Unveiling the True Messiah: A Journey Beyond Bias
Journey Through the Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction: The Universal Quest for Truth
Introduction: The Universal Quest for Truth
This morning, I am going to start my message by mentioning one name and noting the reactions that this name elicits.
Donald Trump!
Already, I am seeing all kinds of body language from people in the audience. Whatever you might think about Donald Trump, there is one thing we all can agree on. In the last 10-12 years, Donald Trump’s words and actions have sparked a global debate. As we know, it all began with him winning the presidency in 2016. During that presidency, Donald Trump used social media more than any other president. However, his use of social media brought all sorts of reactions, from the praise of those who wholeheartedly supported him to constant rants from those who hated him. In fact, the reactions of his enemies resulted in him being banned from social media platforms, resulting in a raging debate over censorship here in the United States. All across the globe, people continue to argue and debate Trump’s actions and words.
In our text today, we see a similar scene: Some said, "This is the Prophet;" others said, "No, the Christ comes from Bethlehem, not Galilee." Does this debate sound familiar in our era of "fake news" and misinformation?
Just like today, people back then grappled with understanding someone's identity amidst a sea of opinions and biases.
But here's the question for us today: How do our beliefs or cultural backgrounds shape our understanding of Jesus? Like those in the crowd, are we quick to categorize Him based on what we think we know rather than who He truly is?
Understanding Jesus's true identity can be challenging. Our prejudices, upbringing, and the echo chambers of our modern world muddle it. Yet, this challenge is not insurmountable. The key lies in listening to Him with open hearts and minds. By doing so, we create an opportunity not only to believe but also to receive Christ in a transformative and personal way.
Today, I invite you to explore this theme. My purpose is to challenge each of you to examine your preconceived notions about Jesus and critically evaluate the sources that shape your beliefs. Let's embark on this quest to peel back the layers of misinformation and bias to see if we can uncover the real Jesus beneath the narratives we've been told.
The Spectrum of Opinions
The Spectrum of Opinions
Note the diverse reactions.
40 Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet.
41 Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee?
42 Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Beth-lehem, where David was?
43 So there was a division among the people because of him.
As we read the text today, we will find two kinds of people and their reactions to Christ. A great debate was brewing over Him. The first group represented in our text is the ordinary people of His day. All of Israel was buzzing about Him. And, as with most debates, there were opinions. Someone has stated that opinions are like noses; everyone has one. It was so with Christ. Everyone had an opinion. Note some of the views given in our text.
40 Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet.
These people were echoing the same opinion noted in John 6:14
14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
However, unlike the opinion of the Galileans, the people of John 7 simply stated, “This is the Prophet.”
The second opinion of the ordinary people is noted in verses 41 and 42.
41 Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee?
42 Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Beth-lehem, where David was?
This opinion is a little more founded than the first.
Those of the first opinion were confident that Christ was a prophet. The word “prophet” means “one who speaks God’s word.” Not much thought was put into that opinion. It was pretty evident that Christ was indeed speaking God’s Word. On several occasions, Christ noted that He only said what God wanted Him to speak.
This second opinion was a little more weighty because it was based on some understanding of Old Testament prophecy and some acquaintance with Scripture. Note that they even quoted the Old Testament. The quote comes from a compilation of Old Testament verses.
They noted that the Christ (Messiah, Promised One) would come from David’s seed, which alludes to Isaiah 11:1
1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
They also note that the Christ (Messiah, Promised One) would come out of the town of Bethlehem. A prophecy made in Micah 5:2
2 But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, Though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
These people were on the right track. However, as we will see, their knowledge of Scripture was not accompanied by a heart of faith. Instead, they were just as blinded to the truth as the others and the religious leaders. Their sinful hearts were filled with biases and prejudices that prevented them from seeing the truth that stood right in front of their eyes.
By the way, we must not be quick to judge them. Yes, they knew Scripture and believed not. However, the evidence stacked against the religious leaders of their day is more indicting. Yet, we see the division growing among the ordinary people over Christ’s words and actions. A division that was starting to fuel anger and frustrations. Note how their emotion overtook them. The debate grew heated to the point that they were determined to take Jesus by force, perhaps with the thought of forcing the truth out of Him.
44 And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him.
Now, if you recall from last week’s message, we read this verse from last week’s text.
32 The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him; and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him.
From there, Christ spoke about how He would leave them and go to a place they could not come. Then, on the last day of the feast of Tabernacles, Christ cried loudly, “If any man thirsts, let him come onto me and drink.” Apparently, during this entire time, these officers sent by the Pharisees to arrest Jesus were standing and listening to Jesus speak. Note the rest of this passage.
45 Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him?
46 The officers answered, Never man spake like this man.
47 Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived?
48 Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him?
49 But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.
50 Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,)
51 Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?
52 They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.
Consider the sequence of events for just a second. The Pharisees heard the people murmuring about Jesus. They think they have an opportunity. To them, it seemed as if the tide of opinion was changing in their favor. Thus, they send these Temple officers (guards) to arrest Jesus. The guards arrive on the scene with the intent of arresting Jesus. However, they could not resist listening to His message. After hearing Him speak, they turn around and go back without arresting Christ. Upon their return, they are questioned by the Pharisees, “Why have ye not brought Him?” The guards state frankly, “Never man spake like this man.” Now we see the true colors of the Pharisees! The response is filled with skepticism, vicious words, and judgmental attitudes. Already, their biases and prejudices against Christ, along with their jealousy of His popularity, spills out. Listen again to their words.
47 Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived?
48 Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him?
49 But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.
At this point, one man speaks. That man is Nicodemus. Nicodemus is almost persuaded. Remember, he is the religious leader who came to Christ by night. Nicodemus comes to Christ's aid in this raging debate about Christ’s identity.
50 Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,)
51 Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?
Of course, as we know, Nicodemus is attacked for trying to defend Christ.
52 They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.
All of this brings us to this thought. There are many opinions surrounding Christ’s identity. Just like noses, everyone has an opinion. Even today, the debate continues to rage. Like the people and the religious rulers of that day, people today form their views of Christ. Instead of accepting the truth in Scripture, they allow their personal beliefs and opinions to sway them.
Why is that? What is the underlying cause of human understanding that results in us subjectively seeing Christ instead of having objective knowledge based on the overwhelming evidence from Scripture and history?
Let’s consider for a moment...
The Human Bias of Understanding
The Human Bias of Understanding
Unfortunately, the inherent bias concerning Christ in these people and many people today comes from a much deeper spiritual issue—an issue that is common to all people and dramatically affects our perception of Christ. Scripture calls it “sin.”
However, as you dive deeper into Scripture, you learn that sin results from a sinful nature—something Christ already knew and came to address.
How did it all start? Where did it all originate? What made all people so judgmental and self-reliant in their beliefs and opinions?
If you objectively accept Scripture’s accurate account of man, you will know that it started shortly after God created man. When God initially created Adam, God made him in God’s image.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
As a result, man was created with a perfect body, soul, and spirit. Yet, it wasn’t long before God’s archenemy, Satan, started meddling in the affairs of God. As we know, God placed man in a great garden, the Garden of Eden. He gave man a straightforward command. Man could eat the fruit of all the trees in the garden except for one, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Satan challenged man’s thinking about that command. He suggested that God was holding back from man something incredible. In the end, man believed Satan’s lie and, in an instant, disobeyed God’s command. In that very same instant, sin entered man’s heart.
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Man indeed gained knowledge of good and evil. Unfortunately, man also gained a natural bent of sin, self, and pride. From that moment, judgmental attitudes, personal biases, self-worth, and personal opinions became more important than the truth of God.
I will give one example of how quickly and effectively sin bound the hearts of men. In Genesis 4, Adam and Eve give birth to two sons, Cain and Abel. These men are the first humans born into this world. However, it is not long before we realize how sinful humanity has become. God requests that these two sons of Adam bring before Him a sacrifice. By the way, these men knew the kind of sacrifice God expected. God expected a blood sacrifice, for the remission of sin comes only through the shedding of blood. God Himself demonstrated this to Adam and Eve after their sinful disobedience. God sacrificed an animal, taking its life and using its skin as a covering for Adam and Eve’s shame. This act of God set the standard of God’s expectations and foreshadowed the day Christ would give His life to all of man’s sins. I am convinced that Adam and Even shared all this with Cain and Abel. They knew what God expected. As the story goes, Abel brought before God the accepted sacrifice, an animal sacrifice. However, Cain decided he would do things his way, not God’s. He got fruit and vegetables instead. There is nothing wrong with fruit and vegetables other than that this was not what God expected or required. In bring this type of offering, Cain outwardly demonstrated that his opinion of what God required was more important than what God expected. Man’s sin was already affecting man’s judgment.
Now fast forward to the time of Christ’s first coming. Christ came offering Himself as salvation to all. He demonstrated His power and authority with great miracles. He spoke of life and offered everlasting life to all who believed. Yet, instead of accepting the truth of His offer, men debated. They argued. They allowed their own opinion of who they thought Christ to be to override the simple fact that He was God and He was the way of salvation. You see, their sinful nature tainted their judgment.
Is it any different today? The answer is no. Men are more cemented in their own opinion than ever. We live in a day when men and women live by a very disturbing creed. If it feels right, do it, and don’t let anyone convince you you are wrong! I mean, think about how much sin has tainted our judgment today. If you believe you are a cat, you act like one regardless of what others say. If they say you are not a cat, then they are the ones who are wrong and mentally unstable. Yet, everyone knows that a person is not a cat, no matter how much that person may believe they are a cat. Some say that such a person is mentally disturbed. I say that person is living according to the bondage of a sinful heart. The cat person is no different than the person who rejects Christ as Lord and Savior. Their own opinions and judgments rule them both. Opinions and judgment that are greatly marred by sin.
Romans 1 gives us a sad but accurate depiction of humanity.
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Sin is the root cause.
Sin affects both believers and unbelievers.
Unbelievers are quick to dismiss or accept the truth of God’s Word. Instead of examining the evidence of the truth that Scripture offers, many rely on the fallacy of popular opinion, critical thinking, or the scientific theories of sinful men.
For believers, we allow sin to reign even though Christ has broken the bondage of sin. When we all sin to reign in our lives, we allow the same old biases to creep back into our lives. Once again, we become judgmental, allowing the sinful desire of opinion to dominate us.
Breaking Through the Noise
Breaking Through the Noise
How do we break through the constant noise of the marred opinions of self and others?
I cannot tell you the number of times people have expressed the following sentiment to me. They say something like this. “Pastor, I hear what you are saying about Christ. I have read the Bible. I want to believe it, but it is not what I was taught. I was taught that Christ is nothing more than a prophet. My teachers claim that He was nothing more than a good man who did good things, just like Buddha, Gandhi, and others. I cannot wrap my mind around Christ being God.”
Do you see the problem? The problem is this. You are relying on all the noise coming from sinful people. You are listening to those who do not know Christ. Their sin still rules them. They have their foolish hearts darkened. They profess to be wise.
Friend, you must come to a point where you cut through the noise of this sinful world. How do we do just that? We do so by coming to the Word of God with an open mind and heart.
Come to the Scripture with the attitude and thought of abandoning the opinions of this world. Instead, seek to know the truth of God’s word.
The most crucial point in our study of this great Gospel of John is that proper understanding of God only comes to those who accept His Word by faith.
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
It is faith, the simple act of belieiving God, that opens the door to understanding. Without faith, you cannot know the things of God.
3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
Faith is the only thing that pleases God.
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Breaking through the noise means believing in Christ. There is no reasoning or working things out in the mind when it comes to faith. No, faith simply accepts the truth of God’s Word. Faith says God is right and everyone else is wrong, including my opinions and beliefs. The world shouts that Christ is not God. Our own heart refuses to accept Christ as God. Yet, He remains God. As God, He came, died, was buried, and rose again. He offers Himself to all who will BELIEVE as everlasting life. The only thing that stands in our way is our sinful opinions and beliefs.
Here is an interesting end to chapter 7.
53 And every man went unto his own house.
Why is this so interesting? How many went home that day still judging Christ according to their own assessment? How many went home that day with unbelief? More so than we imagine. Very few went home as true believers. The unfortunate reality is that we value sinful man’s opinions and our own opinions far more than we do the truth of God’s Word. Sadly, many will stand before God faced with the truth that He is real and will have wasted their opportunity to break through the world's noise. Instead of believing, they continued in darkness. These same people and religious leaders soon stand before Pilate, the Roman governor, screaming, “Crucify Him!”
My friend, there is coming soon a day when all will stand before God Almighty. He will open a great book, the Book of Life. He will read the names of those written there. Only the names of those who put aside personal and biased opinions of the world, believing that Christ is God and paid the penalty for their sin, will be found in that book.
Those whose names are not written there face a tragic eternity.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Conclusion
Conclusion
As we conclude this journey of reflection and examination, let us acknowledge the profound truth: For believers, we allow sin to reign even though Christ has broken the bondage of sin. When sin reigns, we allow the same old biases to creep back into our lives. We once again become judgmental, allowing the sinful desire of opinion to dominate us, just as those in John 7 were swayed by their prejudices rather than by truth.
But here lies the beauty of the Gospel: Christ's victory over sin is not just a historical event but a living reality. Each day, we can let our biases dictate our faith or let Christ's love and truth reshape our hearts and minds.
Let us commit to living out this truth by:
Embracing Humility: We should acknowledge our biases and seek forgiveness for how they have led us astray from Christ's teachings.
Practicing Openness: We should open our hearts and minds to truly hear Christ's words, not as filtered through our prejudices but as they are, in their raw, transformative power.
Cultivating Love Over Judgment: Replace judgment with love, understanding that our mission is not to condemn but to reflect the grace we've been shown.
Engaging in Continuous Self-Examination: We should regularly question our beliefs against the backdrop of scripture, not just to affirm what we know but to challenge what we think we know.
As we leave here today, let's carry with us not just the challenge but also the promise—the promise that in Christ, there is always a way back from the grip of sin, from the clutch of bias, towards a life that reflects His truth, His love, and His grace. Let us walk forward, not in the shadows of our old judgments but in the light of His unending redemption. Amen
