A Teacher With No Formal Education (John 7:14-24)
Notes
Transcript
[SLIDE 1] Introduction
If you have your Bible, then please turn to John 7:14-24.
14 About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” 16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. 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.”
Illustration
I’m going to assume all of us have been a student at some point in our lives - whether it was in high school, college, or university.
When I was in seminary, I like to think that I enjoyed writing a research paper because I get to study a biblical topic quite thoroughly.
I read quite a number of books so that I can present a thesis for my research paper.
But, one of the things I dreaded about writing a research paper is the bibliography section.
Particularly, depending on which school you’re in or which professor you had/have...
...you may have found yourself academically married to a woman called Kate L. Turabian.
If you hear the word, “Turabian,” you should know that it’s not someone’s name at a wedding.
You may recognize that this is a citation and formatting style in the bibliography section.
If you are presenting a thesis and making a claim, it’s not enough to just say what you think.
You should be prepared to defend your argument by showing where your ideas came from.
You must cite your sources accurately in the Turabian style - or whatever style or format like the Chicago one - in the bibliography.
Failing to do so would certainly cost you marks.
But it would also hurt and undermine your credibility.
The reason why I began my sermon by talking about citation is because the Jews were questioning Jesus.
They were baffled that He’s a teacher with no formal education.
And yet, He seems to be teaching with much authority.
Biblical Theology
Context
Before we get into the text, we recall at the beginning of chapter 7 that the Feast of Booths - a Jewish festival - sets the backdrop of this scene.
Jesus did not initially want to go to Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him.
He did not want to go there because of the pressure given by his brothers.
Instead, Jesus waited for His Father’s timing.
When the timing is right, Jesus will obey His Father.
So, eventually, Jesus did to go to Jerusalem, except that He went there in private or in secret.
He did not want to reveal Himself publicly until it is the right time for Him to do so.
And Jesus does reveal Himself publicly in this text.
In this passage, we’re going to learn about the validity of the teaching and work of Jesus.
[SLIDE 2] Main Idea: Because Jesus’ teaching is from heaven, He calls us to do God’s will and make a right judgment.
There are four general outlines given in this scene.
Exposition
[SLIDE 3] First, we can see “The Astonishment” (vv. 14-15)
14 About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?”
Remember that the Feast of Booths began earlier in the chapter.
This Jewish Festival was a 7-day celebration.
Right now, the timeline is that this is in the middle of the week.
Half of the celebration is done.
This is probably day 3 or day 4 at the moment.
If He arrived in Jerusalem on day 1 of the celebration, we remember that He’s been hidden.
We don’t know what Jesus has been doing during the 1st half of the week.
However, the middle of the week was God’s time for Him to reveal Himself.
So, Jesus obeys His Father.
Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching.
This would have been Herod’s temple.
Jesus may have been in the temple court.
Now, why was Jesus teaching in the temple?
The temple would have been busy with Jews and pilgrims as they were celebrating the Feast of Booths.
They would be bringing their offerings into the temple.
The temple would have had tons of people there to listen to Jesus teach.
Plus, it was the Father’s will for Christ to be in the temple for a divine reason.
Now, if you include John 7:3-5 into this narrative, you would see a striking contrast between what Jesus did and what His brothers expected Him to do.
His brothers to instructed our Lord perform signs publicly.
Jesus, however, did a completely different thing.
Instead of revealing Himself to the world by His works, He revealed Himself to the world by teaching in the temple.
So, as Jesus is teaching in the temple, we see the reaction from the Jews in verse 15.
They were marvelling at His teaching.
They were extraordinarily amazed and astonished at Jesus’ teaching.
Their amazment is not focused so much on His teaching ability, but on His lack of education.
They asked, “How is it that this man has learning, when He has never studied?”
If you have a footnote in your Bible, you may notice how this verse could also be translated as “how does this man know his letters” because that’s the more literal translation.
To know “letters” meant to have an education in general or a high learning.
How can Jesus be so educated and learned, especially since he has never studied nor have been educated.
What the Jews may be implying is that Jesus never received a formal rabbinical education, whether from a rabbinical training center or learning from one of the well known Jewish rabbis.
That’s why they were astonished at Jesus’ exposition.
And about a year later, these Jews would be astonished at the Apostle Peter and John in Acts 4:13 when they boldly proclaimed Christ and His resurrection.
They perceived them as common and uneducated men.
But, what you have to know is that their astonishment isn’t really about being impressed at Jesus.
It’s actually not a compliment nor a positive reaction.
They were sneering at Him because it seems like His teachings originated from Himself.
Without proper education, they questioned the validity of His teaching.
Thus, their question is actually a challenge to Jesus’ authority to teach.
They’re questioning where Jesus is getting His information from.
Hence, they want Christ to cite His sources.
Back in Jesus’ day, rabbis were expected to back up everything they taught by quoting famous Rabbis before them.
If someone taught without doing that, people saw it as proud or rebellious.
They were like ignoring the long-standing Jewish traditions.
So, because the Jews were questioning Jesus’ authority and credibility of His teachings, Jesus responds, answers, and defends Himself in verses 16-18.
[SLIDE 4] Here, we see “The Authority.” (vv.16-18)
16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.
Jesus explains to the Jews that the orignality of His teaching did not come from Him.
Nor did His teaching come from the ruling of other rabbis.
His teaching came from the One who sent Him.
It came His Father.
Jesus received direct knowledge and teaching from Him.
Whatever Jesus taught was in obedience and alignment with His Father.
This should be instructive for all teachers of God’s word.
James 3:1 explains that not all should be teachers because those who teach will be judged by God with greater strictness.
God has given us His inspired word for us to read and study.
Those who are teachers of God’s word are to accurately teach that which comes from God Himself.
If you’re a Christian who loves browsing through social media and being inspired by Christian content creator...
...then may I encourage you to be cautious and discerning.
Don’t judge and believe in what influencers say based on appearances.
They may be good looking.
They may sound eloquent.
They may have thousands of followers or subscribers on a platform.
They may have education credentials.
They may be a friend of ours too!
However, you have to be spiritually discerning because there are a lot of bad theology and false teachings in the world.
Ask youself: Does this person align with God’s word?
Are what they saying truly coming from God as revealed in His word?
Can they accurately back up their claims with Scripture?
And I encourage you to do the same for me as I try to faithfully explain to you what God’s word teaches.
Moving forward, since the Jews were questioning Jesus’ authority and competence as a teacher, Jesus challenges them of their competence of being a good listener.
17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.
What Jesus is saying to the Jews is that if they are genuinely willing to do what God wants...
...if they are sincerely committed to following God's will...
then they will recognize that Jesus is speaking God’s truth, and not by His own authority.
Whatever Jesus teaches, the Father teaches.
Whatever authority Jesus has is from the Father.
This is a lesson that the rabbinical Jews fail to understand.
Knowing God’s will is not merely studying Scripture intellectually in the academia.
It’s not a puzzle for us to solve in our own terms.
Knowing God’s will is about coming to God humbly, being ready to listen and follow Him.
So, for us as Christians, if our heart is in the right place, the Holy Spirit would illuminate His truth into our hearts.
He will give us understanding and help us see the truth.
Even as you are sitting there listening to God’s will being unveil before you through the preaching of Scripture...
...you should ask yourself, “Am I willing to listen and do God’s will? Or, am I just here for ulterior motives?”
Furthermore, Jesus cuts through their question, focusing not so much on the messenger, but on the message in verse 18.
18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.
Jesus continues to explain that He did not speak by his own authority.
Such behaviour would make a teacher self-taught.
Someone who pushes his own ideas and makes claims and glory for himself.
For Jesus, He spoke and taught by His Father’s authority.
In other words, Jesus appeals to divine authority.
Christ selflessly seeks His Father’s glory so that the Father would be glorified in His Son.
Such divine authority is central to Jesus’ identity and message throughout John’s gospel.
Because the Father’s message is always true by divine nature (because God is always true), Jesus’ teachings will always be true and contains no falsehood.
This would imply that Jesus was not a false teacher or a false prophet.
He will not be proclaiming something that is contrary to the LORD unlike the false prophets of the Old Testament.
So, Jesus will say exactly what His Father gave Him even if it means offending them with the truth.
Every true prophet of the LORD would always declare “Thus Saith The LORD” even in a culture hostile to the truth of the Bible.
If you are a skeptic this morning, I want to encourage you to consider think about the authority and claims of Jesus.
Don’t judge the Bible and teaching of Jesus based on superficial knowledge.
Don’t judge Christianity based on arguments you heard from atheists.
Even the Jews were astonished that Jesus can teach with such authority without formal education.
You may be asking, “Can I trust the claims of Christ? Can I verify that His teachings are from God? Can I truly trust the Bible?
If you’re honestly asking those questions, then I invite you to take the next step by humbly seeking answers for those questions.
You can consider reading the gospel of John.
You can study and research the historicity of Jesus’ death and resurrection with an open heart.
Check the sources from Jesus and see if they’re accurately cited, so to speak.
Now, Jesus is going to develop the idea of God’s will thoroughly.
Hence, He brings up Moses and the Law into this conversation to help His audience understand God’s will more deeply.
[SLIDE 5] But, in verses 19-20, we see “The Accusation.”
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?”
The Law of Moses reveals the will of God.
The Law refers to the Torah or the Pentetauch.
It’s the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
Jesus is giving a substantial reason for why the Jews do not think that His teachings are from God.
It is because they have chosen not to do God’s will, which is to follow and obey the law.
That’s Jesus indictment here.
The way that the Jews weren’t keeping the law is that they were seeking to kill Jesus.
This is a violation of one of the Ten Commandments.
You shall not murder.
This is different from capital punishment, which is justified in the Old Testament.
However, Jesus did not violate the Law of God that is deemed punishable by death.
But, the Jews thinks Jesus was blaspheming for claiming to be God and breaking the Sabbath.
So, now the Jews are presented with an irony.
They revered and respected Moses because they recognized that he was a prophet of God, and that he was a guardian of the law.
However, they did not obey the law.
If they were truly keeping the Law and doing God’s will, then they would have no reason to kill Jesus since He’s their long-awaited Messiah!
But, the crowd responds to Jesus that He has a demon. Who is seeking to kill Him?
Perhaps, some of the crowd were the general audience that Jesus was teaching in the temple.
They’re ignorant of what’s going on behind the scenes.
Hence, they were ignorantly denying the truth that anyone was seeking to kill Jesus.
Therefore, they accused Jesus of having a demon.
This is the first time in the gospel that Jesus was accused of having a demon, but it will not be last.
For example, the conflict between Jesus and the Jews continue to unfold and escalate in John 8:48-49
48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.
Now, what do they mean when they say that Jesus has a demon?
Are they accusing Jesus of being possessed by demon or just being mad and insane?
I think both could be implied
They have accused Jesus of performing miracles by the power of Beelzebul in the synoptic gospels.
I mean people also accused John the Baptist of having a demon.
Furthermore, people who were demon possessed would often behave erratically.
They would be mad and insane.
They would act irrationally.
So, they accuse Jesus of being crazy, delusional, and paraoid for thinking that a group of people is out to get Him.
But, Jesus responds to those who are charging Him of having a demon and being crazy.
Because we know that Jesus is not delusional.
He knows the hearts of the Jews better than the crowd.
So, He answers them:
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.”
[SLIDE 6] In this section, we’ll see “The Apologetics.”
What I mean by apologetics is His defense.
He’ll defend His sign work by logically exposing the hypocrisy of the Jews.
Jesus reminds them of the one work that He did back in John 5 where He healed the invalid man on the Sabbath.
This invalid man was paralyzed for 38 years.
And because of that, John 5:18 says this...
18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
After Jesus healed the invalid man, the crowd marveled at it.
It’s the same word used in verse 15.
But, they were amazed not in a positive manner.
Rather, they were astonished not necessarily the healing itself, but that Jesus healed that man on the Sabbath Day.
So, some of the crowd would have witnessed the healing of the invalid man or else Jesus wouldn’t have brought it up.
They were there and they saw what happened.
Instead of providing more examples to show how the Jews are trangressors of God’s law...
...Jesus focuses on one main point, which is circumcision on the Sabbath to defend His action.
Moses gave the Law to the Israelites regarding circumcision in Leviticus 12:3.
However, Jesus clarifies (in the parenthesis) that circumcision did not originate from the Moses nor from the Law.
It predated Moses.
Circumcision originated in Genesis 17 where Abraham received the covenant of circumcision.
Abraham was to circumcise himself, which involved the physical act of cutting off the foreskin of the male reproductive organ.
Down through the generation, when baby boys are 8th day old, they’re to be circumcised.
The point of circumcision was to set the Israelites apart outwardly as God’s covenant people.
Additionally, circumcising one part of the male body was symbolic to the act of cleansing and purification.
Jesus is pointing out to the Jews that they circumcised a man on the Sabbath.
If you know anything about the Sabbath, it’s suppose to be a day of rest for the Israelites.
It occurred only on Saturday.
So, the Israelites were to refrain from working.
Jesus makes the main point of the argument regarding the hypocrisy of the Jews in verse 23.
Jesus begins with an “if/then” argument.
He’s making what you would call an argument from the lesser to the greater.
This type of argument was commonly used in Rabbinic debates.
Let’s focus on the 1st part of the argument:
If a child (boy) was born and the 8th day happens to land on the Sabbath...
then what would the Jews do?
So you have a bit of a concundrum here.
The law requires you to circumcise.
Yet the law requires you to rest and not work on the Sabbath.
Which law would you obey?
Which one would have a priority?
Well, the Jews would still circumcise the boy on the Sabbath because the sign of the covenant took precedence.
So, it seems that even the Jews recognized that some aspects of the Law carried greater weight than others.
Which leads to the 2nd part of the argument:
Jesus makes a simple yet powerful case for His works.
He essentially says to the Jews:
If you’re allowed to do a small act that would cleanse a small part of the person through circumcision on the Sabbath...
...then why are you angry with me when I’ve done something even greater than circumcision.
...I didn’t just cleanse a small part of the person’s body.
I’ve literally made a man’s whole body well.
The Jews were angry that Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath.
However, Jesus exposes their fundamental flaws in their interpretation of the Sabbath.
Jesus explains this in two passages in Luke’s gospel:
14 But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15 Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it?
3 And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” 4 But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away. 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?” 6 And they could not reply to these things.
The problem with the Jews’ interpretation of the Sabbath is that they were very rigid, focusing on rest and no work.
In fact, in their Jewish tradition, they have the Talmud which outlines a list of things the Jews were not allowed to do on the Sabbath.
Jesus did not abolish nor violate the Sabbath.
Rather, instead of following man-made traditions, He’s restoring and reminding them of its purpose.
The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.
In Deuteronomy 5, Moses outlines the Sabbath not merely just a day of rest, but also a day to remember God’s goodness and mercy in delivering His people out of Egypt.
So, the point that Jesus is making is healing someone on the Sabbath wasn’t a violation of the Sabbath.
Showing compassion and doing acts of mercy on the Sabbath are perfectly lawful and in line with the spirit of the Sabbath.
The Law also requires God’s people to love their neighbours as themselves, which is the 2nd greatest commandment.
Jesus healing the man is a fulfillment of God’s law.
Jesus’ healing of the invalid man was a fulfillment of God’s redemptive purpose to which the law pointed.
The greater healing that anyone needs is spiritual healing, which is forgiveness of sins, cleasing from sin, healing from sin, reconciliation to a holy God.
By Jesus’ wounds on the cross - as Isaiah would say - we are healed.
Jesus concludes this section by instructing the Jews and some of the crowd not to judge outwardly.
In other words, they judged Jesus for healing a man on the Sabbath and thus violating the Sabbath law.
Their standard of judgment was one of self-righteous, legalistic judgment.
It was a superficial judgment.
They did not see the bigger picture and context of what Christ was doing.
So, Jesus is telling them, “Do not judge me by what I have done without understanding the greater picture.”
Rather, if they’re wise and spiritually discerning, they would judge rightly and with fairness and reasonableness.
In fact, if they judge Jesus rightly, then they should be convinced that Jesus claimed to be who He was.
If they saw the healing of the invalid man as a miraculous sign, then they should conclude that Jesus is no ordinary man, but rather God who heals and rescues.
If they judged Jesus rightly for His teaching, then they should also conclude that His teachings are indeed from above, from heaven, from the Father because He’s the One who sent His Son into the world.
So, Jesus encourages and exhorts the Jews (and all of us) to judge well.
Sadly, the Jews did judge Christ by their appearances because of their self-righteous, human traditions.
Ultimately, they judged Him unjustly, which foreshadows the Cross.
Nonetheless, although He was judge unjustly, salvation for lost sinners came through judgment.
Christ bore our sins by taking upon the judgment of God on our behalf.
By repenting our sins and placing our faith in Him, we receieve the gift of eternal life.
Application
Brothers and sisters, I exhort you to be careful not to be blinded by human traditions at the expense of not following God’s revealed will.
Just like the Jews, we need to be careful of self-righteous blind spots in our walk with the Lord.
We need to be careful of developing church traditions and our preferences that do not align with His truth and sound doctrine.
It’s easy to love our rules and traditions and doing things our way, but not love Christ and His word supremely.
And when that happens, we may unintentionally build walls of tradition.
Thus, hindering the Great Commission in making disciples...
...and reaching lost, hurting, and broken sinners who are like the invalid man that desperately need the healing and saving power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
So, by God’s mercy, we should have the mind of Christ.
With God’s help, we should faithfully doing His will.
And accurately interpreting and studying His word so that we would live a spiritually mature Christian life until the day Christ returns or we go to Him after our death.
Maybe there are those of you who have a desperate need like the invalid man.
Some of you may be struggling physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Yet, perhaps you may be overlooked by the religiosity of the church.
Let me encourage you to take heart and look to Christ.
Don’t look to me because I know I’ll fail you.
Look to Christ who can heal your whole body and make you well.
He is your comfort.
He is your peace.
He is your great physician.
He is Lord over all things.
You can depend on Him because He’ll walk you through the valley of the shadows of death.
Conclusion
[SLIDE 7] So, in conclusion, let’s consider the main idea: Because Jesus’ teaching is from heaven, He calls us to do God’s will and make a right judgment.
Benediction
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
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