How People Respond to the Truth of Christ (John 7:25–36)

Series: “John: Life in Christ’s Name”Text: John 7:25–36

By: Shaun Marksbury Date: July 15, 2023

Venue: Living Water Baptist ChurchOccasion: AM Service

Introduction

Do you share your faith? It’s easy to become worried about what might happen if you do so. You might have heard of the persecution that Christians have faced throughout the millennia. For instance, you may know well about what happened when the message of Christ captured the attention of the Roman emperors, who condemned countless Christians to death. Yet, it’s also true that the Christian message also eventually converted Rome, ending the pagan persecution.

Yet, persecution also has come from supposedly godly sources. It began in the synagogues so often in Acts, where those who stumbled on the message of Christ stirred others up to beat and kill believers. It continued as the Roman Catholic Church departed more from Scripture, sparking inquisitions to root out supposed heretics who wanted nothing more than to worship according to Scripture.

Thankfully, we haven’t had to deal with much of that in our nation, where religious freedom is the first amendment to our constitution. Sadly, it looks like there is increasing pushback against this ideal in our culture, though. For years, we’ve seen key government officials subtly changing the idea of “freedom of religion” to “freedom of worship,” resulting in more people believing religious exercise should be restricted to the church and absent from the public square. We even saw the idea of a right to assembly challenged during the COVID lockdowns, and there are murmurings of doing the same again if there is another virus or in light of climate change fears. Moreover, people have been fighting in courts to try to get Christians in the workplace to cave on their convictions, forcing them to accept and even applaud the popular narrative. Companies require employees to attend diversity classes, with more demanding people comply with untruths, the modern pinch of incense to Caesar, as it were.

How will people respond if we tell them about Jesus and hold to His values? We haven’t even considered smaller social impacts, such as the loss of friends and the ire of family. The claims of Christ indeed evoke a number of reactions in people. Some reject Him outright. Others may seem to have a religious experience, but they are ultimately offended and trouble the people of God. This is what we see even while Christ addressed the crowds in Jerusalem.

In this passage, we see at least five responses to Christ’s claims. We should expect these same reactions as we talk about Christ with the lost world. Some respond with mockery (vv. 25–27), with violence (vv. 28–30), with belief (v. 31), with persecution (vv. 32–34), and with confusion (vv. 35–36).

First, Some Respond with Mockery (vv. 25–27)

So some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is this not the man whom they are seeking to kill? Look, He is speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to Him. The rulers do not really know that this is the Christ, do they? However, we know where this man is from; but whenever the Christ may come, no one knows where He is from.”

Gathered at Jerusalem are various Jewish people for the Feast of Tabernacles. In the middle of the feast, Jesus (who came to the feast privately) stood up in the temple and taught them concerning Himself. The residents of Jerusalem were surprised with His presence, for they knew that their leaders wanted to silence and even kill Jesus for daring to heal someone on the Sabbath. The Galilean Jews were less aware of such political machinations in their religious leadership, but word had gotten out for the Jerusalem locals.

So, in v. 25, some were saying, “Is this not the man whom they are seeking to kill?” The way they frame this question in the original language expects a positive response. They knew this was the man the leaders hated so much.

Yet, that’s what makes the scene so surreal for them. They begin in v. 26, “Look, He is speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to Him.” Jesus was boldly in their midst, speaking words they knew the leaders were condemning. Of course, as one commentary notes, “The rulers had, indeed, said something (v. 15), but Jesus had promptly closed their mouths, and they had kept them closed.” Jesus had, in fact, publicly shamed those who spoke up, so none dare do so now.

Therefore, this leads some in Jerusalem to a ridiculous notion: “The rulers do not really know that this is the Christ, do they?” This question, in the original, expects a negative response. They knew that their rulers did not regard Jesus to be the Christ, the Messiah. Yet, Jesus remains, unchallenged, so the people ask this sarcastic question.

They are mocking the notion that Jesus could be the Messiah. We know that they rejected the notion themselves because of their statement in v. 27: “However, we know where this man is from; but whenever the Christ may come, no one knows where He is from.” It appears that a folk religious tradition arose among the people around this time that the Messiah would suddenly appear and teach, without prior warning.

This “hidden Messiah” idea did not arise primarily from Scripture. This was addressed in a number of writings which falsely claimed to be a part of Scripture which arose after Malachi’s time, like 1 Enoch, and some of which is in the Apocrypha, like 2 Esdras. Moreover, Jewish teaching said, ‘Three things come wholly unexpected—Messiah, a godsend, and a scorpion’ (Sanhedrin 97a).” If it’s like one Jewish teacher would argue with a second-century Christian apologist, they believed that the Messiah “would be unknown even to himself and would have virtually no power until Elijah would appear and anoint him to begin the long-expected messianic era (Dialogue 8; cf. other citations in Str-B 2.489).” This Messianic doctrine was added to Scripture, but it was popular in the first century and beyond.

As such, knowing Jesus was a Galilean, some of the people in Jerusalem didn’t believe that He fulfilled the Messianic requirements. There are reasons why some people mock the truth, especially if it comes against the popular narrative. Sometimes, mockers are not serious people, just wanting to continue in their own sins and not think about hard truths. However, sometimes they are, but they are not initially willing to consider that so many other people might be wrong.

We must ask the Lord for wisdom in how to deal with mockery. In some cases, we don’t answer a fool according to his folly, but sometimes we do (Prov. 26:4–5). Our Lord told us not to “give what is holy to dogs” and not to throw “pearls before swine” (Matt. 7:6), but He does sometimes respond as we see next. It’s interesting that, in this case, Jesus doesn’t respond to them with a lesson in biblical truth and the dangers of adding to Scripture, but by twisting their mockery into truth for their instruction.

Second, Some Respond with Violence (vv. 28–30)

Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, “You both know Me and know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. I know Him, because I am from Him, and He sent Me.” So they were seeking to seize Him; and no man laid his hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.

There’s some debate here as to whether Jesus is speaking with His own mockery when He says, “You both know Me and know where I am from.” They might have known that He lived in Galilee, but did they know that He was born in Bethlehem, fulfilling prophecy? Did they further know that He was born of a virgin? It’s unlikely that they really knew where He was from, but it’s difficult to say based on a reading here what kind of attitude He assumed with them. Perhaps He said this with a small smile, but as the verse also says, He said this with the motivation of teaching.

So, He speaks up over them, and He says that His origin is indeed supernatural. He says, “I have not come of Myself.” He again says His presence among them is not of His own initiative, as He said in John 8:42 (“I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me”). They are looking for a Messiah whose authority is granted to Him from above, and this is exactly what Jesus claims.

In fact, Jesus says, “He who sent Me is true.” The people in their false reasons for rejecting Him are not true. If they were, they would accept the one that the Father sends. However, the Father is true.

Because they reject the Messiah, they prove that they don’t know the God they claim to serve. So, Jesus says that this is one “whom you do not know.” If Jesus was trying to avoid offending people, this wouldn’t be the way to go about it!

In fact, He continues to press their ignorance of God. He says in v. 29, “I know Him, because I am from Him, and He sent Me.” He emphasizes Himself in the sentence — “I, I know Him,” further contrasting their ignorance of God. Jesus had an intimate relationship with the Father, and they desperately need to know God if they are to know who the Messiah is.

However, the people respond with anger. We read in v. 30, “So they were seeking to seize Him.” This is the same word that we might associate with arresting an individual, although this was an unofficial action on the part of the people.

Why did they do this? Perhaps they perceived lack of leadership. As one commentary notes of the confused Jerusalemites, “They felt that if He was a deceiver, He should be locked up, or if He was the Messiah, they should accept Him.” Either way, they take matters into their own hands, and we don’t know if they intended to turn Jesus over to authorities or if they intended to silence Him themselves.

Yet, we read that “no man laid his hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.” Various groups try to arrest Jesus in the Gospels (Matt 21:46; John 7:32, 44; 10:39), but they are unsuccessful until God deemed the time right. As one commentary notes, “They could not lay a hand on Him because the Father’s hand was over Him.” God had appointed an hour for the Christ to suffer and die at their and the Gentile’s hands, but until then, Jesus was perfectly safe.

That doesn’t necessarily remove the tension of the moment from a human perspective. Some people will get offended at truth claims. While we shouldn’t go out of our way to be offensive, we don’t self-censor for fear of the people. There will be people who get offended, even violently so; yet, we try to wisely see danger (Prov. 27:12) while trusting ourselves to the sovereign plan and protection of God.

We endure because we might have the blessing of seeing what comes next:

Third, Some Respond with Belief (v. 31)

But many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, “When the Christ comes, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will He?”

What a wonderful respite this verse is! Here, we see that some respond to the claims of Christ with belief. It’s not immediately clear who is believing; perhaps this is the Galilean Jews from v. 20, or perhaps this describes a stay in the crowds in general, since some were seeking to seize Him.

They were questioning just as they did in v. 26, but now with more convictions. The signs Jesus performed attested to the truthfulness of His claims. Back in John 5:36, Jesus says His works testify “that the Father has sent Me.” So, they are responding to both the testimony and the evidence of our Lord and come to believe.

Some of these thoughts were already brewing throughout the Jewish community. Remember that even the Pharisee Nicodemus came to Jesus, and he said, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Later, the chief priests and the Pharisees are forced to meet and ask themselves, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs” (John 11:47). The evidence is there, but sadly, many choose to ignore it.

Those who don’t will believe, as we see here. It seems that can’t even keep quiet about their conviction, either, for they speak loud enough for the Pharisees to overhear. We turn to them and their response next.

Fourth, Some Respond with Persecution (vv. 32–34)

The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about Him, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to seize Him. Therefore Jesus said, “For a little while longer I am with you, then I go to Him who sent Me. You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.”

The believers were muttering or “whispering” (LSB) much like before (v. 12). However, this time, the leaders overhear what they were saying! It’s not the exact same term as before, so perhaps they were louder, or perhaps the rulers had people in the crowd now to gauge the reaction of the people.

They respond now with an official attempt to arrest Jesus. It is interesting to see the chief priests and the Pharisees together on this. Coming from different social statuses, they were typically adversaries, both politically and religiously. To see them together shows that both groups agreed about the threat Jesus posed them. If there’s one man who can bring enemies together, it’s Jesus Christ, either in their love or hatred of Him!

United in their desire to silence Jesus and keep the crowd from His further sway, they “sent officers to seize Him.” However, this effort fails just as the early attempt to seize Jesus. We read a bit later that He will impress these officers (vv. 45–46), thus avoiding arrest. We’ve seen this in history, when a government wishes to shut down a church or arrest a pastor, that sometimes the officers become unwilling to comply with the arrest warrant after hearing the truth. God works in many ways to protect His people, including His Son.

Thwarting their attempts to persecute Him, Jesus says, “For a little while longer I am with you, then I go to Him who sent Me.” It’s almost as if He’s telling them to be patient! He’ll continue to say this as His hour approaches (John 12:35; 13:33; 14:19; 16:16–19). At this juncture, there’s only about six months left in His earthly ministry.

There’s more to it than simple time, though. The day grows late, and the undecided have precious little time to consider what He’s saying. In v. 30, we see some in the crowd seeking Him in the negative sense, but in v. 34, He says, “You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.” The time for seeking Jesus will come to an end, as we see next.

Fifth, Some Respond with Confusion (vv. 35–36)

The Jews then said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find Him? He is not intending to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks, is He? What is this statement that He said, ‘You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come’?”

There are those who don’t believe in Jesus mainly because they don’t fully grasp His words. Understand that this isn’t a simple education problem. People are sometimes willingly ignorant, wanting to avoid the light. Scripture also speaks of Satan in 2 Corinthians 4 blinding the eyes of unbelievers so they won’t see the truth. A lethal combination of the devil, the world, and of personal sin keeps a person unaware of the truth.

So, they ask where He’s going. Later, they will ask a similar question, whether He’s intending to kill Himself (John 8:22). Here, they ask not only if Jesus is intending to go into Gentile territory to teach the Jews, but also the Gentiles themselves. In a fascinating display of insight in the midst of their darkness, they predict the Christian mission, but with more mockery!

Those who reject Christ will find that they are increasingly mystified by His words. One thing is certain: Jesus’s words leave a lasting effect even with those who reject it. For the confused, the best thing we can do is to pray that God opens their eyes to the truth, granting them understanding and repentance.

Conclusion

The time is short, and we do need to be faithful in sharing our faith, for we don’t want to see people seeking when there’s no hope. As one author notes, “We have a very striking example in Esau, who, on account of having lost his birthright, not only is oppressed with grief, but groans and gnashes his teeth, and breaks out into furious indignation, (Gen. 27:38; Heb. 12:17.) But yet so far is he from the right way of seeking the blessing, that, at the very time when he is seeking it, he renders himself more unworthy of it.” Knowing the fear of the Lord, we seek to warn men, before it’s too late.

If you believe in the Lord, know that it is your responsibility to share the faith with others. There are a number of ways and avenues for do this which we could talk about at another time, such as handing out tracts, engaging in personal conversations, street evangelism, internet outreach, missions, and the like. You may be fearful, and yes, some might respond very poorly. Yet, just as God is faithful, let us rest on His grace to also be faithful.

If you are not a believer, I would ask you why that might be. Have you given a fair hearing to the testimony and the evidence? If not, is it because you are wanting to remain in the dark about the truth, for fear of the Light? Step out into it, asking the Lord to show you the truth, and examine the claims to find both God and His Christ to be true. Trust in the Lord and be saved from the wrath that is to come, before it’s too late to find Him.