Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles
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 Christ? 27 But we know where this man is from; when the Christ 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, 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.” (NIV)
Now the third group in the temple speak. Up to this point, we have only heard from “the Jews,” that is the leadership, the priests and members of the Sanhedrin, and “the people” or “the crowds,” which were the people from all over Israel and Galilee who had come up for the festival. But now the local folks from Jerusalem speak, siding with the Jewish leadership. They ask a rhetorical question that expects a “yes” answer, “This is the man they’re trying to kill, isn’t he?” What confused them was that Jesus wasn’t being stopped from speaking, since they knew about the plot to kill him. If he was going to be arrested, what was stopping the arrest? Their question, “Have the authorities concluded that he is the Christ?” is not really wonder on their part, but a goad meant to spur the Jewish leaders into action. They show their unbelief and their hardened hearts by saying, “But we know where this man is from; when the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from” (verse 27). They had the idea that when the Christ really came, no one would know where he came from; some even believed the the Christ himself wouldn’t know that he was supposed to be the Christ until he was anointed “by Elijah.”
At this point, John reminds us that Jesus was still in the temple, the place where people brought their sacrifices to make them right with God and to hear the word of God proclaimed. Raising his voice, Jesus proclaims the word of God: “You know me, do you? You think you know where I’m from?” He shows their unbelief; nowhere in the Bible or even in Jewish tradition was it ever said that the Christ would come “unknown” into the world. The Jewish leaders knew that the Christ would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). In fact, the paradox of the Messiah’s origin still keeps those Jews who have rejected Jesus on their toes: The Christ is prophesied to come from Bethlehem in Judea (Micah 5:2), from “Galilee of the Gentiles” (Isaiah 9:1-2), and somehow also from Egypt (Hosea 11:1). Jesus fulfilled all of these things.
Jesus came from God the Father. The Father and the Son are so intimately connected that nothing, absolutely nothing that Jesus said or did was outside the will of the Father in any way, not even raising his voice here in the temple. In fact, Jesus is God every bit as much as the Father is God. It was God himself, in person, accusing these people of not knowing God.
It is this same God who reached out to you with his word, to turn you from your sins, and to call you to faith in Jesus. Jesus’ blood covered over your guilt and your rebellion and your shame, too. In Jesus, you have forgiveness and peace. In Jesus, you have eternal life.
Something Extra:
Philemon 13-14
13 I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. 14 But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do will be spontaneous and not forced.
It probably won’t help much to speculate about what Paul would have done if he hadn’t sent Onesimus back to Philemon. What he found that was this man was an excellent servant, and that he was so devoted to Paul after his conversion that he eclipsed any other aid Paul had. He wanted him to stay, and Onesimus probably wanted to stay, too. When Paul was released, Onesimus would have had to return to Philemon, though, and Paul would rather not prolong his reunion with his master. Paul says candidly, “I didn’t want to do anything without your consent.”
Philemon is a letter, not an allegory, but we can still see a picture of our spiritual lives here. When it comes to doing good works versus being reconciled with our Lord, there is really no choice in the matter. We need to be reconciled with our Lord, so that anything we do in response to his love “will be spontaneous and not forced.” God wants our service to him to be a service of love, not of obligation, just as Paul wanted that kind of loving response from Philemon.
What good work do you have in mind for the Lord today? Be sure your conscience is right with him, first. A genuine thank you is all he desires; not a sacrifice or a bribe. His forgiveness is already yours; don’t pretend to coax it from him.
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. His wife, Kathryn, attended Chapel from 1987-1990 while studying Secondary Education (Theater and Math) at UW-Madison. Kathryn’s father, John Meyer, was also the first man to serve as a Vicar at Chapel.
To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
