The Real Super Bowl The Conflict of Christ in 3 Acts Ending with Each of the 3 Passovers He Observed. 1

The First Conflict The Temptation of Jesus Luke 4: 1 – 13 V. 13 “When the Devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.” 2

An Opportune Time Mark 6: 31 – “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) 32 They went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves. 3

John 6 Tells Us When This Event Took Place Verse 4 “Now the Passover, the feast of the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near.” 4

The “Get-a-Way” That “Got-a-Way” Mark 6: 33 “The people saw them going and many recognized them and ran there together on foot from all the cities, and got there ahead of them.” 34 “When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and He began to teach them many things.” 5

Matthew’s Account: ???? Jesus teaches a crowd of at least 5,000 and then He feeds them. Afterwards, something puzzling happens. Matthew 14:22 – 23 “Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side..” “Made” = “Anakazo” It means to Compel, Force, or Constrain 6

Why Did Jesus Behave Like This? Something happened that Matthew does not tell us. Jesus starts day intending to rest and enjoy some quiet time with the disciples. He ends the day compelling them to get into the boat alone and sending them back home. What happened ??? 7

The Answer Lies In John John 6: 14, 15 Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone. 8

Who Motivated the Crowd? John tells us at the end of Chapter 6 ….. John 6: 70, 71 “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?” “Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him.” Judas was not the only disciple who wanted Jesus to come into His Kingdom. Mk. 10:35 James & John Mt. 20: 20 Sons of Zebedee 9

Satan’s Warfare: Control, Confusion The Wrong time: 1 Year too Early The Wrong place: It was not Jerusalem How can Jesus regain His control? Serious problems that drive Jesus to prayer and direct His actions that night with disciples and which frame His conversations the next day. 10

Discipline of the Disciples Jesus separates from disciples and goes alone on the mountain to pray. His disciples row against a strong wind on the sea all night, to exhaustion. They learn: Without Jesus, life is a storm With Him in control, there is peace and harmony 11

Jesus Corrects the Crowd The next day, Jesus deliberately becomes a Stumbling Block for His followers and for many of his disciples. “Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?”” John 6: 60 12

How Did Jesus Defeat Satan’s Attack? By using Metaphoric, Parabolic and Hyperbolic speech. “Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks.” John 7: 46 13

“But without a parable, He did not speak unto them (crowds), and when they were alone, He expounded all things to His disciples.” Mark 4: 34 14

“Go and tell that fox.” Luke 13: 32 “Beware the leaven of the Pharisees.”Mt. 16:6 “The Kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven” Mt.13:33 15

“If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it away.” Matthew 5:29 16

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field..” Matthew 13: 44 17

“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” John 3: 6 18

“You are from below, I am from above. You are of this world I am not of this world.” John 8: 23 19

“I am the living bread that came down out of heaven.” John 6: 51 20

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.” John 6: 53 21

“For my flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him.” John 6:

“It is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” John 6: 63 23

“This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 1 Cor. 11: 24 “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 1 Cor. 11:25 24

“O, taste and see that the Lord is good.” Psalm 34: 8 25