Today’s passage: John 7:25-36
Helpful thoughts:
- The people’s thinking in verse 27 was the result of bad teaching from the rabbis. The Old Testament gave information on the birthplace of the Messiah (Matthew 2:1-6).
- If someone truly knows the Father, they will know the Son. If someone truly knows the Son, they will know the Father (John 14:8-11).
- When the Jews heard Jesus was going where they couldn’t find Him, they assumed He was going “further away” from God (To the Dispersion of the Jews among Gentiles, outside of the Promised Land) when instead He was speaking of going closer to the presence of God in glory.
Questions to consider:
- How can the errant teaching we see represented in verse 27 encourage us to continue faithfully digging into the Scriptures? How important is good teaching/preaching and a people (taking advantage of the vast access we have to the Scriptures) who follow the example of the church in Berea (Acts 17:10-15)?
- Even though the authorities wanted to arrest Jesus, why were they unable (Verse 30)? How was God’s sovereignty being displayed?
- What apparently was the view of the Jewish people and leaders concerning their standing with God? How did their view contrast with Jesus’ words? How did their view of themselves and their own excellence blind them from the truth and their need for rescue?