No Beauty that We Should Desire Him

Introduction

There is this concept we have called common knowledge. It’s information you don’t learn in school, but it’s so obvious everyone knows it. Like wear a jacket so you wont get a cold. Cracking your knuckles gives you arthritis. Shaving makes your hair grow thicker.

None of those things are true- but we still insist on them no matter what science says.

That kind of knowledge didn’t come from careful study. It came from someone way in the past guessing a reason — and everyone else just building off that "common knowledge."

People build whole systems of belief off common knowledge. We used to ha yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyve astrologers who looked at the stars their whole lives who believed the earth was the center of our galaxy. They had to work really hard to make the math work, but they were fighting a losing battle.

In the middle ages, much of the western world believed in something called spontaneous generation.

They thought that life could just... appear out of nowhere. Frogs out of mud. Mice from piles of grain. Maggots from rotting meat.

It made sense — if you didn’t look too closely. After all, it’s something everyone knew.

Then, in the 1600s, a scientist named Francesco Redi did something shockingly simple. He put a piece of meat in a sealed jar. No maggots appeared.

That was it.

A thousand years of speculation collapsed — not because it was attacked, but because someone finally checked the facts instead of assuming the story.

And in John 7, we see the same thing happening.

There’s a line we’re going to read where the people say, "We know where Jesus comes from. He can’t be the Messiah."

Why did they think that? Was it a Bible verse you or I missed?

No — it was a theory.

Rabbis had speculated, hundreds of years earlier, about what the Messiah would be like. And generations after them built a whole system on that guess.

As it turns out, they were wrong.

And when the real Messiah stood right in front of them, He didn’t fit their common knowledge.

So they missed Him.

4 min

Let us stand for the reading of God’s word, starting in John 7:19

John 7:19-30

19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” 20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” 21 Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. 22 Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well? 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” 25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? 26 And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? 27 But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” 28 So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. 29 I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” 30 So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”

pray

2 min

1. Judging by Appearance John 7:19–24

A. The Conflict: Jesus Is Accused of Lawbreaking

· - Jesus is challenged based off of the appearances kept around Sabbath.

· - Way back in John, Jesus healed a man at the pool of Bethesda. This is the event that triggered the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem to seek His life.

· - John 5:16: “And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.”

· - John 7:19–24

19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?”

20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?”

21 Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it.

22 Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.

23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well?

24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

B. The Legal Argument: Jesus Interprets the Law Rightly

- Technical aspects of Jesus “breaking” the law (in their eyes):

1. 1. The Sabbath – Exodus 20:8–10:

8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work,

10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God..."

2. 2. Circumcision – Leviticus 12:3:

3 And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.

· - What happens when these two dates conflict? They circumcise.

· - Two parts of the law we see are:

3. 1. Prohibition

4. 2. Obligation

In this case, obligation wins.

- Deuteronomy 22:4:

4 You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up again.

("You shall" = Hebrew imperative)

- Luke 14:5:

5 And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?”

· - Application: Jesus never ignores the law, or worse, breaks it. He says that He is applying it correctly.

· - [Illustration] Imagine if Jesus consulted His disciples before healing the man at the pool:

Jesus: “Should I heal this man? It is the Sabbath after all?”

Disciples: “I don’t know, wouldn’t that look bad?”

“Yeah I guess you’re right, I want to make sure they respect me.”

D. Woe to Appearances: Pharisaic Hypocrisy

- Matthew 23:25–28

Matthew 23:25–28 ESV

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. 27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

- [Application] So much gossip would end if we understood righteousness is better than the appearance of righteousness.

Examples:

“Did you notice so and so was late today?”

“Look at the way they’re dressed.”

“She never volunteers.”

- Righteousness is better than the appearance of righteousness.

E. The Gospel: Jesus Chose Righteousness Over Appearance

· - Can I say, thank God Jesus didn’t treat us that way?

· - He knew to do good was better than to look good. Just look at the gospel message:

God the Son became man… Jesus lived a laborer’s life…

Jesus washed His disciples’ feet…

Jesus spent time around tax-collectors and prostitutes…

Jesus left all appearances behind.

- Isaiah 53:2:

2 For he grew up before him like a young plant...

· - Isaiah 53:3:

3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief...

· - Jesus was flogged, exposed, spat on… given vinegar to drink… and hung beside criminals.

· - He did all that for the sake of righteousness.

· - I agree, it is good if you can afford it to dress in clean clothes for church. It’s respectful.

· - But if your clean clothes prevent you from sitting in the dirt and preaching the Gospel, you might as well stay home.

· - It is better to be righteous than appear righteous, for the sake of the Gospel.

F. Cliffhanger: How Do We Judge with Right Judgment?

· - John 7:24:

24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.

How do we judge spiritual matters?

A few weeks ago we asked: How do you know what God’s plan is for me?

Now we’re challenged: How do we know if something is from God or not?

VII. Transition to 7:25–31 — Modern Example: Joseph Smith

· - I’m reminded of Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism.

· - Please hear me — I am a Pastor. My job is to preach the true Gospel as well as warn you of false gospels (like Mormonism). Also next week we are talking about Hell.

· - Joseph Smith, a young man interested in the occult and mystery religion, was by all accounts a charismatic, handsome leader:

“Testimonials of Smith’s followers supporting the definition of a charismatic leader—that he was handsome, had a gleaming countenance..."

· - Yet, this man had 33 wives. When some turned out to be married—or only 13 years old—he told them an angel said they would go to hell unless they married him.

· - He forged holy books like the Book of Mormon and the Book of Abraham.

· - He founded a bank illegally and took his follower’s deposits.

· - He called himself king of the kingdom of God.

So if we can’t judge by appearances, how do we avoid being deceived—like those early followers of Smith?

2. Judging Rightly

John 7:25–31 ESV

25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? 26 And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? 27 But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” 28 So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. 29 I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” 30 So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”

A. Background of their “Knowledge”

John 7:25 “25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill?”

V25- You might have noticed that the crowd earlier asked- who is trying to kill you? John 7:20 “20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?”” The crowd Jesus is speaking to now is a different one. It’s “the people of Jerusalem” that’s a critical point. The crowds in town during this week are from all over. Some from Jesus’ home town, some from Rome some from Ephesus. They aren’t aware of the local plans about for Jesus.

John 7:26 “26 And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ?” v26- They’re incredulous at the hypocrisy of their leaders. If Jesus is truly an agent of Satan, of Beelzebub, why would the leaders just let Him do this? American politicians do that kind of thing all the time. They’ll call their opponent the worst person on the planet, and then you’ll see them at a ceremony chatting and laughing with one another.

The idea is- how can He be as bad as they say, if they haven’t killed him yet? Maybe- this is the Christ. Maybe that’s why they’re afraid. That speaks to a real sentiment at the time. There have always been false Messiahs in Judaism. Except, we know historically all of them were met with a quick and violent end. Yet, Jesus is on His second tour to Jerusalem and He’s still alive. This speaks to His reputation even among the leaders who hate Him. There is something special about Jesus that is hampering their rush to a speedy trial.

In fact, it would be another SIX months until Jesus is crucified after this event.

John 7:27 “27 But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.”” v27- Rumors about the Messiah varied at the time from tradition to tradition. It’s tough to make sweeping generalizations about group of people once you start studying them. Jewish people then and Jewish people now are not a monolith. In their time were divisions between Sadducees, Pharisees and the Essenes. They all had varying views on things like marriage, taxes and the afterlife. We even catch some of these debates when leaders ask Jesus to make a judgment on them. Should we pay taxes to Caesar or the Temple.

Just like that, they had disagreements on the Messiah. Some groups knew He would come from Bethlehem and spend time in Egypt, which He did. Other groups like the one we encounter today believed the Messiah would have mysterious origins. Jesus certainly doesn’t have that- we know what village He was born in. Like in our introduction, this speaks to the fallacy of common knowledge. The crowd says in a matter-of-fact way,” how can it be?”

B. Speculative Theology

That kind of information comes from people like me. Leaders who see a maybe in scripture and make it into an absolute. Example of dogs going to heaven.

When we are dishonest about what Scripture might say, and make it into an absolute we are changing God’s word. Not only is that blasphemous, it’s also systemic. People build entire theologies based off of this handling of the Word. So much so, that when citizens of Jerusalem encounter the Messiah, they don’t believe it.

John 7:28–29 “28 So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. 29 I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.””

v28 Here is the answer to our big huge question- if we aren’t to judge by appearances, how are we to judge? Well, Jesus gives us the answer. You don’t recognize the Messiah because you don’t know God. The answer here is: discernment. If Jesus appeared before us today how would you know Him? By His sandals or miracles? No- by the Holy Spirit.

C. Discernment

Big Idea: "Discernment is not natural—it's spiritual." In John 7, the crowds judged Jesus by what they saw: where He was from, how He taught, what He looked like. They didn’t know God, so they couldn’t recognize His Son. True discernment doesn’t come from sharp instincts or gut reactions—it comes from Scripture etched on the heart and time spent in the presence of God.

Maybe you’ve heard of this before or met someone who says their spiritual gift is discernment. I remember hearing from a pastor that a member of his congregation knew what color the sanctuary should be because she had the gift of discernment. Now while I agree, some have more discernment than others, this is not a rare superpower amongst Christians. It’s something we’re all supposed to do.

Philippians 1:9–10 “9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,”

Carolynn Golden- How do we discern when we are cor

Great, now everyone can discern what the right paint color is, right? No. Discernment is maybe 2% outward, but 98% inward. Its for you to reject evil, flee from sin, and know what truly is good and honorable.

In Jesus’ time, the crowds and leaders discerned that Jesus must have been a criminal.

John 7:30 affirms this, and we will discuss this at length soon, but they aren’t able to because it wasn’t God’s time. No reason is given for their inability besides God’s timing… put a bookmark there for later.

Closing John 7:31 “31 Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”” Look at their response. Many of the people believed Him. The arrest just… didn’t happen, and His words landed on some ears.

The disciples walking the Emmaus road had the same problem. Jesus appears after the resurrection and so they’re not looking for Jesus at all. He is in their minds dead and never coming back. Yet this man who sounds like him, smells like him, almost looks like him doesn’t ring a bell- until He starts talking scripture. This response reminds me so much of this: Luke 24:32 “32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?””

D. Application of Discernment

For believers:

So here’s the question for us: Would we recognize Him? If Jesus came to our town, would we judge Him by appearances—or would we know Him by His voice? Is Scripture alive in us, shaping how we think? Does our face shine from time with Him, like Moses after the mountain? Discernment isn’t optional. It’s the difference between following Christ and following a counterfeit.

For unbelievers:

Spiritual discernment may show you that you worship a false Jesus, or that your confession isn’t true, or that you don’t have a special deal with God.