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Faith forces us to make decisions
(John 7:11-24)
Mari Ikeda
Today we continue with the Gospel of John, reading 7:11-24 in three parts. Let’s read them quickly. First, verses 11-13.
A. Not to fear conflict with the familiar community (11-13)
11 Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus and asking, “Where is he?” 12 Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.” Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” 13 But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders.
Today’s passage teaches us one thing clearly. That is, deciding to believe in Jesus forces us to make various decisions. And the first thing to note today is that as we decide to believe in Jesus, we sometimes have to come into conflict with our familiar community.
Verse 13 says, “But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders.” The Jewish religious leaders of the time warned people that they would expel anyone who believed in Jesus from the synagogues. That is to say, “If you believe in Jesus, we will no longer accept you as a Jew, so get out of the Jewish community.” This meant not only expulsion from the community of faith, but also expulsion from their ethnic and cultural community of people who helped each other in life.
I made my decision to believe in Jesus when I was 19 years old, and I remember that I was worried about what my own family, relatives, and friends would think about that at the time. I told them about my decision little by little, and although there were times when we were awkward with each other at first, they were happy to see me happy, and one of my friends came to believe in Jesus with me. But even now, many of my family, relatives, and friends do not understand why I care so much about Jesus and the church, and I still sometimes feel sad and frustrated that I cannot share what is most important to me.
Some of you may have had a much more difficult time in coming to faith than I have, because of opposition from family and friends. But if you have a relationship where you truly care about each other, they will try to understand why you care so much about Jesus, even if they were against it at first. And even if they don’t understand, if they trust you, they will respect your decision. If someone denies without even trying to understand, it is the same as the Jewish leaders who were trying to eliminate Jesus without even trying to know Him here, they are just controlled by their self-centeredness that they don’t want Jesus to take their position. There may be times when you have to confront such people without fear.
Let’s move on to the next part, verses 14-18.
B. To seek God’s will and to fear the true God (14-18)
14 Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. 15 The Jews there were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having been taught?” 16 Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. 17 Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18 Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.
Most of the people listening to Jesus in this scene did not know much about Him, but they knew that the religious leaders were trying to kill Him. To them, Jesus was just one celebrity from the countryside, and they did not yet recognize him as someone who would be personally involved in their lives.
Here I would like to talk a little about the Old Testament, which is the background for today’s story. The Old Testament prophesied the coming of a prophet who would bring about a new covenant between God and people, and the Jews of Jesus’ time were awaiting that prophecy to be realized as the coming of the Savior of their people. That prophecy is found in Deuteronomy 18. Let’s read a part of it.
I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. … But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death. (Deuteronomy 18:18-20)
This is the word that God spoke to Moses, promising that He would eventually raise up a prophet like Moses again to guide people to the right path. However, since that time, there has been a problem of false prophets. These are people who use God’s name to proclaim untruths as if they are God’s will. The people of the Old Testament were taught to recognize such false prophets and not to be afraid of them. They were to discern for themselves whether the prophets were really sent by God and were really speaking on behalf of God’s word.
Having this background of the Old Testament, Jesus spoke what he said in today’s passage. Let’s read his words in v.16-17.
“My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.”
Jesus tells people, “You should be able to discern between a real prophet and a false prophet, as you have been taught since Old Testament times.” And what it takes, he says, is whether or not you are trying to do God’s will. If you are serious about worshipping and loving God and seeking to do God’s will, then you should know that Jesus’ words are based on that God.
We may not have believed in Old Testament prophecy originally, waiting for the coming of the Savior, and we may not have even believed in the existence of God in the first place. Nevertheless, these words of Jesus are directed to us as well. If we are seriously wondering, consciously or unconsciously, what God is like, whether he exists or not, what makes him happy and what makes him sad, we too can understand Jesus’ words. Even more vaguely, if you are wondering what is the meaning of life, what is true love, or if there is some kind of unmovable truth that transcends human thoughts, and you feel that you have no answers, then you too can hear Jesus’ words. Even if others don’t want to know Jesus, even if they deny Him, if you have a desire to know Him, you will hear His words.
There is another prophecy in the Old Testament that is the background for today’s passage. Malachi 3:1.
… Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty. (Malachi 3:1)
Jesus, who suddenly appeared in the Jerusalem temple on this day, was indeed the messenger of God, who was prophesied of this prophecy. And today, he also appears in your temple, your heart, and says to you, “You have heard my words.” We are called to hear Jesus’ words for ourselves, to think and judge for ourselves, not to take someone else’s opinion for granted.
Now let’s read verses 19-24 at the end.
C. To correct the errors of our existing values (19-24)
19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?” 20 “You are demon-possessed,” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?” 21 Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed. 22 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. 23 Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? 24 Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”
These words of Jesus here keep in mind the episode in chapter 5 of this Gospel of John. It is the story of Jesus’ healing of a man who had been sick and bedridden for 38 years at the Pool of Bethesda. The Jewish religious leaders accused Jesus of violating the Sabbath regulations because it was on the Sabbath when he performed that healing. This may sound like a mere nit-picking, but it is not. At that time, there were detailed rules of what was and was not allowed on the Sabbath, and strict observance of these rules was considered to be the proper way for a Jew to keep the Law of Moses. The reason Jesus mentions the practice of circumcision here is because it was considered a permissible exception to the Sabbath regulations.
Jesus knew that the Law of Moses was being misinterpreted by the leaders in the Jewish community at that time and used to serve their hypocrisy. He also knew that people were dimly aware of this but were unable to do anything about it. Hypocrisy toward God had established itself as a religious and cultural value in the Jewish society of the time. That is why Jesus said, “Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.” These words, in turn, mean that we are capable of making righteous judgment, and we are expected to do so.
We should always humbly receive these words of Jesus as words to the church. Just as the Jews of Jesus’ day used the religious authority of the Law to establish hypocritical values, we are in danger of misusing the authority of the Bible and the church to establish our own selfish values as if they were God’s values.
I think the biggest problem in the church today is discrimination against sexual minorities, especially homosexuals. Those who discriminate against homosexuals get their reasons from the Bible, but I think they are just trying to justify their personal values by abusing the authority of the Bible.
Both the Law of Moses and the Bible are God’s words given to us by God, but it is not important to keep every word of them, but to understand the original meaning and purpose of those words. And if our existing values are deviating from its original meaning and purpose, we must correct that error. We should be able to discern this, and we have a responsibility to do so. If what is being taught, even by those in leadership positions in the church, is contrary to God’s will, then it is wrong and must be corrected.
Faith begins when we hear it from someone else, but it is founded only when we have a personal relationship with Jesus. And although we may support each other who share the same faith, the community of faith will become unhealthy unless each of us serves only God’s authority, not the authority of others, and fears no man, but God. I ask each of you to cherish your relationship with Jesus without comparing yourselves to others.
(Prayer) Lord Jesus, please reveal yourself clearly to our hearts. Open our hearts to You so that we can hear Your speaking to us. Teach us Your thoughts. Tell us what You are saying to each of us right now in our circumstances. Teach us whether You are rejoicing, or grieving, whether You are supporting us or stopping us. Help us not to confuse our own selfish assumptions with your thoughts. Also, help us not to confuse someone else’s opinion with your thoughts. Please protect and guide our thoughts and feelings by Your Spirit. Whatever we do or do not do, may we seek only to realize Your love. Lord Jesus, we pray in your name. Amen.
Summary
Faith in Jesus forces us to make decisions in many ways. If the values of the community to which we have been accustomed do not value God as God, we may need to confront that community. If we find that the existing values we have taken for granted are contrary to God’s love, we have the responsibility to correct that error. These decisions are made possible when each of us seriously considers for ourselves who God is, what makes Him happy and what makes Him sad, without blindly accepting the opinions of others.
For Discussion
- What does it mean to “do God’s will”?
- Have you ever had a conflict with your familiar community because of it?
- Have you ever noticed any errors in your existing values because of it?