Daily Bread 2011 – John 7


Jesus Teaches at the Festival
14 Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. 15 The Jews there were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having been taught?” 16 Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. 17 Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18 Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”

What Does This Mean?
In Jesus’ day like our own, there was a tendency to uplift the charismatic teacher/leader who had the most knowledge/education. Jesus kept pointing them back to the Father, whose words He was relaying. It was particularly perplexing for the people to see that Jesus had not taken the traditional path of rabbinical training. Later we will see His disciples preaching and teaching with equal authority, and the people were amazed that such teaching came from ordinary fishermen.

Jesus reminds them and us that whoever speaks on their own is doing so for personal glory, but he who seeks to speak for the glory of God is a true teacher in whom there is no guile. Then Jesus reminded them that if they were looking for an objective standard of teaching, take the Jewish Law that God had given them. And He was saying nothing contrary to that yet they were still trying to kill him. Thought the Law stopped short in giving them what they needed for salvation (Christ) it pointed them toward that need.

What Does This Mean For Us?
It is easy for us to get enamored with charismatic speakers/preachers/teacher. There is nothing wrong with being charismatic, but the key thing is that content is coming from God/Bible not man. It would be better to utter one thing that squares up with God’s Word, than 1,000 charming speeches that are all based on man’s wisdom.
Bottom line: Make sure the one who you are learning from (your teacher/pastor) is teaching/preaching is from God and lines up with God’s will as revealed in Scripture. Jesus then adds that if we are obedient to a teaching from God’s will that we will surely know it by the fruit it produces in our lives.

Heavenly Father we thank you teaching us the way to abundant life through Your Word, as Jesus came to be the incarnate Word of God. Send your Spirit so we can discern the teaching we receive and apply in so that we can see the truth of it in our lives. Amen.

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