Event 2 – Christ’s Rejection of Political Kingship

Matthew 14:22-23; Mark 6:45-46; John 6:14-17a

^J After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world. Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, ^K immediately ^M made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side ^K to Bethsaida.

^J When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum ^K while he dismissed the crowd. ^M After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.

Comments and Commentary by JB Myers and Lonnie Davis

Surely this is the Prophet – The statement about the Prophet refers to a messianic expectation based on the promise of a coming prophet like Moses.  Moses said to Israel, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites.  You must listen to him” (Deuteronomy 18:15).  The NIV translators capitalize “Prophet” because the people were not expecting a prophet in general but a specific person based on the promise in Deuteronomy 18.  Since no prophet had ever risen in Israel that the people thought was as great as Moses, they felt this promise was unfulfilled.  As we study the Old Testament, there is no prophet like Moses who was both a law giver as well as a spokesman for God in the way he was.

Another example of this expectation is found later in John’s gospel.  “On hearing his words, some of the people said, ‘Surely this man is the Prophet.’  Others said, ‘He is the Messiah’ ” (John 7:40-41).  Notice the people are unclear about the difference between the Prophet and the Messiah.  Without the full revelation of the new covenant, the promises in the old covenant about someone coming are vague.  Nevertheless, this shows that the people in Jesus’ day were expecting someone to come.

Make him king by force – Like many people today, some in Jesus’ day conceived of the kingdom of God as an earthly kingdom.  Apparently, the Pharisees also looked for an earthly kingdom.  “Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, ‘The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, “Here it is,” or “There it is,” because the kingdom of God is in your midst’ ” (Luke 17:20-21).  They wanted to take him by force and make him a king in order to hasten the day when this earthly kingdom would be established.