Jesus ~ the reactions.  John 7.10-13

You would be hard-pressed to find someone who does not have an opinion about Jesus Christ, but surprisingly, there are so many people—even in today’s modern culture—that do not know very much about Jesus.  Most have done little investigation of their own.  They have heard he was born in Bethlehem, and put in a manger, because they hear songs about that; they might know he was said to have died on the cross, though they are not sure ‘why’; and they know that Easter is supposed to be about him rising from the dead, but ‘intelligent people’ know that could never have happened!  On those scant details, plus information the media distributes about acting-out or misbehaving Christians, (because the media seldom portrays Christianity in a favorable light), and any personal dealings with ‘religious’ people, folks form their opinions about Jesus.  As my teen-aged sons might say, ‘that is messed up’. 

If someone wants to know about Jesus, he should read the personal accounts about him in the Scriptures . . . and have courage enough to say, ‘if you are real, I want to know, so please show me.’  After all, who else walked around planet Earth 2000 years ago that remains as famous as Jesus?  And what person can really carefully read, with an open mind, about the life of Jesus, and be unaffected by him?  The truth is, one must take a close look at Jesus, and make up his own mind. Any close look at Jesus Christ will elicit a reaction.

Jesus’ brothers reactions to him remind me of Joseph’s brothers reaction to him, (Genesis 37), when he told them about his dreams of authority.  Some of the same ugly feelings must have washed over them.  ‘Hey Jesus, since you are going to be some powerful guy…like uh, the messiah, why not work your miracles in front of the big crowds—in Jerusalem, since everyone will be in town for the Feast?’ they goaded him, not believing in him themselves. (John 7.5)  Jesus went to Jerusalem, in his own time, by himself, after the festival was underway. 

“Later, after his brothers had gone up to the festival, he went up himself, not openly but as though he did not want to be seen. Consequently, the Jews kept looking for him at the festival and asking “Where is that man?” And there was an undercurrent of discussion about him among the crowds. Some would say, “He is a good man”, others maintained that he was not, but that he was “misleading the people”. Nobody, however, spoke openly about him for fear of the Jews.”  John 7.10-13, Phillips

Ripples of reactions to Jesus were present within the throngs of pilgrims, even as they looked for him, sure that he must be among the people.  The religious people hated him, and were already planning to kill him.  Jesus interfered with their ways of doing things, and he called them on their impure motives and evil hearts.  Generally speaking, the Pharisees hated him because he dismantled their religious piety and legalism, in favor of a higher standard—rather than 613 points of religious law, he said that two were most important—love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, mind and strength, and love thy neighbor as thyself.  The very political Sadducees hated him because he threatened their comfortable positions; most of them were the priests in the synagogues and enjoyed prestige in their communities. 

Some reacted with a kind of prideful disdain because Jesus had no rabbinic credential . . . how could he teach them anything, much less require anything of them, when he was not well educated or culturally refined?  (can anything good come out of Nazareth?) 

And then some in the crowd looked at Jesus with keen interest.  First, for them he became a focal point, then a discussion, and perhaps a debate.  Some of these, in fact, deduced that he was not just a good man, but a righteous man, and could only be the Son of God, and they followed him.

I hope that is you, but if you are unsure about him, then at least investigate Jesus and his claims for yourself.  Give it all you’ve got, kinda like your life depends on it—because it does.

Christine