Is Not This The Man…

Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “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? John 7:25-26

During the Feast of Tabernacles the crowds were at least curious about the man Jesus, and many were quite intrigued. Apparently it was already widely known that the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem were plotting to kill Jesus.They questioned among themselves how He could continue to speak so openly without the authorities challenging His words and His person. Hmmm…maybe He really is the Christ and they know it. The Jews’ authority over the general population was being put to the test, and so far they had not pressed the issue with Jesus.

But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” John 7:27

“On the other hand”, quibbled some, “we know too much about this man. We won’t know where the Christ comes from.” They didn’t know nearly as much about Him as they thought they did, and their doctrine concerning the identity of the Christ was also flawed. We modern believers need to pay attention to these details at the first advent of the Savior. We think we know just what to look for regarding the Second Advent, but listen to some of the things your fellow believers are saying about that. Some people are quoting teachings about eschatological details that are contrary to scripture. Others seem to ignore teachings that many believe to be necessary to the sequence of end-time events. We who identify ourselves as Christian and yet have opposing beliefs regarding the return of Christ cannot all be right. We are Christian by having received His finished work of atonement on our behalf, but the details of when and by what method He will come to fetch us home are obviously not consistent among the various denominations and sects. One thing is certain: we want to know what the Bible actually teaches about these things, and not just rock along anticipating the superstitious stories and what-ifs we’ve heard from shallow believers along the way. Our faith must remain as close to the literal interpretation of the Holy Scriptures as we can manage, because that is the source of truth to all generations; to the Jews of Jerusalem, to the people of Israel and to us modern humans of the world.

The problem these Jewish people had was that their information about the coming Messiah was mostly Second Advent prophecy about a great Messiah who would appear suddenly and overpower their enemies, taking the crown of David. They weren’t clear on His first advent. Although the prophecies are there in the Old Testament concerning His birth, earthly ministry and crucifixion, the Jews strung all that together with Second Advent scriptures, not knowing that there would be a huge time gap in these prophesied events. Indeed, not knowing that there would be two advents.This humble, matter-of-fact man demonstrated amazing power, but did not fit their preconceived heroic criteria.

The people had their information a little garbled, it seems, but they were interested in knowing more about the man Jesus and His work, and exactly what the Jews were going to do about Him.

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. I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” John 7:28-29

Humanly speaking, they knew Jesus of Nazareth. But there is much, much more to know about God the Son than his earthly existence. He was here in human flesh to fulfill His Father’s plan. The Father is all truth. If they had known the Father, they would have recognized the Son. Jesus’ perfect humanity came directly from God the Father, through Immaculate Conception in a virgin’s womb. Jesus knew where He came from and Who sent Him. His audience did not. They could only see and analyze the physical.

So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 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 7:30-31

The Jewish leadership continued trying to find a legitimate reason to seize Jesus, but they just didn’t have grounds to do that. God’s timing is perfect, and Jesus was perfectly in sync with God’s timing. He knew exactly how the mission of His humanity would play out, and He gauged just where the saturation point would be with the Jews.

Nothing ever has, nothing ever will take our Lord by surprise. He is omniscience. He is eternal life. He is omnipotence. Nothing and no one ever has or ever will overpower Him. All the while the Jews were scuttling about, watching, listening, spying on Him and plotting His demise, He was playing them like a string orchestra. The people were paying attention to His every move, too, and they knew no other human could ever demonstrate more power than “this man” had done.

Therefore, “many of the people believed in Him.” Verse 30 - “believed” is the Greek word pisteuo. It means saving faith. What they had seen in Him could not be denied.

The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him.  Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” 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? What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?” John 7:32-36

The situation was becoming uncomfortable for the Jews. They heard the crowd questioning and criticizing their judgment and their inaction. They couldn’t afford to let the people think they were indecisive. They sent the temple police to bring Him in.

Our Lord faced them down. “I’m not going to be here much longer. I’m going back to where I came from. You won’t know where I went, and it is not possible for you to go there.” They had no clue what He was talking about. They thought maybe He planned to join the Jewish people who had been scattered into gentile nations and start a movement among the Greeks.

They chattered among themselves about the statements Jesus made. They were devoid of spiritual understanding. His reference to “going” meant to depart suddenly, as in the ascension, after His death on the cross, His burial and His resurrection. Until that time came, there was nothing they could do to Him. He was completely clear on that.

The Jews were not.