How did Jesus pass through an angry mob?

[Ascetic X]

I do not recall this scene of Jesus being brought to a cliff ever being included in any Jesus film.

My question is: how did Jesus pass through the midst of an angry mob?

Scholars call this a miraculous escape.

He must have used supernatural powers.

Did Jesus temporarily blind or paralyze them?

Did He turn invisible?

The Greek wording (and surrounding context) implies a supernatural escape. Because His ultimate mission on the cross had not yet arrived, no human force could stop or prematurely end His earthly ministry.

By demonstrating His ability to walk away from a violent crowd unharmed, Jesus establishes that He would later lay down His life willingly, not because He was overpowered by His enemies.


Luke 4

28 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,

29 And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.

30 But he passing through the midst of them went his way,

31 And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.

 

[Marooncat79]

He did it a couple of more times as well

 

[Ben1445]

Isaiah 53:2
For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant,
and as a root out of a dry ground:
he hath no form nor comeliness;
and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

There was nothing to distinguish Him above any other person. He could be easy to miss in that way.

He certainly is able to have sent a blindness to them though I don’t think that would be the answer or they would be wandering off the cliff themselves and it doesn’t say they were blinded.
They could have been sent a strong delusion that they would not recognize Him who they had rejected.
Ultimately, they could not have done anything to the Lord unless He allowed it.


John 10:17-18
Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

If Jesus has power to take up His life again, there is no power that is able to take it from Him.

This is nothing less than the Creator having power over His creation.

Psalms 118:6
The LORD is on my side; I will not fear:
what can man do unto me?

 

[Martin Marprelate]

John 8:20. '...No one laid hands on Him for His hour had not yet come.'
John 12:23. "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified." The Lord Jesus' hour (time) could not come until the work the Father had given Him was ready for completion. The coming of the Greeks wishing to hear Him was a sign to Him that His departure was at hand.

 

[Ascetic X]

Isaiah 53:2
For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant,
and as a root out of a dry ground:
he hath no form nor comeliness;
and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

There was nothing to distinguish Him above any other person. He could be easy to miss in that way.

He certainly is able to have sent a blindness to them though I don’t think that would be the answer or they would be wandering off the cliff themselves and it doesn’t say they were blinded.
They could have been sent a strong delusion that they would not recognize Him who they had rejected.
Ultimately, they could not have done anything to the Lord unless He allowed it.


John 10:17-18
Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

If Jesus has power to take up His life again, there is no power that is able to take it from Him.

This is nothing less than the Creator having power over His creation.

Psalms 118:6
The LORD is on my side; I will not fear:
what can man do unto me?

Yes, it was not time for Jesus to die. Someone said that angels might have come down and cleared a path for Him, restraining the mob.

God would have to know that certain passages in scripture are difficult for us to understand or would cause us to ponder them deeply.

We just accept the Word of God and live with some uncertainty and questions. Some day everything will be clear to us.

 

[Jerome]

Acts 12:10
"When they had passed the first guard and the second, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city. Of its own accord it swung open for them; and they went out and went along one street, and at once the angel left him."

Alleluia!

 

[Ascetic X]

Acts 12:10
"When they had passed the first guard and the second, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city. Of its own accord it swung open for them; and they went out and went along one street, and at once the angel left him."

Alleluia!

Yes, something similar might have happened with Jesus.

 

[Armchair Apologist]

The scriptures do not give any specifics do they? Perhaps God temporarily clouded their thinking and they were temporarily dumbfounded? Like how God turned Ahithophel's counsel to foolishness? Perhaps they saw the "Angel of the Lord" ready to smite them like with Baalam?

Let's say you worked for "The Chosen" and were tasked with writing this scene and could use plausible artistic license; how would you write the scene?

As for me, I would try to make it as understated as possible as do the actual scriptures. Perhaps they drive him to the edge of the cliff where there is no escape, Jesus states a few words to the effect of "why do you want to kill me as you have all of the prophets?" Perhaps mention the future blindness that is about to come upon unbelieving Israel and then calmly say "Not today, I must be about my Father's business...excuse me, I have to go!" He then walks through the crowd ("excuse me, pardon me," etc.) and goes about his way with those facing the camera having some sort confused, confounded expression (camera fades, next scene).

 

[Ascetic X]

The scriptures do not give any specifics do they? Perhaps God temporarily clouded their thinking and they were temporarily dumbfounded? Like how God turned Ahithophel's counsel to foolishness? Perhaps they saw the "Angel of the Lord" ready to smite them like with Baalam?

Let's say you worked for "The Chosen" and were tasked with writing this scene and could use plausible artistic license; how would you write the scene?

As for me, I would try to make it as understated as possible as do the actual scriptures. Perhaps they drive him to the edge of the cliff where there is no escape, Jesus states a few words to the effect of "why do you want to kill me as you have all of the prophets?" Perhaps mention the future blindness that is about to come upon unbelieving Israel and then calmly say "Not today, I must be about my Father's business...excuse me, I have to go!" He then walks through the crowd ("excuse me, pardon me," etc.) and goes about his way with those facing the camera having some sort confused, confounded expression (camera fades, next scene).

First, there is no way I would work for “The Chosen”.

Second, I think if I wanted to portray this scene in a film, I would just have Jesus suddenly walk through the angry mob as they stood there in amazement.

You provoked me to try to imagine my own film version of this scene, but I cannot imagine it satisfactorily. I am right back at square one.

Thanks!

 

[Ben1445]

As I read it, it seems to me that there was enough confusion that Jesus could walk away without making anything that would be physically supernatural. It may sound a bit like the three stooges but I find it to be very plausible that people lost track of Him in the crowd and He was able to leave them by walking away through the mob because their attention was where He had been. I don’t think they realized that He had gone till after a little while.

 

[Ascetic X]

As I read it, it seems to me that there was enough confusion that Jesus could walk away without making anything that would be physically supernatural. It may sound a bit like the three stooges but I find it to be very plausible that people lost track of Him in the crowd and He was able to leave them by walking away through the mob because their attention was where He had been. I don’t think they realized that He had gone till after a little while.

I appreciate your thoughts, but I find that highly unlikely.

Jesus had provoked them to fury when He taught in the temple. They wanted to kill Him by throwing Him headlong off the cliff. In mob actions, there tend to be leaders who control the action. They got Jesus right up to the brink of the cliff — then He passed through them.

This is a mysterious passage that is difficult to fully comprehend. I think the obscurity is deliberate. The point is that even though Jesus was so close to being murdered apart from the cross, the plan of God prevailed. This may have been yet another test for Jesus to exercise faith within.

 

[Ben1445]

I appreciate your thoughts, but I find that highly unlikely.

What specifically makes it unlikely? What do you read in Scripture that makes you think that there was some kind of red carpet experience instead of obscurity?