Sent from God

March 7 Sent from God John 7:25-36

“It might seem as if Christ were preaching to the deaf and utterly obstinate; and yet the Evangelist says that some fruit followed. And therefore, though some may grumble, others smile and others slander, and though many differences may arise, the preaching of the Gospel will not be without effect. So we must sow the seed and then wait patiently, until in course of time the fruit appears.” John Calvin “Commentary on John” Vol. 4:193

Who, exactly, was this man? Some of those who heard Jesus teaching in the Temple courts recognized Him as the rabbi being sought by the authorities. So, why had He not been arrested? Did this mean, they wondered, that the Pharisees were now ready to accept Him as the Messiah? Actually, it did not. By the time that the Pharisees became aware of what was going on, Jesus had amassed quite a following among the common people. The authorities were simply afraid of making a scene during an important festival. They didn’t want to give the Roman garrison an excuse for clamping down on them, should any kind of public disturbance ensue. So, they bided their time.

Those who heard Jesus were divided in their opinion. There was a tradition, common at that time, that when the Messiah came, no one would know where He had come from. The tradition had no basis in Scripture. Scholars suspected, based on Micah’s prophecy, that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. So, there were two strikes against Jesus. They knew where He came from, and it wasn’t Bethlehem, or so they thought. They believed that they knew more about Jesus than they actually did. Their knowledge was partial; so was their judgment.

In response, Jesus re-affirmed that His mission was from God. They did know Him because He came from God. Jesus’ authority came from the One who sent Him; His truth was authentic because the One who sent Him was true. This was like a red rag to a bull. Many in the crowd turned against Him. They tried to seize Him, either to do Him harm or to hand Him over to the Temple guards who must have been waiting for their opportunity. But God delivered Jesus. They were not able to arrest Him. His hour, the time of His death, had not yet come,

In the midst of this confusion some believed, putting their faith in Him. For some the motivation was still rather superficial; they were more inclined to look at His miracles than weigh His words. But their faith was not condemned, even though it was incomplete. They saw something in Jesus that, despite His predicament, made them want to trust Him. Perhaps these people protected Him. If so, their actions were guided by a divine hand.

As He was leaving, Jesus spoke again, saying that they could not follow where He was going; they might look but they would not find Him. He was speaking of His death, of His resurrection, and of His ascension to His Father’s side. But they did not understand. Some wondered where Jesus thought He could hide in such a small country. Some thought that Jesus was intending to take refuge among the Greeks. Little did they know that their words would be fulfilled: “Will He go… and teach the Greeks?” Within a generation the Gospel would make its way beyond the narrow confines of Palestine, until thousands of Gentile, Greek believers had been brought into the Kingdom of God.

For further reading: Psalm 78:1-16