Who is Jesus?
John 7:1-44
Introduction
In a 1983 Gallup poll Americans were asked "who do you think Jesus is." 70% of those interviewed said Jesus was not just another man. 42% stated Jesus was God among men. 27% felt Jesus was only human but divinely called. 9% states Jesus was divine because he embodied the best of humanity. Also, 81% of Americans consider themselves to be Christians.
A few years ago a certain pastor was sick on a Sunday morning. That hadn’t happened for a number of years. He tried to hold my head up long enough to watch a little religious television that morning. A local congregation had a program and their special speaker that day was Oliver North. What he caught of the program was interesting to say the least. After the service concluded the local news media interviewed the local preacher. They asked him, “How could you have such a controversial figure speak in your church?” “Listen,” the preacher said, “if controversy were the basis for choosing speakers for our church then Jesus Christ couldn’t speak here.”
The question of who Jesus is was being debated 2000 years ago before he had been arrested, crucified, die on the cross to be resurrected the third day. He continues to be at the center of controversy today.
In a sentence, the focus of this message is, "Who is Jesus?"
"After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life. But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near...." v. 1-2
It was the time of the Feast of Tabernacles. It was one of three times all Jewish men were required to attend to Jerusalem. It commemorated the time their forefathers dwelt in tents in the wilderness. On the eighth day of the feast, the great day as it was called, the Jews carried palms and branches around and offered many sacrifices. It was a time of great joy and celebration. This is the time Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem.
"Jesus’ brothers said to him, “You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world." For even his own brothers did not believe in him." v. 3-5
The Brothers v.5
The first to comment on his identity were his brothers. They didn’t believe in Him. They told Him to go the Jerusalem and get a name for himself.
Perhaps they thought that the glory He would receive would then be reflected to them or may be as some have suggested they were merely being sarcastic.
No one can imagine living in the same house as Jesus nor can we imagine the family dynamics. For whatever reason, they did not believe Him to be the Messiah.
The city told us they were going to bury the lines in the front of the first church I pastored. But, they said they would redo anything they damaged in front. They tore up most of the landscaping in front.
Finally came the time to replace what had been destroyed. Trucks filled with granite rock came delivering. The man driving the truck eventually told me what happened each time he delivered another load.
He told me each time he came a little voice said, "Isn’t this a nice church". Load after load he received the same message. About 5-6 weeks after the job was complete he came and told me who he was. That same Sunday he received Christ as Lord.
He went home to tell his wife what had happened and she would not believe him. He had mistreated them for years but he seemed to be different. She knew who he was! How could he be different?
After several weeks of watching his wife came and again, on the first Sunday there she accepted Christ as Lord. It happened to each child until all were involved in the Christ like life.
Many times your family is the last to believe a change in you or know who you really are. They are also the last to see you as you have been.
The People
"Now at the Feast the Jews were watching for him and asking, “Where is that man?” Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.” Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the Jews." v. 11-13
The people were looking for Him. They had heard of the miracles He had done as well as the teaching and preaching. It seems the identity of Jesus was divided among the people. Some of them said, "He is a good man". Others in the crowd said, "He is a deceiver", a liar.
He is a good man. v. 12
First they said He was a good man. He lived a good life, did good deeds, even went above and beyond but he is just like us. The good man makes Him easy to deal with. We can ignore Him altogether if he is just a man because what we do would be just as good. He was a good guy. Well, all we need to do is be good too.
While it is true Jesus was just like us, fully human in every way, He was also sinless and divine. He is God and man. His humanity was sinless which allowed Him to be the Lamb without blemish.
He is demon possessed. - v. 12
On the other side of crowd they thought He was demon possessed. They recognized the miracles he did but He did them in the devil’s power not God’s. Perhaps he was a master illusionist, and was able to fool everyone into believing Him to be the Messiah. This recognizes His divinity as being demonic.
The Movie the Reaping is coming out soon. It is about plagues that hit a small southern town. The writer stole to idea from scripture. Exodus tells of the plagues that hit Egypt. Each plague was explained by the sorcerers or ancient scientists so Pharaoh ignored Moses and ultimately God.
At one point the movie trailer shows a scientist giving an explanation for all the plagues. It is easy for us today to do just that ignore the power of God in Christ as scientific. If we can it then becomes controllable in our world and poses no threat.
He is the prophet -. v.40
Later some say He is the prophet. Even Muslims believe that he is a prophet but it means nothing. They worship allah. Again, Jesus is a good man that does Godly things. Sorry, but it’s some but not enough.
He is the Christ. - v. 41
Finally we come to the right answer but not the right meaning. They proclaimed Him the Christ but thought He would over throw the Roman rule. The Kingdom and the Messiah they thought would come was based on their expectations not the Lord’s. The result was that after shouting Hosanna when He entered Jerusalem the shouted "crucify Him" a few days later.
The Pharisees
They wanted Him dead v. 32 -
He healed on the Sabbath and they condemned Him for it. The Pharisees focuses on their rules instead of the Lord in their midst. They were blinded by jealousy and power.
He was from Galilee. - v. 41
The word was He was from Galilee because He did His teaching there. They didn’t care to ask. If they had they would have discovered He was from Bethlehem in Judea
Jesus
On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”
"I am the living water." - 37
Meaning no disrespect to the religious convictions of others, I still can’t help wondering how we can explain away what to me is the greatest miracle of all and which is recorded in history. No one denies there was such a man, that he lived and that he was put to death by crucifixion.
Where...is the miracle I spoke of? Well consider this and let your imagination translate the story into our own time -- possibly to your own home town. A young man whose father is a carpenter grows up working in his father’s shop. One day he puts down his tools and walks out of his father’s shop. He starts preaching on street corners and in the nearby countryside, walking from place to place, preaching all the while, even though he is not an ordained minister. He does this for three years. Then he is arrested, tried and convicted. There is no court of appeal, so he is executed at age 33 along with two common thieves. Those in charge of his execution roll dice to see who gets his clothing -- the only possessions he has. His family cannot afford a burial place for him so he is interred in a borrowed tomb.
End of story? No, this uneducated, property-less young man who...left no written word has, for 2000 years, had a greater effect on the world than all the rulers, kings, emperors; all the conquerors, generals and admirals, all the scholars, scientists and philosophers who have ever lived -- all of them put together. How do we explain that unless he really was who he said he was? (Ronald Reagan)
The bottom line in all of this is what Jesus said about Himself. He made strong claims as to who He was. Jesus claimed in John 14:6,
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
The conclusion is quite clear, He is either a grand liar or He is who He said He was, in which case, we need to trust and believe in Him as Lord and Savior.
Who do you say that He is?
