Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, had triple citizenship status. He was citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven, an Israelite of the tribe of Benjamin, and a Roman citizen. His subjection to the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, took precedence over the other two realms;“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Phil 3:20) In the world he was “of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews.”
Author: Louis Garbi
Thus Jesus spoke to the woman caught in the act of adultery. Her accusers wanted to corner Jesus through this matter. After all, He had put them on notice concerning the righteous mercy of God and their own unrighteousness. Consider these previous events from the book of John:
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Jesus drove the money changers and sellers of livestock from the temple.
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He taught that God did not send His Son to condemn, but to save.
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A Samaritan woman was given hope.
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A man was healed on the Sabbath
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The leadership of Israel was criticized for scratching each others backs while rejecting the truth.
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6
To live with God in His realm would be the supreme state of life and fruition of purpose. What could be better than that? To be with Him, accepted into the sphere of His eternal love, would surpass all conditions. This is derived from what Jesus said to His disciples.
For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Rom. 10:10)
Many people resorted to Jesus near the shore of Galilee. He fed them with five loaves and two fish; an amazing miracle! The multitude wanted to make Him a king. No wonder, He possessed power to address all manner of human need. But the crowd didn’t reckon the deeper need of the spirit. Jesus rejected their effort and departed from that place.