Seeking Clarity in the Confusion
John 7:24-36
John 7
24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
John 7
25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? 26 And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ?
John 7
25 Some of the people of Jerusalem…….
“Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him!
Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ?
Confusion? Frustration/Anger
no one spoke openly of him. (V 13)
John 7
26 And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ?
John 7
27 But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.”
Jewish Tradition that developed from a misinterpretation of Mal 3:1. They believed the Messiah would be completely unknown until he showed up in Jerusalem.
Malachi 3
1 “Behold, I am sending My messenger, and he will clear a way before Me. And the Lord, whom you are seeking, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of armies.
The Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem
Micah 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah,�out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old,�from ancient times.”
Matthew 2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?
Do we hold some wrong beliefs?
Beliefs or practices given to us by man and tradition and are not formed and informed by the scripture God gave to us to help direct us.
John 7
28 So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. 29 I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.”
John 7
“and him you do not know.
I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.”
John 7
30 So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.
We must be reminded God is in control and is working His plan and His time.
45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!”
John 7
31 Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”
John 7
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him.
John 7
33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34 You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.”
John 7
35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”
John 7
33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me.
John 7
34 You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.”
{Confusion
{Wrong beliefs- not scripture formed
{Knowing God vs Not Knowing God
{God is in control
{Urgency (due to shortness of life)
Answer?
Solution?
No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. John 6:44 (NASB)
Come close to God and He will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8 (NASB)
Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need. Hebrews 4:16 (NASB)
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Hebrews 11:6 (NASB)
Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you . . .”
Jeremiah 29:12-14 (NASB)