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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
September 4, 2016
Where is Jesus From?
John 7:25-53
Introduction
Where is Jesus from? A question that is as relevant today as it was when the events in our text occurred, for people still approach Jesus today as they did then. There are few people that actually seek the truth. Most people make their decisions based on either their own presuppositions or the opinions of those claiming to be experts.
It has been my personal contention for many decades that American society has yielded itself too much to the supposed answers by those proclaimed to be “experts.” These “experts” have brought about our current public education nightmare in which a small fortune is spent on Junior’s education and yet at the end of 12 years many can barely read or do simple math, but he does feel good about himself. This has extended into college in which even greater amounts are spent with deplorable results. Charles Sykes writing for the Daily Signal quotes Harvard’s former president, Derek Bok, admitting too many graduates leave their college and university “without being able to write well enough to satisfy employers . . . [or] reason clearly or perform competently in analyzing complex, nontechnical problems.”
The supposed “experts” of modern psychology have recategorized nearly every sin as a disease caused by someone else, or worse, as a human diversity that everyone should celebrate. “Experts” have also changed our government and legal system into one that cannot understand even a simple reading of our Constitution.
The basis for all this is that “experts” remove a person from having to check out the facts for themselves into trusting the “expert’s” opinion. If the “expert” bothered checking out all the facts this would not be so bad, but too often the “expert” has not done this and only give his own very biased opinion which may even be in contradiction to the known facts.
The greatest tragedy in this is not in education, psychology, science, government or law, but in religion. It has been “religious experts” who have destroyed the once strong gospel preaching mainline denominations and turned them into the social groups that remain today that cannot even determine if adultery, homosexuality or abortion are sin. The experts did this by replacing Biblical truth with their own opinion.
This is not a new phenomenon. It was also true in the early First century because the people had, for the most part, given over their own responsibility to study God’s Word and think for themselves to the expert opinions of the Pharisees, Sadducees and priests. As we concluded our study in John 7 last week, Jesus had already confronted them on this and challenged them to “not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (7:24).
The Setting – John 7:1-24
Jesus had come down from Galilee to Jerusalem sometime during the middle of the Feast of Booths. The religious leaders and the people (including His brothers) thought Jesus was interested in increasing His following (7:4), so they had expected Him earlier. However, Jesus moved only as the Father directed Him and He was not interested in gaining popular acclaim. Just six months earlier Jesus had alienated many, if not most, of His followers with His teachings recorded in John 6 (the Bread of Life discourse). Jesus came to the feast without fanfare or announcement, but as it were, in secret. He then went to the Temple and did what He had been doing throughout the course of His ministry. He began teaching (7:14). During the course of His teaching, some of the “Jews,” who were antagonistic toward Jesus, began to mock Him (7:15). Jesus responded to them with a declaration that His teaching was not His own but was from God the Father (16), and that they could not understand this because they were not interested in God’s will (17), but were even seeking to break the Law of Moses in their plot to kill Him (19).
The multitude, most of whom knew nothing of this plot, did not know what to make of this accusation. They quickly and wrongly concluded that Jesus was demonized to make such a charge against their religious leaders (20). Jesus proved His point by referencing the very event that prompted them to plot to kill Him. Jesus had healed the man at Bethesda who had been lame for 38 years on a Sabbath day. Jesus also exposed their inconsistency in breaking their own Sabbath rules when they circumcised a child on the Sabbath (21-23). It was on that basis that Jesus charged the crowd around Him in the temple to “not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgement.”
This is where we pick up the story this morning in verse 25. The crowd is confused by this exchange of words between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders, but they do not heed His charge to them to judge righteously instead of by appearances.
The Response of the Jerusalemites – John 7:25-27
25 Therefore some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is this not the man whom they are seeking to kill? 26 “And look, He is speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to Him. The rulers do not really know that this is the Christ, do they? 27 “However, we know where this man is from; but whenever the Christ may come, no one knows where He is from.”
Notice first that it is “some of the people from Jerusalem” and not the “multitude” (vs. 20) which responds. Many in multitude from other places would have been ignorant of the religious leaders’ plotting to kill Jesus, but the people in Jerusalem are aware and plainly tell it. They affirm what Jesus said in verse 19. The religious leaders were seeking to kill Jesus and they knew it. The rest of their answer shows both contempt for these men and that they themselves were really no better at making a righteous judgment.
Verse 26 reveals their surprise that these rulers had not acted. They had known for a long time the rulers were looking for Jesus, yet they were not even saying anything to Him though He was openly teaching. The Jerusalemites then challenge them with their question which is more literally translated, “Perhaps the rulers actually know that this is the Christ?” The Greek form expects a negative answer, so it is sarcasm, not something they thought the rulers would actually consider. They then assert their own conclusion as being superior to, though in keeping with, that of the religious leaders.
They held to an erroneous popular idea that the Messiah would appear suddenly without indication of His origin based on some vague inferences from the Apocrypha. Since they knew that Jesus and His family lived in Galilee, then He could not be the Messiah. They may have rejected one false aspect of the rulers, but they held onto another of their own making and came to the same false conclusion. They did not judge Jesus with righteous judgment but on how He appeared according to their false belief system.
Nothing has changed has it? This still occurs today. People may finally see through some false religious system they grew up in, but then they grab onto another false system without ever coming to the truth. The underlying problem is changing from one false source of authority to another false source instead of submitting to the true source of authority, the Bible. If an atheist becomes a New Ager or a Hindu, has there really been any improvement? If a Buddhist becomes a Muslim or the reverse, has he gained any eternal benefit? If a man exchanges the false Christ of the Mormons for the false Christ of the Jehovah Witnesses, will it get him into heaven? If a person switches the system by which he is trying to earn his salvation to a different one, such as from the Roman Catholic system to the Eastern Orthodox system or the reverse, will they some how avoid the truth of Isaiah 64:6 that “all our righteous deeds are as filthy rags” before a Holy God? Even those in fundamental Churches claiming to be Bible believing must be warned to be Bereans who check out the Scriptures for themselves lest they be misled by false teachers. You cannot judge righteously without a righteous source of truth and authority. The Jewish rulers failed in this and so did the people of Jerusalem. Jesus answers them in verse 28.
Jesus’ Rebuke – John 7:28-29
John 7:28 Jesus therefore cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, “You both know Me and know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. 29 “I know Him; because I am from Him, and He sent Me.”
Jesus knew what they were saying about Him so He points that out while teaching by repeating their words to them. This is irony and not a statement of agreement. Notice that Jesus raises His voice. That doesn’t make sense if He is agreeing with them. Neither does it make sense for Jesus to say they know Him and His origin and then say they do not know Him nor His origin the next day (8:19). In addition, it would make no sense for Jesus to agree with them when He knew their belief about Him and His origin was false. The RSV gives a good translation showing the sense of what Jesus said. “You know Me, and you know where I come from? But I have not come of My own accord; He who sent me is true, and Him you do not know.”
Jesus contrasts their mistaken belief with the truth. They think they know who Jesus is and where He is from, but they are wrong and Jesus corrects them. They do not know because they do not know the God who is true that sent Jesus.
God’s Timing – John 7:30
John records the reaction of Jesus’ opponents in verse 30. They were seeking therefore to seize Him; and no man laid his hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. Though they wanted to arrest Jesus and get rid of Him then, no one even laid a hand on Him. The reason is because it was not yet God’s time for Jesus to become the sin sacrifice. That would not come for another six months at the next Passover. This is a theme that John repeats throughout his gospel account. Jesus lived His life according to God’s schedule and His death would also be according to that schedule.
The Belief of the Multitude – John 7:31
There was confusion within the multitude that had gathered and heard Jesus’ teaching and the response of the religious leaders. Some in the crowd, like those from Jerusalem, rejected Jesus though for different reasons than the rulers. Others in the multitude responded positively toward Jesus.
31 But many of the multitude believed in Him; and they were saying, “When the Christ shall come, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will He?” The question here is also in a form that expects a negative answer. They believed Jesus could be the Messiah because they could not believe that anyone would do more miraculous signs that Jesus was doing. While it was good that they were believing in Jesus for the moment, the basis of their belief was also appearance and not righteous judgment. They were looking for a political Messiah, and they thought that was demonstrated by the signs Jesus performed. When we get to John 8, we will see that because of this false foundation, these same people who profess faith in Jesus here will reject Him within a day or two.
Saving faith in Jesus is a faith that continues in Him. It has a foundation that is based on righteous judgment and not the appearances of the moment. These people believed for the moment (aorist tense) but without conviction and substance that would have their faith continue (perfect tense). People today respond the same way, so we must be careful both for ourselves and in our presentation of the gospel. We must make it clear that faith in Jesus needs to be based on belief in eternal truth and not in a temporary emotional state or satisfaction. Jesus warned that belief in Him will lead to being persecuted by the world (John 16:33, etc.), and only a true faith can stand firm in suffering.
The Opposition of the Pharisees – John 7:32
The Pharisees heard the multitude muttering these things about Him; and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to seize Him. Notice again that the people were still “muttering” or “murmuring.” They were speaking in low tones because they were afraid to draw the attention of the Pharisees to themselves and risk being banished from the temple and synagogues by them.
The Pharisees could not know that most of those making these statements about Jesus being the Messiah would reject Him within a day or two. They could only hear and react to what was being said at the present time, and they did not like it. Stung by the earlier murmuring of the crowd that pointed out their lack of action when Jesus began openly teaching (vs. 25-26) along with these comments about Him being the Messiah, they were prompted to enter into an agreement with the chief priests, most of whom were Sadducees with whom they were normally antagonistic. However, neither group liked Jesus, so they cooperated in the effort to eliminate Him. They sent officers, the Temple police, to arrest Him. Jesus is not threatened by this for He knew, as verse 30 states, “His hour was not yet come.”
Jesus’ Mishal and Resulting Confusion (John 7:33-36)
In response to this effort to arrest Jesus, He responds in a way that causes even more confusion. 33 Jesus therefore said, “For a little while longer I am with you, then I go to Him who sent Me. 34 “You shall seek Me, and shall not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.” This is another Mishal, a paradoxical saying that makes a veiled, but pointed remark. Jesus is referring to His coming death, resurrection and ascension to the Father, but that could only have been understood by those that were paying close attention to Jesus’ teaching. Most of the crowd then, like most people now, were not paying close attention and therefore missed the point. This confusion is expressed by the Jewish religious leaders in verses 35-36.
35 The Jews therefore said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we shall not find Him? He is not intending to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks, is He? 36 “What is this statement that He said, ‘You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come’?”
They do not understand Jesus’ statement because they think Jesus is talking about some physical place on earth such as another country. They completely missed His statement that He was returning to “Him who sent Me.” Jesus made four such references in this dialogue and had identified Him as God in the very first reference in verse 17. Because they missed that, they did not understand that they would not be able to find Jesus in the future because He was returning to God. They also missed the rebuke that they would not be able to go to heaven where Jesus would be. Even more tragic, if they had wanted to know the answers to their questions, Jesus was still present to ask directly, but remaining arrogant, they debated it among themselves instead.
People have not changed any in 2,000 years for they still act the same way today. Misunderstandings are still largely the result of the combination of not paying careful attention to what is communicated and making false assumptions. This is made worse by discussing the false conclusions with everyone but the person that could actually answer the questions. This is bad enough in normal life, but there are much graver consequences when this happens with God’s communication to us. People are often confused by the Scriptures because they do not pay attention to what is actually said. They ignore the important details and instead read their own thoughts into what God has revealed. People debate among themselves about who Jesus is, what He is like, and what He would desire based on their own speculations and philosophy instead of going with a humble attitude to the Scriptures to see what God has already declared.
The Great Day of the Feast – John 7:37-53
Jesus’ Analogy – John 7:37-39
As we come to verse 37, we jump forward in time. “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying . . .”. Jesus came in the midst of the feast, so this is the next day or at the most, a couple of days later. Regardless, it shows that Jesus was not deterred by the conflict that was rising around Him. He continued to teach in the Temple.
What Jesus said next was in direct reference to a tradition that had developed during the Feast of Tabernacles. This feast celebrated both God’s past and present provision. The tabernacles, or booths, constructed and lived in during the week commemorated God’s care during the wilderness wanderings. It was also called the Feast of Ingathering (Exodus 23:16; 34:22) because it took place at the end of the harvest and celebrated God’s provision for them in the gathered crops. This was also near the end of the dry season, and this lead to another important ceremony as part of the feast.
There was a special water libation (offering) ceremony that took place daily. If they did not receive the proper rains starting in the next month, there would be a drought and no harvest the following year, so this ceremony was a prayer of trust for the Lord to continue to provide. Without going into all the details, a priest with a procession of musicians and worshipers would go to the pool of Silom just south of the Temple. He would fill up a golden pitcher with water and then carry it back to the Temple through the Water Gate (which received its name from this ceremony). As he entered the temple, three blasts of the silver trumpets sounded and the priest repeated the words of Isaiah 12:3 – “therefore, with joy shall you draw water out of the wells of salvation.” The priest would then ascend the Altar where both the water and a pitcher of wine would be poured out as an offering to the Lord. After this, three more blasts of the trumpet signaled the choir of Levities to sing the Hallel, (Psalm 113-118), which concludes with a Messianic Psalm.
It is with this background in mind that Jesus stood up in the temple and cried out, “. . . 37 If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scriptures said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’” The context made it very clear the spiritual nature of what Jesus was talking about. The quotation from Isaiah and the singing of the Hallel all pointed to the spiritual nature pictured in the libation offering.
There is actually another type here that could have also been in the minds of those present because of the celebration of God’s provision during the wilderness wanderings. Exodus 17:6 records when the people were extremely thirsty at Horeb and fearful of dying when God provided life saving water. Those who thirst after God can find the eternal life giving water of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. There would even be the added blessing of having this spiritual water flowing out of you to others. This is similar terminology to what Jesus told the Samaritan woman (John 4).
John makes sure his readers understand Jesus’ meaning by clarifying in verse 39, “But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” Those who have faith in Jesus Christ are given the Holy Spirit who will then use them to bring the message of salvation to others.
Mixed Reactions – John 7:40-44
Jesus’ proclamation caused continued division among the people as they debated back and forth about who Jesus could be. 40 [Some] of the multitude therefore, when they heard these words, were saying, “This certainly is the Prophet.” 41 Others were saying, “This is the Christ.” Still others were saying, “Surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He?”42 “Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” 43 So there arose a division in the multitude because of Him. 44 And some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid hands on Him.
Some thought Jesus to be the promised prophet of Deuteronomy 18 who would be like Moses. Others understood that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Still others continued to argue that Jesus could not be the Messiah because He was from Galilee. They correctly understood that the Messiah was to come from Bethlehem, but they had never bothered to find out where Jesus was actually born. They simply assumed He was a Galilean because He was raised in Nazareth and ministered in Galilee. They judged by appearance and not with righteous judgment. Those who were the most hostile wanted to arrest Jesus, but they would not do it themselves.
Is this not still the way it is today? There are those that correctly recognize Jesus and believe His claims. May they increase in number and be bold in proclaiming Him. There are those who believe Jesus is a good man, a moral teacher, or great leader, but they do not recognize His own claim to be the Messiah, the Son of God. They may not be overtly hostile to Jesus, but neither do they follow Him nor receive His gift of eternal life. They pick and choose what they want to believe and judge by appearance and not righteously. They are not true truth seekers.
There are also various kinds of skeptics, but they all have the same basic problem. They think themselves to have superior knowledge when in fact it is quite inferior. The group of Jerusalemites I pointed out earlier (25) rejected Jesus because they didn’t think they could know where the Messiah came from. They had a wrong basic understanding of prophecy. This later group correctly understood the Messiah had to be from Bethlehem, but rejected Jesus because of their false assumption that He was from Galilee.
It is healthy to be skeptical and question lest you be led astray into falsehood. That is a reason we welcome any question here, but if your skepticism does not come with humility and a true seeking after the truth, it will lead you into prideful arrogance which God resists. It will end up leading you to eternal damnation.
Those who are openly hostile to Jesus are in many respects in the worst position because it is hard to come to the truth when you are trying so hard to destroy it. Yet, the Christian response to such people is to love them for that was the example of Jesus. He forgave those who put Him on the cross (Luke 23:34). He loved us when we were His enemies (Romans 5:8), and He commanded us to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44).
One of the difficulties for those that are hostile to Jesus is that their hatred blinds them to even basic truths and they begin to believe their own lies. This comes out in verses 45-53.
The Pharisees’ Anger – John 7:45-53
45 The officers therefore came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, “Why did you not bring Him?” 46 The officers answered, “Never did a man speak the way this man speaks.” 47 The Pharisees therefore answered them, “You have not also been led astray, have you? 48 “No one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in Him, has he? 49 “But this multitude which does not know the Law is accursed.” 50 Nicodemus ^said to them (he who came to Him before, being one of them), 51 “Our Law does not judge a man, unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?” 52 They answered and said to him, “You are not also from Galilee, are you? Search, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee.” 53 And everyone went to his home. 8:1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
The Pharisees were upset because the officers had not arrested Jesus. Their boldness and directness is remarkable. They do not blame anyone else or cite any kind of fear. They are simply very impressed with Jesus because “never did a man speak the way this man speaks.” It was not Jesus’ style they were referring to, but His message. They simply refused to obey the orders and arrest Him.
The outraged Pharisees verbally attack and belittle the officers claiming them to be as ignorant as the multitudes. They professed themselves to be superior and anyone that disagreed with them as ignorant fools. However, their claim that none of the rulers or Pharisees had believed on Jesus was incorrect, for there was one in their very midst, Nicodemus, who then spoke up.
Some disparage Nicodemus for only asking a question and not being more direct and vocal, but remember that he was facing a large and powerful group that controlled religious life in Jerusalem. It took great courage for Nicodemus to speak up as he did for he directly challenged their practice of the law they claimed to know so well.
What they were doing was against the Mosaic law (Exodus. 23:1; Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15), but they do not answer his question. Instead, they belittle Nicodemus. That is a common method of defense used by those caught in their own hypocrisy. Ignore the question or statement and denigrate the opponent while making further false claims. This has become common practice in American politics over the years. Why bother with reason and facts when you can name call and make false accusations against your opponent – and especially when reason and facts don’t support your position.
They insinuate that only a Galilean would give Jesus any defense and they despised Galileans. They did not know where Jesus was from and falsely also assumed that Jesus was a Galilean. But Nicodemus should have taken up their challenge about a prophet coming out of Galilee. Searching the scriptures reveals the following.
Jonah was from Gath-Hepher which was located a few miles north of Nazareth (2 Kings. 14:25, cf. Jonah 1:1). Nahum may have been from Capernaum (which may mean, “village of Nahum”). In addition, Isaiah 9:1-2 speaks of a “great light” coming to the lands of Zebulun, Naphtali and Galilee of the Gentiles. This is actually a prophecy of Jesus going there (Matthew 4:15).
The Pharisees were wrong, but being wrong seldom is a concern to those who are arrogant. What they want and their opinions are all that really matter to them. Truth is of little concern.
Conclusions
Where is Jesus from? Depends on whom you ask. The supposed “experts” may tell you one thing, but that doesn’t mean they have the truth. The majority of the population may tell you something else, but that does not mean they have the truth. If you want the truth, you will have to go beyond the experts and popular opinion.
Jesus’ own claim is to be God in human flesh who came to save us from our sins through His atoning sacrifice and resurrection.
If that is true, and you believe it, then you will live your life in a radically different manner from the world.
If it is true, and you do not believe it, then your life will be lived pretty much the same as everyone else in the world.
If it is false, then you are wasting your time here, and as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:19, “we are of all men most to be pitied.”
What do you believe? Why do you believe it? Do you judge Jesus based on appearances or with righteous judgment? The answer to those questions will show up in how you live your life.
Sermon Notes: Where is Jesus From?
John 7:25-53
Introduction
“Experts” have brought us public education, _____________by psychology, our modern legal system
“Experts” remove the ________________of the individual to check out the facts
Religious “experts” have destroyed the once strong ______________preaching mainline denominations
The Setting – John 7:1-24
Jesus came from Galilee to Jerusalem quietly, then began _________in the Temple in the midst of the Feast
He declared His teaching was from ___________but they were not interested in God’s will
The multitude became ____________and agitated when Jesus revealed the Jews were seeking to kill Him
The Response of the Jerusalemites – John 7:25-27
These were the people from Jerusalem who ___________about the ruler plan, not the whole crowd
The Jerusalemites were ________________the rulers had not already acted against Jesus
They held a popular but _______________idea about the Messiah, so they did not believe Jesus’ claim
Finally recognizing one system is false does not help if you embrace another ___________system
Jesus’ Rebuke – John 7:28-29
Jesus uses ____________to reinforce His claim that He has been sent by God the Father
Jesus contrasts their _______________belief with the truth
God’s Timing – John 7:30
They could not carry out their plan to arrest Jesus until it was God’s ___________for that to happen
The Belief of the Multitude – John 7:31
The basis of their belief was _______________, not righteous judgment – their belief would not last long
Saving faith is not a temporary – it _______________because it is based on eternal truth
The Opposition of the Pharisees – John 7:32
They were speaking in low tones to avoid the Pharisees ________________what they were saying
The Pharisees do hear and take ______________with the chief priests to have Jesus arrested
Jesus’ Mishal and Resulting Confusion -John 7:33-36
This is a Mishal, a paradoxical saying that makes a veiled, but ____________remark
Jesus is referring to His coming death, resurrection and ___________, but the crowd does not recognize that
John 7:35-36 – the Jews _____________Jesus is talking about going to a foreign country
They missed Jesus’ reference to ____sending Him, so they did not understand Jesus was returning to heaven
They discuss it among _________________instead of asking Jesus
Misunderstanding arise largely because of lack of attention to what is said and making wrong ___________
People misunderstand the Bible because they miss ____________and make wrong assumptions
They debate based on their own thoughts instead of _______________examining the Scriptures
The Great Day of the Feast – John 7:37-53
Jesus’ Analogy – John 7:37-39
The Feast of Booths celebrated God’s past __________in the wilderness and present provision in the harvest
A special water libation (offering) ceremony sought God’s ____________to provide rain for the future
The ceremony also signified hope of spiritual _____________citing Isaiah 12:3 and Psalm 113-118
Verse 37-38, Jesus pointed to ___________as the fulfillment of the ceremonies promise of future salvation
It also looked back to God’s provision of water at _______- a type for God’s provision of salvation in Christ
Verse 39 – John makes the _________________nature of Jesus’ statement
Mixed Reactions – John 7:40-53
The multitude was confused about Jesus’ ____________with different people believing different things
Even today, some believe, some are only ______________, some are skeptical, some are hostile
Skeptics claim to have a superior knowledge, but it is _____________and based in wrong assumptions
_______questioning can be good leading to understanding truth, but proud skepticism brings condemnation
Open hostility is hard to overcome because it believes lies and _____________the person to truth
The Pharisees’ Anger – John 7:45-53
The officers are bold in explaining why they did not ___________Jesus
Nicodemus spoke up and _________________the rulers for breaking the Mosaic law
They ___________Nicodemus and make false claims, a common defense for those without factual support
Prophets from __________include Jonah, Nahum and a Messianic reference in Isaiah 9:1-2 / Matthew 4:15
Conclusions
Jesus said He is from _________: Do you believe Him? Your own assumptions? Or the “experts”?
How you live your life will demonstrate whether you judge Jesus on ________________or righteously
KIDS KORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help. Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following: 1) Write down all the verses mentioned in the sermon and look them up later. 2) Count how many times Jesus is mentioned. Talk with your parents about Jesus’ claims.
THINK ABOUT IT!
Questions to consider in discussing the sermon. What are some of the consequences of letting “experts” make your decisions for you? What is the Feast of Booths and why was it important? What opposition did Jesus face when He began teaching in the Temple? Why did the Jews want to kill Jesus? How did the multitude react to this news? How did the Jerusalemites respond to Jesus? What did they think of the rulers? Why did they come to a wrong conclusion? How did Jesus respond to them? Why didn’t they know Jesus? Why didn’t they arrest Jesus at that time? What was the nature of the multitudes “belief” in verse 31? What was it based on? How did the Pharisees respond? What is the meaning of Jesus’ mishal in verses 33-34? What is the significance of Jesus’ statement in verse 37-38? How would the activities during the feast help explain its meaning? Describe those activities and their meaning. What were the various responses of the people at the feast? Why did so many reject Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah? Why didn’t the officers arrest Jesus? How did the Pharisees treat the officers? How did they respond to Nicodemus’ question? Were they correct in their statements? Where do you think Jesus is from? Why?
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