John 7
Jesus said,
“Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division.”
Luke 12: 51
Some people thought that what Jesus had spoken here is a contradiction of the Bible and worse still, it is a contradiction within Jesus’ teachings itself.
But was Jesus contradicting Himself, or there is this contradiction in the Bible?
When we read today’s chapter, we may understand what Jesus actually meant when He said that He came not to give peace but division on earth.
Bible Passage: John 7
Rightly our Lord Jesus said, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” (ref. Matthew 13:57); for even the Lord’s brothers did not believe that He was the Christ.
When the Feast of Tabernacles was drawing near, the brothers of Jesus challenged Him to go up to the Feast to show Himself and to perform miracles to the people.
But Jesus refused to go up to the feast upon His brothers’ impolite suggestion, but eventually He went up according to His own timing.
When Jesus appeared in the middle of the feast and taught, the people were amazed by His teachings. Some believed that He was the Christ, but some did not; and the Pharisees were sure that He was a deceiver.
Jesus’ appearance and words did truly cause divisions among the people. But was this division bad in nature?
A bad natured division would result in schism and even hatred, but the division caused by Jesus’ words was meant to be an awakening to the hearers.
But because of the unbelief and the tendency to judge by appearance, these people were confused and thus divided in their stance.
During the Feast of Tabernacle, one of the rituals was the pouring out of water in the temple. This was a reminder that God gave Israel water in the wilderness.
So Jesus might have used this ritual to reveal to the people an important and life giving truth.
On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
John 7: 37-38
Indeed the Holy Spirit of God is life giving and essential for our spiritual lives, so this awakening that God wanted to bring to the people was that the Christ would give them life.
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
John 10:10
There are many lessons that we can glean from this chapter, but the three most impactful ones to me are:
- When the brothers’ of Jesus suggested that He go to the feast, Jesus did not say “Yes” immediately and seemed to have refused to go, because Jesus worked on a divine timetable that no man could distort or mess with. Therefore we also must work according to the will of God, and let no man “advice” us on anything contrary to God’s will.
- The reasons that people were confused regarding who Jesus was, were their ignorance or misguided understanding of the Word of God; and also due to human pride seen in the Pharisees. So we must delve deep into the Word of God to understand, to stand firm, and to do the commands of God. Let not heresies confuse us and be led by them to the destruction of our souls.
- Know that the world needs Jesus Christ, for He is the way, the truth and the life, and only He can bestow the Holy Spirit upon anyone who wants to come to Him for salvation and for an abundant life.
May God continue to bestow wisdom upon us to stand firm on His wholesome truth, and to diligently share the love of God to the people around us.
Since our Mid-year Evangelistic service is around the corner, let us put in our effort to bring in the lost souls to Christ.
Shalom
