* Before the post–a shameless plug and reminder to fathers and their kids. If you want to be the best leader you can be, if you are ready to man up then SHOW UP with your kids this Monday morning @ Southbrook Weddington. I have a challenge that is not for the faint of heart. Click HERE for more details.
Now, on to the post…
John 7:37 says,
“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”
In life most situations will come down to a moment of decision–a time to either put up or shut up. Jesus invokes that moment here in verse 37. After watching the people go back and forth from considering Him to be exactly Who He said (the Messiah, Son of the living God) to wanting to kill Him for being a fake–Jesus sensed enough information and enough of the miraculous has been heard and seen to make a decision. So He cried out to those with ears to hear and those with spiritual eyes to see. He called them to think different from the group, to break away from the herd…to live a new life.
Some heard.
Some didn’t.
“40When they heard these words,(BV) some of the people said, “This really is(BW) the Prophet.” 41Others said, “This is(BX) the Christ.” But some said,(BY) “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes(BZ) from the offspring of David, and comes(CA) from Bethlehem, the village(CB) where David was?” 43So there was(CC) a division among the people over him. 44(CD) Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.”
Herd breakup...finally. But the religious ranchers weren’t going to give up without a fight. And neither will Satan the moment we place our trust in Christ. That’s why I cringe when I hear TV preachers and some mega pastors present a gospel of easy believism and health wealth and prosperity rather than the true gospel. It’s a set up almost guaranteed to send wimpy Christians back to the safety of the herd–back to the drawing board–like returning to alcohol for the drunk or drugs for the crack head, no true safety will ever be found–just a numbing of life until life is over and everything Jesus hoped for us is gone.
Here’s the last round up (for that day anyway) of the Pharisees with this crowd,
“45(CE) The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46The officers answered,(CF) “No one ever spoke like this man!” 47The Pharisees answered them,(CG) “Have you also been deceived? 48(CH) Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? 49But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” 50(CI) Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, 51(CJ) “Does our law judge a man without first(CK) giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” 52They replied,(CL) “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that(CM) no prophet arises from Galilee.”
For the last round up, the religious leaders will pull out all the stops–make the people feel stupid and uneducated (Have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in Him? ..this crowd that doesn’t not know the law [ignorant people] is accursed!), try to get them to see that they will be ostracized if they continue on their current path, claim to have ‘majority thinking on their side, and finally, twist scripture to fit their agenda.
Question? Do you really think these religious leaders had the people’s best interests at heart? Or do you suspect they were only protecting their own little fiefdoms? I believe it was fiefdom protection over concern for the eternal souls of the people.
Bad trade off.
Don’t make it! Break from the herd and listen for the cry of Jesus to come follow Him. When you hear it don’t hesitate. Drop everything else that stands between you and God and chase Him with all your heart!