A group of angry men-not of the rabble, but dignified Rabbis-are standing in the Temple court in earnest discussion of some important subject; it stirs them even to the dreadful act of stoning a violator of their law, they say. Passionate anger is seen on their faces. Some stand boldly erect, some are stooping, and some have raised stones which they hold in both hands. Opposite stands One, the object of their hate, whose "visage was marred more than any man." There He stands unmoved before them, with eyes full of love.

That is the picture we gather from what is found in the tenth chapter of John's Gospel.

But why did the Jews take up stones to stone such a Man? In a word, it was because He made a claim- never seriously made by any other man in this world- the claim of Deity! Not merely the claim of divinity as many in a limited sense have claimed. These very Jews claimed this for themselves, in that they were children of Abraham, and children of God, but they denied this Divine claim that Jesus made, and because of this "they took up stones to stone Him."

There are those who charge them with bigotry, and make an easy admission of the divinity of Christ. They say, "He was divine and so are we;" or, "We do not deny that He was the Son of God, but we say that all men are the sons of God." But that was just the position of these Jews. "We have one Father," they said, "even God." If Jesus had claimed no more than that, they would never have taken up stones to stone Him. But they well understood that He took a place which no serious and honest man, who was no more than a man, could ever dare to do.

In discussions as to Himself Jesus had said, "Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad." In reply the Jews said, "Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast Thou seen Abraham?" Jesus said, "Before Abraham was I am"-not "I was," but "I AM," which means that He claimed pre-existence, and self-subsistence. It means that though Abraham had been dead 1,500 years, Jesus was existing before Abraham was born; and not only so, but it means that His existence was neither derived nor attained. The title "I AM" implies this, for that was the thought communicated by Jehovah, when at the bush He, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, said to Moses, "Go, tell them that I AM sent thee." This August title-occurring several times in the Old Testament, and reserved exclusively to express the self-subsistence of the eternal, living God- Jesus claimed as His own; and when He appropriated it "the Jews took up stones to stone Him."

Again, after healing the impotent man (John, ch. 5) Jesus said, "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work." "Then the Jews sought the more to kill Him, because He said God was His Father, making Himself equal with God;" thus showing in what exceptional sense they understood His words.

Again, Jesus said, "I and My Father are one." Then "the Jews took up stones again to stone Him." But He said, "Many good works have I showed you of my Father; for which of these do ye stone Me?" And they replied, "For a good work we stone Thee not, but for blasphemy, and because that Thou, being a man, makest Thyself God."

Without a doubt, then, Jesus claimed Deity, with all the dignities of pre-existence and self-subsistence- equality with the Father and all that is meant by that unfathomable word, "GOD."
Nothing can be more clear and definite than that He actually claimed this. Men may say that the claim was unjustified, but no one can deny that the claim was made by the Man Christ Jesus, and that the Jews understood exactly what the words implied.

Of course, some impeach the record; but that is merely asking us to transfer our faith from the Scriptures to the man who impeaches the record. It is asking us to transfer our faith from the Christ of history and experience to an imaginary Christ. There is no other Christ titan the Christ of this Book, and "the Jews took up stones to stone Him."

They could only do one other thing. They were bound by their law to do one of two things. It was not a matter to be treated with indifference. Their law said, "Thou shall worship the Lord thy God." "Thou shalt," not "Thou mayest." Their law also said, "He that blasphemeth the Name of the Lord shall surely be put to death." "The congregation shall certainly stone him." So when Jesus made His amazing claim, the Jews could not but either worship Him, or put Him to death. They did not believe that Jesus was God incarnate, and acting consistently with their view, "they took up stones to stone Him."

Was He a blasphemer, or was He God manifested in flesh? Was He the greatest impostor or the incarnate Deity? This is the vital question, and everything depends upon it. Either no words are too precious for His worship, or no words are too severe for His condemnation. Common sense, as well as the Jewish law, demands that He be either worshiped or stoned. The Jews "took up stones to stone Him."

One of the most remarkable features in the Gospels is the absence of comment by the narrators of the history. They do not, in passing, express their views on the issues raised; but when they have stated their facts their work is done. Harmonizing them with other facts is never considered, explanations are out of the question. They are, moreover, silent as to their own feelings, even at the tragedy of Calvary. They simply give their testimony as witnesses, and retire. Let others judge-you and I must do so for ourselves, my reader-every intelligent soul must.

Look at them again:The stones are in their hands, and there stands that lonely, unarmed, unprotected Man! "They took up stones to stone Him"-Why did they not do it?

When Marshal Ney stood before the firing line, the command to fire rang out, and he fell dead. When the headsman raised his axe above the head of Charles the First, the deed was done. When Czar Alexander rode through his capital, every precaution and every defense failed to protect him from the Nihilist's bomb.

But Jesus, when He was marked down for death, had no bodyguard. He never resisted; was unprotected by any human agency, and "the Jews took up stones to stone Him!"

I ask again, "Why did they not do it?" Were they afraid? Afraid of that solitary Man? Did they fear the legal consequences? No, the law was on their side, and they stoned Stephen a few months later with impunity. Religious enthusiasm has never paused when martyrs were ready to die.

Then why did these Jews not stone Jesus? There is only one answer to the question-because they could not. It is easy to take up stones, but impossible to-stone the Son of God. His claim was proved by the impotence of his assailants.

The life of Jesus was often threatened, but it was never in jeopardy; this fact is often overlooked as an evidence of His Deity. Herod and his men of war went out against the Babe of Bethlehem, but they could not kill Him in the massacre of the innocents. Satan took Jesus up to the Holy City, and set Him on a pinnacle of the Temple, and then said, "Cast Thyself down." Why did not Satan do it? The Tempter was permitted to take Him up to the pinnacle, but he had no power to cast Him down, much as he wished to destroy Him.

Jesus went into the synagogue at Nazareth, and all wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth as He said, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." But some said, "Is not this Joseph's Son?" A subtle insinuation which He answered by a parable that set the whole company ablaze, and they rose up and thrust Him out of the synagogue, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might cast Him down headlong. Well, why did they not do it? Numbers were certainly in their favor. Yet He passed through their midst and so went away! Truly marvelous, when there was a precipice on one side and a multitude on the other pressing Him over!

Another time, the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to take Jesus. Yet the officers, armed with power and authority, went back to the chief priests without Him. They were asked, "Why have ye not brought Him?" Mark their answer, "Never man spake like this Man!" They were sent to arrest Him, and some of them, the record says, would have taken Him. Yet no man laid hands on Him. Again I say, Truly marvelous! Was ever the impotence of law and authority so emphatically demonstrated?

Twice in this chapter (John, ch. 7) we are told that legal authority sought to take Jesus, yet no man laid hands on Him, for the reason that "His hour was not yet come."

There are about fourteen references to attempts on the life of the Lord Jesus in John's Gospel alone; and yet He sat daily in the Temple teaching, but no man laid hands on Him. The only conclusion is that though they sought to kill Him because He claimed to be God, they could not do so because He was God. Their failure proved the truth of His claim. His Deity thus becomes the supreme test of Christianity.

Then, in accord with this, prophecy must be fulfilled. From the very beginning "the woman's Seed" had been announced to crush the serpent's head (Gen. 3:IS), so "a virgin" was to bring forth a Son whose name was to be IMMANUEL (God with us, Isa. 7:14).

Not a bone of Him should be broken, though He was to be led as a lamb to the slaughter, and though His grave was by men appointed to be "with the wicked," the prophet had declared He would be "with the rich in His death" (Isa. 53:7,9).

The Jews would have stoned Him to death as the law's mode of capital punishment, but He must be "lifted up" as the brazen serpent in the wilderness as Himself declared, thus suspended upon the cross as the Object for every sinner's contemplation, "that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:15).

Eternal issues are thus enwrapped in this question,

"WHOM SAY YE THAT I AM"?

Reader, with whom do you stand?-with them that take up stones to stone Him, or with them that worship at His feet, saying with Thomas, "My Lord and my God?" F. W. Pitt (abridged).