The Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus and asking, “where is he”. Among the crowds, some said he was a good man, others said he was a deceiver. (these projections were merely how they saw themselves, they were projecting on Jesus, because there was no proof of this).
Jesus at the festival teaching: After Jesus’ brother displayed his disbelief to Jesus; saying he wanted to be popular and to be known one could not do so in private. Jesus replied that the world did not HATE him, because he didn’t tell the TRUTH and the world HATES those who tell the truth.
There after halfway to the festival at the temple courts; Jesus began to teach, the Jews that were there, amazed at his learning knowing he was not taught. Jesus summarizes his teaching in these 3 steps:
- It is when we choose to do the will of God (not ours), we find out about Jesus’s teachings as true. (e.g. being hated)
- When a person speaks on their own words/thoughts and not from the word of God, it is to seek to gain personal glory.
- When we seek the glory of the one who sent you (us), that is a man of truth and there is nothing false about that man. {our eyes, everything is to be fixed to Christ, even the glory we receive is to be given to the father through Jesus, none of ourselves}.
Jesus further chided them that they could not keep the law of Moses given to them as Jews (God’s chosen people, nation), Yet they were trying to kill him. The crowd in an uproar said Jesus was demon possessed, refuting they were not trying to kill him.
It is always hard for man, to notice his personal sin, as they cursed Jesus, they were already guilty of judgement as the scriptures say. God searches our hearts and innermost taught to reveal our minds to Jesus, who gives us the spirit of truth to tell us, we are having thoughts to another that is not good. This is why we examine ourselves.
Jesus further explains that they were trying to kill him because he healed on Sabbath day. He did good(healing) on Sabbath day. Jesus flips the question back to the religious leaders that they did circumcision on sabbath day, why shouldn’t healing be done on Sabbath day. Jesus advised that they should stop judging by the appearance of things, or mere appearance that we ought to judge righteous judgement.
Because they were trying to kill Jesus, and some people confessed this but could not kill him, some taught he was messiah.
John 7: 28 -> shows how Jesus cried out for us to believe that he was from God; very heart breaking. He said he was not here by his own authority. {may we hear the cry of our savior as he hears our cry}.
At Jesus cry some believed him, other believed the Messiah to come would perform more signs than Jesus had. {It is the things with signs, Paul says the Jews (the believing Christians) seek for a sign see, 1 Corinthians 1:22-30, when we ought to just believe, in fact Jesus was against signs saying there would be no signs for the Jews than Jonah in the belly of the fish, Matthew 12:39, there’d be no signs than the reiteration of the prophets(John the Baptist, calling for repentance.}
Actively, to believe in Jesus will cause us to love him, we will become loyalist to the cross, fools in the eyes of other and despised by others for this. Which is what the pharisees abhorred and convinced the people not to do.
Jesus said if we thirst, we should come and drink, as we believe on him rivers of living water will flow. Others started questioning Jesus’ ancestry, so there were divided because of Jesus, some wanted to seize him, but none laid hands on him.
{The unbelief from the Jewish leaders were palpable, they wanted to seize Jesus but because of Jesus’ teachings that broke through to the hearts of men, the mobs, guards could not seize him and believed in him – the Pharisees started invoking that there was a curse on them. Using fear to control them, another the accusation man gives another without proof is what they are condemn by; thus, they use it on others}.
Nicodemus, one of the Jewish leaders broke the barrier by going to see Jesus. Saying our law does not condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing: But they said that a prophet does not come out of Galilee {I wonder if they say this about of my nation}. But then God’s ways are not our ways, neither is his thoughts ours
Thoughts for day: It is not the sin of others that keep us from God but ours that keep us from him
Songs:
