Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro

Food Tour

Messianic expectations

The mashiach will be a great political leader descended from King David (Jeremiah 23:5).

The mashiach is often referred to as "mashiach ben David" (mashiach, son of David).

He will be well-versed in Jewish law, and observant of its commandments (Isaiah 11:2-5).

He will be a charismatic leader, inspiring others to follow his example.

He will be a great military leader, who will win battles for Israel.

He will be a great judge, who makes righteous decisions (Jeremiah 33:15)

What Will the Mashiach Do?

Before the time of the mashiach, there shall be war and suffering (Ezekiel 38:16) The mashiach will bring about the political and spiritual redemption of the Jewish people by bringing us back to Israel and restoring Jerusalem (Isaiah 11:11-12; Jeremiah 23:8; 30:3; Hosea 3:4-5).

He will establish a government in Israel that will be the center of all world government, both for Jews and gentiles (Isaiah 2:2-4; 11:10; 42:1).

He will rebuild the Temple and re-establish its worship (Jeremiah 33:18).

He will restore the religious court system of Israel and establish Jewish law as the law of the land (Jeremiah 33:15

He will deliver his people from the Romans.

This was a time of great expectations.

And the cultural background of the feasts of tabernacles informs all the actions and conversations of Jesus in chapters 7-8.

Let us see how this played out at the beginning of this section.

Is Jesus the savior you expected?

We expect a savior to prove himself, by obeying us, He obeys The Father.

We expect a savior to prove himself, by telling us what we like to hear, he tells us what we need to hear.

Jesus proves himself by supercedeing (take the place of) our expectations.

We expect a savior to prove himself, by obeying us, He obeys The Father.

Our messiah will be a rockstar (Famous and charsimatic) This time of year according to historians and Jewish writing was the best celebration.

There are 7 feasts/celebrations throughout the year for God’s people.

And the tabernacles was a party.

wine, tents, etc.

It is clear at this point they don’t believe in Him, but I don’t see them as mocking Jesus.

What they are saying makes perfect sense.

It is The feast, it is a perfect time for the Messiah to gather the people he will lead to victory over Rome.

Everyone is thinking about it.

From a human perspective they are right.

Jesus Kairos has not yet come.

Opportune Time.

I think this means two things: The ultimate feast of booths, and He follows the Father - I only do what I see the Father doing.

How do we follow God in our day to day lives ?

Jesus knew he would be going but at the right time.

Jesus lived a God directed life: He spoke scripture, He spent time in Prayer, He walked in the Spirit.

Discerning God’s leading - God says no. God uses our circumstances, God uses his word, God uses the Church and leadership.

It is all these things which protect us from falling prey to what makes sense to the worlds system.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Jesus is part of God’s story from the beginning The Father is doing something so much bigger than we can imagine.

Our part is faith.

We can trust His way even when it doesn’t meet our expectations or the worlds.

We expect a savior to prove himself, by telling us what we like to hear, he tells us what we need to hear.

The expectations of a learned Rabbi:

The others (= the school of Rabbi Meir) said: ‘If anyone has learned the Scripture and the Mishna but has not served as a student of the Learned he is one of the people of the land.

If he has learned the Scripture but not the Mishna he is an uneducated man.

If he has learned neither the Scripture nor the Mishna the Scripture says of him: “I sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with seed of men and seed of cattle” ’ ” (i.e., he is reckoned as an animal!) -Murray, George R

He will be well-versed in Jewish law, and observant of its commandments (Isaiah 11:2-5)

The way to settle the disputes about teaching was to enter into a rabbinical argument which pulled from other rabbis teachings and tried to understand the teaching in a purely intellectual way.

This is I think where we can relate to this discussion.

There is a special kind of blind spot we have when it comes to theological knowledge.

It is to separate what we would classify as correct theology, i.e.

Orthodoxy, from the actual working out, living out of that teaching, i.e.

Orthopraxy.

Humans have a special ability to acknowledge a truth to have the knowledge of it and yet still not apply that knowledge in life.

Healthy teaching (Sound Doctrine) always leads to sound/healthy living in the church and the households represented.

This is the repeated message we have seen in scripture, come and see, try it out.

We mistakenly think it is all about thinking and knowing stuff.

Faith is Trust.

This is built on relationship not knowing about someone.

Jonathan Edwards famous analogy here is apt.

You learn all the chemistry, biology and types of Honey but you don’t really know it’s sweetness until you taste it.

We expect that knowledge itself is sufficient to bring about change in our lives, but we know it is not.

let me come back to

By Testing - This is the idea of test driving.

Jesus doesn’t take the bait and enter into quarrels he was not there to make Israel Great again.

He didn’t come to tell us what we want to hear, He came to tell us what we need to hear.

Jesus proves himself by supercedeing (take the place of) our expectations.

Sometimes we can break the law because another law takes the place of it.

We cannot walk up to someone elses car and break a window out without getting in trouble.

However, When we see a small child locked in a hot car an are unable to locate the parent or keys we can beak the window right out.

We can pull over to the shoulder and stop on the freeway if an emergency vehicle is coming behind us.

There are situations where the law is broken because it has been replaced by something else.

This is what is going on here.

I am not here to strengthen your system I am the point of it.

“On this account Moses gave you circumcision … and you circumcise on the sabbath …,” namely, by implication, that it may point to God’s redeeming purpose for man; or as Hoskyns expressed it, “that it should be a type and anticipation of that greater and entire healing by the Christ, which also of necessity displaces the sabbath” (316).

Barrett’s comment is noteworthy: “This gives a striking and important turn to the sabbath controversy which plays so large a part in the synoptic gospels but is never really explained in them.

Jesus’ attitude is not a sentimental liberalising of a harsh and unpractical law … nor the masterful dealing of an opponent of the Law as such; it is rather the accomplishment of the redemptive purpose of God towards which the Law had pointed” (320–21).

Jesus accomplishes the redemptive purpose of God He.

Jesus is pointing these teachers to God’s plan again and pleading with them to use right judgment to look beneath the surface.

Jesus is saying understand this I am superceding the law there is an unexpected way to know God it's me!

I came to invite you into the relationship you were created for.

I came not to deflate expectations but to exceed then.

Examine your expectations of Jesus, are they in line with His plan,informed by His word, His spirit, His church or are they a christian version of the American dream?

Jesus isn't coming to make America great again, he is bringing the kingdom.

We expect him to make our lives better her makes them holy.

We expect a lack of trouble but receive peace in the storm.

We expect no sickness but receive comfort in our weakness.

Jesus is not recruiting for an affinity group but a family.

Jesus accomplished what we need, trust him...

And test it out.

Use right judgment.

That is listen to God in word prayer, Church, family.

That is test out faith.

Test the water see if God will not be there.

Then we can taste and see that God is good.

Jesus wants you no matter where you are at to grow in your experiential knowledge of him and rest in that trust.

You will come to understand that although Following Jesus might not be what you expect it is what you need.