Welcome to day 27 of our 40 day challenge! Today, we are in John 7

(You can catch up on our Intro, Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17, Day 18, Day 19, Day 20, Day 21, Day 22, Day 23, Day 24, Day 25, Day 26 if you missed them)

John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him. ² But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near.

¹⁰ However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret.

Division Over Who Jesus Is

²⁵ At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? ²⁶ Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Messiah? ²⁷ But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.”

²⁸ Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him,²⁹ but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.”

³⁰ At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him,because his hour had not yet come. ³¹ Still, many in the crowd believed in him. They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?”

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What an incredible experience to have been there when Jesus walked and taught. What a blessing they had, experiencing Jesus in the flesh, looking into His eyes and sitting before Him, hearing Him teach, and seeing Him turn the world upside down in person.

And, also, how incredibly blessed and privileged are we now? Jesus does not physically walk in our midst, but He does walk with us and is more available to us in greater numbers than when He walked the earth. We, too, get to know what God is like by looking at Jesus. And we have the Holy Spirit to be with us, guiding, comforting, counseling, and convicting us. We don’t depend on a scroll read by a few men. We get to have our own copies (several!) and read them by ourselves and in community.

Just like the first-century believers, we only have to look at Jesus to know what God is like. If we wonder how we should treat others and what we should prioritize, we look at Jesus and His life and ministry to guide us.

And, just like His first followers, we too have to be careful not to worship our thoughts about God over God Himself.

In Jesus’s day, many believed they wouldn’t know where the Messiah would come from. So how could Jesus be the one? They know His parents. They know where He comes from. They had to struggle with their customs and teachings of their day about God, just as we do.

In today’s passage, Jesus calls out their thoughts and continues. Yes, they do know where He comes from, but if they knew who sent Him, they’d know who He is.

We know what the Father is like by looking at Jesus. And if we know the Father, we’ll know Jesus. They are one. No matter what the traditions or teachings of the day are, if we know the Father, we’ll know who He sent. And if we know who He sent, we’ll know the Father. They’re a package deal.

May we be able to cut through the culture and traditions of our day to truly see Jesus for who He is, and the Father who sent Him. 

Options for further  journaling or discussion throughout the challenge:

• Choose a part of the passage to write out by hand. Writing by hand helps us slow down and focus on what the Lord might highlight for us in the passage. Our brains can focus and remember better by writing than just reading alone.
• Journal about what the passage brings to mind. Does the passage tell us anything about God? Does it tell us anything about our response to Him?
• Does your heart respond in gratitude to any part of the passage? Write or pray your gratitude to the Lord.

We’ll see you tomorrow for Day 28, continuing in John 7

♥ Samantha