So Who is this Jesus?

Today’s Text: John 7:25-52

Introduction

This week we pick up John’s narrative of Jesus’ discourse at the Festival of Tabernacles that we began last week.  At verse 25, John shifts the narrative to focus on the “the people ofJerusalem” which are those in attendance who are “hometown” attendees.  It would seem that at least some of them are aware of the plot afoot to kill Jesus.

Points of Interest

7:25-32            Where the Messiah would come from is the subject of much discussion and speculation in this passage, and it is a very important question relating to the validation of Jesus in the eyes of many people.  Can a Messiah come fromGalilee?  Would a Messiah come from anywhere in particular?  Or must he come fromBethlehem?  After Jesus’ statement in 28-29, they want to seize Him, but are unable because His time had not yet come to die; the murmuring continues until the Chief Priest orders the temple guards to arrest Him.

7:33-36            The scene closes with Jesus’ remarks about where He will ultimately go; a place they will never be able to follow.  Again the speculation rages among the Jews; again they simply can’t seem to comprehend that He is talking about Heaven which is His ultimate destination.  Again, they are frustrated.

7:37-39            Jesus begins His discourse of the last day by telling the people about “living water” which John points out to us is a reference to the pouring out of the Holy Spirit beginning at Pentecost. This, however, is not the direction that the remaining text will take…

7:40-44            After Jesus spoke of living water, the text returns to the confusion amongst His hearers.  They can’t seem to figure out what He is telling them, rather they are more concerned about ancillary issues.

7:45-52            In this final passage, we come face-to-face with the overwhelming desire on the part of the priests and Pharisees to disbelieve Jesus.  It would appear that their only interest is in silencing Him…

For discussion:

1. This passage is all about who Jesus was, and the speculation of the people about the issue.  Can you identify any important piece of information that they have failed to take into account?

2. It would seem that the priests and Pharisees have decided that they won’t believe anything Jesus says.  Have you ever encountered this tendency today?

3. If Jesus was not the Messiah, and if they couldn’t catch Him speaking a falsehood, why do you think it was so important to the leaders to have Him killed?

4. What do you think God is trying to teach us about the Gospel in this passage?

5. What can we learn about Jesus from this passage?

6. What can we learn about our response to the Gospel message from this passage?