The Word, Our Guide (John 7:14-24) Living Life 24/01/2025 Daily Devotional Bible Study

The Word, Our Guide (John 7:14-24) Living Life 24/01/2025 Daily Devotional Bible Study

 

The Word, Our Guide

 

 

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

I wonder if you remember the two sons story from Matthew 21 

There was a man who had two sons.

He went to the first and said son go and work today in the vineyard.

I will not he answered but later he changed his mind and went and the father went to the other son 

and said the same thing.

He answered I will Sir but he did not go.

Which of the two did what his father wanted

the first they answered and Jesus said to them Truly I tell you the tax collectors The prostitutes are entering to the kingdom of God first right?

I was reminded of this parable as I was meditating on today's passage.

So let's turn to the scriptures for the Day

 

 

The Word, Our guide

 

 

 

John Chapter seven verses fourteen to twenty four.

14 Not until halfway through the Feast did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. 15 The Jews were amazed and asked, "How did this man get such learning without having studied?" 16 Jesus answered, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. 17 If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18 He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. 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 astonished. 22 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a child on the Sabbath. 23 Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath? 24 Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment."

 

 

The story of today's passage takes place during the Feast of Tabronaagles in Jerusalem which is one of the three most important feasts among the Israelites.

In the middle of the feast Jesus suddenly appears in the temple and starts to teach publicly 

in Hebrew. It's called SK오기야 it's a combined word that means a booth and to lock.

The booth experience was there for the Israelites to remember the guidance and protection as well as provision by the sovereign God throughout their wilderness period.
Wilderness was a very special experience for the Israelites the people of God.

It was tough for them to live and sometimes they faced critical issues such as not having water.

They certainly did not have the comfort and familiar things they used to have back in Egypt.

They probably wondered how their growing children would have clothes to wear and the sandals that would not get worn out while walking on the desert.

They had to depend on God daily for provision of manner and they had to trust him daily as the pillar of cloud and fire led them.

At the core. It was a training to learn to trust and Shima to listen and obey 

was a time of learning to know God by his character and his doings.

Perhaps it was not a coincidence that Jesus suddenly appeared during the feast of Tprnacles and began to teach.

Once again he wanted to remind the people of God to trust and to listen and obey.

Jesus also wanted to let the children of God that he is the everlasting Tpronaco that he is the Lord of Sabbath the one whose heart he wanted them to be united with.

Since the Pharaases and the religious leaders thought of the law of Moses they knew so well to be above Jesus's teaching and we're judging him.

Accordingly. 

Jesus wanted them to know that his authority came from the father God that it was God's will by which he spoke 

for. Sixtid says my teaching is not my own

but it comes from the father.

He also wanted to let them know 

that it was not by Rabbinic education and smart brain to be able to discern whether his teaching came from God the father or not.

Verse 17 says anyone who chooses to do the will of God we'll find out whether my teaching came from the Father.
If anyone wants to follow the will of God God will make it plain and simple.

Um his laws are not hard to understand.

It's just our hearts that have a difficulty completely trusting and obeying.

This does not mean that we should not think and blindly do what the churches or pastors say.

I would encourage all of you to engage in critical thinking and ask good questions.

God loves those who want to know his word and truth at a deeper level and he allows room for questioning 

but we gain a greater understanding by meditating on the scriptures asking the Holy Spirit to reveal the deep things that have got to us rather than intellectual discussions.

And anyone who wants to obey the will of God Holy Spirit will pour on that person wisdom and understanding that people will be surprised by what you understand and say this person has not received any Biblical or seminary education and how is it that this person understands the Bible so accurately and so deeply?

The religious leaders had the deepest trouble with the fact that Jesus seemed to be violating the Sabbath.

In particular Jesus healed on Sabbath day.

This paralytic who was not able to get up for 38 years from the Met 

and Jesus said my father never stops working so I keep working too on Sabbath.

This became a huge issue one of the primary reasons for the phases to plan to kill Jesus.

The Pharaases were keeping the laws so meticulously that no one would be able to challenge them for their lifestyle of obedience

at least the lifestyle of the first son first second son who said yes but in his heart did not want to obey.

They would judge everyone by their own standards.

So instead of celebrating the paralytic for being healed they said 

you're not supposed to carry your mat on Sabbath.

They seemed to be angry because Jesus was violating Sabbath but the true reason is because Jesus was provoking them revealing them to be hypocrites.

 

It made it worse that Jesus did not have any Rabbinic teaching and had a deeper understanding.

He did not have any Rabbinic education and had a deeper understanding of the laws than the Pharaises and he began to have influence and therefore followers as well.

This threatened the status quo that could not tolerate a carpenter's uneducated son pointing out to their hypocrisy teaching people about the spirit behind the laws

taking away self glory from the religious leaders.

By healing people on Sabbath Jesus was demonstrating that he is the lord of the Sabbath he was doing and speaking according to the father God's will and he and Father are one that he is the son of God or God himself walking on Earth the Messiah 

and that the children of God should obey the laws in their hearts rather than doing lip services.

This was completely offensive, subversive and unacceptable to the parses.

Remember in John 5, eighteen they said first Jesus was breaking the law about the seventh day.

Now he says that God is his own father making himself equal with God.

I don't think you and I openly challenge Christ's teaching and I don't think we are concerned about him working on Sabbath to heal and to the ministry.

But I wonder if there are times when we obey him out of a sense of obligation rather than out of joy.

And I wonder if there are times we become proud because we went to so many services and so many Bible study groups and served so much at church.

And sometimes we try to judge others based on that kind of standard.
And I know that we all want to gladly obey and serve the Lord but this is not possible unless we start from the truth that God loves us so much.

 

 

What helps you discern whether or not you can trust someone's Bible teaching?

 

We can obey and serve him joyfully when we have the joy of knowing him intimately on a daily basis.

An intimacy with the Lord is built through our time with him by the means of grace such as turning to the word, praying and singing praises or fellowshipping with faithful brothers and sisters and so on.

When we're better united with Jesus in our hearts through the means of grace we will know the truth
and we will be able to obey and act according to the spirit behind the laws rather than the black letters of the laws.

So let's pray

 

 

Sun Lord the Lord of Sabbath and the Eternal Tabernacle What we come before you
thank you for giving us the law so we can love you more and love our neighbors more.
Help us be better united with you and meet us intimately and draw us closer to you.
Let us be more like the first son in Matthew twenty one rather than the second son
and please teach us how to live according to the spirit behind the laws rather than the laws themselves.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord we pray.
Amen