Being Humble in the Face of Hard Times

Verses: John 7 : 40 - 52

My thoughts about the verses:

The Pharisees were very upset that Jesus was not arrested.  They believed that the people had been corrupted.  The thought was that the people were being tricked by Jesus.  That their lack of understanding the law had made it possible for Jesus to fool them with what he was teaching.

In reality, it was the Pharisees that did not understand what Jesus was teaching.  They were so convinced that the law was the end all of all holy words that they missed what we’re happening around them.  They actually put the law before their trust in God.  They missed the point that Jesus had been born in Bethlehem.  All they saw was a man from Galilee that was acting as a prophet.

It was felt that nothing good would ever come from Galilee.  The people of Galilee had not lived fully within the law.  Because of that the Pharisees did not feel that they were as devout as they were.  See the Pharisees spent all of the time obeying the laws given to Moses.  They were so busy following the law to the Tee that they missed the things right around them.  So the fact that they knew of Jesus connection with Galilee they saw him as being less faithful than they were.

Nicodemus reminded them that they were not to judge until they had talked to Jesus.  They then turned on him because he must not know the law if he was willing to be open minded.  The law dictated everything and they told him to go back and read the scripture.  How could he suggest such a thing if he truly understood the same law they believed.  He must be no better than those from Galilee.  They placed themselves in a higher status than others.

Yet, if you truly believe in God you will understand that we are to be humble.  We are to love all people.  We are not to judge others because that is only God's right.  The law has been replaced by the new covenant.  The fact that the Pharisees believed that they were the only ones that understood and followed the law they were actually breaking the new covenant.

The Messiah had actually come for them also.  The Pharisees had a hard time believing all this because they were looking for a ruler to come in and save them from the Roman rule.  They were seeking a savior much like Moses.  They were searching for a savior who would reestablish the Hebrew Kingdom.  The fact that Jesus was not fulfilling their thoughts they believed he could not be the Messiah they had waited for.

Yet, if you look at the other individuals they had mixed emotions.  Some believed that he was the Messiah because of the miracles he had performed.  Some people thought that he was more like a prophet sent to prepare for the coming savior of the land.  While there were others that believed like the Pharisees that he was nothing more than a trouble maker.  For what he was teaching was not only different from the law but also different from Roman law.  The most fascinating thing is that they did not arrest him.  They had a chance but because of the fact that they could not come to agreement on who he was they decided it was best to not arrest him.

Prayer:

Dear Savior we thank you for the new covenant.  We praise you for establishing a covenant that was formed by the shedding of your own blood on the cross.  We thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to live within us.  Dear God we thank you for choosing to save anyone that would accept you in their life.  Dear God help us show love to the whole world.  Help us study the word and make it a  part of our life.  Dear God we ask you these things in your holy name.  Amen

Questions:

Who are you most like in this story?  Are you like the Pharisees that believe that they are better and more faithful than others?  Are you like Nicodemus willing to give people a chance?  Are you like the people that believed in Christ because they had experienced a miracle?  Are you like those that thought that the teachings were good but the Messiah would do bigger things?  Are you like those that didn't believe in Jesus?

Which one of these individuals would you want to be most like?  What do you need to do to be like that person?