Do What You Know To Do
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Introduction
Introduction
Jesus begins to teach at the midway point of the feast. It is the high point of the celebration. He did His teaching in the Temple courts. It was common for rabbi/teachers to teach in one of the spacious courtyard areas of the temple.
This first exchange is with “the Jews” meaning the Jewish religious leaders of the day. They had challenged Jesus’ right to teach at all...He was not highly educated. He had not studied under any of the prominent rabbis in Jerusalem so who was he to teach?!?
The KJV translates verse 15
And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?
How can he be a man of letters (a scholar) without going to college? From a human perspective Jesus was not an educated person. He did not have the sheep skins on the wall…He had the look of a rural Galilean and had a Galilean accent to boot…an accent which itself made him sound like an uneducated fellow.
From the day we entered the ninth-grade health class, one blackboard was covered with the names and locations of the major bones and muscles of the human body. The diagram stayed on the board throughout the term, although the teacher never referred to it. The day of the final exam, we came to class to find the board wiped clean. The sole test question was: "Name and locate every major bone and muscle in the human body." The class protested in unison: "We never studied that!" "That's no excuse," said the teacher. "The information was there for months." After we struggled with the test for a while, he collected the papers and tore them up. "Always remember," he told us, "that education is more than just learning what you are told."
The Rabbis of the day, those who had studied in the rabbinical schools would substantiate every pronouncement by appealing to precedent, to earlier rabbinical judgements. “Education” in that day meant learning to parrot what someone else had told them…what someone else had said.
Example — These fellows would then stand up and quote multiple rabbis…Rabbi so and so said love God…Rabbi such and such also said love God, as did Rabbi this and that…Therefore I conclude that we are to love God and to do so passionately!
Jesus simply made statements without any reference to Rabbinical teaching of the past. In the eyes of the Jews of the day this made him look arrogant…they worried that those who attempted to teach in such a way would drift from tradition.
Jesus addresses their fears in verse 16 — He is no upstart with independent ideas of His own. His teaching gains its credibility and authority from the One who sent Him. His teaching is one of divine revelation. And this is a revelation available to all
The person who has an obedient heart…the desire to do God’s will is the one who will understand who Jesus is and realie His teaching is true…it is the fulfillment of the OT revelation concerning the Messiah
Those who have faith in God and do what they know to do…obey the revelation given them up to this moment…they are the ones who will see God’s coming revelation and realize the teaching of Jesus is true.
The American writer Marianne Wiggins wrote the novel Almost Heaven. One of its central characters is a middle aged woman called Melanie John. We meet her in the psychiatric unit of the Medical College of Virginia suffering from hysterical amnesia. Five weeks earlier she was a happily married mother of four living in the Richmond suburbs. One day five weeks earlier she and her family are in their car heading down the highway. Her husband Jason, the love of her life, is driving. The four kids are in the back. Melanie has been writing in her journal when a gust of wind catches a sheet of paper and rips it out the window. Jason pulls the car over to the side of the road, Melanie gets out and heads into the field at the side of the road to recover her writing. That’s when she hears the awful screech of tires skidding, smells the burning of rubber, and turns around to see another vehicle slam into the rear of her family’s car. The vehicle explodes. Jason and the children are killed instantly. Melanie’s system copes by shutting down, by blocking out all memories of this day and of her family. The last 20 years, the family years, are erased from her conscious memory. She remembers the day 20 years earlier she graduated law school and went to work in the law office on Broad street. But meeting Jason and falling in love, the day of her wedding, the birth of her children, the building of their house, the times they all spent at the beach, the fights and the love – she can’t remember any of it. The amnesia acts as an emotional anaesthetic, but it also robs her of herself. She has no sense of who she is. Inside that shell of a body who is Melanie John? What is her life about? Where does she fit? What’s her place, her purpose? Without the stories of the last 20 years she has no way of knowing. Without the stories of her past there is no meaningful present and there can be no meaningful future. The novel recounts Melanie’s journey to recovering her memories, the pain of her loss and the regaining of her sense of self. One of the things the story reminds us about is that we are made up of our stories. Our sense of self, of who we are, of why where here, of where we fit and where we’re headed are the map by which we make sense of life. When you reflect on this you discover that it’s true at both the individual level and the cultural level. As well as our individual stories we are shaped by our cultural stories, stories which tell us who we are, what life’s about, what we should and shouldn’t value. For Christians, the Christian faith provides us with an alternate story to that of our culture, and calls us to its sense of place, of value, of direction and meaning.
One day five weeks earlier she and her family are in their car heading down the highway. Her husband Jason, the love of her life, is driving. The four kids are in the back. Melanie has been writing in her journal when a gust of wind catches a sheet of paper and rips it out the window.
Jason pulls the car over to the side of the road, Melanie gets out and heads into the field at the side of the road to recover her writing. That’s when she hears the awful screech of tires skidding, smells the burning of rubber, and turns around to see another vehicle slam into the rear of her family’s car. The vehicle explodes. Jason and the children are killed instantly.
Melanie’s system copes by shutting down, by blocking out all memories of this day and of her family. The last 20 years, the family years, are erased from her conscious memory. She remembers the day 20 years earlier she graduated law school and went to work in the law office on Broad street. But meeting Jason and falling in love, the day of her wedding, the birth of her children, the building of their house, the times they all spent at the beach, the fights and the love – she can’t remember any of it.
The amnesia acts as an emotional anaesthetic, but it also robs her of herself. She has no sense of who she is. Inside that shell of a body who is Melanie John? What is her life about? Where does she fit? What’s her place, her purpose? Without the stories of the last 20 years she has no way of knowing. Without the stories of her past there is no meaningful present and there can be no meaningful future.
The novel recounts Melanie’s journey to recovering her memories, the pain of her loss and the regaining of her sense of self. One of the things the story reminds us about is that we are made up of our stories. Our sense of self, of who we are, of why where here, of where we fit and where we’re headed are the map by which we make sense of life.
When you reflect on this you discover that it’s true at both the individual level and the cultural level. As well as our individual stories we are shaped by our cultural stories, stories which tell us who we are, what life’s about, what we should and shouldn’t value. For Christians, the Christian faith provides us with an alternate story to that of our culture, and calls us to its sense of place, of value, of direction and meaning.
The Jews, God’s people, had THE STORY! They had the Law of God...the Old Testament…they had the revelation of the Old Covenant which pointed to the new…but they were disobedient to it…lacked faith in the God of the Law and missed His revelation again and again. Jesus makes clear they are in danger of doing so yet again.
Evidence of their current state of disobedience is found in the plot to kill Jesus…He knew what their leaders were scheming. The law says do not murder yet they were planning a premeditated hit on Him at any moment.
This kind of sickness of heart is what causes one to miss God’s will for his life…disobedience to the revealed will of God can erect roadblocks to any future revelation from Him
When we are living in unrepentant sin there is a coldness of heart…a deafness, callousness to the Spirit of God. But a heart seeking Him is sure to find Him
Back to the Crowd
Back to the Crowd
Now Jesus turns His attention from the Jewish leaders to the crowd who had come to Jerusalem for the feast. The crowd answered His charges against them (that they intended to kill Jesus) by accusing Him of being a paranoid, demon possessed man.
Obviously the plot to kill Jesus was a closely guarded secret at this point that no one outside of Jerusalem knew anything about.
They believe Jesus to be mentally ill and even possessed because of what they see as wild claims of a persecution they could not see with their eyes.
At this point Jesus reminds them of the miracle He performed the last time He was here…the healing of a man at the Pool of Bethesda (chapter 5) which took place on a Sabbath. Because of this miracle and His subsequent claims to be equal with God, the Jews were intent on killing Him…and that intent was still among their leaders
He brings up the point that circumcision, which came through Abraham, takes precedence over the Sabbath when the day (8 days following the birth of a male) for such required it be done on a Sabbath. There was a hierarchy of precedence as far as the law was concerned…this allowed them to keep the law as a whole.
In affect what Jesus was saying is this — You circumcise on the sabbath in order to keep the law…the miracle I performed, which healed the whole man, should be seen in the same light…
Jesus did not break the law of the Sabbath by healing…the activity of Jesus is the fulfillment of the redemptive purposes of God in the Old Testament…he is bringing physical as well as spiritual healing to all.
“Stop judging by mere appearances” — All of this to say…stop judging Jesus on His lack of education or rumors of His law breaking and instead look to who He is, what He is teaching and what He is about the business of doing…redeeming the lost!
The People of Jerusalem
The People of Jerusalem
Now Jesus moves the conversation from the crowds who attended the feast to the actual residents of Jerusalem…So we have gone from Jewish leaders to the crowds in general to the Jewish populace of Jerusalem.
The people of Jerusalem itself had heard rumors of the plot to kill Jesus…they see Him preaching in the temple and the leaders aren’t doing anything to stop Him. So they begin to wonder about His identity…Have the leaders determined He may be the Christ???
But it was the idea of the day that the no one would know where the Messiah comes from…this was to be a crucial factor in the identification of the Messiah.
Many people expected Him to come from nowhere…although we see later in the chapter there were some who believed He would come from Bethlehem.
Jesus cries out, “Yes you know me and you know where I am from!” — One wonders the tone of voice Jesus might have used with such a statement…for actually…they had no idea who He was or where He was from.
The One who sent Jesus is True or “Real” — He is the One who really sent Jesus. But sadly, these people do not know God…so they have missed that He is heaven sent by the will of the Father.
Only those who are genuinely following God are able to see the revelation of the Son. They know He is sent by the Father and is from Heaven.
Some immediately tried to arrest Jesus but were not allowed to do so because God prevented it…it was not the time for Him to be arrested. Others put faith in Him because of the signs He was doing...we have already seen that the faith produced by miracles is often an inadequate one for salvation ;
Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing.
But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men,
and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.
Many times we see people putting faith in Jesus because of the miraculous signs He was doing…we have already seen that the faith produced by miracles is often an inadequate one for salvation ;
This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
So Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.”
Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing.
Their’s wasn’t saving faith…a genuine entrusting of oneself to Jesus as Messiah…a faith which resulted in redemption, salvation and a changed life.
So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;
A genuine disciple was someone did more than admire Jesus…more than flatter Him…a genuine disciple was someone who entrusted their life to Him and followed Him.
Once the Pharisees heard the profession of faith on the part of some of the crowd…an arrest warrant was issued to the Temple guards…an official arrest was imminent. But again…it did not happen…it was not God’s time.
Jesus saw the Temple guards coming for Him and speaks verses 33-34 — His time here is short…soon it would be time for Him to be arrested and crucified. At that time even faithful disciples would be separated from Him…but worse than that…those in their sin would someday die in their sin and never be able to follow Him to heaven.
The crowds don’t understand…they are looking at things through the lens of the material world…they are wondering where on earth Jesus will go…missing the point that His was soon to be a heavenly departure…a departure to a place meant only for He and those whom He would take with Him someday…those who had genuine faith in Him.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Are you looking for Jesus? Even as a believer, are you seeking Him diligently? Jesus promises that those who do so will be rewarded.
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
We start with faith…genuine faith in who Jesus is…in the revelation of Him that we have…we follow Him how we know how and believe in Him the way we know to believe…trusting that as we do He will reveal more and more of Himself…give us more and more of Him…for He is the reward that we seek!
Many times I speak to frustrated Christians…frustrated at their stunted spiritual growth…frustrated by a spiritual dry time, a desert which seemingly has no end. The answer to such occasions is a simple one…have faith and seek Him diligently.
Sir Winston Churchill took three years getting through eighth grade because he had trouble learning English. It seems ironic that years later Oxford University asked him to address its commencement exercises. He arrived with his usual props. A cigar, a cane and a top hat accompanied Churchill wherever he went. As Churchill approached the podium, the crowd rose in appreciative applause. With unmatched dignity, he settled the crowd and stood confident before his admirers. Removing the cigar and carefully placing the top hat on the podium, Churchill gazed at his waiting audience. Authority rang in Churchill’s voice as he shouted, “Never give up!” Several seconds passed before he rose to his toes and repeated: “Never give up!” His words thundered in their ears. There was a deafening silence as Churchill reached for his hat and cigar, steadied himself with his cane and left the platform. His commencement address was finished.
He arrived with his usual props. A cigar, a cane and a top hat accompanied Churchill wherever he went. As Churchill approached the podium, the crowd rose in appreciative applause. With unmatched dignity, he settled the crowd and stood confident before his admirers. Removing the cigar and carefully placing the top hat on the podium, Churchill gazed at his waiting audience. Authority rang in Churchill’s voice as he shouted, “Never give up!”
Several seconds passed before he rose to his toes and repeated: “Never give up!” His words thundered in their ears. There was a deafening silence as Churchill reached for his hat and cigar, steadied himself with his cane and left the platform. His commencement address was finished.
Never ever ever give up. Follow Jesus…obey what He has told you to do and seek Him diligently…never ever stop!
The key verse of this passage of scripture is verse 17…if we choose to do God’s will...we find out that the teaching about Jesus is true…as we follow Jesus we are led to greater and greater revelation of Him.
Now is the time to come to Jesus for salvation…and now is the time to grow in our knowledge and obedience to Him.