Amazed

The people were divided about Jesus when he preached. Is he a prophet? Is he the prophet who was to come? Is he Messiah? The people were amazed at his teaching and they were confused about where this amazing teaching was from…

37 On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! 38 Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” 39 (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)

40 When the crowds heard him say this, some of them declared, “Surely this man is the Prophet we’ve been expecting.” 41 Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others said, “But he can’t be! Will the Messiah come from Galilee? 42 For the Scriptures clearly state that the Messiah will be born of the royal line of David, in Bethlehem, the village where King David was born.” 43 So the crowd was divided about him. 44 Some even wanted him arrested, but no one laid a hand on him.

45 When the Temple guards returned without having arrested Jesus, the leading priests and Pharisees demanded, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”

46 “We have never heard anyone speak like this!” the guards responded.

47 “Have you been led astray, too?” the Pharisees mocked. 48 “Is there a single one of us rulers or Pharisees who believes in him? 49 This foolish crowd follows him, but they are ignorant of the law. God’s curse is on them!”

50 Then Nicodemus, the leader who had met with Jesus earlier, spoke up. 51 “Is it legal to convict a man before he is given a hearing?” he asked.

52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Search the Scriptures and see for yourself—no prophet ever comes from Galilee!”
John 7:37-52 NLT

8 I will raise up a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell the people everything I command him.
Deuteronomy 18:18 NLT

The people were looking for the prophet of God and the Messiah of God. There had been many prophets of old, but the Old Testament foretold, in Deuteronomy 18:18, of God sending a prophet who would perhaps be of the stature of Moses. Jesus certainly fits this description. He spoke the words of God and proclaimed that he only said it did what the Father told him to do it say (John 5).

John introduces a bit of irony here as people observe that Messiah should come from Bethlehem, while the implication here is that Jesus from Galilee could not fulfill that prophecy of God. We know and John’s readers knew from the writings of Matthew and Mark, that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The people were divided on these issues in real time, but the readers old and new understood the truth: Jesus born in Bethlehem, which is where prophecy informs us Messiah will be from.

When we find the guards reporting back to the chief priests and Pharisees, they are upset that the guards didn’t arrest him. But the guards were also amazed at Jesus’ teaching. They could not arrest such an amazing teacher. The leaders’ response was based on their own credentials and power. If the Pharisees didn’t believe in Jesus with their credentials, why should the common folks fall prey to this deceiver Jesus?

Nicodemus, on the other hand, is an example of a person with credentials who is considering Jesus more closely. He has come a long way since he met Jesus at night in John 3. He reminds me of the Berean church in Acts 17. He argues that they should hear Jesus out before condemning him. He is open-minded and interested in testing Jesus’ teaching against the scriptures. His colleagues accuse him of coming from Galilee also.

What say you? How will you respond to Jesus’ teaching? How will you process his identity as prophet and Messiah? We will see in the next interactions that they ask Jesus about his authority. They continue to press him. And the people increasingly accept his teaching and miracles earnestly.

The fair hearing of Jesus, which Nicodemus called for, didn’t happen until after the resurrection. Only after the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and his apostles documenting the story do we have the opportunity to view the big picture. And in this fair hearing and deep reflection, we can find Messiah Jesus the prophet promised by God the Father…

Amen.

Marc Kinna