By Pastor Greg
One of the disadvantages of
reading about Jesus is that we tend to forget just how public His ministry
really was. We don’t have that visual of
Jesus standing in front of a huge crowd.
Sometimes we forget that Jesus didn’t hide His message in some secret
cave waiting to be discovered. He didn’t
pull a person aside and give them a special revelation. What is significant about Jesus is that His
teachings were public. He called great
crowds of people to believe in Him as
God’s Messiah. Take, for instance, the
events told in John chapter seven.
Jesus heads up to Jerusalem for an
important Jewish festival; the Festival of Shelters. It was a week-long celebration remembering
how the people lived while God guided them through the wilderness. It’s
that part of Jewish history when God rescued them out of Egypt; the whole Ten
Commandments thing. Midway through the
festival, Jesus went up to the Temple and began to teach (John 7:14). According to John, some people were a bit
confused about what Jesus was saying.
Some, however, believed (John 7:31).
Then, on the last day of the Festival, Jesus stood up, interrupted the
ceremony, and called the entire assembly to Himself.
(John 7:37-52) 37 On the last day,
the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who
is thirsty may come to me! 38 Anyone who believes in me may
come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow
from his heart.’” 39 (When he said “living water,” he was
speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But
the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his
glory.)
40 When the crowds heard
him say this, some of them declared, “Surely this man is the Prophet we’ve been
expecting.” 41 Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others
said, “But he can’t be! Will the Messiah come from Galilee? 42 For
the Scriptures clearly state that the Messiah will be born of the royal line of
David, in Bethlehem, the village where King David was born.” 43 So
the crowd was divided about him. 44 Some even wanted him
arrested, but no one laid a hand on him.
45 When the Temple guards
returned without having arrested Jesus, the leading priests and Pharisees
demanded, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”
46 “We have never heard
anyone speak like this!” the guards responded.
47 “Have you been led
astray, too?” the Pharisees mocked. 48 “Is there a single one
of us rulers or Pharisees who believes in him? 49 This foolish
crowd follows him, but they are ignorant of the law. God’s curse is on them!”
50 Then Nicodemus, the
leader who had met with Jesus earlier, spoke up. 51 “Is it
legal to convict a man before he is given a hearing?” he asked.
52 They replied, “Are you
from Galilee, too? Search the Scriptures and see for yourself—no prophet ever
comes from Galilee!” [1]
What we cannot see by merely
reading this story is the way Jesus startled the crowd. On this day of the Festival, a priest would
carry a golden pitcher to the Temple from the Gihon spring. He would then pour it on the altar,
symbolizing the water God provided from the rock, while the people sang Isaiah
12:3 – “With joy
you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation!” [2] However, before the people could start
singing, Jesus stands and shouts the words in John 7:37-38. His declaration is quite bold. Jesus declares that He is the fountain of Salvation.
The crowd, of course, is shocked, and they begin to form an opinion
about Jesus with an empty mind; they never research the facts. Jesus was, in fact, born in Bethlehem (verse
42). A few Pharisees and priests did
believe in Jesus (verse 48). Several
prophets had come from Galilee (verse 52).
Those who refused to believe never researched the facts. They simply
followed their feelings.
Too many people do the same thing
today. They form an opinion about Jesus
with an empty mind. They never research
the facts. They hear someone say
something about Jesus and believe that it is true. Too many people form their opinion about
Jesus based on someone else’s idea.
People compare Jesus to the many other religious leaders throughout the
ages without once discovering what Jesus actually
said. Jesus didn’t come to show us
another way to Heaven. He came declaring,
“I AM the way.” “I AM the living water,” says Jesus. “I AM
the bread of life. I AM the
Messiah. I AM the light of the
world”. “I AM the Good Shepherd.” Not
once did Jesus leave us guessing about who He is and what message He
proclaimed. He publicly declared the truth about Himself and the truth
about eternal life. Yet rather than
embrace this truth, many people reject
Jesus based upon their feelings; based upon what they want to be true or not be
true.
Many Church leaders today feel
this is the reason young people walk away from the church once they move out of
the house. They go off to live on their
own or go off to college without actually
knowing the facts about Jesus. They
leave the nest as easy prey for the enemy – the Satan – who prowls like a
roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). They will hear a half truth or a deceptive
lie about Jesus or about God or about the Bible, and not knowing the real
truth, a young Christian will be led astray.
Satan will plant a “tare” within their heart – something that looks and
sounds like the real thing – designed to lure them away (Mathew 13:25). Honestly, the only defense against the counterfeit truth is to know the Truth.
Jesus warns us about living a good life with an empty heart and an empty
mind. He says, 24 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes
through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return
to my house from which I came.’ 25 And
when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell
there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.” [3]
(Luke 11:24-26). That’s a scary
thought. This is why we must fill our
hearts with the Holy Spirit AND fill our minds with the Truth of God’s
Word. We must know what we believe and
why. A Christian,
who attempts to live out their faith with an empty mind, is easy prey.
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