Do We Really Know Jesus
Do We Really Know Jesus
Or just know about Him?
When faced with so many conflicting claims, sometimes it is difficult to separate truth from error. Be careful.
Be Careful To Evaluate Conflicting Claims
Truth has only one side
The leaders believe one view, but we believe a different view—can this be the Messiah?
John 7:25 Then said some of them from Jerusalem, “Is not this the one they seek to kill? 26 But look, he speaks boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ?”
Assess and Judge By The Facts
John 7:27 Yet we know where this man comes from; but when Christ comes, no man will know from whence He comes.”
Some in the crowd remind them of the legend that the Messiah would suddenly appear, and no one would know where he came from, an idea drawn from Malachi 3. The rabbis took this verse to mean that no one would know where the Messiah came from. Therefore, these
people were saying, “How could this be the Messiah? We know that Jesus comes from Nazareth, in Galilee.
Jesus Said You Don’t Know Me
John 7:28 Then Jesus cried out in the temple as He taught, saying, “You both know Me, and you know from whence I am. And I am not come of Myself, but He that sent Me is true, whom you do not know.
Jesus makes a statement that can be taken as a question. He says, ‘Do you really think you know Me? You don’t.’ He said ‘Not only do you not know Me, neither do you know The One who sent Me.’
John 8:19 Then said they unto Him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, You neither know Me, nor my Father:
John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do.
Jesus is a truth-teller in a world of self-delusion, where men follow after lies and fantasies
to help them feel good about themselves.
Verse 7:41 proves they know very little about Jesus.
John 7:41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Shall Christ come out of Galilee? 7:42 Hath not the Scripture said that Christ comes out of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem where David was?”
It appears they were not even aware that Jesus was born in the very place that they said the Messiah was to be born.
We also too often judge, without having all the facts.
Matthew 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem.
Different Responses To The Truth
This is an accurate description of what always happens when truth, the good news about Jesus is preached. When the gospel is truly preached, it brings antagonism or belief.
John 7:43 So there was a division among the people because of Him.
Truth Can Bring Antagonism
John 7:32 The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.
The leaders were losing control, so they said ‘we must shut him up,’ so they attempted to arrest Him. Too often, the truth is not accepted, but it brings retaliation.
Truth Can Bring Belief
John 7:31 And many of the people believed in Him and said, “When Christ comes, will He do more miracles than these which this man hath done?”
Some do believe when confronted with the truth!
Jesus Offers Fulfillment To The Believers
John 7:37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.
Each day during the Feast of Tabernacles, a chief priest would lead a procession to the pool of Siloam. He would fill a golden pitcher and carry it back to the temple and pour it over the altar to remind the people of the days in the barren wilderness when God gave them water out of a rock.
In this context Jesus says, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.” John 7:37
Jesus says, “I am the Rock. I am the very Rock from which those in the wilderness drank.” Jesus is the Rock from which all men and women can drink and satisfy the deepest thirst of their hearts.
Jesus will bring fulfillment to our lives if we will believe and follow His truth— the truth of His Word.