John Week 14

Journal Question: Who is Jesus to you?

Ask these questions as you read:
1. What is happening?
2. Anything stick out?
3. What is Jesus saying?
4. What is the crowd saying?
5. What is to come?

Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “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. I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”
John 7:25‭-‬31 ESV

• They identify Jesus, dispute over where the Christ will come from.
• Jesus brings attention of who sent Him, God. He has come not out of his own will but the Father's.
• Jesus also tells the crowd they do not know the Father.
• God's providenance comes into play because it is not Jesus time yet.
• Questioning whether the Christ will preform more miracles then Jesus

The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”
John 7:32‭-‬36 ESV

• Pharisees sent officers to arrest Him, but we know it is not his time.
• Acknowledge of how much time is left on the Earth for Jesus.
• Jesus states that they will not know where he is going and will not find him.

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
John 7:37‭-‬39 ESV

• Jesus offers living water again.
• Jesus prophesies of the coming Spirit.
• Acknowledgement that it is not time yet.

When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” So there was a division among the people over him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”
John 7:40‭-‬52 ESV

• Again, as we have seen before, the crowd is discerning who Jesus is.
• They got stuck on the details of where Jesus is from.
• Some wanted to arrest him, yet we know it is not time yet.
• Pharisees are stuck on status.

Jesus is either who he says he is or he is not. Both cant be true. There is no grey just black and white. These people had to decide if he was Christ or not. If so then they had to accept all implications of that.

1. If Jesus is who he says he is, Examples:

• King of Kings, Lord of Lords
• Messiah
• the Son of God
• our Brother
• Advocate and Mediator with the Father
• I AM

2.If Jesus is who he says he is what are the implications for us? Examples:

• He will judge the living and the dead
• Heaven and Hell are our choice destination
• God can dwell in us
• Spiritual Freedom
• Direct communication with Trinity

3.If Jesus is who he says he is, what is life like for those that don't believe? Examples:

• Turmoil and Unrest
• empty
• Spiritual dead
• Chasing pleasure
• Chasing happiness
• Chasing Purpose
• Chasing Identity
• Chasing Accomplishment

4.If Jesus is who he says he is, what does it look like for us to stand up in the face of those that don't believe?

• hatred from those that don't believe
• persecution
• sacrifice and risk
• fight against culture
• courage and bravery
• Know what we believe and why

So we are stuck at the fork of life will we believe in who he says or not?
• the disciples, the crowd, the guard, and Pharisees all had to make that decision.
• There are implications in whatever choice we make.