Skip to main content

193. Is He The Christ?


John 7:25-44
Key Verse: "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."
John 7:37B-38

While Jesus began His teaching near the middle of the feast, the passage for today is focused on the last day. In other words, while Jesus’ words are recorded in less than 30 verses, He probably said a lot more over the four final days of the feast and John is only giving us the highlights. Remember that, according to the passage in Leviticus, the first and last days of the feast were to be solemn days of worship. This day would have been the apex or culmination of communal worship before the people would head home for the winter. They would not be together again, as a complete community, until Passover, in the spring. Jesus, knowing all things, knew what their next gathering for Passover would bring, so He made this one strong appeal for the people to consider as they sat out the rainy season in their homes.

The main topic of discussion among the attendees to the feast seems to be, is Jesus the Christ, God's anointed King over Israel, or not? In fact, there was enough of a "whispering," (John 7:34) about Him that the Pharisees grew concerned. They would be very interested in not having any trouble among such a huge gathering of the people. After all, it was safest not to attract the attention of Rome, not to mention that, if trouble broke out, their own power and control could be brought into question.

The Feast of Tabernacles took place after the harvest. The harvest was usually a dry time of the year, which was good for gathering crops, yet it would not be good if the water supply got too low. On the last day of the feast, prayers would be offered that the Lord would now send rain and also, that the Lord would restore the light in the spring. Remember, they were approaching the time of winter when the sunlight diminishes until after the winter Solstice, at which time it begins to increase again. It was probably during this time of the prayers for water that Jesus stood up and made His dramatic plea to the people: "If anyone is thirsty, let Him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." (John 7:38-39)

One can't help but be reminded of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well in John 4, and His discussion with her about having living water that is so satisfying that she would never thirst again. Then, as now, Jesus is referring to the Holy Spirit from whom all blessings flow. Just as the woman could not understand what Jesus was promising, the crowd here is also confused.

Jesus' words, however, only seemed to bring out the fun house mirrors again. Some thought He was a prophet. Others thought He was the Christ. Still others thought He couldn't possibly be the Christ because He had come from Galilee, not Bethlehem. Jesus was speaking the truth, but most did not understand. Even if Jesus had spoken very plainly and said, "Yes, I am the Christ and if you believe in Me, I will give you my Holy Spirit and eternal life," it wouldn't have helped. It is only after the Holy Spirit came, following the resurrection, that any of us have been able to somewhat understand the depth of the meaning of what Jesus is offering here. There is still much mystery involved in our walk with Him. It's okay that we do not understand all things now. In His time we will gain understanding if we continue to trust and seek to grow closer to Him.

Hymn: "Holy Spirit Reign Down"

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

211. The Sons of Thunder's Request

Matthew 20:20-28 , Mark 10:35-45 , Key verse: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all." Mark 10:43B-44 In our readings for yesterday, in which Jesus outlined what was about to happen to Him, for His disciples, the passage in Luke ends: "The disciples did not understand any of this. It's meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what He was talking about." ( Luke 18:34 ) Now, we see just how truly clueless they were. Jesus had laid out a plan before them of pain and suffering and death and now James and John are focused on a promotion. The disconnect is so obvious. It's really not important to know whether James and john came up with this request on their own or if their mother put them up to it. The request was made and James and John thought that they could handle the responsibility that would come with it. What is that saying, "Fools rush in where angels fe...
Post a Comment
Read more

174. Pleading for the Fig Tree

Proverbs 27:18 , Luke 13:6-9 Key Verse: He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honored. Proverbs 27:18 We have here three main characters: a master, who acquired the tree in hopes of eventually enjoying its fruit, a servant, who looks to the tree to reflect his care and attention, and lastly, the tree itself. The master has the right to expect his investment to pay off. The servant, who has obviously put much effort into the tree, would also like to see fruit. The servant's interest is not only to show his own talent in gardening, but because he wants to please his master. Both the servant and the master are dependent upon the tree to do what it was designed to do. Their little parable is an interesting way for Jesus to finish off His exhortation to, "repent or perish."  God is the Master. He had a purpose for you before you were even born. ( Jeremiah 1:5 & Psalm 139:16 ) He planted you on this earth to ful...
Post a Comment
Read more

204. Come Like a Child

Psalm 127 , Matthew 19:13-15 , Luke 18:15-17 , Mark 10:13-16 Key Verse: Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14 The attitude of the disciples isn't much different than the attitude of many people, even Christians, today. Instead of seeing children as a blessing from the Lord, too many regard them as a burden to bear that gets in the way of our own selfish happiness. Family size is determined by what we think we can afford rather than openness to God's blessing, trusting God to provide. Satan hates children. Children represent innocence. The sooner he can corrupt and or damage a child, the happier he is. This is why Jesus warned in Matthew 18:6: "If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drown in the depths of the sea." To corrupt or damage ...
Post a Comment
Read more