John 7:10-8:1 (A
Righteous Judgment)
When we began our Study in the Gospel of John we started it by
asking the question – Who is Jesus?
A)The Answer to that question
really has been the theme every Chapter.
B) The Word
that was in the Beginning with God – the Word that was God
1) Responsible
for bringing into existence all of Creation -
C) Became flesh and dwelt among us.
In John we see the Convergence of God and man wrapped up in
the Person of Christ.
A)But as we have studied thru the
gospel of John we see this growing controversy – Concerning who is JC
B) That
Controversy is front and center again tonight as we consider – John Ch.7
C) Before we
break this down I want to begin tonight by considering a Statement that Jesus
makes in V.24
24
Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous
judgment."
Now Jesus makes this statement to the religious leaders who
were out to get Him – against Him
A)He pin
points what was a major part of their problem concerning Him
B) Their
judgment was not a righteous Judgment – it was too centered on appearances
C) It will be
from this foundation that I want to consider this section of scripture.
1) I want to pin point 4 reasons that we see laid
out here – they were not Judging Him Rightly
D) As we go thru this I want to mark these points for
application for us
1) See we can be guilty of doing the same – Not
Judging others or situations rightly
E) Focused on
appearances or preconceived ideas, not gathering all of the facts
So with that
let me set up the scene and then we will jump into the text.
The events of Ch.7 take place during the Feast of Tabernacles – One of 3 national feast ……attend
A)Passover April – Pentecost – May/
June / Tabernacles – was – October
B) Tabernacles
was a 7 – later added an 8th day feast that was the most Joyful….. –
thanksgiving
1)
Commemorating the wilderness wanderings – when they dwelt
in Tabernacles or Tents
C) For six
months Jesus has been ministering exclusively in the less populated area of
1) Because he knew the Jewish religious leaders were
hostile towards him – { Staying clear of
D)Good lesson for us- Some Christians who love arguments –
love controversy
1)They love to fight and to
argue –
ATTACK SHEEP LAMBO
E) They love
to argue points of doctrine – they just have to be right – prove it – make their
point
F) Jesus He
knew more than these religious / He was absolutely right – no question
1) And yet he
is avoiding the conflict – I like that
Now We saw in our last study where the ½ brothers of Jesus were telling
him – if you
are really who you claim to be – go up to the feast and prove it.
Go up and do
something spectacular –
A)V.5 tells us
they were saying that because they really didn’t believe.
B) But Jesus
declined their invitation to go up to the feast in some grand fashion{ Timing
C) So his
brothers go up to the feast and he sends his
Disciples up
there as well.
Pick up the Story in V.10 – RD
A)So he goes
up in secret – not sure when he went what day. – Keeping a low profile. RD V.11-13
B) So guys are
posted looking for Him –& we see that there is this growing controversy
about who He is
1) Same are
saying – He is good – He is from God –
others – No He is a deceiver
C) But no one
is speaking out for fear of the religious leaders
1) We will see in Ch.9 the Sanhedrin has already
decided anyone following Jesus excommunicated
D) See where
the parents of the man born blind are worried about that! RD
V.14 -15
So Jesus appears out of the shadows on about the 3rd
or 4th day – 8 day feast –
A)Now
understand there would be well over 100,000 people attending the feast –
B)Gathering daily in the
1) Religious leaders are listening – marvel – how
does He know this stuff.
C) He hasn’t gone
to our seminaries – He hasn’t studied with our rabbis.
Here we see the first reason for their unrighteous Judgment.
– He didn’t go their Schools
A) HE WASN’T ONE OF THEM – He wasn’t from their group- their mold –
B) You know some
things haven’t changed!
C)There are
Churches today – who wouldn’t put Jesus in their Pulpit – because He didn’t
graduate from their SEMINARY
B) Didn’t
matter that He was completely anointed and spoke the truth like no one they
have ever heard
1)He is not one of us. – Not speaking here.
C)That was one thing eating at the religious leaders
D) I think
this implies that they were fully expecting Messiah to rise from their Ranks –
So they are marveling – Notice how Jesus responds RD V.16-18
A) Reason #2 THEY WEREN’T PAYING ATTENTION TO THE FACTS.
B) Jesus
wasn’t saying anything that wasn’t from God – anything that they shouldn’t have
already known
C) His
teaching didn’t contradict truth / it only magnified it. –
1) Jesus was
all about pointing to God – Glorify the Father.
But their problem was they were not paying attention to the
Facts
A)They were so
focused on the outward appearance they were not willing to hear the heart
B) We can be
guilty of doing the same thing { Extreme Ex.
C) Drive by see Kevin – laying into same guy – I knew – not
much of Christian
1) Not
defending his daughter
C) We judge a
persons actions not knowing the full story.
D) Been said
that we are to be Fruit inspectors –
1)Need to get close
enough to taste the fruit
Appearances
can be deceiving – Look ripe / sour
E) Fruit inspectors are not sin sniffers
- Paparazzi
See the whole picture: These guys were quick to Judge Jesus
– they were seeing the whole picture.
A)Gather facts
– Why are they thinking that – why did they react in that way.
B) Seen people
react in the flesh – ugly – But when I found out later what led up to the
outburst
1) Easy to not make an excuse – but realize – that
outburst was isolated and not reflective of their real behavior.
Now We also
see two key principles for Christian living and Service here in the words of
Jesus V.17
If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine,
whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.
1st
Prin. Revelation is directly linked to application.
A)If you do what you’ve already been told,
more will be revealed to you concerning His doctrine.
B) The problem with us so frequently
is that we don’t do what we already know to do — and then wonder why we don’t
learn more.
C)Truly, obedience is the
door through which revelation enters.
18 He who
speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One
who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.
This
is such a great verse for those who want to be in ministry. And for Judging
ministry.
A)Who is getting the glory.
– Jesus was all about the glory of the Father.
B) But He said He who speaks
from himself seeks his own glory.
1) I really have a Problem –
bugs me personally –
So and So Ministries
C)
They have a big plague behind the stage – where that is scene – all their
business cards / mailings
1) Who is getting the Glory –
who is that pointing to.
D) This was a good point
that Jesus was bringing up – He was constantly – pointing to the Father
1) Seeking
the glory of the Father
E) False teachers that had
come on the scene – before and since – usually pointing to themselves
1) More about them – than
anything else
RD V.19
Now
this is a heavy thing that Jesus says here and it must have caused their heads
to turn.
A)Moses gave you the law –
and yet you don’t keep it
The law said – thou shall
not Kill – lit. murder
B) Jesus says and yet – you
want to Kill me!
1)
This wasn’t public knowledge – the head religious leader didn’t say – [We want Jesus – dead
or alive!]
So
they must have been thinking – there is a traitor amongst us.- Who told
A)We know this wasn’t public
Knowledge by the reaction of the
20 The people
answered and said,"You have a demon. Who is
seeking to kill You?"
B) The people are like what
are you talking about – who is trying to Kill you
V.21 Jesus answered and said to them, ? [ Jews ] "I did one work, and you all
marvel
C)Now He is referring back here to the man who was healed at the pool of
D)
This really got their feathers ruffled turn to Ch.5:16 and then v. 18
Reason #3 Unrighteous Judgment - #3 HE DIDN’T ADHERE TO
THEIR RITUALS.
A)He wasn’t
observing the Sabbath the way that they thought it was to be observed.
B) Do you get
uncomfortable when you encounter a believer who doesn’t share your convictions
on something?
C) I have
friends who don’t share my convictions on certain things – Does that make them
wrong? No
1) Is it
possible that they have liberties I don’t have absolutely.
Back to
Jesus responds
A)Moses gave
you circumcision – not that it was from Moses – it predated Moses – Abe
B) Before the
law and before Lev.12 where the Lord gave instructions/ that circumcision was
to be 8th day
1)God said to
Abe – circumcise the males – as a sign you belong
to me – committed to me.
C)So here was the problem if you were born on the Sabbath –
8 days later – Sabbath again – Sat.
1) If you were following the Law that would mean your
son would need to be circumcised
D) So this is
how they got around their interpretation of no work of the Sabbath
1)
Circumcision predates the Law so it must be ok to circumcise on the Sabbath
E) So
circumcision predated the law – took Precedence over the law.
So
this is the question that Jesus is posing to them
A)If it is permitted (even
commanded) to do a negative work (such as cutting away the flesh in
circumcision) on the Sabbath,
B)Why not a work that brings
wholeness?
C) Human need has precedence
over religious ritual.
RD
V.25-30
The Divine Timeline – His hour was not Yet.
A)I love this
Jesus is standing UNTOUCHABLE in the middle
of his fathers will.
B) Same thing hold true for you and I – walking with the
Lord – UNTOUCHABLE
C) One reason
I am never afraid to fly – Sept.11 – discounted fairs I was looking to go
anywhere
1) Father has
a time – My time it doesn’t matter if I am in Bed or a Plane. –
D) I just
figure God is not thru with me yet and if he is – So be it !
Note V.27 Reason #4 – He was from the wrong place
Repeated v,41,52
A)Preconceived
idea about where Messiah would be from -
Note v.52
52
They answered and said to him, "Are you also from
B)they were absolutely
wrong. Three prophets had already arisen from Galilee.
1)Jonah
clearly was one. Nahum and Hosea very likely came from
C)But
the point, of course, is, they were sarcastic, pompous, cynical, and calloused
in their attitude.
1)
This is often the reaction of those who are disturbed by the words of
Jesus. RD V. 31 -32
Now
here we see what is an accurate
description of what always happens when the good news about Jesus is preached.
A)When the gospel is truly
preached, a two-fold reaction will always result:
B)First, some people are
going to be very upset and angry.
1)
Recall Paul said –
C) It confronts and convicts – them of their
sin –
Makes them feel
uncomfortable.
D) Those who believe, Aroma
of Life.{ Many believed
RD V.33-36
A)Now Jesus expands on this a bit in
"Let
not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father's house are many mansions; if
it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be
also. 4 And where I go you know, and the
way you know."
B) That for us
is our Hope! –
C) So that
ends this Dialogue with the religious leaders. RD
V.37-39
We spent our time looking at these 3 verses on Sunday am –
A)Feast of
Tabernacles – Commemorating water from the Rock -
B) Daily
ritual pool of Siloam.
C) Jesus
addresses Human need. THIRSTY
The Remedy for having thirst quenched – Come & drink –
A)Love this –
he doesn’t say grovel – or beg –
B) Go Knock on
1000 doors –
1) He simply
says – Come & partake – You will be satisfied
C) But even
more so – You will become a conduit thru which others experience
satisfaction
D) Noted this
is the real mark of the Spirit filled believer – He refreshes others
Now
John traces three results that followed these gracious words of Jesus.
A)First, we see again the
same two-fold division among his hearers: RD V.40-446
B) They
were arrested by His words -We can almost hear the response of the men,
"Well, it is hard to tell exactly what
happened, but as we were listening to him he somehow got through to us.
We
became so wrapped up in what he was saying we forgot what we set out to do. We
have to say that we have never heard anybody speak like this man."
Let me ask you,
Do
you know Jesus in this way?
Do
you listen to his words?
Do
you think through what he is saying to you?
Have you found yourself
arrested by the One whom men seek to arrest?
V.47
The Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived ?"
A)Do
you hear the anger and the contempt in those words?
V.48 "Have
any of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him?"
Do
you hear the pride and the pompous superiority in those words?
V.49
"But this crowd, that do not know the law, are accursed
"Why
do you listen to these common people?" Do you hear the snobbishness and
the contempt in those words?
But
then Nicodemus, one of their own, speaks. We have already seen (in the third
chapter) HS is working on Nic 50 Nicodemus (he who
came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, 51 "Does our law
judge a man before it hears him and
knows what he is doing?"
Nicodemus raises a word of caution. "
Nic shows great wisdom here concerning Be careful, you are about to take action that is
going to end up in violating the very Law that you claim to maintain."
But
notice their sarcastic response:
2
Key things for having a righteous Judgment
A)Examine ourselves
and our motives – why am I so concerned about this.
B) Am I
jealous ? Am I hoping to making myself look better or feel better by exposing
the dirt on another
C) IS it
revenge – Do I really have a problem with this person and it is my Change to
drag them down
D)Or am I
hoping to justify and rationalize my own sin !
2nd
In a sense Nic was saying lets give Jesus the benefit of the doubt.
A)Can I encourage you to do
that?
"Judge
not, that you be not judged. 2 For with
what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it
will be measured back to you.
3 And why do
you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in
your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to
your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in
your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove
the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck
from your brother's eye.
NKJV