Yesterday was the Chatswood Spring Fair. It was a beautiful day until the rain came in around 4:30pm. However, up to that point it was warm, there were people everywhere and the team of volunteers on the Chatswood Baptist Stall were having a great time. This year alongside telling people about Jesus and our Church, we also hosted other committee members of REACH that is responsible for the paid SRE teachers in Chatswood High School and Willoughby Girls High. It was great to further partner together in the Gospel. As a result one of the attractions that we had in our stall was a prize wheel. So people would spin the wheel and then after answering a question they won a prize. The questions that we had on the wheel were designed to see where Jesus was in your life. So from “what do you think the meaning of life is.” To “How do you think you get to heaven?” And the answers were very mixed. I would say that about a third of the people who spun the wheel answered in a way to show that they had faith in Jesus. Yet two thirds answered in a way that showed they either didn’t know who Jesus was, or they had decided not to believe in him. And friends, I want to suggest that what we saw at the fair yesterday is not too far off what we see playing out in today’s passage.
The division of the Crowd
In last week’s passage Jesus finished the section of teaching by challenging the people to “Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.” Now I think that it is pretty obvious that he is saying don’t judge by superficial standards, but Judge by God’s standards[]
This week’s passage seems like it could almost be a court room. There are all kinds of things being said and the jury has to work out what is true and what is not. They need to judge correctly. But the thing is there is only one question on trial here. Is Jesus the Messiah? Or is he a deceiver? Another way of asking this same question is this. Is Jesus from God as he claims? Or is he a liar? This was the question that the crowds were asking. They were taking in everything that was happening now as well as everything that had already happened.
- The people of Jerusalem (the first witnesses)
John had previously made it clear that the Jewish Leaders were trying to kill him (John 5:18 & 7:1). In last week’s passage Jesus had called out the leaders for this very reason. (John 7:19). So as we turn to today’s passage it would seem that for some in the Jerusalem crowd indeed now believed that the Pharisees and Jewish leaders planned to get rid of Jesus [Show John 7:25-27], and so now that he was speaking openly perhaps this suggested that these leaders now thought he was the Messiah. However, they ruin their own party, because they mistakenly say that they know where Jesus had come from, and that when the Messiah comes no one will know where he has come from. There seemed to be a popular Jewish tradition that the Messiah would just appear, however this doesn’t accord with the scriptures like Micah 5:2 that say the coming ruler will come from Bethlehem, which Jesus fulfils even though the crowd don’t seem to be aware of this. The crowd were judging on appearance rather than judging correctly. Let’s continue.
- Jesus responds
28 Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, 29 but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.”
The people had thought that they knew Jesus because they knew his human family. Yet they had ignored his divine identity, even though it was plain to see from his words and deeds. Jesus here makes it clear that he is from God when he says “he who sent me is true, and you do not know him.” He was not only saying that he was from God, but that they did not know God. No wonder the crowd was not happy with this.
Now John’s Gospel is widely regarded as having 7 specific signs or miracles. Yet I would submit that what follows here was at least a providential miracle where the actions of those around Jesus were orchestrated by God for His perfect timing and purposes. For Jesus’ words had greatly incensed many of those around him. But have a look at what happens.
- The first attempt to seize (arrest) Jesus
They tried to seize him, an angry mob tried to seize him, yet they couldn’t.
30 At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.
This makes no sense to me on a physical level. Jesus had no weapon, he didn’t fight the crowd. But yet no one laid a hand on him. It could only be divine intervention that Jesus wasn’t even touched by the crowd. An amazing work of God. We know why and we are told again here, for his hour had not yet come. We recently studied the book of Jonah and saw that God brought the wind Jonah 1:4 and that God had the dice or the lot fall to Jonah. God was in control, and in the same way, God was in control of the events happening around Jesus. How else could you account for an angry mob not laying a hand on Jesus?
- The second group (The crowd of pilgrims)
We see that John now speaks of “the crowd”, as distinct from the “people of Jerusalem’. We had already heard what they thought, and they had dismissed the possibility of Jesus being the Messiah. Yet now we pan out to the wider crowd. Well they bring forth the evidence that has caused many of them to believe. Read verse 31
31 Still, many in the crowd believed in him. They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?”
Here was their proof in their reasoning. Look at the miracles that Jesus has performed. Now they didn’t say singular, but signs plural. They were at least talking about the feeding of the 5,000 and probably also the healing of the invalid at the pool in Bethesda (for we know this happened during a Jewish festival), and also we read in John 2:23 that many had believed in him from the signs he was doing, although specific miracles are not given to us. Regardless, the point was that Jesus’ miraculous signs were proof that he was God’s Messiah, his chosen one to save his people and they believed. This is John 20:31 in action. This is exactly what was meant to happen.
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
This was the whole purpose of John’s Gospel. And those in the crowd believed!
- The Pharisees (John 7:32)
Of course this wasn’t great news for the Jewish leaders who were already trying to kill Jesus.
- The second attempt to arrest Jesus.
They had all the knowledge , they could recite the scriptures, but they obviously couldn’t understand them. They were judging by their own thoughts and not God’s word. [32 The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.]
So when the people were openly discussing Jesus and some were actually saying that they believed in him, the Pharisees sent the temple guards to arrest him.
They were obviously not successful in arresting Jesus. Not because scripture tells us this again in so many words. But because of the words that Jesus speaks next.
33 Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the one who sent me. 34 You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.”
Not only has Jesus not been arrested, he now explains clearly how things will go from here on in. He says that he only has a short time left here on earth (and we know this to be about 6 months). Then I will go back to the Father. Look at Acts chapter 1 verse 9 and ACTS 1:11. Jesus has been taken to Heaven (where those who are on earth can’t go). It is just as it will transpire. Yet the Jewish leaders are on a different page and their response is not of heaven.
35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? 36 What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”
They had one concern, and that was to get rid of and silence Jesus. He was interfering with their human rule. They weren’t listening to God, for they weren’t listening to Jesus. And we know that the work of God for Jesus had spoken clearly in John 6:29 “The work of God is this to believe in the one he sent.” Yet they not only didn’t believe, and therefore did not follow God’s instruction, they also wanted to kill him and definitely make sure that he didn’t go to other places and teach.
We know what Jesus meant because we have the New Testament. We know that Jesus will soon return to the Father after perfectly carrying out the Father’s loving plan for saving those who trust in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. And so we jump forward now to the last day of the festival. Note Jesus has not been arrested!!
- Jesus’ final words at the festival. (John 7:37-39)
37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”[c] 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
So we see that Jesus has made it through the 3-4 days of the festival while teaching. He hasn’t been arrested. Not that the intention from the Jewish leaders and indeed many in the crowd hadn’t been there. Yet they couldn’t. God wouldn’t let them. And now we hear these glorious words that Jesus is the one who can quench the thirst that everyone has. He is the only one. And if we believe in Jesus we will have the Holy Spirit in us. Believing in Jesus is the work that God requires and in doing so God the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity will come and live in us and be our guide, our assurance that we are children of God.
- When four different responses equals two (John 40-49)
No one when confronted with Jesus is really able to stay neutral. I saw that at the fair yesterday and indeed that is what we see in the passage today. Five responses to Jesus, but only really two. First of all Group 1.
Group 1 – some of the people in verse 40 said “Surely this man is the Prophet.” Now friends they didn’t say a prophet, they said, The prophet, which meant they were talking about Deuteronomy 18:15. Where Moses says these words.
15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.
Now I want to see that they weren’t wrong, yet they hadn’t grasped the fullness of who Jesus was. Hebrews makes it clear that Jesus is Prophet, Priest and King. I would suggest that the people were on the right track and that their understanding of Jesus was growing. It just wasn’t there yet.
Group 2 – The others (another part of the crowd) just simply stated “He is the Messiah.” and with these four words they convey their faith in Jesus. What an incredible statement. Jesus hasn’t yet died on the cross for the sins of the world, or been raised to life by the Father. Yet, in faith these people proclaim that Jesus is the long awaited Messiah, the Christ, the anointed one of God. Hallelujah!
Group 3 – The other others. These were other members of the crowd who wanted to believe, but the fact that they weren’t aware that Jesus was born in Bethlehem got in the way. False information clouded the evidence in front of them.
Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee? 42 Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?” 43 Thus the people were divided because of Jesus.
Friends, the Bible is clear time and time again that people will either accept or reject Jesus. I want to say that Jesus is divisive, because at the end of the day you either believe that he is God’s chosen one who came to die for the sins of the whole world. Or you don’t.
- 3rd attempt to seize Jesus
Now I don’t want to sound like a broken record. But I am just reading the scriptures in front of me. Verse 44 says
44 Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.
Once again the evidence shows that Jesus was telling the truth. His time had not yet come.
Group 4 – The Temple Guards (v45-46)
Now before we hear what the temple guards had to say, let’s take a look at who they were. They weren’t police like we know them, no they were the officers of Temple Guards who were first and foremost Levites (which means they were part of the tribe of Levi who were set apart for religious duties see Numbers 8:14-19). They were religious men, and they were used to carrying out the orders of the Pharisees, yet in this instance they hadn’t. They did not arrest Jesus (and friends by now we all know why). The temple guards were in awe at Jesus’ words. Read with me verses 45-46
45 Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”
46 “No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards replied.
They realised that there was no one like Jesus. Yet the Pharisees remained completely hard hearted towards Jesus. And even when Nicodemus (who had met with Jesus in private at night in John 3) tries to intervene, they mock him and shut him down. They again wrongly say that no prophet has come out of Galilee, as Jonah had clearly come from there according to 2 Kings 14:25. However, I think the stronger point is that the Pharisees didn’t believe that Jesus was the Messiah and were therefore not doing the work that God required.
Back to the fair yesterday. The crowd at the fair like the crowd at the Festival of Tabernacles was divided when it came to Jesus. Jesus had claimed that he was from God, that belief in him meant having God’s Spirit. In other words, trusting in Jesus meant life. And some accepted these words as the truth they are and believed he was the Messiah. Yet others didn’t. I want to finish by saying, you can’t sit on the fence when it comes to Jesus. You have to make a decision. If not now, then friends one day you will. For the Bible is clear that Jesus is the only way to the Father. I think that on Father’s Day it is appropriate that we one last time remember that Jesus said that the work that God the Father requires of us is to believe in the one he sent. Our heavenly Father loves us so much that he sent his one and only Son to die for our sins, so that through faith we can be adopted into God’s family. Only believing in Jesus means that you have judged correctly. Let’s pray.
