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Source: https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/daniel-rudge/john-7/
We'll read from verse 1 of John 7. After these things, Jesus walked in Galilee, for he would not walk in Juree, that is Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him. Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand.
His brethren, therefore, said unto him, these would be his family siblings, said unto him, depart hence and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest, for there is no man that doeth anything in secret, and he himself seeks to be known openly.
If thou do these things, show thyself to the world. For neither did his brethren believe in him. Then Jesus said unto him, my time is not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.
Go ye up unto the feast. I go not up yet unto this feast, for my time is not yet full come. When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee. But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were, in secret.
Then the Jews sought him at the feast and said, where is he? And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him, for some said he is a good man, others said nay, but he deceives the people. Howbeit, no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews.
Now about the midst of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and taught. And the Jews marveled, saying, how knows this man letters, having never learned? Jesus answered them and said, my doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.
If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself. He that speaks of himself seeks his own glory, but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.
Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keeps the law? Why go ye about to kill me? The people answered and said, thou hast a devil. Who goes about to kill thee? Jesus answered and said to them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel.
Moses therefore gave unto you the circumcision, not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers. And ye, on the Sabbath day, circumcise a man. If a man on the Sabbath day receives circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken, are ye angry at me because I have made a man every whit hole on the Sabbath day?
Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. Then said some of them of Jerusalem, is not this he whom they seek to kill? Below he speaks boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ?
Howbeit, we know this man whence he is. But when Christ comes, no man knows whence he is. Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, ye both know me, and ye know whence I am. And I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not.
But I know him, for I am from him, and he has sent me. Then they sought to take him, but no man laid hands on him because his hour was not yet come. Many of the people believed on him and said, when Christ comes, will he do more miracles than these which this man has done?
Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him. Then said Jesus unto them, yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me.
Ye shall seek me and shall not find me, and when I am there, thither ye cannot come. Then said the Jews among themselves, whither will he go that we shall not find him? Will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles and teach the Gentiles?
What manner of saying is this, that he said, ye shall seek me and shall not find me, and when I am thither, ye cannot come. In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.
He that believeth on me, as the scriptures said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake he of the spirit, which they that believe in him should receive, for the Holy Ghost was not yet given because that Jesus was not yet glorified.
Many of the people, therefore, when they heard this saying, said of a truth, this is the prophet. Others said, this is the Christ. But some said, shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said that Christ comes of the seed of David out of the town of Bethlehem where David was?
So there was a division among the people because of him. And some of them would have taken him, but no man laid hands on him. Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said unto them, why have you not brought him?
The officers said, never man spake like this man. Then answered them, the Pharisees, are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed on him? But this people, who knoweth not the law, are cursed.
Nicodemus saith unto them, he that came to Jesus by night being one of them, doth our law judge any man before it hear him and know what he doeth? They answered and said unto him, art thou also of Galilee?
Search and look, for out of Galilee arises no prophet. And every man went unto his own house. Now, if you hadn't had the impression beforehand, like I was saying, I expect you do have the impression now.
There's a lot in that chapter. And as best as I can determine, to at least work with it reasonably, we will look at it today and tomorrow evening as well, God willing. So your outline, and this is not finding faults or whatever, but there was a bit of a technical glitch in the printing of the copying of the outline.
Mine, you'll see, is on a horizontal basis. Yours is on a vertical basis. And I was a little bit dismayed when I first saw that. I thought, I know, there's lots of note area at the bottom of the chapter.
The only problem might be, as some of you senior types, even when you've got these things on your face, you might find it a little small to read. I hope that's not a problem. And then there's those that don't wear glasses and they're looking at me like, what's the problem?
I can read this. Not a problem. But anyhow, lots of space to write notes. So having said that, do you have your pen ready? Because this is going to be the most profound statement you're gonna hear relative to the chapter.
Chapter seven comes after chapter six. Well, that's the way the chapter begins. Verse one, after these things. So having noted that, I want you just to back up and we'll just look at the closing verses briefly of chapter six.
Some of the disciples then, when the Lord Jesus was talking about eating his flesh, drinking his blood, and of course, figuratively speaking, that was the way of assimilating Christ by faith, they thought, this is ridiculous, and they went away.
And Lord Jesus said to them in verse 67, will you also go away? Simon Peter answered verse 68, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life, and we believe that thou art, and are sure, rather, that thou art to that Christ, the son of the living God.
Jesus answered them, have not I chosen you 12, and one of you is a devil, a demon? He spake of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for he it was that should betray him, being one of the 12. After these things, Jesus walked in Galilee, for he would not walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him.
So I would think we can see then that humanly speaking, now saying this, the Lord Jesus, of course, was omniscient, he knew all things, but there was still in his experience, that sense of assessing circumstance and responding accordingly.
And so verse one indicates that the threat of the Jews, wanting to kill him, had escalated to such a point that he knew it was not suitable to continue, excuse me, in Judah, Judea. He should stay in the north in Galilee.
Well, the very way that chapter six concludes, really lends to that situation. Judas, the betrayer, if they had stayed in Judah, would be that much more at hand to the ones that wanted to kill him, the Jews, as they're called.
He could have initiated the ugly plan of betrayal at any given time. And so really in his omniscience, not just that the Jews were trying to kill him, the Lord Jesus, this is not the time for me to be here, not to give Judas even the opportunity to unfold his scheme, I'll stay in the north.
And so he stayed in the north in Galilee. Now that even will play into something of the response of particularly the religious leaders of the day, those that thought they knew the Bible, the Old Testament scriptures, the fact that he would come and ascend from Galilee up to Jerusalem, that'll even be recognized later on in the chapter.
But the Jews sought to kill him. Verse two then tells us that the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand. Now at the top of your outline there, you'll see I've got about a paragraph in italic font. And that is just a brief outline of what has happened in John's gospel relative to the feasts leading up to chapter seven.
Back in Deuteronomy 16, the Lord had commanded the people of Israel through Moses that there were going to be those three occasions, three feasts in Jerusalem, which the males were all expected to be there.
Those of the male gender were all expected to come to Jerusalem and bring offerings at those three feasts. So there was the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is Pentecost, the Feast of Weeks, which really bridges that timeframe from the time of firstfruits, depicting the resurrection to Pentecost.
And then there's the Feast of Tabernacles. I'm sorry, that was Feast of Passover, and I said Pentecost. So Passover, the week leading up to Pentecost, and then the Feast of Tabernacles, which is in our chapter here today.
And I feel fairly confident that you can attribute the Feast of Weeks to chapter five. So chapter two, Passover, chapter five, Feast of Weeks, and now chapter seven, the Feast of Tabernacles. You notice that John, by the Spirit of God, calls it the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles.
And though it was one of the several, but of the three primary feasts in Jerusalem that God had through Moses, given the pattern and the intent of, the fact that it's called the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles introduces to us that there's been some degeneration of what it had become.
And we're going to see that the label, the Jews, isn't just a generic term referring to non-Gentiles peoples. It really has a connotation to it that is much more serious and concerning than that. So that's the setting.
In Judea, Jerusalem particularly, the religious people are anxious for the death of this one Jesus of Nazareth. There's a feast there, and the Lord Jesus, as a faithful Jewish person, would intend to be there.
Remember he said he didn't come to destroy the law and the prophets, but he came to fulfill. He would be obedient to all that the Old Testament scriptures had laid out. So really it was reasonable to expect that he would go to this feast.
But now what we want to look at then, which if you look at the outline, the first section, verses one to nine, his brethren mock him and he responds. So verses three and four and five, referring to the fact that they were non-believers at that time, introduces to this attitude of his own brethren.
His siblings born to Mary and to her husband Joseph. They're not saved. They are not convinced as to who he is, but they've been watching him. They have observed the things that he has done. They will be aware of miraculous events.
They have heard his words, of course, at times particularly, and all these things, they would understand related to an individual then who would claim to be the Messiah, the Christ, the one that Israel longed to have.
But in their minds, there's no way it could be our brother. This just cannot be. And so as I've suggested, it's mockery then, verses three and four. They said to him, depart, go up to Judea so your disciples will see what works you're doing.
And then verse four, for no man does things in secret when really he's seeking to be known openly, to be recognized. And so they conclude their words at verse four. If you do these things, if thou do these things, show thyself to the world.
Now, just how much they would understand of the Old Testament prophets, we can't be certain, but I would take it from the way they're talking. They are saying, if you really think you're the Messiah, then the Messiah's gotta be known.
And it's not just for this little region of Judea, but it's for the sake of the whole world. We would have some understanding of that from the prophets of old. So why don't you go up to Jerusalem and show yourself and bring this on to the whole world?
And you can just almost hear the sense of sneer and mockery as they would say this to him, because there's really no indication that they were persuaded that that was real at all. And that's why John would add those words, neither did his brethren believe in him.
It was all just a mocking approach to him. How did he respond? Verse six, then Jesus said unto them, my time is not yet come. Not to rush ahead, but at the close of verse eight, he says, my time is not yet full come.
He speaks to them then that their time was always, it's because the world hates me, but it doesn't hate you. So you can do whatever you want to gain public recognition, to be admired by the people because you're part of the program.
But he says, this world hates me. Why does it hate me? As he says in verse seven, because I testify that their works are evil. So in his faithfulness to the people, to the world as that entity of opposition against God, in his faithfulness, he knows the people have come to hate him and increasingly so.
By this point, the hatred and the desire for his death has escalated to the point where he doesn't feel he should be going to Jerusalem in Judea because of the threat of death. But his brothers, you're part of it.
You can come and go and do whatever you want. Your time is always open. And this word time here has the idea of a season of opportunity. It's like he said to his Lord, to his disciple or to his brethren rather, it's wide open for you.
Whenever you want, pursue greatness in this world. But my season, my time has not yet come. What was he getting at in that response? Well, it's in the setting of the Feast of Tabernacles. What was the Feast of Tabernacles?
And on the outline, just underneath that chart there, what's the date today? Today's the 16th. So you'll notice that there is that chart. I didn't make the chart. I should be giving a bit of a disclaimer.
That comes from Rose Publishing. Some of you may use some of their materials. They often put together some nice charts. And under 2018, you'll see September the 19th is the Day of Atonement. And then September 24th is actually the Tabernacle Feast, the Feast of Tabernacles.
So not too far off from it here today. But the Feast of Tabernacles was intended by the Lord to have the people of Israel, when they had arrived in the promised land, to stop for seven days and reflect on where they had come from and to what they had been brought.
So Feast of Tabernacles, if you will go back to Leviticus and read there in chapter 23 and in Numbers 29. Chapter 23 of Leviticus particularly calls it the Feast of Booths. I open my mouth halfway and then I shut it.
Our dear Irish brethren have trouble with that word. They call it the Feast of Booths. I tease some of them about that. It's quite an occasion, I guess. The Feast of Booths, Tabernacles. Because of those years wandering in the wilderness and they had had their temporary shelters that they would stay in.
When they had come into the land of promise eventually, where a kingdom would be established, this feast was intended to make them look back and remember that they'd been delivered out of Egypt and brought safely all those years of wandering and brought into what had been promised to them.
So not only look back, but as the people of Israel from that time and the generations followed, it was also something to look forward to because it had in it the sense of recognition. One day Messiah will come and the kingdom will be established under him and we will realize tremendous joy at that time.
So it looked back, sort of like the Lord's Supper. We look back to our deliverance through Christ's death and we look forward, as Paul says, until he comes, we observe this supper. So the Feast of Tabernacles was going to also give them that anticipation of what was going to happen.
That's the time that the Lord Jesus is referring to. I'm quite persuaded. The word time then is the word that often conveys to us a season of duration marked by different characteristics. And the Lord Jesus said, it's not time for me to arrive at the tabernacles, the Feast of Tabernacles and present myself for not only Judea, but for the whole world.
That is going to happen, but not now, not at this moment. That's a season of great prospect. Just to run down the chapter, because really then the contrast is shown. When they tried to apprehend him, John, just as that little parenthetical note, that footnote for his hour had not come.
And that's a stark contrast. Because the hour, that expression, hour not coming, and you'll find that down there in verse 30, is repeated over in chapter eight, verse 20. We will see it, God willing, later on and other references as the gospel progresses.
The hour is like that note on the, well, for them, the sundial or whoever, but for us, a little short duration. Stands in total contrast to the time, the season of great celebration. What was his hour?
His hour was when he'd be apprehended in betrayal, taken to the cross, after being mocked and shamed, left to die suffering for our sins. And then as we saw there just briefly this morning, the Lord Jesus even saw that hour then unfolding to the time of his resurrection and his ascension to heaven.
But it was just a little brief period at the end of his earthly days. That stands in stark contrast to the tremendous season. My season has not yet full come, but it's gonna come. That's our prospect too.
The Feast of Tabernacles then, not only remembering that we've been delivered, but looking forward to anticipating when Jesus will reign. And that great time was not to be, as his brothers mockingly suggested here in chapter seven.
So that takes us down to the close of verse nine. Verse nine, when he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee. He stayed in what today some would call a safe place. Well, Galilee was where the threat of death wasn't so real.
Now the next section, second section on the outline you look at, we've called it his arrival and first message at the feast. Covering from verses 10 down through 24 is a section that can be, I think, fairly readily grouped together, but broken down again into three sections.
The first of it being the manner of his arrival and the Jews' interest. Verses 14 to 18, his initial message and apology. Now I've used the word apology there in the technical sense. It's not he's feeling sorry for something and apologizing for doing something wrong, but rather the idea of giving a reason for what he is saying.
So that's the technical sense of apology. And the 19 to 23 in that section, we have appointed charge from him. And the evidence to support the charge that he makes with a concluding statement in verse 24.
So his first arrival, verse 10, when his brethren were gone up, he went up, but just secretly, as if just to slip into Jerusalem. And you notice it constantly, and this is just sort of by the side, but going up, going up.
Jerusalem was in that elevated place. So when these feasts would come along, you often read that expression. They would go up to Jerusalem. And there was just that sense of ascending to something that God had provided and designed.
And it's just a nice little picture. And you go back even into the Psalms in that, and there are those songs that they would sing as they would go up into Jerusalem. Normally it seems, remember back in Luke's gospel when the Lord Jesus at age 12 went with Mary and Joseph and others in sort of a caravan fashion.
A large number of them would go up together. And when he remained behind, didn't surprise Mary and Joseph that he wasn't standing right beside them. And they went actually three days before they figured out he wasn't with the family group that had gone.
Well, here he went up all on his own, it seems, and just slipped into Jerusalem in secret. But verse 11, then the Jews sought him at the feast and said, where is he? See, he was a faithful Jew. He would come, we've suggested chapters two and chapters five when the feasts were being held, those three primary feasts.
And so at the Feast of Tabernacles, he was expected to be there. And when it says the Jews looked for him and said, where is he? It's not some curious individuals that were hoping to hear a message. It's those that are seeking to kill him.
They are introduced to us, if you look back in chapter one, just to get the picture, back in chapter one in verse 19, when John the Baptist has come out in his public ministry, it says there, this is the record of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, who art thou?
So they had, it's just that label that distinguishes an entity among the populace that are those that incite opposition, whether it was to John the Baptist, who was challenging them with their sin and a call to repentance, or now this Jesus of Nazareth, who as he himself has said, I testify that their works are evil.
They're looking for him and they're not looking for his good. They're looking for ill. Some said he's good. Others said he's a deceiver. Verse 13, and this tells us again, some just didn't want to talk about him for fear of the Jews.
And it's just a label that identifies those that were in very hostile opposition to him. So then, excuse me, verse 14 to 18, he speaks his first message. He went up into the temple, middle of the feast.
He began to teach. You know, something that impressed me simply is this. Among the various things that unfold in this occasion, the Feast of Tabernacles and the Lord Jesus being there, he went into the place of conflict, if you would.
And if for no other reason, and I'm not saying this is the single only reason, but he went into the face of conflict, if for no other reason than to speak for the blessing of the people. Whether it's in those pointed charges to the opposition, the religious leaders, or whether it's in that general invitation that we're gonna see that we like to use in the gospel, even today, the Lord Jesus was gonna face conflict for the good of the people, whether those that opposed or whether those who may genuinely have been of interest in him and seeking to hear him.
So if I could, just for a minute, apply that to us here today. We are seeing the historical setting and all that and the opposition and how this unfolds, and we will marvel at the Lord Jesus, hopefully, and it'll create a greater sense of appreciation for him.
But practically speaking, for you or for me, and I'm talking to myself as well, the believers here at large, are we willing to knowingly go into circumstances where we know there's opposition, where there can be conflict for the sake of at least one among them who may hear the truth, desiring to be right with God, to be saved and to know what it means to know the God that they may be totally ignorant of?
Are we willing to face the conflict for the sake of some or just one? That is something that hit me as I looked at this in preparation for the Bible readings, that it's not just a story of an event in his life, but a tremendous example for those of us who want to be like the Lord Jesus.
So he goes in, he teaches. They say, well, who's this man? I have to tell you this, just somewhat tongue-in-cheek. He says, this man, how does this man know letters having never learned? And so that seems like kind of a strange thing to us.
How does he know letters? And my middle granddaughter, who now is seven years old, but during those last while preschool, and my daughter is very diligent with the little girls, trying to at least give them something to be interested and prep them for going off to school.
And she was trying to teach her her alphabet. And the little rascal looked at her one more time. Mama, I don't want to do my letters. I'm too exhausted. So when I read something like this, these crazy things jump into my mind.
How does this man know letters? Well, okay, he's not learning his alphabet. It was an expression of wonder in some sense, but as well, a question of seeking to dismiss him because they knew he was Jesus of Nazareth.
He had not trained at the feet of any of the recognized rabbis of his time, particularly in Jerusalem. So as he stands up and teaches, it's very evident he knows the scriptures of old. And not only does he know them, but he's able to communicate them in a very effective way.
And so they say, well, who is this guy? Who is this man? How does he know letters when he hasn't ever been rightly taught? And so this is the Lord Jesus. He looks for every teachable moment. He answered and said, my doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.
Wow. Well, if you didn't learn at the feet of one of the rabbis, who's he talking about? What's he saying? It's not my teaching. It's not my doctrine. It's his that sent me. And then he says, if any man will do his will, the one who sent me, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God.
And it's not the idea about God, but rather sourced from God, or whether I speak from myself. We love this verse, don't we? In this sense, we apply it to believers in general. The principle of it is very relevant.
It's as if to say, if a man will do God's will, if a person willingly pursues the knowledge of, and obediently carries out the will of God, then we will learn more of the doctrine of God. And so we use it that way, and that's okay to do that.
But why was the Lord Jesus saying that in this context? They're questioning his authority to teach, and the source of his knowledge. He has now introduced that his knowledge source is not from himself, and it hasn't been from the rabbis.
Where in the world could it be from? And he's saying, it's not from me, it's from God. Whoa. You can almost see the hair stand up in the back of the necks of those that oppose him, that were so hating him.
And the opposition grows. And dear believers here today, whether it's in a workplace or in a school setting, as soon as you start talking in those kind of terms, you know, the temperature can go up, the hatred and the despite will start to almost fume.
And so he said to them in verse 18, he that speaks from himself seeks his own glory, but he that seeks his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness in him. He's talking about himself.
The one who seeks the glory of the sender is true. I am true, and there's no unrighteousness in me. He's making some amazing claims in the face of men that were full of hatred and opposition. And you can almost sense before they can catch their breath and respond, the Lord Jesus takes the next step.
And this is what I think the sense of why he said what he said in verse 17 is presented. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it comes from God or whether I speak from myself.
And so then he charges them with the sin of seeking to kill him. Did not Moses give you the law, verse 19, and yet none of you keep it? Before you can start, you know, supporting yourself, he tells them how he knows they don't keep the law.
Why go ye about to kill me? They were breaking the law of Moses with their intent and pursuit to kill him. And what the Lord Jesus is saying, that's the reason why you don't accept what I'm saying. You know the will of God, thou shalt not kill among the various commandments, but you're not obeying what you know, therefore you do not have a basis to understand that what I teach comes from God.
I believe that's the context, the reason why he introduced that principle in verse 17. It's relevant to us, but he was setting up his argument, if you would, this apology, this basis of giving evidence for what he was saying that day being genuine from God and the basis whereby they could not understand it because they didn't do the will of God.
So practically speaking, dear saints, that's really holds for us. If we know something and we decline to do it, of what God says in his word, we're really jeopardizing the potential to grow with further knowledge and opportunity in the truth of God.
It's a very real principle, but in this context, it was the basis on which the Lord Jesus could charge them with their sin of desiring to kill and therefore their inability to understand his doctrine that he taught.
So he says to them, I have done, verse 21, I have done one work and you all marvel. What is he talking about? He's going back to chapter five, the occasion there at the pool of Bethsaida where the man sat there for the 30 or lay there rather for the 38 years, unable to get himself into the water and he drew near, he healed the man.
Unfortunately, not unfortunately, for some people, I guess it was, or maybe it really was them for it was their fortune because they thought they had something, but it happened on the Sabbath, all that to say.
On the Sabbath, he did this. So the religious leaders went berserk and said, you don't do things like that on the Sabbath, you deserve to die. And they've been pursuing him ever since. He says, I did one thing, I healed him.
I made a man whole. If you can circumcise a baby boy on the Sabbath, because it happened to be that he was born at the date that brought him eight days to the Sabbath. And that's, well, you can't break the law.
I better better circumcise him on the eighth day. And oh, it's on the Sabbath. Okay, that's good, clear. It all works out. And then I healed a man and now you want to kill me. So they had no argument.
They had no answer. Where do we go from here? And the thing that impresses me, and we've been looking at Matthew's gospel at home in Sherman, in our Bible reading, we're up there, I think somewhere around chapter 24, 25 now.
But one of the brethren in the assembly said one day, he says, you know, the Lord Jesus never lost an argument. And you fully understand what he was saying. But in a sense, he never argued with anybody.
He just spoke the truth. And if they couldn't handle it, so be it. And at times they didn't have an answer for him. And I, in my own impression is I don't think the Lord Jesus ever wanted to enter into one argument whatsoever.
It was a question of speaking the truth. And hopefully, whether they are opposers or a genuine seeker, they would hear it and respond. I believe every time these pointed charges came from him, it wasn't to dismiss the audience, the people, but it was to sharply poke them into their very conscience and awaken them that they might believe who he was.
That was the attitude of the Savior. So verse 24, the summary in this section, judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. And again, you could almost sense the response in these ones that wanted to see him dead.
It's just another charge. He's charging us with unrighteous judgment. It's one thing after another. Tells us that we wanna kill him, that we've broken the law and we're not righteous in our judgment. And no, he's not just winning an argument.
He's trying to convict people of their sin so that they would see their need of him. Just in relation to that idea of judging not according to appearance. See, this was a big problem with the Pharisees.
You go back to Matthew's chapter six, that portion there of the Sermon on the Mount. Verse one, he says there, the Lord Jesus says to the audience, take heed that you do not your alms before men to be seen of them.
Verse two, don't sound a trumpet before you when you go into the, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues, in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Then in verse five, and when you pray, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets that they may be seen of men.
That was the problem that these religious leaders had. All they were doing was for the eyes of others to be seen of men. And the principle really the Lord Jesus is establishing here is the way we live is the way we'll judge.
So these religious hypocrites of the day, they lived to be seen by others. And it thus fostered the attitude in their mind that that's how they judged others when they saw them, by what they could see about them, know whether they understood really the incentive and the undergirding reasons for the behavior.
Don't judge according simply to appearance, but judge righteous judgment. So that takes us to the third section, the conflicted response I've put in the heading and the attempts to apprehend him. Now I've used the idea of a conflicted response because there was really some that just didn't know what to do with him.
So for us at times, there are individuals in our experience that we seek to be faithful before them, live Christ-like before them. And then when the occasion comes to maybe speak faithfully for the Lord Jesus, we get the impression that they're not just too sure what to do with us.
They're not immediately just gonna write us off because they are just outright rejecters. They don't wanna have anything to do with anything quote that has to do with a God or that they are self-righteous in the sense and they're gonna say, yeah, well, that's you, that's me.
We're all in the same thing. There's no problem. There's somebody that just doesn't quite know how to handle who you are and what you're saying. Well, I think there were some of those on this occasion.
So we need to be careful to understand why some people aren't writing us off but aren't ready to respond. We know they're in a very vulnerable place, let's put it that way. Because like earlier there in verse 13, how be it some wouldn't speak openly of him for fear of the Jews.
There's a tremendous need for not only sensitivity but wisdom. How do I carry this person through this point where they'll get beyond fearing what others are going to say? You understand what I'm saying?
This is the human engagement part of it. God will be doing his work. But there is that potential of the individual of being so persuaded by your genuine manner and behavior that they are willing to follow further and to hear more.
Or are you gonna just totally lose them because there are those peers of one's persuasion or another that will just so affect them that they'll turn them away. Tough spot to be. But let me just say this.
With what experience there is in even years gone by, you'll get a pleasant surprise every once in a while. And it might not come for years later, years later. Personal little story as we're getting near the end here.
I only had what I called one real girlfriend in high school. And for whatever various reasons, that relationship didn't progress. But she had a younger brother. And after the Lord had saved me, I had been faithful to the girl.
Didn't spend a lot of time together, but I had told her what it meant to be saved, et cetera, et cetera. She had a younger brother who, when you're a teenager, somebody's two years younger or something like that, you don't hang around with them.
That's a big gap. So this guy is probably only about maybe three years younger than me or so. And I was away out of town. And this was before I was married. And this young fella was having some emotional and spiritual troubles.
And so his sister said, go talk to Stu. Showed up at my parents' home and I was away. I never did get the occasion to see him because after I had come home, I heard he ended up in a hospital with emotional issues.
And then I left town to go away to school. And things just drift down the road. The day that I stood in the parking lot with my best man, just minutes before going into the gospel hall in North Bay, Ontario in Canada for my wedding, I saw three people walking along the side of the road.
One of them broke away from the other two. I recognized the couple, was the older brother and his wife. And then the young guy broke across and he started walking straight toward me. That's the younger brother.
And he walked up to me and he says, Stu, I just need to tell you, I got saved. What a wedding present, you know? We stood there with our arms wrapped around each other in the parking lot, practically bawling.
I was supposed to be pulling myself together to go in to get married. But really, that was such a capstone on that day. I never had had the personal talk with him. It was the life that was observed, the influence that had been presented, and somebody else was able then to just bring him to Christ.
And today that man is still living a life of faithful testimony. I can tell you this much, at least. His sister, who has had a lot of difficulty in life, has also claimed to have trusted Christ and says she's saved.
So, you know, when the Lord Jesus presented himself faithfully to the peoples, there was direct opposition. There was claim to be on higher ground by some, but there were some who were just lingering there and weren't sure what to do with them.
What do I do with this man? Be faithful. You know, I worked in sales for a little while. Quite frankly, there's one sense I hated it. It was more of the technical guy than the seller. But they always talk about closing the deal.
That's not Christianity. We don't look to close deals with people. Seek to be faithful. So as I say again, when the Lord Jesus went into conflict, he was willing to face it for the sake that there might just be some or one that would hear him.
And left it at that. So we're gonna be looking at this, God willing, we'll pick it up tomorrow evening, where we've got these people saying, in verse 25, some said, is not this he whom they seek to kill?
But lo, he speaks boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ? Howbeit we know this man, whence he is. But when Christ comes, no man knows whence he is, where he is from.
So there's this very torn impression, if you would, conflicted impression by some, and the Lord Jesus is going to speak to that as well. And the conflict will continue, and the opportunity for blessing, though, is continually being presented to them, whether sharply or with tremendous invitation.