Below is the manuscript to this Sunday’s sermon. Chances are, you will encounter grammatical errors. Please be gracious. I pray this will be beneficial to you as you study the Word of God that is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17).”
Our passage today will:
Give us a greater understanding to who Jesus is and what he’s come to accomplish.
Give us more supporting evidence to the fact that “the works of the world are evil” and that all people, everywhere, stand condemned and in desperate need of a Savior.
Similar to John 5 & 6, we will hear from Jesus himself that he is the Christ, the Son of God, God in flesh.
Now, before we get into this passage, lets refresh our memory of what we studied last week.
Last week we saw in verse 1 that the Jews were seeking to kill Jesus. As a result, Jesus had been walking about in Galilee. We were reminded that Jesus isn’t avoiding the Jews because he’s afraid of death. He’s avoiding them because his timing to die simply isn’t here yet. He’s avoiding Jerusalem out of obedience to the father, not out of a fear of man.
We also saw that the Feast of Booths was at hand. The Feast of Booths was one of three pilgrimage fest, which meant that the Jews would be required to journey to Jerusalem in order to celebrate this feast. So, it was expected that Jesus would make the journey to Jerusalem to observe this feast. The Feast of Booths was a week long celebration, celebrating God’s complete provision of the harvest. It was a time to pray for a good rainy season. It was also a time to celebrate God’s faithfulness to provide for his people in the wilderness after they left Egypt. They did so by staying in tents or booths outside, which was to remind them of how Israel dwelled in booths whenever they were brought out of slavery and how God dwelled with them during this time.
Now, what’s really interesting is that, during this feast they would often quote Isaiah 12 which says,
“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: “Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth. Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”
So, ironically, they would be reciting and quoting Isaiah saying, “Great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel” while the Holy One of Israel was literally in their midst (Jesus).
That being said, we saw in verses 3-5 Jesus’s brothers approach Jesus NOT in humble submission, but in prideful arrogance. They wanted Jesus to go up to Jerusalem on their timing in order to accomplish their will. They wanted him to go up to Jerusalem to display his power and authority through his works because in doing he (and they) would obtain popularity and wealth. In unbelief, they were demanding and tempting Jesus to act according to their will, not the Father’s.
Jesus, however, responds by saying that his time has not yet come. Jesus submits not to the will of man, but to the will of the Father. Where Jesus’s brothers want him to climb up the ladder of fame, Jesus’s life on this earth was one of descent. Jesus came down from heaven as the bread of life in order to give his life up on the cross. He’s come and dwelt among sinful humanity, and he’s testified against them, saying that their works are evil. Which has led to the world hating him, and this hatred will lead to his unjust crucifixion on the cross.
His brothers eventually go up to the feast and Jesus sits back and waits.
After his brother’s go up to the feast, Jesus makes his way up to the feast incognito. He goes up not publicly but in private.
While Jesus is hiding in Jerusalem, the Jews are looking for him. They’re asking, “Where is Jesus?”
Jesus is the talk of the town at this point. We know that the Feast of Booths was in the fall, which would be football season. So, rather than talk about Alabama football in the barber shops, people are talking about Jesus.
Some people were saying, “Jesus is a good man.” Others were claiming that he’s a deceiver. But, out of the fear of the Jews, those who were searching for him, no one spoke openly of him. They’re oblivious to the fact that the Holy One of Israel is privately in their midst, and with him in their midst, they’re giving him all the wrong titles.
Well, in our passage today, Jesus pulls his hood down, rips off his fake mustache, and begins teaching in the temple.
Where his brothers wanted him to go and do his works (healings, feedings, resurrections) openly, Jesus went and taught openly. Where he was once hiding, he’s now revealed his location by teaching in the temple.
Lets go ahead and begin to look at this teaching and how his audience responds.
“14 About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” 16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” 20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” 21 Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. 22 Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man's whole body well? 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
So, the first thing we see in verses 14-15 is that during the middle of the feast Jesus begins to teach openly. We saw last week that the Feast of Booths is a seven day feast. This means that several days have passed, and somewhere on day three or four, Jesus begins to teach in the temple.
Teaching in the temple would not have been an uncommon practice. In fact, Rabbis would often go to the temple, find a location in the courtyard, and begin teaching their disciples. So, at this moment, Jesus is taking upon himself the role and responsibility of a Rabbi or a teacher.
Now, as we progress through this narrative, we will see that Jesus has attracted a pretty substantial crowd.
So, what we see here in verses 14-15 is during the middle of the feast, Jesus has begun to teach, and the Jews (the religious leaders) are blown away by his teaching. They marveled at his teaching.
John doesn’t tell us what it is that Jesus is teaching. Rather, he tells us how the Jews respond to his teaching. Which tells us that the content of his message up until this point isn’t as important as the response to his message. The effect his message had on his listeners is what’s important.
Look at verse 15. “The Jews therefore marveled, saying, ‘How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?’”
The Jews hear what Jesus is saying and they begin to raise their right eyebrow and wonder who has taught Jesus these things.
The word for learning in Greek is “grammata,” which means letters or grammar. Basic grammar and scripture would have been taught to all children during this time. So, it’s not likely that these men are asking, “How is this guy able to talk and string together sentences?” No, they’re questioning the source of Jesus’s learning.
They’re asking, “How can this ol boy from Galilee, the son of a carpenter, have such knowledge and command of the scriptures when he’s never studied under any of our rabbis?”
They’re blown away over the fact that Jesus is educated without any educational training. They want to know where the source of his teaching resides. When and where did he get this learning?
Around the age of 13-15 students who showed promise were sent to get a formal education under the direct influence and instruction of a specific rabbi. During this time they would learn and memorize both the Scriptures and the Talmud or Mishna (oral traditions, laws, and wisdom).
The Talmud and Mishna would give further commentary on what the Scriptures teach. For example, the scriptures demand an “eye for an eye.” Well, what does that mean in practical, every day life? The oral law would give commentary on what that means and how one could live it out.
So, a studied individual would be one who was taught and is now able to comprehend and recite both the Scriptures and the oral law.
Jesus is demonstrating such knowledge. He is able to rightly articulate what the Scriptures are teaching.
Now, as rabbi’s taught, they would often recite the teaching of an influential rabbi by saying, “According to rabbi Johnny or Tim…” This would make it easy to discern who it was that this rabbi learned under.
This is not foreign to us today. We often times will quote the sources that we’ve studied or read. Similar to the rabbis of this time, we too quote the sources of our learning and teaching.
However, what we continually see Jesus do in this gospel is say, “Truly, truly I say to you…” That phrase is used by Jesus 25 different times in the gospel of John.
So, it appears Jesus is speaking on his own authority and avoiding tradition. Jesus is learned and studied, but his sources are unknown or unrecognizable. Jesus is teaching in such a way that is foreign to the religious leaders of this time.
Now, sometimes we are able to discern the sources of a teacher, even when they don’t cite or quote them. Mannerisms, delivery, body language, sentence structure, analogies… all of these things may resemble that of another.
For example, when I first started preaching, I listened to a lot of Matt Chandler. I remember one of the first DNOW’s I preached at, after I preached my first message, the youth pastor walked up to me and said, “You watch a lot of Matt Chandler sermons don’t you?”
Blushing, I said, “Yeah, why?”
I was hoping that he would say that the depth of my teaching was right on par with Matt’s. But, unfortunately, he proceeded to point out my hand motions and head bobbing resembled Matt’s.
Whether we know it or not, we mirror and reflect our influences. I think there’s some application there that I’m not going to chase. But, who you surround yourself with, what you watch and listen to… all of these things impact what you say and do.
So, here in verses 14-15, Jesus, unlike anyone else, is teaching with authority. Yet, he’s giving no references to the rabbis before him. He’s expositing and rightly teaching the Scriptures in a way that clearly convicts his listeners. But, no one recognizes the source of his teaching.
“How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” Who taught him this? Where is his source?
The more I read this and meditated on this, the more I began to pick up on a condemning tone in this question.
During this time, everyone quoted their sources because, as D.A. Carson puts it, “Not to do so might indicate a certain arrogance, an independence of spirit in danger of drifting from the weight of tradition.” So, the prideful and the arrogant abandon tradition and speak on their own authority.
How is it that this “arrogant” man is teaching the Scriptures when he’s never studied? Where is his source?
Jesus hears their questioning and he answers them. Look at verse 16, “My teaching is not mine, but him who sent me.”
Translated another way, “What I teach is not what I teach.” Jesus is essentially saying, “I know you don’t recognize the source of my teaching, which is leading you to doubt my motives and the credibility of my teaching. So, let me go ahead and say this, ‘My teaching is not mine. I do have a source. My source is the Father who sent me, the One that I am one with.’”
It is God, the Holy One of Israel, the One they are celebrating during this feast, the one who descended from heaven, that is speaking to them. Yet they are unable to recognize him. They are unable to identify God’s message.
The words that he’s teaching are God’s words. And their inability to recognize this condemns them before God. Their blindness reveals to them that their works are evil and that they are far from God.
These verses are beginning to give us a greater understanding to who Jesus is.
Jesus is the Son of God, who is one with the Father. He is God in flesh, the Holy One of Israel who is in their midst. He is the one who has been sent from heaven by the Father. Therefore, when Jesus speaks, it is God who speaks.
John 1 tells us that the Word became flesh and dwelt (tabernacled) among us. All of this is taking place during the feast of tabernacles. So, the creator of all things has come and tabernacled among mankind. Yet, they’re unable to see that.
Which gives us more supporting evidence to the fact that “the works of the world are evil.” The religious leaders who study and know God’s word do not recognize the Son of God in their midst.
And in verse 17 Jesus tells us why. “If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.”
In other words, if you knew God, you would know me. The religious leaders were unable to recognize the source of Jesus’s teachings because their will was not in line with God’s will. It was their hardened heart that blinded them. They could not recognize Jesus because doing God’s will was far from them.
Feel the weight of this…
Jesus, in the middle of the Feast of Booths, is saying to an audience that has memorized Scripture, taught Scripture, made sacrifices to God, and are now sleeping out in tents for a week, ”You do not recognize me because your will is not to do the will of God.”
I can anticipate them asking, “What do you mean my will isn’t to do God’s will? I came to Jerusalem all the way from Galilee because God told me to. I’ve offered sacrifices because God told me to. I’m sleeping in a tent because God told me to. I’ve memorized the Scriptures because God told me to. I’ve taught the Scriptures because God told me to. What do you mean my will isn’t to do God’s will?”
These men are very religious, but they are very far from God. Like a white-washed tomb, on the outside they look beautiful, but on the inside they’re dead. They’re more concerned with their own glory than the will of God.
Which would you prefer: Being distant from God, but looking really good in front of your peers? Or abandoning this self-righteousness religiosity for knowing God personally.
Jesus’s words here…
Give us a greater understanding to who Jesus is.
Condemn his hearers.
If their will was to do God’s will, then they would be able to discern who it was that was speaking to them. Yet, their hearts are hardened to God and they are rejecting the message of God. They’ve been going to God’s altar but not God himself.
Back in John 6:40, we see Jesus say,
“For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
God’s will, God’s plan, has always been to redeem sinners through Jesus. So, how do we know whether or not our will is in line with the Father’s will? We know this by whether or not our belief resides in Jesus.
If your will is to do God’s will, then you will look to the Son in belief.
If you long to please God, then you will see that Jesus is your only hope for doing so. You will come to the realization that it’s impossible to please God apart from faith in Jesus.
So, as circular as this is: to be willing to do God’s will is to believe in the Son, and to believe in God’s Son is to do God’s will. God’s will is completely and totally wrapped up in Jesus.
Now, before we move on to verse 18, let me say this: rightly knowing and believing in Jesus is available to anyone. “If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know…”
This past week we got a note home from Truett’s school praising him.
He’s learning the letter H, and while talking about the heart, my son proceeded to tell his teacher that Jesus lives in our hearts.
I proceeded to tell him that Jesus doesn’t live in his heart right now, but that I pray that one day he invites Jesus into his heart. This rocked his little world. He was distraught over the fact that Jesus didn’t live in his heart.
I eventually invited him over to sit in my lap and we talked about the gospel. We talked about how God made everything good; how Adam and Eve disobeyed God; how Jesus got his booty popped for us; and how, if we believe and trust in Jesus, then he will come and live in our heart to help us begin to be good.
For the first time in his little life I felt like he understood or heard the gospel. In my lap he said, “Jesus, please come live in my heart.”
That next morning, on the way to school, we started talking about it again. Still not fully understanding this, he proceeded to ask, “When I get older I can ask Jesus to come into my heart?”
This rocked me, and the more I think about this passage, the more I think about what my son asked on Tuesday morning.
Son, NO! This invitation is available for all. Young or old, tall or short, white or black, smart or dumb. If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know…
Anyone… Whoever longs to please God will recognize their depravity and see Jesus as their only hope.
Jesus then says in verse 18, “The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.”
Jesus here is defending who he is. You can know that Jesus’s words are reliable by examining what he seeks. If Jesus were simply speaking on his own authority, then he would be consumed with living for his own glory. But, Jesus has done the opposite of that. He lived completely and totally for the glory of God. In commenting on this verse, John Piper said, “The mark of his truth is a passion for God-exaltation, not self-exaltation.” Jesus’s life was one of perfect submission to the Father, for the Father’s glory.
Jesus then asks a question in verse 19, “Has not Moses given you the law?”
The obvious answer here would be “yes.” Yes, Moses has given us the law. We delight in it.
But, then Jesus says, “Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?”
The crowd, oblivious to the intentions of the religious leaders to kill Jesus, screams, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?”
Notice the crowd doesn’t say anything about their inability to keep the law. They’re fully aware of their inability to keep the law, and they have no questions regarding such accusations. They joyfully sidestep such condemnation and accuse Jesus of having a demon because of his question, “Why do you seek to kill me?”
They’re saying, “You’re a paranoid lunatic, no one’s seeking to kill you! Why are you asking this?”
Jesus responds,
“I did one work, and you all marvel at it. Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man's whole body well? Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
Here Jesus is undoubtedly referring back to the healing of the invalid that took place on the Sabbath. He’s saying, “You’re mad at me for “breaking the Sabbath” and you want to kill me for claiming to be the Lord over the Sabbath, but none of you realize that I did exactly what you do.”
Jesus’s response here reminds me of my ethics class in college because he presents his audience with a conundrum that they would be well acquainted with.
At times laws will contradict one another, presenting the Jews with the challenge of having to choose obedience to one law over the other. He gives them the example of circumcision and the Sabbath.
On one hand, God’s people were commanded by God to “observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy.” They were commanded to rest. But, on the other hand, they were also commanded to circumcise their child on the eight day. Circumcision was a sign declaring that a person was in covenant with God.
So, if a child was born on the Sabbath, then it would be expected that that child would be circumcised on the following Sabbath. They set aside their tradition of the Sabbath because they had a God-given duty to care for the well-being of their neighbor. Therefore, the Sabbath could be set aside for something greater, something more important. Circumcision, in this instance, would take priority over the Sabbath.
So, Jesus is saying, “If it’s ok for you to set aside your tradition of the Sabbath for circumcision, then why is it not ok for me to do the same thing in order to heal a man’s whole body?”
What Jesus did on the Sabbath was not in sin. He was rightly carrying out the heart of the law of God. What is the heart of the law of God? To love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And to love your neighbor as yourself.
Is Jesus not doing that? Where the Jews “worked” on the Sabbath to cure one part of the body, Jesus “worked" on the Sabbath in order to cure a man’s whole body.
They’re judging by appearances, not with right judgment. They were so consumed with the fact that Jesus healed on the Sabbath that they couldn’t see the truth about Jesus. Their tradition blinded them. As we see in verse 17, their concern was not for God’s will. It was for outward appearances.
They thought that the appearance of keeping the law is what matters because that’s what leads to the praise of man. If I look tired and complain while I fast, then my peers will recognize and praise me. If I tithe while someone is looking, then I will appear more generous. If I persecute Jesus for working on the sabbath, I will appear to be zealous for the law.
In the words of John Piper, they were shell-gazers. They were consumed with only outward appearances. And the decisions that they were making were based solely on outward feelings and emotions. And, because of this, they stood condemned. Despite all their religious efforts, they stood far from God because they didn’t seek his will.
Now, as condemning as these verses are, there is still great hope in verse 24. If they were to have judged rightly, then they would have seen Jesus to be their only hope to do God’s will.
Despite our wickedness, Jesus still came to die for our sins on the cross. It was always God’s plan to redeem sinners through his Son, Jesus. So, may we cling to Jesus as our only hope. And may we boldly proclaim the hope of Jesus to a lost world.