February 13 Jesus is Lord

John 7:40-43 On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “He is the Christ.” Still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee? 42 Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David’s family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?” 43 Thus the people were divided because of Jesus.
 
JOHN repeats the people’s confusion of Jesus’ identity. The apostle was very deliberate throughout John 7 to report this ongoing debate. Even as the people stood listening to God incarnate, only a few called him “the Christ”; yet, none knew him as the eternal Son of God, who “came to seek and to save what was lost.” (Luke 19:10b)
   Some of the people were close to knowing Jesus, weren’t they? Give them credit for referring to Scripture. Many hearts were hungry to know who was teaching and healing. Who was this who even condemned the learned leaders? The people of God lived with a daily, even desperate, hope that the Messiah would come to end their servitude to Rome. And many sought release from the religious legalism that limited their faith. Their hope, then, was in the prophets’ promises. God’s written and spoken Word was on their hearts. How would their hope guide God’s people to truly knowing Jesus?
   First, the crowd needed to know the details of Jesus’ ancestry and birth. Do you see why Matthew and Luke wrote of these facts in their gospels? The evidence was available. But the Jews only know Jesus as a miracle-working teacher from Galilee. They had to learn he was descended from David, born of a virgin in Bethlehem.
   Second, none would fully know Jesus until his resurrection and ascension. Even if his ancestry was known that day, the people would only have seen Jesus as a man come to reign on a throne. His divine character would remain unknown until he rose from the grave and ascended to heaven.
   Our lesson, I believe, is obvious. To know Jesus, humanity must know all of Jesus. We must believe God formed events throughout world history. And our minds must also know God was born as a man who preached God’s truth; he was crucified, died and buried. We must see the historical evidence that he rose from the grave and ascended to heaven. And we must faithfully believe Scripture points to his return.
   Know Jesus. Help others to see the evidence that Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior of all mankind.
 
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for revealing the Son to us that we will be saved as we come to fully know Jesus is Lord. Amen.