J The B. "Look We For Another".

[Michael37]

Look We For Another?

This is the big question that is raised for the deliverance and salvation of all who will accept the answer.

Mat 11:2-3
(2)  Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
(3)  And said unto him, Are you he that should come, or do we look for another?
Luk 7:16-20
(16)  And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God has visited his people.
(17)  And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about.
(18)  And the disciples of John showed him of all these things.
(19)  And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Are you he that should come? or look we for another?
(20)  When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist has sent us unto thee, saying, Are you he that should come? or look we for another?
 

In the days of Jesus and John the Baptist there was amongst the Jews, an inherently strong desire and expectation of a deliverer who would rise to power from among them and they would be restored to their former glory and independence. Over sixteen decades earlier Judah Maccabee raised Jewish hopes when he led them in the aptly named Maccabean Revolt* against the Seleucid Empire (167–160 BC). Speculation that he could be their promised deliverer and Messiah naturally arose, especially when he secured the restoration of Jewish worship at the temple in Jerusalem in 164 BCE, removing all of the statues depicting Greek gods and goddesses, and purifying it, something which continues to be remembered and celebrated in the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah ("Dedication").

In 160 BC Judah Macabee was killed in the battle of Elasa when his army was pitted against a superior Seleucid force of 20,000 soldiers, but the Jewish Rebellion continued under the leadership of his two brothers Jonathan and Simon. Jonathan was imprisoned when Hellenistic Seleucid General Tryphon tricked him, and finally had him killed. Antiochus VI (one of the successors to Antiochus Epiphanes) was murdered and Tryphon became king. This intensified the Jewish efforts and Simon, Jonathan's brother, came forthwith to Jerusalem and by 142 had seized the Acra (a fortress built by Antiochus Epiphanes in 164 BC) and had made Jerusalem a free city and the Jews an independent people. This began the rule of the Hasmonean Dynasty and a period of Jewish independence made more secure by the steady collapse of the Seleucid Empire under attacks from the rising powers of the Roman Republic and the Parthian Empire.

*QUOTE:

 The desperate plight of the Jews under Antiochus IV (aka Antiochus Epihanes) elicited a literary call for stubborn resistance to Greek culture and zealous loyalty to the traditional faith, in the conviction that God was about to act to bring in the long-awaited kingdom and to redeem his people. These Jewish beliefs were given new expression through influences coming from Iranian and Zoroastrian theology, including cosmic dualism and a concept of history that postulated a beginning, a series of time periods and a climactic ending of time. The catalyst was the persecution under Antiochus, which produced a failure of nerve, a despair of man's ability to effect the kingdom of God through his own efforts and a conviction that the situation could only get worse until God himself broke in to terminate the present evil age and inaugurate the ideal.

Source: To Jewish Independence

Roman occupation of Jewish lands began in 63 BC and by the time John the Baptist and Jesus were born the Jews were once again struggling under foreign oppression and seeking a leader who would solve their political problems, remove foreign control, restore independent rule and self-government, and if necessary provoke a violent uprising and in a show of military might achieve a glorious victory with the defeat and expulsion of all their enemies. This worldly view did not align with God's plan for His Creation and His people, and this was difficult for many to comprehend, as per these passages: 

Luk 24:13-21
(13)  And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
(14)  And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
(15)  And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
(16)  But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.
(17)  And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that you have one to another, as you walk, and are sad?
(18)  And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Are you only a stranger in Jerusalem, and have not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?
(19)  And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:
(20)  And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.
(21)  But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.

Act 1:6-9
(6)  When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, will you at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
(7)  And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put in his own power.
(8)  But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
(9)  And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
 

As Jesus said in His response to J the B's question: Blessed are those who are not offended in Me. (Luke 7:23)

[Michael37]

2 hours ago, pinacled said:

Yochanon of the tribe of levi a blessed Shabbat tree.

Leahs blessing

 

 'Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have borne him three sons.' Therefore was his name called Levi.
 

I'm glad you mentioned the Levite lineage of Yochanon (John). John the Baptist's father, Zechariah, is described as a priest of the course of Abijah, and Elizabeth as one of the daughters of Aaron, making John a descendant of Aaron on both his father's and mother's side. The priestly divisions are set out in 1 Chronicles 24:1-19. 

QUOTE FROM BELIEVER'S BIBLE COMMENTARY

In chapter 24 we are told how the priestly and Levitical divisions were formed. There were twenty-four households or divisions of priests (vv. 1-19) and twenty-four divisions of Levites (vv. 20-31). Each division was assigned a schedule on a rotating basis to minister in the temple, thus giving everyone the opportunity of serving approximately two weeks each year. Zacharias (Luk_1:5) belonged to the eighth course, the course of Abijah (v. 10).

The aspect of pure priestly lineage becomes a source of contention due to the legacy of Alexander the Great and the syncretism his conquests resulted in. Two distinct parties emerged amongst the Jews as Hellenism was forced upon them. The Liberals who favoured Greek culture, philosophy, and theology as modern and sophisticated became known as Tobiads after generations of politically important "Tobiahs" whose aristocratic lineage dated back to Nehemiah.  Under the Tobiads, who were in essence proto-Sadducees, the office of High Priest became a political appointment that ignored adherence to Aaronic and Levitical lines. The Conservatives who fiercely held to Jewish tradition and opposed the merging of Greek influences with their  beliefs and practices, were for a while known as Oniads after generations of those called Onais who held sway as High Priests. The Oniads were in essence proto-Pharisees and history records the conflict between the Tobiad and Oniad dynasties.

QUOTE FROM MY JEWISH LEARNING.com

In contrast with what we know about Ptolemaic affairs in Palestine, we have virtually no information about Jewish political developments. Judea continued to be governed by the high priest and the priestly aristocracy. One of the few incidents we know about is the quarrel about taxation between the high priest Onias 11 and Ptolemy III Euergetes (246‑221 B.C.E.), who reportedly visited the Jerusalem Temple.

The end result of the dispute was the appointment, in 242 B.C.E., of the young Joseph, son of Tobiah, a nephew of the high priest, as tax collector for the entire country. The rivalry between the Tobiad family and the Oniad high priests eventually played a part in the attempted radical Hellenization of Judea later on in the second century B. C. E.

Source: The Land Of Israel In The Hellenistic Age 

While the office of High Priest became more and more focused on political collaboration than service to God, the Levitical priesthood did survive, even under the abominations of the seven Herods and various Caesars who dominated Israel in the years leading up to and beyond the births of John the Baptist and Jesus.

Mat 14:1-12
(1)  At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,
(2)  And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.
(3)  For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife.
(4)  For John said unto him, It is not lawful for you to have her.
(5)  And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.
(6)  But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod.
(7)  Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.
(8)  And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger.
(9)  And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her.
(10)  And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.
(11)  And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.
(12)  And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.

[OldCoot]

In Jewish theology of the time (and in some cases even today), they had trouble reconciling a Messiah from Scripture who would be a conquerer and king and a Messiah who would suffer.  The former was referred to Messiah ben David and the latter was referred o Messiah ben Joseph.   Hence the concept of two Messiahs.

John seems to be influenced by this thought.  I am convinced it is why he sent the question to Yeshua asking if He was the one or should they expect another.  Yeshua's complete answer shows that He considered Himself both concepts of the Messiah.   

John had no crisis of conscious as some have alluded.  He knew full well that Yeshua was the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.  He knew that since he lept in his mother's womb at the sound of Miriam's voice.   But it is reasonable to assume that since Yeshua was not in the form of "conquering king" that would overthrow the world system, that John thought there was another, just as in the rest of contemporary Jewish thought.  The concept of two comings of the same Messiah had not developed.  Just a faulty concept of two Messiahs.