Person of Interest: Seeking Jesus (3)

The Plot Against Jesus

John 7:19–24

Summary: In this passage, Jesus confronts the religious leaders who seek to kill him by revealing their hypocrisy and challenging their misunderstanding of the law.

Application: This passage reminds us that there will always be opposition and resistance when we stand for truth and righteousness. It encourages us to remain steadfast in our faith even in the face of persecution.

Teaching: Through this passage, we learn about the importance of discernment, courage, and unwavering commitment to God's will, even in the midst of hostility and threats.

How this passage could point to Christ: This passage highlights Jesus as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, as He stands boldly in the face of those who seek to harm Him, ultimately pointing to His sacrificial death on the cross for the salvation of humanity.

Big Idea: Standing for truth and righteousness may lead to opposition, but through discernment, courage, and commitment to God's will, we can persevere in faith, following the example of Jesus.

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Good Morning,

Today we jump back into John and answer the third major question.

Who is Trying to Kill Jesus?

We know, up to this point. Jesus is in Judea, at the Festival of Booths (or Tabernacles). This 8 day harvest festival centers around the Jews 40 years in the wilderness. They stay in tents to remind themselves of that time. Jesus’ brothers wanted Him to go right away, make his presence known in a big way. The Lord had other plans. So he heads into the festival silently, and waits until halfway through to speak.

Immediately He amazes the crowd, they wonder how he knows so much, he’s just a carpenters son from Nazareth right? WRONG, Jesus uses this to further explain who He is and His relation to the father. Jesus tells them, if they truly knew God, if they were as good as they thought, as in tuned with God as they claimed to be, they would know who He was. He speaks with the authority of the Father, and not of himself.

When asking this question we must first understand having

1. Awareness Amid Adversity

John 7:19 NIV

Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”

You could start by explaining how this verse sets the stage for understanding the hostility Jesus faced. Highlight Jesus' awareness of the deadly intentions aimed at Him, emphasizing His courage and steadfastness as a model for believers when confronting opposition for standing in truth. This moment foreshadows Jesus' ultimate sacrifice on the cross, underscoring His commitment to God's will despite knowing the cost.

Through this verse we see the hostility that Jesus faced. This is a life or death issue. The movement around Christ is reaching a fever pitch. Jesus knows this, he is acutely aware of the mindset of those around him, mainly the religious leaders. But he does not waver, he stands firm in the face of death, and asks them plainly why they are doing this. This foreshadows the sacrifice that is to come.

The interesting part in this is that Jesus, again is calling out their hypocrisy. The Jewish leaders always run back to Moses, using him as a sort of crutch for them. But they lose all credibility by only using part of the Mosaic Law. When Jesus asks them the question, Why are you trying to kill me. It is not for shock factor, but to confront them that their heart is breaking the law. Thou Shall Not Kill!

The gauntlet has been thrown down in this moment.

So what does that mean for us?

We must be aware of the adversity that surrounds us

We must not “flaunt the law” without truly knowing Christ

Often times we talk a good game, but our lives do not reflect it

We act “religious,” thats what these men were doing, yet they did not even follow the law they swore they upheld.

We must also see the...

2. Authority and Accusation

John 7:20–21 NIV

“You are demon-possessed,” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?” Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed.

Perhaps delve into Jesus' response to the accusations of working on the Sabbath by reminding the audience of the healing at Bethesda. This would illustrate Jesus' role as the fulfillment of the law, not as a breaker but as the one who brings its true intention to light. This point can encourage believers to seek deeper understanding and application of God's word in their lives, standing firm in faith even when misunderstood or misrepresented.

Jesus hots them hard here, showing that he is the fulfillment of the law. He did not come to change it but to fulfill it. His actions show the true nature of the law itself. The men around Him did not see this, they did not have the true deep understanding of it all. They were blinded by their own self righteousness.

They didnt try to accept what Jesus was saying, they wouldnt even hear it, their reaction was to cry out “DEMON” and in the same breath call Jesus a liar. Calling him demon possessed was their way of saying he was crazy, a lunatic, even paranoid that he would think someone is trying to kill him.

He calls their attention to his miracle in Bethesda, the reason for this attack on Christ, was once again, them throwing him healing on the Sabbath in His face. But again, Jesus is not a law breaker, He is the law. Why would this reminder matter? Because it was from the moment he healed on the Sabbath that the wheels began to move in motion for the murderous plot. Those religious leaders in the crowd would know this.

So what does this mean for us?

We must seek deeper understanding and application of scripture

The religious leaders “know the answers” but when face to face with the answer they are missing it.

They misunderstand who Jesus is and are so blinded by their own self righteousness that they miss it all.

Imagine God as a puzzle with a thousand pieces. As we seek to understand Him more deeply, it's like finding one piece at a time and slowly seeing the whole picture come together.

We must have...

3. Consistency in Conviction

John 7:22–24 NIV

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. 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? Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”

Maybe explore the contrast Jesus draws between circumcision on the Sabbath and His healing, to exemplify the inconsistency in the leaders' logic. This can demonstrate the importance of discernment and the call to look beyond surface-level judgments to the heart of God's commands. Emphasize Jesus' call for righteous judgment, connecting it to His righteous judgment on our behalf, providing a path to salvation. This highlights the importance of practicing discernment and righteousness in our daily lives, following Jesus' example.

Jesus again shows the inconsistency of their logic. There seems to be this battle in the minds of the religious leaders, Moses v Jesus. But what Jesus shows them is how they do things on the Sabbath that “the law” deemed fit. Jesus as the law supercedes that. It is the purpose not the action that is important here. Jesus again is drawing the distinction, if they can decide that certain things can be done on the Sabbath, well his authority is greater than theres. This is called the Casuistic system:

Rabbinic casuistic arguments set laws side by side and determined the priority of one law over another when in any life situations two or more laws seemed to be in conflict. The point of the argument at John 7:22–23 is that Jesus refused to be categorized as a breaker of the law in the same way that the rabbis argued they were not breaking the law when they were circumcising male babies on the eighth day, even though the day would be the Sabbath. The reason was that circumcision took precedence over Sabbath. In the same manner Jesus seemed to argue that if what he did on the Sabbath in healing took priority over the Sabbath rules, then he was not to be regarded as a breaker of the law. Although his critics may not have agreed, his argument was impeccable in a casuistic system. - Gerald L. Borchert, John 1–11, vol. 25A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 285.

So what does this mean for us?

We must look beyond the surface level elements of our faith

We must not be like the religious leaders, picking and choosing what to do and when

We are to follow the example of Christ.

Jesus’ focus is on righteous judgement, and to not be caught up in the appearance, but the heart.

Jesus has been scolded for who he hangs out with, what he does and who he claims to be.

Has this happened to you?

We must be willing to reach out to those in need

Not get caught in the comfort of surface level Christianity

Conclusion

In this portion of scripture we, yet again, see Jesus standing in the face of adversity. Are we willing to do so? In the cultural climate we live in today, are you willing to accomplish your mission? Can we confront our own hypocrisy? What do you need to improve on today? Don’t let this message just be a reminder of something you need to do, but a call to action for whatever it may be. Are we casting uncaused judgement on others based on our own Pharisaical positions? Or is it truly from the Lord? I cant answer that question for you. As the attacks come from the world, are you grounded enough to hold firm? If not, what do you need to change so you can? Again, Jesus is our example, I pray that you are following it today. And if you arent, if you have fallen off, guess what? You still can, there is time to correct course. The hope of the Gospel is that as long as their is air in your lungs, there is still time. The scary part, we arent promised the next breath, so the importance to adjust is on this moment, right here. You you willing to make the change? Or are you like the person sitting there at the table, thousands of puzzle pieces in front of them, without the final picture in front of them? Can you see the picture for your life? Have you even tried? If not, let today be that day.