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“14 About the middle of the festival Jesus went up into the temple and began to teach. 15 The Jews were astonished at it, saying, “How does this man have such learning, when he has never been taught?” 16 Then Jesus answered them, ‘My teaching is not Mine but His who sent Me. 17 Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on My own. 18 Those who speak on their own seek their own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of Him who sent Him is true, and there is nothing false in him.

19 Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why are you looking for an opportunity to kill me?’ 20 The crowd answered, ‘You have a demon! Who is trying to kill you?’ 21 Jesus answered them, 

‘I performed one work, and all of you are astonished. 22 Moses gave you circumcision (it is, of course, not from Moses, but from the patriarchs), and you circumcise a man on the sabbath. 23 If a man receives circumcision on the sabbath in order that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because I healed a man’s whole body on the sabbath? 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.’

25 Now some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, ‘Is not this the man whom they are trying to kill? 26 And here He is, speaking openly, but they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Messiah? 27 Yet we know where this man is from; but when the Messiah comes, no one will know where He is from.” 28 Then Jesus cried out as He was teaching in the temple, ‘You know me, and you know where I am from. I have not come on my own. But the one who sent me is true, and you do not know Him. 29 I know Him, because I am from Him, and He sent Me.” 30 Then they tried to arrest Him, but no one laid hands on Him, because His hour had not yet come. 31 Yet many in the crowd believed in Him and were saying, “When the Messiah comes, will He do more signs than this man has done?”

32 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering such things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent temple police to arrest Him. 33 Jesus then said, 'I will be with you a little while longer, and then I am going to Him who sent me. 34 You will search for Me, but you will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.’ 35 The Jews said to one another, ‘Where does this man intend to go that we will not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does He mean by saying, ‘You will search for Me and you will not find Me’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’”  John 7: 14-36.

This is a dramatic speech, a dramatic teaching of Jesus about who He is, who His Father is, and the glorification of Jesus when He returns to His Father:  “I will be with you a little while longer, and then I am going to Him who sent me. 34 You will search for Me, but you will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come”  John 7:33-34.  Obviously this Galilean teacher, Jesus, comes into Jerusalem and provokes amazement and anger.   Jesus first slips into Jerusalem unnoticed during Sukkot, but now He feels compelled to reveal Himself to the crowds and teach them about Himself and His Father.   But how Jesus teaches is not how Rabbis teach; Rabbis always quote their senior rabbis, or Masters.   Jesus instead says:  “My teaching is not Mine but His who sent Me. 17 Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on My own. 18 Those who speak on their own seek their own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of Him who sent Him is true, and there is nothing false in him”  John 7:16-18.   Here He clearly identifies that He is from God, meaning that He is the Son of God, or the long-awaited Messiah.   This is blatantly blasphemous in Jewish law and the reason why they tried to arrest Him.   But notice that Jesus is always in control of His life.   He will allow Himself to be arrested only when it is the plan and will of His Father in heaven.

Notice too that Jesus references a previous time when He was in Jerusalem and healed on the Sabbath (see John 5:10-18), and he was accused of breaking the Jewish laws by doing so.  At that time the Jews sought to kill Jesus because He not only healed on the Sabbath but he commanded the paralytic to pick up his mat and carry it on the Sabbath, also an act forbidden on the Sabbath.  Notice how cleverly Jesus reminds His accusers of their willingness to circumcise on the Sabbath, an action that affects only a part of the body, while here they are confronting Him about healing the entire body on the Sabbath!   This is a common way Jesus argued with those who sought to trap Him, arrest Him, and kill Him, and it is not the only time we have seen Jesus accused of possessing demonic powers (see Mark 3:4 & 22).    

Notice too how Jesus confuses and divides the people who are listening to His teachings.   They come with ideas about who the Messiah will be, specifically that the Messiah would remain hidden and unknown until Elijah revealed Him to the world: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers…”  Malachai 4:5-6.   But Jesus coming from Nazareth was well known, so it confounded His accusers:  “How can the authorities really know that this is the Messiah? 27 Yet we know where this man is from; but when the Messiah comes, no one will know where He is from”  John 7:26 & 27.

And notice the irony in John’s Gospel when we read: “32 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering such things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent temple police to arrest Him. 33 Jesus then said, 'I will be with you a little while longer, and then I am going to Him who sent me. 34 You will search for Me, but you will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.’ 35 The Jews said to one another, ‘Where does this man intend to go that we will not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does He mean by saying, ‘You will search for Me and you will not find Me’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’”  John 7:32-36.   The irony here is of course the reference that this Jesus might be going to teach the Gentiles, that Jesus will be going “among the Greeks and teach the Greeks” (Verse 35).  THAT is exactly what Jesus will do, for He is the Messiah not just for the Jews but for all people!

So what strikes me here — and I think is a challenge for us all — is to step back and consider how we have allowed our own personal views and expectations of who God is to cloud our relationship with God.   We come with our own hopes and dreams, our own wants and needs, and when Jesus doesn’t fit into these, we sometimes walk away from Jesus disappointed, angry, and fed up with Him.   So dear friends, pray today that you will listen to Jesus in prayer and in your reading and meditation on the Word of God in the bible.   Let Jesus draw you to Himself, the true Jesus, and the Jesus we are all called to fall in love with.  Try not to turn Jesus into the God YOU want, but allow Jesus to be the God that HE TRULY IS!

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.