. May we all be people eager to believe in and share the good news of God’s love, ready to trust the Lord, even in the direst of circumstances, and who are creative in finding ways out of whatever predicament we are in.
