Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent | John 7

Today in John 7, Jesus scandalizes everyone. All of us have a friend or family member who never does what we expect him to, making them unpredictable in public. The friend that’s going to make you blush or embarrass you or explain their behavior to other people. That's probably how the 12 felt about Jesus and the chapter before this one. Jesus said things that made a crowd of 5000 people disperse, even some of his closest disciples abandoned him. But now John 7, we see his brothers feel the same? Let's see why in verse 2, But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” For even his own brothers did not believe in him. When Jesus’ brothers say “no one who wants to be a public figure acts in secret,” they're talking to him like he's a social media influencer trying to blow up his platform. But what's surprising about Jesus is that he's always surprising people. He never does what people expect. He's not going to the feast to become popular. In fact, he tells his brothers, “I'm not going at all” verse 6, “Therefore Jesus told them, my time is not yet here; for you any time will do. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil. You go to the festival. I'm not going up to the festival, because my time has not yet fully come.” After he said this, he stayed in Galilee. However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. You know, the more you study Jesus, the more punk rock has really is. Let's re-play this scene. Jesus’ brothers tell him to go and make an appearance, but then he says no I'm not going, but slips into the city in secret. Jesus gives a reason for not making his attendance public. No, my time is not yet fully come, the world hates me because I testified that it's works are evil. Jesus wasn't there to be admired, but to speak truth. Therefore, he knew that more public appearances from him would make him more hated. There would be no red-carpet entrances for Jesus, but that doesn't stop the crowds in Jerusalem from being consumed with him as the topic of conversation in verse 11, Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus and asking, “Where is he?” Among the crowds there was a widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He was a good man.” Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders. Take notice of people's response to him. When he does appear, John focuses on people's different responses to Jesus this entire chapter and did you catch the three responses to Jesus in verse 12, first the Pharisees ask in verse 11, where is he? People who often disbelieve Jesus’ claim asks his question today. Where is he? I don't see him. If he's real, he could show himself to me or do a magic trick as proof. Second verse 12 He's a good man crowd, I'm sure you've heard that before, like Jesus was just a good teacher or a philosopher like Buddha or Mohammed. It's understandable because Jesus was a good man, but he was so much more real. Group 3 in these verses tells us, he deceives the people. These three responses remind you of something, C.S. Lewis, the famous Christian author of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, once concluded about people's various reactions to Jesus. Lewis said, “I'm trying here prevent anyone from saying here the really fullish thing that people often say about him,  I'm ready to accept Jesus as great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. The man who is merely a man who said the sort of things that Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. You either be a lunatic on the level of the man who says he's a poached egg, or else he would be the devil of hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was and is the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a full, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon, or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about him being a great human. He has not left that open to us and did not intend to. Lunatic, liar, or Lord. There are only three choices, and the crowd is confronted by those same 3 choices but is split between all three of them. His teaching was phenomenal, but they knew he wasn’t a learned man in this chapter. Where was he getting his material from? In verse 25 let’s look at what other things people are saying. At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn't this the man they're trying to kill? Here he is, speaking publicly, and they're not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Messiah? But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he's from.” We, like the crowd that was there, could hear the conflicting opinions battling it out as people would lean to one another trying to figure Jesus out. He was not predictable. He's a Carpenter from Nazareth. His mom and dad were Mary and Joseph. How could he be The Messiah? And yet he teaches like a Messiah and heals people like a Messiah. But we know where this man is from. When Messiah comes, no one will know. As if he's reading their minds, Jesus's voice suddenly cries out. Verse 28 “Yes, you know me, and you know where I'm from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.” I love that. Yes, you know me. There's a double meaning here. They know him as Jesus, son of Joseph, but they also know him as the one sent from the Father. The problem was that Jesus wasn't meeting their expectations. Jesus’ refusal to meet people's fickle expectations, caused confusion to ripple through the crowd, but deep inside they knew who he was. People still do, but throughout this chapter they weigh his miracles, his amazing words, and the fact that the Pharisees were so troubled by him, but yet didn’t act, because they didn't know what to do with him. Maybe you find it puzzling that God doesn't do exactly what you expect them to? Maybe you think you'd do it differently if you were God. But have you ever wondered if you're doing what God expects you to do? Like actually coming to Jesus and believing in him? Maybe in the same way you don't think God is acting as he should. Maybe you weren't acting the way that Jesus would expect you to either if he came and showed himself on earth. I mean, he did come already, but what have you done with that? Have you wrestled with his claims? Have you listened to his words? But Jesus cries out loudly one more time in Jerusalem. And verse 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. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirt, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.” Others said, “He is the Messiah.” A Prophet, Messiah. There were many different opinions about Jesus then, just like now. Lunatic, liar or Lord. You know there isn't much choice, only the choice to respond to what he shouted out so loud that everyone can hear it, including you. “Let anyone who has come to me and drink, whoever believes in me, rivers of living water will flow from within Him.” I'll tell you what I didn't expect. I didn't expect God to ever speak to me. And then, I heard His voice calling me. To come to him. It's my hope that you will too. We'll read the rest of the chapter today and as you do, wrestle through the questions. Who is Jesus? If nothing else, he's unpredictable.