Wednesday in the Word...John 7:25-31 says...

Wednesday in the Word is John chapter 7 and verses 25 through 31, which read,

v.25-27 - So some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, "Is this not the man whom they were seeking to kill?  Look, He is speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to Him.  The rulers do not really know that this is the Christ, do they?  However, we know where this man is from; but whenever the Christ may come, no one knows where He is from."

Jesus has quietly come into the Festival of Booths in the city of Jerusalem.  He has made His way to the temple not to perform some miracle but to teach openly about who He is.  The information is getting around that the religious leaders want Jesus killed.  The crowd is now confused.  "If they want Jesus killed, why aren't they doing something about it?  He is right here in the temple.  Maybe this is just all talk?  Maybe the religious leaders are not sure and this could be the Messiah and not just some crazy man talking about God like He really is His Father."  

They knew that Jesus, this man, was from Nazareth.  They also knew that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem.  The thought was that the Messiah would just appear and set things right against the Romans but Jesus didn't just appear, He grew up amongst them for 30 years.  This part of Jesus' life and mission is not matching up to their tradition of how the Messiah would come and what He would be doing.  There is confusion in the ranks.

v.28, 29 - Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, "You both know Me and know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  I know Him, because I am from Him, and He sent Me."

Jesus is now in full view.  He is not teaching quietly in the corner but crying out in the temple for all to hear.  He is drawing the crowd to Himself.  Jesus will make a contrast of their "knowing" of Him.

In a physical sense they knew Jesus as the capenter's son, Joseph of Nazareth.  They knew His mother Mary and His half brothers and sisters.  Now Jesus will contrast the physical with the spiritual.  

Jesus points to God who sent Him, which He has stated before.  We go back to John 3:16 and the phrase, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son..."  This God is true and this God they do not know.  Jesus states again that He knows the Father intimately because the Father has sent Him.  They know neither Jesus or the Father spiritually because they are rejecting that He was sent of the Father to them.  It begs the question,

"Do I know Jesus physically and spiritually?"

v.30, 31 - So they were seeking to seize Him; and no man laid his hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.  But many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, "When the Christ comes, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will He?'"

These words from Jesus cause the religious leaders to be more convinced that Jesus needed to be eliminated.  His talk of the Father in such intimate terms was well past the boundary of blasphemy.  What was holding them back from taking action?  The answer is that Someone else was in control.  It wasn't the Romans.  It wasn't the religious leaders.  It wasn't Judas' involvement to hand Him over.  It wasn't the crowds cheering "Hosanna" or later "Crucify Him!"  Time and plans were not in their hands but Jesus' heavenly Father.  

The crowds pick up that something must be different here.  Why don't they just haul Him off to jail?  Could this be the Christ?  This man Jesus is doing well beyond what the Messiah would do when He comes so therefore who needs a coming Messiah if we have Jesus here?  Maybe Jesus is He?  Some of the crowd are believing and this will cause a stronger response to crush the message.

Isn't this so true today?  A recent movie displayed the truth about the murders happening in the wombs of our country and the response was strong to crush the message.  Some in the land where free speech is celebrated went to great lengths to roadblock the movie's impact to protect some man created rights and the funding of eliminating life instead of developing life.  

Truth given produces some who believe 
and others to buck against it. 

May those around us see Christ in us and hear of Him through our words and question who He is that has so impacted our lives.  Some will want us to shut up but remember that Jesus pushed on all the way to the cross.  Our proclamation of Him is for our lifetime and may there be those in our midst who see Jesus as their Savior.  May their conclusion be that He is none other than the Christ, the Son of the living God.  Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, may we model Your Son, Jesus Christ.  May we boldly stand and speak of Him and You.  Even though there will be some who would wish us to be silent in word and deed, may we be clear who we are following even if it means enduring some form of persecution.  May we see Your cross and keep pressing on.  Amen.

Pastor Adam