“ohn 7:10-24 The Heavenly Scholar
“But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, “Where is He?” And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him. Some said, “He is good;” others said, “No, on the contrary, He deceives the people.” However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.
Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught. And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?”
Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him. Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?”
The people answered and said, “You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?”
Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work, and you all marvel. Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
After Jesus’ family has left for Jerusalem, Jesus gets a release from his Heavenly Father to go as well. Jesus goes into the temple and begins teaching, probably on the teaching steps on the east side of the temple. The religious authorities are outraged! Here is this upstart from Galilee, of all places, teaching in the TEMPLE! Not only that, but this man teaches eloquently and with authority. How can this possibly be? The scribes and Pharisees have been studying all their lives, and they are certain that this ridiculous Galilean carpenter cannot possibly know more than they do….yet, he does. And those who actually love God know that the things Jesus is teaching are true because his teachings resonate with them.
“Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.”
The religious authorities delegate some of their underlings to interrogate Jesus as to the source of his teachings. Jesus, knowing that there are those who really do love God, answers, referring them back to their own hearts. Jesus then points out that he is not seeking his own glory, but God’s.
“Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work, and you all marvel. Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
When Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath, the religious authorities became incensed, feeling that this represented forbidden work. These men were far more concerned with the letter of the Law than with the Spirit, and they totally lacked compassion. Now Jesus is pointing out that the Sabbath has become the favorite day for circumcising, even though Moses never ordered any such thing. These men who claim to be following every tiny nuance of the Mosaic Law are actually breaking it; yet, they want to criticize others who are doing acts of compassion.
Yesterday, I spoke about Arthur Blessit, the man who carried a 12-foot cross with a wheel on the end throughout 323 countries for more than fifty years. Many people refused to understand Blessit’s passion for men and women to know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Some of those most offended were in traditional churches. Years ago, a pastor friend gave his testimony. Our friend was about thirty years old, a highly successful businessman, and an elder in his Methodist church. But when people on fire for Jesus came to speak at a Lay Witness Mission, our friend realized that he had never committed his life to Christ. That commitment cost our friend his businesses, a nice home, and many other possessions. He and his family moved so he could attend Methodist seminary, and he began pastoring tiny churches in rural areas. Financially, things were tough, and our friend wondered if he had really heard God properly. But during the short time our friend was at the church we attended, at least eight different families entered the ministry or missions. Our friend’s sermons were so good that I still have the recordings and listen to them periodically. As with Blessit, only eternity will tell how many have come into the Kingdom through our friend’s willingness to sacrifice.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to obey You, even when we don’t understand, when others around us are criticizing, and when it’s uncomfortable or difficult. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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