"No One Spoke like this Man!" John 7:40-52

No one ever spoke like this Man!
John 7:40-52
Introduction: The super bowl has become possibly the single most watched sports event in the world. Its been so bad this week that the media has been giving news reports on what the half time show and the commercials are going to be like! Since it’s a rematch of the teams that faced off just a few years back interest is heightened even more. Most viewers have a favorite; most will be cheering for one team (or at least against the Giants!). Not many will have their minds changed as they watch the game. Very few are “neutral” when they consider New York versus New England, but not one is neutral when we speak of Jesus! The call in this context is to believe in Jesus, to recognize who he is, and to take Him at His word. Speaking of the sending of the Holy Spirit he said in v.38, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.'" That teaching about the promise of the Spirit is so intriguing it captivates the attention of the people, and evokes a response, one way or the other.
The Big Idea: Though the leaders did not believe Him as Jesus revealed himself by his words and actions, some people did turn to Him in faith. Jesus spoke with authority and acted with compassion, always motivated by love. How can we more effectively reflect Jesus as we carry out his mission in the world?
I. A Divisive Question (7:40-44): Who is the man Jesus? John is telling us the story of Jesus, but he is doing so very intentionally. He is writing in order to lead us into a correct, and hopefully deepened under-standing of who He is. Throughout the Gospel there are always some who profess truth about Jesus, though often times, at least until we get to the end of the story, they don’t go far enough or sometimes not understanding the full meaning of the titles they attribute to Him.
A. “…He is the Prophet…” (v.40). After hearing Jesus’ bold, authoritative teaching, some think he is “the Prophet.” This a reference to Dt 18:15-22 which spoke of a prophet like Moses:

15 " The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, 16 "according to all you desired of the LORD your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, 'Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.' 17 "And the LORD said to me: 'What they have spoken is good. 18 'I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. 19 'And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him. 20 'But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.' 21 "And if you say in your heart, 'How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?' -- 22 "when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.

- All prophets were judged by the criteria in the passage: did their words come true? If they didn’t, then they weren’t speaking for God. This is another evidence of the grace of God.
-He didn’t simply give the Law so that there would be no doubt as to right and wrong. He also sent prophets to remind people of the requirements of the covenant, to assure them that God’s promises would not fail, that if the nation was being chastened it was not because of God’s impotence but rather because of their sin, called them to repentance.
-God also promised through the prophets that one day a Savior would come. In fact the Jews came to read this promise of a future prophet, also as a reference to an eschatological figure. In some rabbis it was identified with the Messiah but not usually.
B. “…the Christ [Messiah]…” (41a). Others said He’s Messiah! Well this is a correct statement, but the problem is what did they mean by this title? There were a lot of ideas about the “Anointed One,” but for the most part the understanding fell far short of attributing deity to him.
-Its John who draws special attention to the title “Messiah” as the fulfillment of the OT Jewish hope. The word appears in its Semitic form only twice in the New Testament, both in John (see 1:41; 4:25,26).
-This is what John means by “Christ” and “Son of God.” (READ 20:28-31). After the resurrection Thomas confesses “My Lord and My God!” At that moment he finally understood and correctly believed in Jesus. Following that confession, John, the writer, says, “Many other signs Jesus did… but these were written that you might believe…” This is what John is explaining in his Gospel. He is showing the Jesus is God incarnate, and so Son of God and Messiah. Because Jesus came in the flesh, it’s easy for us too to have a truncated (or limited, incomplete) idea of who he is.
C. “…[an imposter] from Galilee…” (41b-42). Others countered, “How could he be the Messiah, He is from Galilee, not Bethlehem! It interesting that Jesus never answers this charge in John, and John, the Gospel writer, never explains that Jesus was in fact born in Bethlehem. Why not? Two reasons come to mind:
1. He is able assume that his readers have heard the general lines of the history of Jesus from the synoptic gospels, which were probably circulating for twenty or more years. He is writing a unique gospel, supplementing the other three, from his eyewitness perspective.
2. John is emphasizing not the earthly place or circumstances of Jesus’ birth, but in fact his pre-existence as the eternal Son. Several times in John 6 and 7 we are reminded that he was sent from the Father, he came down from heaven.
D. Division (43-44)! “Thus the people were divided because of Him…” Literally, “There came to be a ‘schism’ in in the crowd on account of Him…” The word indicates a sharp, deep division, like a garment being violently torn in two pieces. Jesus did not come tell people what they wanted hear necessarily, He is truth, and came to reveal the truth, and to show both our need and God’s grace.
*** Though the leaders did not believe Him as Jesus revealed himself by his words and actions, some people did turn to Him in faith. Jesus spoke with authority and acted with compassion, always motivated by love. How can we more effectively reflect Jesus as we carry out his mission in the world?
II. A Dubious Argument (7:45-52): Who has believed in Him? The leaders were essentially saying, “WE know better than you do, if we haven’t believed Him, you shouldn’t either!”
A. He spoke like no other (45-46)! This is a great part of the story. The temple police that were sent by the leaders to arrest Jesus, v.44 said, “some wanted to take him, but no one laid a hand on him”—they come back empty handed! He did not do any sign that astounded them. There would be no demonstration of his sovereign power as when the guards come to arrest him in the garden. His speech alone came with such power, such authority that they were awestruck: NO ONE ever spoke like this man! They came to arrest Jesus and they were arrested by the power of His words. This wasn’t just another preacher or rabbi - this man spoke like no other.
B. The response of the leaders as evidence (wouldn’t they know?) [47-49] Ironically, their response is evidence, their failure to believe and their violent rejection of Him reveals that He is the Promised One.
• V.47 Has he even deceived you too? We sent you with a simple job to do and it looks like you’ve been taken in!
• V.48 Have any of the leaders or the Pharisees believed in Him? The question anticipates an enthusiastic No! Of course not! The implication is, look, we’re the experts, we know the Scriptures and the traditions of the Fathers, don’t you think that we would know if this man came from God?
• V.49 Only this ignorant multitude has been fooled—they don’t know anything, they’re obviously cursed! How can you allow yourself to be misled by them?
• NB. This reminds us, by the way, of the importance of the protestant doctrine of the priesthood of believers. Its not only the “experts” and “doctors of theology” that can understand the Scriptures. Any believer can read and understand what God says in His Word. God has given us pastors and teachers, that is part of His design for the church. But we have his Spirit to lead us into truth. We need to be like the Berean believers on Paul’s 2nd missionary journey: Acts 17:11 “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”
C. Nicodemus calls for reason and a fair hearing, he does so by asking a question, “Does our law condemn someone without first hearing him out?” This may give us a hint that their argument had a wrong premise: “Has any of the Pharisees believed in Him?” Well, maybe one (Remember 3:1ff., cf. 19:38-40).
Their answer to him is intended as an insult, “Are you from Galilee too?” Their answer is that this one factor in itself is enough for us to close the matter and declare this man is not from God. Their language here reveals the depth of their spiritual arrogance, as well as the prejudice they felt against Galileans. “Are you from Galilee too” had nothing to do with Jesus, it was meant to put down Nicodemus for siding with him, however meekly.
What is God saying to me in this passage? Though the leaders did not believe Him as Jesus revealed himself by his words and actions, some people did turn to Him in faith. Jesus spoke with authority and acted with compassion, always motivated by love. How can we more effectively reflect Jesus as we carry out his mission in the world?
What would God have me to do in response to this passage? 5 “Rs” to consider:
Remember what obedience cost Jesus: leaving Heaven to enter this world of woe, facing ridicule and rejection, ultimately the cross. He said if any man would be my disciple let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me… Remember also what motivated Him: “God commended his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners…” (Rom 5:8; I Jn 4:9).
Recognize that because our sin nature is defeated, but not dead, we make the decision daily: Is Jesus the Lord and Master of my life? Will I follow him, even when it is difficult? Will I obey, when the cost seems too much? Nate Saint’s words seem easy, they cost him his life: Obedience is not a momentary option: it is a die cast decision made beforehand.
Repent of those moments of self will and arrogance when we have tried to tell God how its going to be,
Receive the forgiveness he offers us in Christ (I John 1:9).
Repeat the Good News to others, we are to be His witnesses starting right where we are (Acts 1:8).