Key Verse: "Stop judging by mere appearances, and make
a right judgment."
John 7:24
At first, this passage seems disjointed. Jesus seems to be
jumping from subject to subject without employing any logic to what He is
saying. He starts by talking about His teaching, then accuses the crowd of
wanting to kill Him and then, somehow manages to bring in Moses and
circumcision and the law and the Sabbath, all at once. His listeners appear to
be as confused as we are at trying to figure out what Jesus is saying.
We are told that Jesus did not even approach the temple until
the feast was half over. If He was coming in at the midpoint, this would mean
that the festival had already been going on for about three days. All of a
sudden, there He is, speaking publicly!
We mentioned yesterday what all the buzz was about Jesus
among the people who attended. Perhaps Jesus had used the first half of the
feast to simply mingle and listen. This also might explain how He was aware of
other criticisms of His ministry. Evidently, the healing of the Paralytic on
the Sabbath, (John 5:1-15) was still a hot
topic of discussion. The people were also noticing that Jesus did not back down
from the religious bullies of the day.
"How did this man get such learning without having
studied?" (John 7:15B) Perhaps they were still remembering Jesus' teaching
from His earlier meetings as well.
The basic thrust of Jesus’ message for today can be
encapsulated in verses 16-17-&-24. "My teaching is not my own. It is
from Him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God's Will, he will find out whether
my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. Stop judging by mere
appearances, and make a right judgment."
Throughout scripture God had told His people to test the
messages to see whether or not they were from God. Time and time again the
people had become lazy and entrusted that responsibility to the priests and
Levites, the religious leaders. Now, these leaders were telling the people that
Jesus was a fraud. Why, He had healed a man on the Sabbath, yet, if a baby boy
is eight days old on the Sabbath, the religious won't delay His circumcision
for a day for the sake of Sabbath observance.
Jesus is, once again addressing a common theme in His
ministry, the hypocrisy of the leadership, but He is also chiding the people
with letting them get away with it by not being responsible for gaining
knowledge for themselves. The rulers are interested in honoring themselves,
yet, testing Jesus' message is as simple as obeying. Jesus is certain that the
proof will be in the pudding. If you obey God's word and seek to bring honor to
Him, you'll know that Jesus’ words are true and you will no longer be swayed or
influenced by those who only wish to impress and bully for their own self-promotion.
Even today, you in the pew, listen carefully and be a
student of God's word. Do not hand off the responsibility of understanding to
your pastor alone. You are responsible to understand and grow for yourself. No
plant can make another grow. Each needs to be nourished for itself. You are
responsible for your walk. Don't just trust what another tells you. Know it for
yourself. If something doesn't seem right because it doesn't stand up to your
religious standard, that doesn't mean that it isn't approved by God. Jesus was
right to heal on the Sabbath even if He was criticized by those who thought
they knew better. Know God's heart better than your rules and you too will know
what is truly of God for yourself.
Hymn: "Ask Ye What Great Thing I Know"
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