What Jesus Did

[Jesus said,] "Moses gave you the law, but none of you obeys it! In fact, you are trying to kill me." The crowd replied, "You're demon possessed! Who's trying to kill you?" Jesus replied, "I did one miracle on the Sabbath, and you were amazed. But you work on the Sabbath, too, when you obey Moses' law of circumcision. (Actually, this tradition of circumcision began with the patriarchs, long before the law of Moses.) For if the correct time for circumcising your son falls on the...

 

[Jesus said,] "Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honor the one who sent him speaks truth, not lies."

—John 7:18 NLT

Key Thought


What's your motive for pursuing Jesus? Why would you want to share your faith with a friend? Why would you speak to someone else about your Christian values? Jesus reminds us that the motivation of God's messenger is to honor the Father. So let's ask ourselves if what we say, teach...

 

[Jesus said,] "Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own."

—John 7:17 NLT

Key Thought


Who are you trying to honor? What's the purpose of your life? If you are seeking to do the will of God, then you will know the origin of Jesus's teaching. If you are pursuing the truth, you will find that Jesus opens the door to heaven and opens your heart to God. Learn from him, and you will know the way to God...

 

So Jesus told them, "My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me."

—John 7:16 NLT

Key Thought


Jesus wants all of us, including those who would reject him, to know that his words do not find their origin in a man's opinion. His words come from God! Jesus is more than a prophet. He is more than a teacher. We had better not discount him because we know where he was born or that he didn't have a formal education. His message is divine. His ideas are heaven-sent...

 

Then, midway through the festival, Jesus went up to the Temple and began to teach. The people were surprised when they heard him. "How does he know so much when he hasn't been trained?" they asked.

—John 7:14-15 NLT

Key Thought


Arrogance is such an unattractive and unnecessary trait. Not only is it sinful, but it also shuts us off from truth. None of us has a corner on the market for truth. Education, experience, and training should not mean that we refuse to learn...

 

But after his brothers left for the festival, Jesus also went, though secretly, staying out of public view. The Jewish leaders tried to find him at the festival and kept asking if anyone had seen him.

There was a lot of grumbling about him among the crowds. Some argued, "He's a good man," but others said, "He's nothing but a fraud who deceives the people." But no one had the courage to speak favorably about him in public, for they were afraid of getting in trouble with the Jewish leaders...

 

Jesus replied, "Now is not the right time for me to go [to Judea], but you can go anytime. The world can't hate you, but it does hate me because I accuse it of doing evil. You go on. I'm not going to this festival, because my time has not yet come." After saying these things, Jesus remained in Galilee.

—John 7:6-9 NLT

Key Thought


So much is not said today because of the political correctness police. That observation is not intended to give us an excuse for...

 

But soon it was time for the Jewish Festival of Shelters, and Jesus' brothers said to him, "Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles! You can't become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!" For even his brothers didn't believe in him.

—John 7:2-5 NLT

Key Thought


Imagine how hard it must have been for Jesus. His family just didn't get it. The Lord's physical half brothers and sisters...

 

After this, Jesus traveled around Galilee. He wanted to stay out of Judea, where the Jewish leaders were plotting his death.

—John 7:1 NLT

Key Thought


Jesus stays away from Judea ... at least for now ... until the time is God's time. Jesus will not be hurried or rushed by the agenda of others. He follows God's timetable, not ours or his family's or anyone else's. He concentrated his work on teaching people who needed God's grace and the places that were ready to receive...

 

Then Jesus said, "I chose the twelve of you, but one is a devil." He was speaking of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, one of the Twelve, who would later betray him.

—John 6:70-71 NLT

Key Thought


We know the story before we read it. Lurking in the shadows is the traitor. Treachery is afoot. While we can speculate on why Judas would do such a terrible thing, Scripture doesn't tell us. The Holy Spirit tells us only that he did betray Jesus — and already, Jesus knows that...