Faith

Today we’ll be learning from John 7:26-31. Yesterday we saw Jesus Go to the Festival of Booths.

²⁵ Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? ²⁶ And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? ²⁷ But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” ²⁸ So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. ²⁹ I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” ³⁰ So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. ³¹ Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”

Do you remember that Jesus didn’t want to go to the Feast of Booths?  People wanted him dead!  Yet Jesus went anyways, without any fanfare, teaching in the temple.

He caused a bit of consternation there teaching the people. Reminding them to judge each other fairly not just going with how things appear.   Some of the people there said “hey, isn’t this the man they want to kill?   He’s here!  Why aren’t they doing anything about it?”   They wondered if the authorities really know that this is the Christ?

They were confused though.  From what they knew, no would really know Christ comes from when he does appear, yet they know that Jesus comes from Nazareth. So how could he possibly be the Christ? 

While they talked and wondered, Jesus continued to teach.   He also proclaimed “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. ²⁹ I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.”

Do you see what he did there?  He acknowledged that they do know him and where he’s from. It’s like he’s answering their confusion without being too direct eh?  He lets them know he didn’t come of his own doing but they don’t know the one who sent them to them.  That the one who sent him is true.  Jesus knows him because he was sent by him and he comes from him.   It’s like he’s saying .. Yes you know where I am coming from (Nazareth) but you don’t know where I am coming from (God). 

Jesus’ time to be captured hadn’t arrived yet, so when they wanted to arrest him they couldn’t. 

Despite all this confusion there were many people who believed him him, yet I wonder if they truly knew he was teh Christ because they wondered “when the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”

It’s hard eh?   To truly understand Jesus the Christ.  I can see the confusion people would have had, trying to see the difference between the physical and the eternal.  Knowing a place, but not the personage sending.   Thinking as Jews that they did know God so not really understanding they they didn’t.

I SO get that.

I often feel like I don’t truly understand God and his ways and that I’m not even breaching a mole hill in my understanding of him.  I too am one of the confused.  Seeking to understand.   I need more understanding. 

Last time we met Simon Peter answered a question from Peter.  Today we learn from John 7:1-23.

After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. 2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. 3 So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For not even his brothers believed in him. 6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. 8 You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” 9 After saying this, he remained in Galilee.
10 But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. 11 The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?” 12 And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.” 13 Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him.
14 About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” 16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” 20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” 21 Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. 22 Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well? 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

Jesus spent some time in Galilee.  He couldn’t go to Judea due to death threats from the Jews but his brothers wanted him to come to Judea because the Feast of Booths was at hand.  Here we see that his brothers didn’t believe in him.  As they said: “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.”  Jesus tells them plainly that he won’t go.  The world seeks to kill him (it hates him because he tells it of it’s evilness) but urges his brothers to go.  Jesus’ time had not yet come so he decided to stay in Galilee.

You know what I don’t see Jesus doing here?   I don’t see him recriminating his brothers.   He doesn’t challenge them or argue with them.  He just tells them the facts (take it or leave it) the world hates me and wants me dead ergo I’m not going there.  Not only that, he then urges them to go.  He doesn’t force them to stay behind with him, but lets them go off to the Feast of Booths. 

I find it interesting that after Jesus urged his brothers to go up to the Feast of Booths that he then decides that he will go.  Not publicly, but quietly.  He found that the Jews were looking for him and muttering quietly to each other “good man” or “leading people astray” but no one was very vocal about it, not wanting to draw attention to themselves.   I can’t blame them because if I lived in a day and age when life was expendable and I knew that someone was hated…I wouldn’t go around talking about them either.  Like anyone I’d be seeking to keep my life and that meant keeping my thoughts to myself!

I do wonder though what caused Jesus to change his mind.   Doesn’t matter I suppose, though I know he does nothing without it being his Father’s will.  I just find it curious. 

Nevertheless, it was a decision he made, to go privately, but then he makes himself known.  In the middle of the feast Jesus “went up into the temple and began teaching.”  And thus we get a series of questions and answers.

Question One: (the people) “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” It’s a fair question isn’t it?  Even today we like to know someone’s credentials.

Answer One: (Jesus) “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. And just like today, Jesus gave his credentials.   His credentials lay in God.  Doing God’s will.  He seeks the glory of God, and since that’s his end goal you know there is no lying being done.  Those who speak to their own authority just might be liars as part of what they do is to build themselves up.

Question Two: (Jesus) Why do you seek to kill me?” If I didn’t think Jesus already knew the answer I would wonder why he asked.   But if he asks the question, he makes people think about the answer.  Their answer surprised me.

Answer Two : (the people) “You have a demon! Why would they think this?  That Jesus is a demon!  He does good works, teaches the people well and heals them.  Why would a demon come into the picture.  This makes no sense to me.  Not one bit.

Question Three: (the people) Who is seeking to kill you?”  This is another odd ball response to me.  We had just read that people weren’t talking about him because they knew the Jews wanted him dead.  So why would the people wonder who sought his life?   Didn’t they know it was Jesus teaching them?  It just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. 

Answer Three (Jesus) “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. 22 Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well? 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”   I do like this passage though eh?   This call to mind what you are thinking and reasoning behind it.  If a part of a body can be removed to make a person whole before the Lord God (i.e. circumcision) then why should folk complain if he heals someone on the sabbath (healing the entire person not just a part).  See the dichotomy, think through the reasoning.   Faith is one of reason and thought you know?   If we take our time to think through why something bothers us, we may discover discrepancies in our thought processes.  This is what Jesus is calling them to notice today.  Don’t make snap judgements, think it all through carefully.