BiAS 7 – The Bible and Politics in Africa
social situation of his people who had lost their patrimonial land to the
Herodian elites. The poor were those who had been deprived and were
powerless, and the reason for his preaching was to give them vision and
hope. What was going on in Jesus’ mind and other devotees of the Jew-
ish law of that time was that God was up to something very special, to do
something which men could not do for themselves and they actually
believed that the climax of history was really at hand. As aptly put by E.P
Sanders,
What was really going on, they thought, was that God was up to something
very special. The God they believed in was the God of Israel, the God who
called Abraham, gave the law to Moses and elevated David to kingship. That
God would now bring his work to fruition.^28
At the same time Jesus knew also that some had been captives of his
greatest opponent, the Devil, hence the message that he had come to set
them at liberty by forgiving them of their sins and keep them free. He
knew quite well that if a soul is under Satan's power, and led captive by
him then it sees nothing, it becomes blind to the things of God. Intelli-
gence enabled him know that Satan blinds the eyes by unbelief. In set-
ting people free therefore from their sins, Jesus was actually contending
for the future of humanity, thus safeguarding the vital interests of his
group of followers.
The presence of spy-like agents in Jesus’ group of followers and Jesus’
use of intelligence can also be deduced from the repeated use of a phrase
‘Jesus knew’ by the evangelists in relation to what his opponents were
planning against him. A few examples perhaps could help illustrate my
argument here. Following a controversy over a man with a withered
hand we hear: “Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against
him, how they might destroy him. But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew
himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed
them all” (Mt 12:14-15. In the same chapter of Matthew we find the
Pharisees trying to lay a charge against Jesus that he was possessed by
the Beelzebub and again we hear: “And Jesus knew their thoughts, and
said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to deso-
lation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand [...]
(Mt 12:22-28). In the Gospel of John we find Jesus withdrawing from
Judea and departing to Galilee and the reason which is presented for
him taking such a move is: “[...] the Lord knew how the Pharisees had
(^28) E. P. Sanders, The Historical Figure of Jesus, London: The Penguin Press, 1993, 96.