Pubic Ministry: Is Jesus the Messiah? - Part 2 (7:32-52)

Introduction:

As we continue in our study of this glorious gospel, you will remember last week that we began to answer the question, “Is Jesus the Messiah?” In doing so, we found that Jesus is presently at the Feast of Booths, though he delayed in coming, and began teaching midway through this seven day feast in the temple, in full view of those who had sought to kill him. With this teaching, he interacts with those who have come to hear him, who respond with questions regarding his credentials and his origin. To which Jesus declares his authority and origin are from his father in heaven, which indicates his identity as their Messiah, an identity that is clearly understood by all those who are truly of God. When we left the narrative last week, we saw a mixed verdict from the crowd, those who did not believe he was the Messiah, and those who did.

We will look this morning at the further evidence that Jesus gives in his identification as their Messiah, as he declares himself to be the fulfillment of the very feast they are celebrating from John 7:32-52, and thus answers with certainty, Is Jesus the Messiah?

Text: John 7:32-52

John 7:32–52 ESV

32 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. 33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34 You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” 35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?” 37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. 40 When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” 43 So there was a division among the people over him. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. 45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” 47 The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? 48 Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” 50 Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, 51 “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” 52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

Main Idea: Because the evidence that Jesus is the Messiah is profoundly clear, only those steeped in unbelief cannot see it.

I. Pharisees' Plot Prevails Not (32-36)

32 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him.

The chief priests and Pharisees, representing the Sanhedrin, deployed officers (or temple police) to arrest Jesus. The temple police were drawn from the Levites and were charged with maintaining order in the temple precincts. The order to arrest Jesus implies that they planned to allege criminal activity on his part.

33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34 You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.”

‌Jesus shows the divine attributes of omniscience and sovereignty. There was no “I plan to” here, but...

I will be with you a little longer - shows there will be and end to Jesus mission.

I am going to him who sent me - shows his divine origin and commission.

You will seek me and you will not find me - shows the human limitations to understand.

Where I am you cannot come - shows the contrast between the “I am” and fallen humanity, and the inability for fallen humanity to dwell with the divine Yahweh in their present condition.

This of course creates great confusion among the Jews…

35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”

The Jews respond with a series of questions in which they ask among themselves…

Where does this man intend to go. The Jews are puzzled as to Christ’s origin and so they cannot understand His destination, which is heaven. They understand His destination merely in geographical terms.

Does he intend to go to the Dispersion - (Gk. diaspora) was a common Jewish expression to refer to all the Jewish people scattered throughout the Roman Empire, and even beyond the bounds of the empire, but not living in Palestine itself.

among the Greeks and teach the Greeks - They are not pleased at the thought that He will exercise His ministry among the Greeks, heathens whom they despise and suspect of subverting the devotion of Jews living among them, far from Jerusalem and its temple. Does Jesus plan to go where our own teachers and leaders would not go, to the Gentiles?

What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?” - they have drawn this conclusion because of Jesus emphatic words Where I am you cannot come?

In response to their lack of understanding, Jesus continues to unfold to them who he is by declaring his fulfillment of the very feast they are celebrating…

II. Promise of Living Water (37-39)

37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.

While v. 14 makes reference to “the middle of the feast,” this is now the last and greatest day of the Feast of Tabernacles. Jesus’ invitation refers back to OT prophetic passages such as Isa. 55:1

Isaiah 55:1 ESV

1 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. That is, “thirsts” for God (see note on John 4:14). To come to Jesus and drink means to believe in him, to enter into a trusting, ongoing personal relationship with him. Both the image of “coming” to Jesus as one would come to a person and the image of “drinking” imply not mere intellectual assent but a wholehearted personal involvement and participation.

Psalm 42:1–2 ESV

1 As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

John 6:53 ESV

53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

The feast concludes with a ceremonial procession in which vessels full of water are carried to be poured out in the temple courts, commemorating God’s quenching Israel’s thirst in the wilderness with water from the rock (Exod. 17:1–7; Num. 20:2–13). Thus Jesus is declaring to those at this feast that he is the fulfillment of that commemoration. Paul explains this in 1 Corinthians 4:1-4

1 Corinthians 10:1–4 ESV

1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.

38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”

Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said. What follows are quotations from several OT passages that connect water with the end-time gift of the Spirit:

Isaiah 44:3 ESV

3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.

Ezekiel 36:25–27 ESV

25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

Along with the blessings of the present (messianic) age (e.g., Is. 12:3; 58:11). Thus Jesus fulfills the meaning of the Feast of Booths.

Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. This implies great abundance, benefiting not only believers, but also those around them.

39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

the Spirit had not been given. Jesus is referring to the blessing of Pentecost. Of course, the Holy Spirit was present during the OT period, but at Pentecost He entered into a more intimate relationship with believers and distributed His gifts for service more widely (1 Cor. 12:4–13) and more fully. This is the Messiah’s gift to His people: He baptizes with the Spirit (Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16), but this blessing in its full measure and glory will have to await the ascension of Christ, who, having returned to the Father, pours out the Spirit from heaven upon His people (16:7; cf. Acts 2:33; Eph. 4:8).

Thus the “Spirit” here is identified with the “living water” that comes from the temple.

So what was the reaction of the people from this clearly defined declaration of his Messiahship?

III. Public Opinion Divided (40-44)

40 When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.”

the Prophet. A reference to Deuteronomy 18:15 “15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—” . It is interesting to observe the testimony of those outside the group of disciples who were capable of acknowledging, at least in part, Jesus’ identity. Some understood that Jesus could be “the Prophet” promised by Moses. Recognizing that His miracles are worthy of the Messiah they have expected (v. 31).

41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”

Others said, “This is the Christ.” - others clearly understand that Jesus was the Messiah.

But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? - the dispute over the identity of Jesus continues to focus on His origin. The people’s questioning remains trapped within the limits of this world.

the Christ … comes from Bethlehem. The irony is apparent, for they did not realize that Bethlehem was in fact Jesus’ birthplace.

43 So there was a division among the people over him. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. - once again, the crowd is divided, and once again, no could lay hands on Jesus until the time was right.

Though there were those who did understand, yet, for those who were the leaders of the people, we see that…

IV. Perception and Prejudice Persist (45-52)

The strong prejudice of the chief priests and Pharisees is apparent in their condemnation of the temple guards (vv. 47, 48), of the crowd (v. 49), and even of Nicodemus, one of their number (v. 52).

45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!”

The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees - Remember The officers from v. 32, were temple police drawn from the Levites and were charged with maintaining order in the temple precincts.

“Why did you not bring him?” - Okay, where is he?

No one ever spoke like this man - is more profoundly true than these officers could have realized, for no other man in history has been fully God as well and thus able to speak with the infinite knowledge and authority of God himself. Remember, these were not Roman soldiers, but Levites who knew and taught the law of Moses.

47 The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived 48 Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.”

Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? - Oh the arrogance of unbelief. In other words they are saying, “because we, the religious leaders who know the law and do not believe that he is the Messiah, you, along with this crowd are therefore mere accursed pawns in a great deception.”

Note: the opinions of the majority, or of those of notoriety do not produce truth. Truth must always come from outside of us, from only one source, God’s eternal revelation.

50 Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, 51 “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?”

Nicodemus - the same Nicodemus from John 3:1-15, who came to Jesus by night.

Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does? - Nicodemus’ first conversation with Jesus seems to have set him on a course that would lead to public identification as His disciple (19:39), but here he merely raises the legal point that Moses required Israel’s judges to be unbiased, giving a hearing both to accusers and to those accused (Deut. 1:16, 17)

Deuteronomy 1:16–17 ESV

16 And I charged your judges at that time, ‘Hear the cases between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the alien who is with him. 17 You shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God’s. And the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’

52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.” - First-century Galilee was held in contempt by the Sanhedrin as a mixed-race region where the law was not zealously observed. However, they failed to understand the prophet Isaiah 9:1-2, which described the activity of the Messiah in connection with Galilee:

Isaiah 9:1–2 ESV

1 But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.

So What?

Do we understand that God has always made clear to humanity the truth of his redemptive plan in the face of his Son Jesus Christ?

Do we understand that the opinion of others, even if part of the majority vote, are only as true as their alignment with God’s eternal truth?

Do we understand that to not receive God’s transcendent truth is to incur his eternal judgment?