January 28 Where Is He?

John 7:11 Now at the Feast the Jews were watching for him and asking, “Where is that man?”
 
IN John, “the Jews” identifies the priests, Pharisees and Sadducees who had authority over the temple and Jerusalem’s religious laws. The Jews were looking for Jesus. Their focus was to protect the “crowd” – the general Jewish population –  from “that man” who surely is leading the people astray. They had seen Jesus months earlier, overturning temple tables, healing diseases even on the Sabbath, and declaring himself as God’s Son. Reports of his work in Galilee were also well known. Now, the Jews expected that man to come. Their purpose was to stop Jesus, even to kill him under their view of the law.
   From our view, we can accuse the Jews of ignorant minds and hard hearts. Could they not know and believe in Jesus? But if we do look at Jesus through their eyes, we can see the Jews defending God’s Word. In Deuteronomy 13, God’s law specifically warns against miracle-working prophets who will lead people to idols. God commands that such prophets be put to death.
   Do you see the Jews’ dilemma? Jesus, the man, seemed to fulfill God’s warnings. False Messiahs had come many times, causing great trouble for all the people. The Jews looked for Jesus, so they could stop what they believed to be false teaching.
   But their vision was blurred. If the Jews had looked carefully at Jesus’ words and work, they would have discovered Jesus fulfilled both the law and the prophets’ promises of a Savior.
   I think we are challenged today in an opposite way. We put grace over law, don’t we? It is easy to see God’s commands as a threat to our lives. We don’t like to be directed to “not do” this and “to do” that. We are unwilling to submit to God’s rule. Surely God will forgive us for breaking his commands.   
   The Bible tells us, though, that we will discover a great joy of God’s blessings within His law and grace. Many verses equate obeying commands with blessing and joy. Jesus is the physical view of God’s entire Bible. He is not “that man”, but he is Savior of the world. Hear John in 1 John 4:14-15 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.
   Where is Jesus in your life? See Jesus is God who became man to become Savior of the world. Know all of God’s Word. You will see the law direct you to true living. You will experience the salvation of his love and forgiveness.
 
Prayer: Open my eyes, Lord Jesus, to the wisdom and knowledge of you as Savior. Amen.