What Jesus Did

[The leading Pharisees replied to Nicodemus,] "Are you from Galilee, too? Search the Scriptures and see for yourself — no prophet ever comes from Galilee!"

—John 7:52 NLT

Key Thought


One person against a group seldom wins the short-term battle. If the group has the wrong information, its conclusion will be wrong no matter how many people speak in support of that conclusion. Rather than trying to deal with the truth of Nicodemus' statement, the rulers of Israel...

 

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

—John 7:50-51 NLT

Key Thought


One of my favorite stories in the Gospel of John is the story of Nicodemus. This wonderful seeker of truth came to Jesus at night because he saw in Jesus something of heaven. However, it wasn't easy for him to come to Jesus all at once. God kept working on his seeking heart, leading him closer to Jesus...

 

"Have you been led astray, too?" the Pharisees mocked [to the Temple guards]. "Is there a single one of us rulers or Pharisees who believes in [Jesus]? This foolish crowd follows him, but they are ignorant of the law. God's curse is on them!"

—John 7:47-49 NLT

Key Thought


Smug rejection is such an obnoxious trait. Yet we see it often. When others don't want to grapple with the truth of Jesus or the perplexing and demanding challenges of genuine discipleship...

 

When the Temple guards returned without having arrested Jesus, the leading priests and Pharisees demanded, "Why didn't you bring him in?" "We have never heard anyone speak like this!" the guards responded.

—John 7:45-46 NLT

Key Thought


I love to listen to the accents of people from different parts of the world as they speak. In a world with so many words — spoken, written, plastered on signs, blasted over radio waves, printed in newspapers and magazines, sent through...

 

When the crowds heard [Jesus say that living water will flow from his heart], some of them declared, "Surely this man is the Prophet we've been expecting." Others said, "He is the Messiah." Still others said, "But he can't be! Will the Messiah come from Galilee? 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." So the crowd was divided about him. Some even wanted him arrested, but no one laid...

 

On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, "Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, 'Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.'" (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.)

—John 7:37-39 NLT

Key...

 

When the Pharisees heard that the crowds were whispering [that Jesus must be the Messiah], they and the leading priests sent Temple guards to arrest Jesus. But Jesus told them, "I will be with you only a little longer. Then I will return to the one who sent me. You will search for me but not find me. And you cannot go where I am going." The Jewish leaders were puzzled by this statement. "Where is he planning to go?" they asked. "Is he thinking of leaving the country and going to the...

 

Then the leaders tried to arrest [Jesus]; but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come. Many among the crowds at the Temple believed in him. "After all," they said, "would you expect the Messiah to do more miraculous signs than this man has done?"

—John 7:30-31 NLT

Key Thought


Even with pressure from the authorities not to believe, many put their faith in Jesus. Why? They saw what he did and recognized that there had to be a divine power behind it...

 

While Jesus was teaching in the Temple, he called out, "Yes, you know me, and you know where I come from. But I'm not here on my own. The one who sent me is true, and you don't know him. But I know him because I come from him, and he sent me to you."

—John 7:28-29 NLT

Key Thought


Jesus came on a mission. It wasn't a mission of his own initiative. He wasn't looking for honor for himself. He was sent to do the Father's work, to do the Father's mission, and to bring glory...

 

Some of the people who lived in Jerusalem started to ask each other, "Isn't [Jesus] the man they are trying to kill? But here he is, speaking in public, and they say nothing to him. Could our leaders possibly believe that he is the Messiah? But how could he be? For we know where this man comes from. When the Messiah comes, he will simply appear; no one will know where he comes from."

—John 7:25-27 NLT

Key Thought


Jesus is from God. That is one of the primary...