The Messiah?
Notes
Transcript
If asked, “Where is your pastor from?” How would you answer?
Who knows what town I live in?
What town did I live in when my boys were growing up?
What town did I live in when I was in the 9th grade?
What town did I live in when I was in the 6th grade?
What town did I live in when I was in 3rd grade?
What town did I live in when I was in Kindergarten?
In what town was I born?
Famous people - interesting to find many come from a town we never heard of.
Chapter 7 covers the Feast of Tabernacles . A 7-8 day celebrating harvest and God’s provision.
Last week - we stopped halfway through the Feast (and chapter 7) when Jesus entered the scene and taught in the Temple Courts.
Jesus had several things to say that we looked at last week.
The last verse last week was Jesus telling them to....
24 Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”
We pick up after Jesus says this in our reading today.
Please stand as we honor the reading of God’s Word.
25 At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?
26 Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Messiah?
27 But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.”
28 Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him,
29 but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.”
30 At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.
31 Still, many in the crowd believed in him. They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?”
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.
33 Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the one who sent me.
34 You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.”
35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks?
36 What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”
37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.
38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
40 On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.”
41 Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee?
42 Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?”
43 Thus the people were divided because of Jesus.
44 Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.
45 Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”
46 “No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards replied.
47 “You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted.
48 “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him?
49 No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.”
50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked,
51 “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”
52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”
THE WORD OF GOD, FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD
MESSIAH (מָשִׁיַח, mashiyach; “anointed” or “an anointed one”; “messiah”). Rendered into Greek as Χριστός (Christos), cognate to the verb χρίω (chriō, “to anoint”). In this sense, it is essentially the same to say that Jesus is the “Messiah,” or the “Christ.” In contemporary Bible translations, the former is sometimes used when the term is functioning as a title (the Messiah) and the latter when the term is functioning as a name (i.e. Jesus Christ).
The Lexham Bible Dictionary
New Interpreter's Bible Commentary - “All of the conversations in John chapter 7 center on Jesus’ identity and people’s reaction to Jesus. … Each conversation in John chapter 7 underscores the contrast between the reality embodied in Jesus — that He is sent from God — and the crowd’s and the authorities’ perception of that reality.”
Jesus is not saying anything new in our reading today. We have read many of His words already in John’s gospel. We will read them again in future chapters of John. The purpose of the gospels and the Bible is to provoke a reaction in us. A reaction hopefully, to the truth revealed to us in its pages.
The question on the minds of the people throughout our reading - Is Jesus the Messiah?
We already know from the encounter with the woman at the well - chapter 4 - She said, “when Messiah comes, he’ll explain things.” Jesus says, “I am He.”
But the people of Jerusalem are trying to take it all in - to discern who this Jesus is. The people of today are doing the same thing. Perhaps you are doing the same thing.
There are some questions that the people of Jerusalem are struggling with.
One is...
Where is He from?
Where is He from?
Where is He from?
Verse 27: we know where Jesus is from - no one will know where the Messiah is from until He is revealed.
Jesus cried out in the next verses - “Yeah - you should know - He who sent me is true.”
He was from Galilee - they probably knew this from his “accent” - maybe from his clothing - perhaps from the news from Capernaum and other towns in Galilee about his teachings and healings. Some may have known he grew up in Nazareth - remember Nathaniel asking Phillip - “What good could come out of Nazareth?”
Even the Jewish leaders made fun of Nicodemus “are you from Galilee?” when he said we need to hear Jesus out before we “seize and kill” him.
In verse 42 - some remember the words from Micah about Bethlehem. The Messiah is supposed to come from there.
Well, apparently many knew Jesus was from Galilee, some knew he grew up in Nazareth, but few, if any, knew he was born in Bethlehem.
A second question on the people’s mind ...
Who are His ancestors?
Who are His ancestors?
Who are His ancestors?
Joseph the carpenter from Nazareth. “We know his brothers” - people have mentioned in other places in the gospels. Maybe there was some gossip about Mary being pregnant before she married Joseph. (Shhh!!!!)
The family lives in Nazareth? Yes, there were stereotypes back in biblical days.
In verse 42 again - the Messiah was to be from the line of David, the tribe of Judah.
Matthew (chap 1) and Luke (chap 3) show the ancestors of Jesus through His legal father Joseph. One of Joseph’s ancestors was indeed David.
But Jesus has been saying - and again here in our reading - “I am sent from God” - “He is my Father” - the line of David is in an earthly perspective - the Son of God in a spiritual and physical (the Holy Spirit got Mary pregnant, not Joseph) perspective.
He was born in Bethlehem. His is in the legal line of David, the great king.
A third question on the people’s mind, ...
What is He doing?
What is He doing?
What is He doing?
Verse 31 - “many in the crowd believed in him. They said, ‘When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?’ “
They were amazed at the miracles and healings.
Verse 46 - the temple guards said “No one ever spoke the way this man does”
We can only imagine what it was like hear Jesus teach. There was something about his presence, about his demeanor, about his presentation, about his speech, about his words.
Last week’s scripture reading: they were “amazed” at Jesus’s teaching.
The were amazed at his teaching, his miracles and signs.
Is Jesus the Messiah? They are wrestling with that question. People wrestle with that question yet today.
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Grace and Truth - combined in verses 37 & 38
Reminiscent of the encounter with the woman at the well in chapter 4
If you’re thirsty “come!”
“Whoever believes in me” - “streams of living water will flow from within”
John says in verse 39 that Jesus means the Holy Spirit -
Study bible commentary: No specific verse from the OT matches Jesus’ words here exactly. He may be paraphrasing Zech 14:8 since that chapter was read during Tabernacles (see note on John 7:37). Numerous OT passages represent salvation metaphorically as a life-giving source of water (Isa 12:3; 44:3; 58:11; Ezek 47:1; Zech 14:8; Prov 18:4, Joel 3:18).
John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Jn 7:38.
I chose one OT reference: Isaiah chapter 58 verse 11, to close with today
11 The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
Jesus says - if you believe in Him - He will do that for you.
Is Jesus the Messiah? I believe He is.
Is He your Messiah? The one you’ve been searching or waiting for - to guide you always; to satisfy your needs in a “sun-scorched” rough and tough world? Let Him “strengthen” you. Let Him “water” you. Let His Spirit spring from within and “never fail” you.