Grace and Truth, John 7:1-24:

Jesus had to be careful. The leaders wanted to kill him. His brothers did not believe in him. The crowds disagreed about him. But he did go up to teach during a festival.

Verses 14-15: Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. The Jews there were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having been taught?”

Jesus was careful, but he was brave in his challenge to the leaders. He made an outright statement that he came from God. He confronted the people for wanting to kill him. He challenged their hypocrisy in the way they used the Law.

Verses 21-24: Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed. Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”

Father, thank You for teaching me more about the man Jesus was on Earth. Help me to be open to Your Word.