The Perfect Fulfillment | Sermon 05/07/2023

The Feast of Tabernacles and Jesus as the Source of Living Water

John chapter 7 believe it or not. I know we spent so much time in chapter 6. This is the final sermon in chapter 7. There was only three sermons in chapter 7 due to the narrative. We're going to be in verses 37 through 52 today 37 through 52 of John 7 and.

The title of the sermon today Church is the perfect fulfillment. The perfect fulfillment so starting in verse 37 of the gospel according to John chapter 7 here now the inerrant and infallible words of the living and true God.

Now on the last day the great day of the feast Jesus stood and cried out saying if anyone is thirsty let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me as the scripture said from his innermost being will flow waters.

I'm sorry rivers of living water. But this he spoke of of the Spirit whom those who believed in him Were to receive for the Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified. Some of the people therefore when they heard these words were saying this certainly is the Prophet.

Others were saying this is the Christ. Still others were saying surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee. Is he has not the scripture said that the Christ comes from the descendants of David and from Bethlehem?

The village where David was. So division occurred in the crowd because of him. Some of them wanted to seize him, but no one laid hands on him. The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees and they said to them.

Why did you not bring him? The officers answered never has a man spoken the way this man speaks. The Pharisees then answered them. You have not also been led astray. Have you? No, one of the rulers or affair or Pharisees has believed in him has he?

But this crowd which does not know the law is accursed. Nicodemus he who came to him before being one of them said to them our Law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing.

Does it? They answered him. You are not also from Galilee. Are you search and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee thus sending the reading of God's holy and inspired word. Let's pray once more quickly church God I would ask you today.

Or that you would oppress and press upon us God what you want us to know and learn and understand and take within us today Lord. During this sermon God, I pray that you would illuminate the scriptures to your people by your spirit the same Holy Spirit whom Jesus is promising to give us in this very text the Holy Spirit that he has given us now in Christ and So Lord, please Be with us.

Let us not leave here Unchanged. Lord, let these not be simply words or information or data but God let these Words of yours sink in us and change us and encourage us and we pray this all in Jesus name.

Amen. So if you haven't been with us the past couple weeks we have been in John chapter 7 and the context of John chapter 7 has been the Feast of Tabernacles the Feast of Booths or what is called Sakat?

Okay, we've been in the midst of a celebration essentially. We first saw that mentioned the Feast of Booths when Jesus his brothers mocked him. Tried to get him to come to Jerusalem on their own time.

Then we saw Jesus arrived to Jerusalem in divine timing and began teaching to the vast crowds. People making pilgrimage from all over the Mediterranean to come to this feast come and participate in this Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem a series of challenges between him and the people.

Him and the Jewish leaders broke out. We saw that last week. That was all concerning his authority to teach. Who gave this man this authority to teach? And then we saw that it also ended in conspiracies about His identity who he is.

All right. And for this section today in the scripture that we're in we must especially Get our minds into the Feast of Tabernacles. Like the other feasts this was one. That was to remind the people Who God is and what he did after their slavery in Egypt that he brought them out that he that there was an exodus.

That God delivered them from Egypt from slavery. He rescued them. That's what this feast is about and in their flight from Egypt in route of the promised land they lived in tents and huts and God provided manna.

Some bread from heaven and he provided water all the way through. They were to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles In the fall time for seven days and there was what was called the great day on the eighth day.

It was a celebration. Because they had just completed Harvesting olive oil from all the I'm sorry olives from all the olive trees for for oil for making soap. They had just harvested all the grapes from their vineyards.

They were going to be making more wine. They just harvested a bunch of figs and they could eat those Snacks and make treats and there's so many other crops at this time in the fall and they were Celebrating what God had done to provide for them.

The people in this feast were to acknowledge the creator as the one who provided the crops and the rain for those crops. They would pray for water at this feast. For a great harvest again next year knowing the one true God could do it opposed to all the other regional deities.

That people prayed to for rain in other regions, right these idols. And it was during the Feast of Tabernacles that a great revival broke out Centuries prior to this when returning exiles came back from Babylon.

Jews Israelites they came back to Jerusalem and Ezra Nehemiah and a great revival broke out. It was also during this feast the Feast of Booths Tabernacles that Solomon dedicated the first completed temple before all the people and it says that God's presence entered that temple during this feast and That is key to remember God's presence.

Also, Deuteronomy 16 speaks of this Feast of Booths. It says when the people assemble the Lord their God will be there. That's the promise if you celebrate this feast. I'll be there. God says I will be there and Then the Lord mentions in Leviticus 23 the most detailed instructions on this feast that they are to remember God delivering them and Saving them.

Okay in fact this feast Takes place just a few days after what is called the Day of Atonement. This was just after the Day of Atonement where they're reminded of their sin. And they're reminded that they need something to atone for sin.

They need something to forgive them their sins and So this feast and all those things and the Day of Atonement are things that ought to be in our minds. So remember that. Remember right now as we go through this text the provision of God God's presence At the feast and the salvation he gave them from slavery.

So water provision salvation and his presence. And so this is this is the time. This is the feast in which Jesus speaks and what is in the minds of every participant every attendee knows these things and remembers these things and so we Need that background as well.

So with that in mind, let's go to the text. It's already up there for you verses 37 38 now on the last day the great day of the feast Jesus stood and cried out saying if anyone is thirsty Let him come to me and drink.

He who believes in me as the scriptures said from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water. Now these statements Are not unlike the ones that Jesus made to the Samaritan woman at the well in John chapter 4 or even like the ones at the end of John chapter 6.

But the symbol the symbols of thirst and water I would say are even stronger here. To understand that let me give you a bit more detail on the activities performed during the Feast of Tabernacles. Okay.

You see there were daily Ceremonies for each of the seven days of the feast. There was a lighting ceremony, which Jesus will cover shortly in John chapter 8 and there was also a water ritual. The water ritual was to recall God's provision of water in the Israelite wilderness wandering and In addition to that the ceremony praised God for his provision in the rainy season.

And it was also a request for more according to experts on the seven days of the feast a Golden flag in which is like a vessel that carries liquid this golden flag in was filled with water from the pool of Siloam and was carried in a procession led by the high priest back to the temple and As the procession approached the water gate on the south side of the inner court Three blasts of the shofar this trumpet was sounded.

Okay, and while all these pilgrims and participants watched the priests would process around the altar with the flag and filled with water and the Temple choir would sing what's called the Hallel, which is Psalms 113 through 118 they would sing the Psalms.

In fact, we went over some 114 today, they would have sung that okay and dusty. I'm sure you're glad we didn't ask you to sing it today. Now when the choir reached Psalm 118 Every male pilgrim shook what was called a I hope I'm pronouncing this right a lulav Which is like a willow and myrtle twig Fan that is tied together with palm lacing.

Okay, and then in the other hand, they would hold this citrus type fruit, which was a representation of the harvest they just had so I had this this like this twig palm fan thing and and the fruit and They would all cry out Give thanks to the Lord give thanks to the Lord give thanks to the Lord.

They did that three times. The water then was offered to God at the time of the morning sacrifices Along with the daily drink offerings of wine. So the water was poured into its respective bowl the wine poured into its Respective bowl poured out before the Lord.

That's the idea. These things are an offering before God. So these ceremonies of the Feast of Tabernacles Were related in Jewish thought to not only be about the Lord's provision of water in the desert But also to be the Lord's pointing to the Lord's pouring out of the Holy Spirit in the last days and so pouring at the Feast of Tabernacles refers even Symbolically to the messianic age that the Savior is coming.

That from this sacred rock would stream waters waters that would cover the whole earth. So you can imagine How lively things were at this time? It was a party. It was a celebration and they had these rituals going celebrating verse 37 as we see says it was the last day on The last or great day of the feast the water libation ritual reached its climax the priests Circled around the altar seven times and then they poured out the water with great display and ceremony.

This was the Hashanah Rabbah the great Hashianah. Which is translated save now save now save now to God. All the people were watching Multitudes participating and it's at this climax When all were considering God and his provision.

It's all at this moment at this final water ritual where the water is poured out this great moment. And Jesus as the last drop hits the ground Jesus stands up and says if anyone is thirsty Let him come to me and drink.

That's what's amazing. He says you see this ritual this is about me he says this is about me. It's amazing. Let him come to me and drink and those who believe in me will have rivers of living water flowing from inside him from his innermost being.

This would have been monumental an uproar. The high priest just appealed to the Creator God to continue to provide water and also to pour out his spirit upon the people and Jesus as if answering their question stands up and goes I'm the answer.

I'm the provision. I'm the provider he says. He's saying all of this is about me and like a prophet of old Jesus speaks for God and Yet he doesn't need to say thus says the Lord. We talked about that last week because he is Lord.

He is the authority to say this this is not blasphemy. This is a fulfillment. Jesus is this. He is the Lord and so he was right to stand up and say your ritual is about me. I can provide that for you all that they were doing that week with the tabernacles building tents.

Pointed to Jesus the celebration. Pointed to Jesus the lighting ritual, which will go over next week in chapter 8 Light of the world. It's about Jesus the water drawing ceremony. All of it in its entirety was about him for him and belonged to him.

The Lord of the feast appeared before the people. You remember I said that in Deuteronomy 16. It says the Lord will appear before his people at the feast and Here the Lord truly appeared before his people at the feast.

And he's going to offer all the things that they're asking for. He offers permanent deliverance from slavery of sin and in the wake of the day of atonement eternal atonement and propitiation what those Bulls and goats can't do he's going to be able to do for ever.

Okay. You'll never thirst with him. You'll have a constant flow of living water flowing rivers. There is a desert of sin and death that all people are in and We need something stronger than regular water.

Zechariah 13 speaks of this it says in that day a fountain will open up from the house of David and it will pour out for all the sin and impurity of the people. Jesus then says in verse 38 as the scripture said as the scripture said you see that He says the scripture has said from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.

What scripture is Jesus talking about? Now some try to point to some specific verse. But he could probably be pointing To the vast majority of water and spirit promises as a whole. I think that's viable because Isaiah 44 3 says for I will pour out water on the thirsty land and Streams on the dry ground get this.

He says I will pour out my Spirits on the offspring on your offspring and my blessing on your descendants. Water and spirit water and spirit. Isaiah 58 11 and the Lord will continually guide you and Satisfy your desire in scorched Places and give strength to your bones and you will be like a watered garden.

Here it is and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail like a river constantly flowing. Jesus is aligning himself With this promise of this Messiah who will bring this water for cleansing and the Holy Spirit and When looking at the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37 God says this he says I will put my spirit Within these dead bones and will make you come to life.

And I will place you in your own land and you will know that I the Lord have spoken and done it so the dry bones Are us the dry bones are them and Putting his spirit within those dry bones makes them come to life.

Do you see? Dry needs what water and so the spirit water. The image there is constantly interchanged. And what does Jesus say will go into those who believe him what will reside in your innermost being.

Which in the Greek by the way is just belly. That's the way they spoke about in ancient days when something's really inside you. It's your belly. And so what's gonna go in there? Living waters. They will flow out from you and it makes sense That the water and the spirit are interchanged here because John narrates in verse 39 that he's speaking of the coming of the Spirit and So the source of these waters the source of the Spirit is Christ.

It's Christ. It's not the person who possesses the spirit of the water. It's the one who gave it and He'll give it freely. He said in chapter 4 when you are given this living water, it will well up it will spring up to eternal life and Besides the aforementioned scripture verses that I already spoke of Jesus could also be pointing to that Revival in Nehemiah and Ezra when people return back after exile.

If you remember in Ezra and Nehemiah, they hear the law. They hear the Word of God for the first time in a very very long time and they learn. Oh my goodness. We're supposed to be celebrating this feast of tabernacles and it's going on right now.

And so what do they do? They immediately stop what they're doing and they start celebrating the feast. In fact It's like they were trying to make up for all the years that they didn't do the Feast of Booths.

Because it says not just for seven or eight days. Did they celebrate they celebrated for the whole month the whole month they celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles according to Ezra and Nehemiah and. So what happens at the end of the month?

In these books some Levites led the people in prayer and confession and what did they say? What did the people pray, let me tell you they prayed this in chapter 9. Oh Lord, you provided bread from heaven bread from heaven.

For their hunger you brought forth water from a rock for them for their first who for their thirst. Who's the rock? And You told them to enter in or in order to possess the land which you swore to gave them you in your great mercy.

Did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud did not leave them by day to guide them on their way nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them light light of the world. To light them for the way in which they will go and here it is you gave your good spirit to them to instruct them.

So we have light we have water. We have a rock we have we have bread from heaven. We have all the things that Jesus has been talking about for multiple chapters now. It says your manna you do not withhold from them.

You gave them water for thirst. That's that's Christ the cornerstone the rock. He gave the water. Jesus is fulfilling all these things the perfect fulfillment. Verse 39 John narrates what we've already come to find out about the promise of water and Its relation to the pouring out of the Spirit.

Just as the priests were pouring out the water in front of the people. Again, Jesus stands up and says I will do that. But more than that hidden in what Jesus said. Was he was saying I'm going to pour out The Spirit of God upon you.

I will pour out the Holy Spirit. Jesus says. Verse 39 it says but this he spoke of the Spirit whom those who believed in him were to receive. For the Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified.

So the living waters so far have represented eternal life the washing of sin everlasting sustenance. But also now the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in one's innermost being. This is in the Gospel of John the first glimpse that we have.

The clearest glimpse that we have so far of the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus will go into much more detail of the Holy Spirit in chapters 14 and 16. In our passage last week Jesus had mentioned if you remember he's going to a place that they cannot go and now.

Interestingly he alludes to the Spirit you see the Spirit did not come until what Jesus had finally gone up. And so he says last week. He said I'm going to a place that you can't go now. He's talking about his spirit.

Very much alluding to the day of Pentecost. The Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified. This is speaking about the cross and the resurrection and by the way he is not saying that this this is when the Spirit will finally enter the world or Finally act in the world.

That's not what he's saying. Because we even see in the Old Testament that the Spirit was working all the way back in Genesis. So the Spirit's been at work, but this is different. When the Spirit is poured out on God's people.

It will go he will go into their innermost being. This is significant. That the that the presence of God will be permanent within the believer, okay. That when the grace of Jesus touches the believer that grace will come with the Spirit of God.

You see the presence of God will be permanent with the believer even when the temple is gone. Even when the temple is destroyed in 70 AD the Holy of Holies is gone even today. The temple's gone today.

But God's presence wouldn't be there anyways. It wouldn't be there. Even when Christ leaves. He says it's good that I leave you're not going to be alone. Now some Have argued believers Stopped receiving the Holy Spirit after the book of Acts.

Have you heard that before some have said the Holy Spirit was only for people in the first century. We don't receive him today. That's false guys. That's heresy, that's a lie, okay. Or they'll say that one has to have their.

Someone of a higher Christian authority has to lay hands on them to receive the Holy Spirit. We did see that in the book of Acts. But that's not a necessity. We saw even examples in the book of Acts of people who received the Spirit even without the laying of hands.

That's not a normative thing. That was a Demonstration that God wanted to do in that particular context in that moment. And so those are lies. Okay. The only prerequisite here in verse in these verses is what belief that's it.

You receive the Holy Spirit he who believes in me. That's it. He'll get this. That person that man that woman that child he who believes in me whoever that is will receive this Holy Spirit. Like living water he likens it to.

It causes one to consider when Christ gives you the Spirit. Like living water and he enters your innermost being and flows like a river. What does that look like? What does that look like? Now I can think of a few examples.

I won't go over all of them, but I I look to Scripture. What does the Scripture say about the Holy Spirit? Romans chapter 8 verse 16 says for the Holy Spirit himself testifies to our spirit that we are children of God.

What is what is the Spirit doing when he testifies that is he is a witness. This the Holy Spirit is a witness within you. The Spirit acts as a witness to our spirit leading us guiding us convicting us to follow God to do God's will.

And If the Spirit flows out of you, you could also call that fruit, right? If the Spirit's gonna flow out like rivers out of you, then that sounds like fruit a bit. Galatians 5. Details to us what the fruit of the Spirit is.

That is what will the Spirit in you do in such a way where it will manifest outwardly it says in Galatians 5. But the fruit of the Spirit is love. Love is going to come from you joy peace patience. Not just by yourself.

Patience with other people. Okay kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness. Self-control against such thing. There is no law now those who belong to Christ Jesus have been crucified. Have crucified the flesh along with its passions and desires.

That's the fruit of the Spirit. In Ephesians 1 it says that we and our salvation were sealed in Christ by the Holy Spirit of promise. In other words the presence of living waters within you aka the Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee.

That Jesus has saved you that you've actually drank of living waters through your belief in him. And there's so much to say about the third person of the Holy Trinity. But we will cover that third person of the Trinity in more details in chapter 14 and 16.

So let's move on that was certainly the meat of the text now for the rest of the scripture section. We will see the reactions of the crowd and of the the rulers the the Jewish leaders. We're gonna see everyone's reaction the crowds who were participating.

The the chief officers and rulers and Pharisees who were there. That's what we will see for the rest of this section. We're gonna see the fallout. So to speak of the audacious claims of Jesus of Nazareth.

The Prophet, the Christ, and the Division Caused by Jesus

So this is going to start with speculations. Verse 40. Some of the people therefore when they heard these words, so he just stood up he said I'm the one who can provide this. Some of these people heard these words and they were saying.

Certainly in the Greek that is the word. The root word is truth. Truly Truly, this is the Prophet. Truly, this is the Prophet. It's possible some in attendance at Jesus's pronouncement. We're also there for the multiplying of bread like manna.

Or maybe now the rock in the water talk have reminded them of the Prophet Moses. Why would a reminder of Moses cause them to think of the Prophet. I'll tell you why the Prophet is Reminded to them in this moment because Moses had once prophesied from God in Deuteronomy 18.

That one day the Lord will raise up a prophet from the people's own Countrymen and he will speak the words of the Lord and whoever will not listen to him will be condemned. And according to Carson in the first century many Jews thought the Prophet and the Christ.

Were two separate individuals. Okay, because you might have read this and gone wait some say he's the Prophet some say he's the Christ. I thought that was two offices that Jesus occupied and You're right.

You're right. These are two things that he does occupy but in this moment in the first century, they didn't see that. It was likely not until Jesus Resurrected and ascended that Jewish Christians recognized.

Oh, he is the Prophet and the Messiah and our King. Prophet priest and King. Right. And our Messiah. Some were saying this is truly the Prophet but verse 41 others were saying this is the Christ. Still others were saying surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee.

Is he and so some say this is the Christ. What they are seeing Jesus do what they are hearing. In their mind this can't be anyone other than the Messiah. We have already recognized that such a belief in understanding comes only from the father to an individual if you remember that from John 6.

However, others were skeptical still others were saying surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee. Is he? Galilee. They were hung up on Jesus's hometown of Nazareth and Gali unaware that his birth was elsewhere and They considered this in an immediate disqualification.

He can't be the Christ. He's from Galilee. He's from Galilee. The people consider what they know to be some necessary qualifications to be the Messiah. Verse 42 has not the scripture said that the Christ comes from the descendants of David and from Bethlehem the village where David was and.

They're right. Did you know that they're actually right about that? We know obviously that Jesus wasn't born in Nazareth in Galilee, but he was born in Bethlehem. Now we might commend them for saying this because at least they look to the scriptures.

That's good. They establish from the holy text the qualifications for the Messiah. What are they they say here? He must be a descendant of David and he must be born in Bethlehem. We saw Jesus rebuked them in the previous passages for not judging with righteous judgment for only considering what they see and Superficial they don't see beyond his coming from Galilee.

They don't understand that he was born in Bethlehem, why don't they even ask him? Why don't they simply ask him look Jesus? We know that you started in Galilee. Are you the one who was a descendant of David and born in Bethlehem?

They don't even ask him they don't judge with righteous judgment and So the irony for us as the readers is laughable we know where he's from. We don't have time to read them but things like 2nd Samuel 7 Psalm 89 Micah 5 just to name a few speak of the necessity of descendants of David and being from Bethlehem sure enough Matthew Luke John Peter Paul and even Jesus himself in Revelation 22 says that he is a descendant of David.

It's confirmed and So I don't think John felt the necessity to mention that here in a narrative piece real quick. Because by this time when the gospel of John came out It was likely that the other some of the other Gospels were already circulating.

So people are like, oh, yeah, he was born in Bethlehem. He didn't need to say that here. And so we have the crowd speculating and offering up their opinion of Jesus. He's the Prophet. He's the Christ.

No, he can't be the Christ. He's from Galilee. He's not from Bethlehem and So when you have these opposing forces coming together that go against each other like two pieces of land that oppose each other a fault line is made and In that shifting of the land one rises and one lowers and you have this this chasm this division.

The the division is greatly apparent verse 43, that's what it says. So a division occurred in the crowd because of him in the Greek a schisma a schisma occurred that's where we get the word schism and Church, this is what Jesus does.

This is what Jesus does. His coming divides the world. Into faithful followers or doubtful deniers depraved deniers. We see that in our world today people who reject God people who hate Jesus and then there's those who?

Love him and serve him his coming divides the entire world. Remember what he said in Matthew chapter 10. He said I did not come to bring peace upon the earth. I came to bring a sword dividing people. Some will believe in me some won't.

He goes on to say if you're going to actually Find your life. Then you've got to deny yourself pick up your cross and follow after me. It's the only way. So Jesus naturally separates. He naturally separates the gospel separates.

People reject it or they accept it. Verse 44. Some of them wanted to seize him but no one laid hands on him. The root word for seize here piezo is to apprehend and press down. To grab Jesus and press him down suppress him.

To keep Jesus from continuing what he's doing. Stopping Jesus. Seizing him pressing down. However, just like the mixed reactions canceled out. So did the efforts to stop him cancel out? No one laid hands on him.

It's not his time. They couldn't touch him despite wanting to. It's not his time to go to the cross. It's not his time to be tried. So we're now going to transition from a discussion between Between the the crowds and the division between the crowds and we're now going to finish up with the internal conversation.

That's happening between Jewish leaders. Okay? If you remember verse 32 from last week, it showed that the chief priests sent who for Jesus temple police. Temple officers were sent out in verse 32 to seize him and to stop him and after some time the officers come back to the Pharisees and They questioned the men.

Verse 45. The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees and they said to them. Why did you not? Bring him to us and. The officers response to me is astounding. Okay verse 46. They say what never has a man spoken this way the way that this man speaks never before.

Not a single Anthropos and a single man has ever spoken like this man. They've heard rabbis. They've heard scribes. They've heard Pharisees synagogue leaders. They've heard supposed prophets pop up. They've heard learned and highly decorated men speak.

They've heard them all Speak at this feast even. But this was different. This was different. Jesus wasn't simply captivating or fascinating. He wasn't only well educated and highly learned. He did not merely have the ability to or a debate and adequately argue or exposit or preach.

The way he spoke Was as though he meant every single word and every word carried a depth and a weight to it. It was commanding and yet loving. The way he spoke was firm and yet gentle. It was in a language that they could actually understand with words that they knew but it was divine in origin.

This is from heaven. It was like heaven was coming out of a man on earth. Like the sound of living waters running through a brook and in some instances. Like the rushing of the power of a waterfall. He could be both.

He's both at the same time. So were the words of Jesus. Comforting and convicting. The best feelings accompanied his words for some and the worst feelings for others. Indescribable obviously indescribable.

The officers didn't add anything to that report. No one's ever speak in the way that this man has spoken. Never you could imagine an Amazed and bewildered look upon their faces. God astonished them so much that they were disarmed.

All thoughts of harming and seizing Jesus left them. All they could recall was his speaking and his words. But listen, here's part of the restraint of these men these men these temple officers weren't simply hired thugs or villains of some sort.

These temple officers would have been taken from a pool of Levites. Levites. Some Levites are to serve the temple with administration. Some Levites were to serve in singing and instruments. Others Were aiding the priests in the preparation of sacrifices, but these Levites were assigned what?

To be temple guards. Temple guards. All of them coming from the priestly line of Levi and so they are trained religiously and Their inheritance was religious in nature. Not in land like the other tribes and they themselves as Levi's as men who have grown up around the temple and serving God in the temple they are torn at the deepest level of themselves because of Jesus's words.

It Wasn't a crowd of believing people that kept them from getting to Jesus. It wasn't some Apostles or disciples that pulled them away from Jesus. What stopped these officers? The words of Jesus. Jesus speaking.

How can we think about the officers response in respect to our own lives? That's what I thought to myself when I went through this. Well, do you walk away from reading the Bible or hearing the word proclaimed.

And you're sometimes in wonderment. Maybe even saying to someone else you have got to hear the words of God today. I've never heard anything like it. Do you ever feel that way? When you read the word.

I Think especially the quiet time that we have with God can offer that. You know, sometimes it's not about quantity people it's about quality. Go over the same verse over and over. Seek God in his word.