Division over who Jesus is is nothing new

The Jews knew what they were waiting for. Well, at least they thought they did.

Not what, but who. They were waiting for the promised Messiah, spoken about by God’s messengers, the prophets, as the one who would come and deliver God’s people, set them free, restore their nation to its former glory…

They didn’t know when and where he would appear, but they were pretty certain that when he did, everyone would know about it.

And yet when Jesus started to make claims about being sent from God to announce the coming of this new upside kingdom, many of the Jews were not convinced he was the real deal.

Who do you think you are?

Jesus wasn’t anything like what they were expecting. They couldn’t get their heads round the idea that God would send someone like Jesus. There are accounts of heated discussions in all the four Gospels about who Jesus is. He’s the cause of much disagreement and controversy. We already saw that yesterday.

As for Jesus, he tries to keep his head down. He goes about his business, doing all that god sent him to do without attracting too much adverse attention. In John 7, it describes how Jesus steers clear of ‘Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him’. He sends his brothers off to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles in Jerusalem but he stays behind.

In John 7, a whole chapter devoted to these differing opinions about Jesus, John 7:5 states that ‘even his own brothers did not believe in him’. They think if he’s got a message for the world, then he needs to get out there and start sharing it.

Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.  John 7:3-4

Surely the best way to convince people of who you are is to show them what you can do. Silence them by your amazing acts.

But no, now is not the time apparently.

Jesus is right to keep his head down. The Jewish leaders are looking out for him at the festival. And everyone is talking about him. Speculation is rife. But no one will speak up.

Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.”

Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders.  John 7:12-13

Halfway through the festival, Jesus goes up to the temple courts and starts to teach. And here are the mixed reactions:-

1. The reaction: amazed – How did this man get such learning without having been taught? Jesus’ response: My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me.
2. The reaction: judgement – You are demon-possessed. Jesus’ response: I did one miracle, and you are all amazed. Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.
3. The reaction: assumption – Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Messiah? But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from. Jesus’ response: Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.
4. The reaction: anger – At this they tried to seize him… Jesus’ response: his hour had not yet come.
5. The reaction: belief – When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?
6. The reaction: threatened – the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him. Jesus’ response: I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the one who sent me. You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.
7. The reaction: confused – Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? 

There’s an awful lot going on here, isn’t there? All natural reactions to something that you don’t understand, to someone who’s challenging everything you’ve built your life upon, everything you’ve ever learnt. Jesus is making extravagant claims about who he is and what he is here to do. The reactions are bound to be mixed. It’s so hard for us to imagine being there, not having the benefit of knowing how the rest of the story plays out. Jesus looked like just a man. People knew his family. They saw the kind of people he knocked around with. They knew he’d had no special training or education. They knew where he came from, for goodness sake! Nothing special comes out of Galilee, everyone knows that!

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.”

Others said, “He is the Messiah.”

Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee?”

Thus the people were divided because of Jesus.  John 7:37-38, 40-41, 43

It’s the Jewish leaders who have the most problem with Jesus’ claims. They need to silence him. He’s leading the people astray. The people don’t know any better but they do. The people are being wowed by the stuff Jesus is doing and saying, but the Jewish leaders know better. They know that he is lying and making false claims. He is the worst kind of false leader.

In John 10, this is how it plays out –

Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”

“We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”  John 10:31-33

They believe they’re doing the right thing: protecting God’s people from this deceiver. Back to John 7 and the Jewish leaders are not impressed because the temple guards are afraid to bring Jesus in because “No one ever spoke the way this man does”.

“You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted. “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.”

Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”

They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”  John 7:47-52

I find this all so fascinating. I hope you do too. We can see all these reactions to Jesus in the world around us today too. The leaders – apart from Nicodemus who met with Jesus previously and you can read about that here – are so blinded by what they already know that they can’t see the truth standing right in front of them. They cling to their traditions and feel the need to silence anything that will allow people to think differently to them and actually think for themselves.

This can happen to some extent in our churches too. We all have to be allowed to explore our own personal response to this Jesus. Nobody should be dictating to us what we think or feel. We have to each come to Jesus in our own way, just as Nicodemus did. With our own questions and doubts and fears and amazement…

Ask your questions. Jesus has some great answers.

Express your doubts. Jesus can handle it.

Explore your fears. Jesus wants you to come to him just as you are.

Don’t let anyone else make up your mind for you. Don’t let anyone else tell you what to think. Don’t let anyone else bully you into belief.

This is between you and Jesus.

Work it out between you.