Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught. And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?” Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him. Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?” John 7:14-19
By this time Jesus reputation has grown. Much of the leadership of Israel had publicly declared, that if anyone should acknowledge that Jesus was the Messiah they would be put out of the synagogue. And there was a division amongst themselves because a lot of people had already been touched and healed by Jesus. And so they are saying, “He is a good Man.” And yet, still others are saying, “Oh no, He is a deceiver. And He is deceiving the people.” And this was what the atmosphere was like during the feast. Now the Bible doesn’t say why Jesus didn’t arrive sooner, but rather during the middle of the feast. The last of the sacred festivals under the Old covenant before the exile, the Feast of Tabernacles began five days after the Day of Atonement and lasted a full seven days. It marked the completion of the harvest and historically commemorated the Israelite’s wanderings in the wilderness from the book of Exodus. During this festival, the people lived in booths and tents in Jerusalem to remind themselves of how their forefathers camped in the desert. The sacrifices of this feast were more numerous than at any other time, and the event was popular and joyous in nature.
It was against this backdrop that Jesus revealed the source of His teaching in our text today. Standing in the temple court, in the midst of the aroma and smoke of the sacrifices punctuating the air, God the Son boldly declared that His words came from God the Father—a claim filled with truth, but foreign and unacceptable to most of His listeners. And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?” This is like me going into a college professor’s lecture on astrophysics, and lecturing him on his own life’s study. It would be absurd for me to try that! But not for Jesus. The increasing hostility towards Him did not prevent His teaching ministry. Instead, Jesus relentlessly set forth His claims regarding His identity and mission and taught with authority from the Scriptures. During the Feast of Tabernacles, is when Jews from all over Israel would gather to Jerusalem, Jesus having His audience in place, took advantage of His time there. If it was at the beginning of the Feast, maybe everyone who was suppose to be there to hear Jesus was not in place yet?
My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me—“You want to know how I learned? The doctrine I teach isn’t Mine, but it is from Him who sent Me.” Jesus is now declaring in accordance with the prophesy of the Scriptures, that I have been sent to you. Now if any man do His will, he shall know this to be true. And this is true of us even today. If any man would pursue after the knowledge of God, by reading the Scriptures, he would come away with Biblical truth that would be transforming, because the Word of God is living and powerful, and is sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). The Word of God is a comfort and is nourishing to those who believe, but it will bring also the execution of judgment to any of those who do not believe in it, nor believe their need of forgiveness for their sins, and accept Jesus Christ offer of His life for the atonement of their sins. It can’t be merely intellectually, or else the same attitude of pride would result likened to the synagogue teachers in Jesus day, who believed their salvation was in keeping of the Law of Moses. No, Conviction of the heart, is the result of the reading and studying of the Bible. But the Good News is that I can be saved from my sinful state. And I can now have a relationship to God the Father, through His Son, Jesus Christ, and walk in fellowship with Him.
Those who are fundamentally committed to doing God’s will, will also be guided by Him through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. This is how we will be guided into all truth. By believing in Jesus and His Word, and then allowing for the Holy Spirit to be at work in us for the transforming of our lives. God’s truth is self-authenticating through the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit. When He, the Spirit of the truth has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come (John 16:13). This inspired New Testament writing is pointing to the supernatural revelation whereby all truth has come from God who has reveled Himself in Christ, who was the theme of the Old Testament as their coming Messiah. A truth verified whenever the New Testament is read. It’s not so different today; our role as a child of God is to become so literate in your knowledge of the Word of God that you can teach His truth, and manifest His love to whoever will listen, sharing your testimony of how God’s Word penetrated your heart, and delivered you from the snares of this world’s system. Be joyous in your witness, celebrate Jesus in your daily activities and enjoy your freedoms of living under the security and power of the Holy Spirit, as He reveals all truth to you.
Beloved friend, If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God (Deuteronomy 21:22-23). Being hung on a tree in the Old Testament was a sign of being cursed. Yet, Romans 5:12 tell us that the punishment of sin is death; that means we as sinners deserve that curse. Instead God sent His Son, Jesus Christ to this world. If Christ wasn’t cursed for us by being hung on a tree, meaning the cross, then we would still have a debt to pay and a curse to live under. In other words, we owed a debt we could not pay. But Jesus came to pay our debt He did not own. We are no longer slaves to sin, nor to this world (Egypt), where we have to live in bondage, now we can live in righteousness and holiness, and in true fellowship with God. This is our statement, this is our theme in life: That Jesus Christ came to rescue sinners from their sins, and to deliver us from Satan and hell’s damnation. Why would we not want to celebrate our Lord Jesus Christ! His name is to be our banner and victory! Hallelujah! Prayer: Father God, let us find strength and comfort and inspiration in knowing that You are with us. And that Your righteousness prevails in every situation which gives us hope and confidence in the future as we walk with You, In Jesus name, Amen.
May the Lord bless your walk with Him today!
