John 7:37-53: Unbelief of the Pharisees

Analysis

During the last (8^th) day of the festival, Jesus’ message continues where he left off in v36 and he prophesy about the Holy Spirit. He uses the metaphor of water that gives life. It is a fitting metaphor for the festival as he uses Exodus 17 as basis where God provided the wandering Israelites with water so that they can live. Even at this time in the desert, God provided and saved the rebellious and stubborn people from death. Jesus is crying out to the people to believe in Him and prophesying that they will have living water flow within him through the working of the Holy Spirit. John explains this in v39.

In v40 to v44 the people are picking sides; some believe in Jesus for who he says he is and others believe the Pharisees. Those in the Pharisee camp cling to the one shred of false information about Jesus’ origin – that he is from Nazareth! The most amazing thing about these people is their narrow view regarding the messiah. Jesus does not fit into their view of the messiah and thus he must be rejected.

The Pharisees follow exactly the same though pattern; just because Jesus does not conform to their interpretation of the scriptures, he must be rejected. The Pharisees confess two important things here:

• They do not believe that He is the Messiah sent from God (v48)
• They do not interpret the scriptures right (v52) because Jonah was a prophet from Galilee (2 Kings 14:5) and Jesus was born in Bethlehem !

Their hypocrisy and arrogance reaches a climax in v47 to v52. Because others do not conform to their view of the scriptures, the Pharisees:

1. Declare the crown accursed because the crowd does not believe the Pharisees;
2. Misinterpret the scriptures openly by stating that no other prophet ever came from Galilee (v52); and
3. Wrongly apply the law to judge Jesus and in the process threaten Nicodemus when he shows them their error.

Response

From this passage it is clear that if you do not believe in the basic truth, that Jesus is the Son of God, you will, without fail interpret the Word of God in untruthful ways and you will find your-self in a place where you reject the Saviour.

Jesus taught the crowds from the scriptures and it must have become quite clear to them that the Pharisees and the scribes have been either lying to them or do not know what they are talking about when it comes to the scriptures.

This is a clear message to us that we must search and study the word given to us by God so that we can live the life for Christ in the way the Father intended it for us. If we do not know the scriptures, them it will be easy for us to be led astray by teachers who might themselves not understand the Word.

John 7:1-36: Jesus debates with the Jewish leaders and the Jews

Analysis

This passage is set during the Festival of the Tabernacles. This festival celebrates the memory of the exodus and the wanderings of the forefathers in the wilderness. Jesus goes up to the festival in secret but not before his brothers give him some political advice because they still judged him to be just a man (and fellow Jew) who might only be an earthly political messiah. They implore him to go to Jerusalem where he will be able to convince a larger number of followers (than at his small hometown) through the miraculous works he does and surely there is political strength in numbers! It was probably a sound earthly strategy. His brothers saw his outward works but did not see the inward significance of it.

Jesus does just the opposite; he goes incognito in order to not draw attention to himself.

When Jesus does go to Jerusalem and he teaches in the temple, the politics continue; the Jewish leaders want to kill him and the people are divided over his teachings. Yet, Jesus teaches with such authority and insight that even his detractors are amazed.

Now, the people are still seeing Jesus as just a man and are amazed that this could come from a man but Jesus is imploring them to judge whether His words are from man or God. In v18 Jesus says to let the words judge the result; if he glorifies God in his works there will be no unrighteousness in him and then it must be from God. His teaching is from God (Isaiah 50:4) and not from a man-made institution (e.g. school of the Pharisees), and his works glorifies God and backs up his teaching. And for that, the Jewish leaders want to kill him.

The crowd does not seem to know this because he explains that the Jews want to kill him because he healed flesh (at the pool of Bethesda) on the Sabbath. However, in direct contrast to the healing, the leaders mutilate flesh with circumcision (with due cognisance that it its part of a cleansing ritual) on the Sabbath because the cleaning rite “is more important” than keeping the Sabbath. Jesus is directly judging their skewed logic and utter hypocrisy.

Jesus tells them that He is being judged for selfish political reasons by the leaders instead of on his teachings and works that glorify God. If the leaders judge (v24) “according to righteous judgment” they would see God working.

The confusion amongst the people is propagated by the prophesy in Mal 3:1 where it says that “… the Lord you seek will suddenly come to His temple…” The people understood this to mean that he will appear out of thin air and no one will know where he came from (v27), but they know Jesus’ background and where he comes from; hence the confusion amongst some. By judging Him on this one part of the prophesy alone would result in this confusion they find themselves in. Others did believe by considering his works and his words in v31.

The Pharisees already decided not to believe Him as the Messiah and judged him guilty by their own skewed and twisted interpretations of the Mosaic law. But not even the mighty leaders could arrest Jesus because God has not yet permitted it and in this, Jesus tells the people of the events that are to unfold surrounding his death.

Response

The crux of the matter is given in v24 “Stop judging according to outward appearances; rather judge according to righteous judgment.”

The world is so quick to point to us as believers and label us as “judgemental.” However, as believers, we are called to judge others but we are also instructed how to judge; according to righteous judgment.

But how can we judge righteously ? How is it possible for a sinner like me to be able to do it and what serves the purpose of such judgement ?

I am only made righteous in the eyes of God because of Jesus’ work on the cross. Thus, I can only judge others to the standard and words of the bible. Beyond that, my own opinion is flawed and sinful. If I judge others with gentleness and kindness from the Word of salvation, I will be able to show the gospel to other sinners like me. The only reason we can have to judge in righteousness is so that others can also be led to salvation in Jesus.