John 7: 25-36

(John 7: 25-36)

 Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill?  But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ?  Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is.  Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not.  But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me.  Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come.  And many of the people believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done?  The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him; and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him.  Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me.  Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come.  Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles?  What manner of saying is this that he said, Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come?

Man's ignorance of God is with human history. There has never been a time in the history of mankind when God's will was fully realized, or even a few people knew it. This phenomenon is not because God has hidden himself. Every moment God revealed Himself to all mankind.

In Deuteronomy 7:9, 『Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; 』Hosea 6:3 says, 『Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. 』But the Israelites did not properly recognize God. And he always left God, rebelled, and betrayed. In Exodus 32:8『 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 』 Even though they were judged by God because of their sins committed by not knowing God properly, all mankind, including Jews, still repeat the mistake of not knowing God properly. The situation at that time also had a deep gap between Jesus and the large crowd around him. The Jewish religious leaders of Jesus' day were planning to kill Jesus. In addition, the crowd who followed Jesus at the time talked about Jesus' origin and background and said that it could not be the Christ.

『Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill? But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ? Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is. 』 Seeing the Jewish leaders who remain silent despite their intention to kill Jesus, the people of Jerusalem speak as if to boo the leaders who do nothing. They are puzzled by the authorities who do not capture Jesus with public power.

At the time, the inhabitants of Jerusalem knew physically where Jesus came from. However, they did not reach a deeper encounter with Jesus. Rather, the superficial knowledge of Jesus was acting as a factor that hindered the essential knowledge of Jesus. In the presence of silent and misrecognized religious leaders and crowds, Jesus' attitude teaches and speaks in the same context from the time of creation.

Recognizing that Jesus was from Nazareth in Galilee and being the son of a poor carpenter, we see that he led the religious leaders and crowds with a more important essence: 『Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye. know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not. But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me. 』The words of Jesus pinpoint the spiritual ignorance of the Jews.

Jesus says that if the Jews knew God as a true and right revelation giver, they would not know Himself. Jesus is a revelation of God, and even though they could see God through Jesus, if they knew only physical facts, they could not help reproach for spiritual ignorance. Jews who boast of being the chosen people did not really know God properly.

Jesus said that he truly knows God. “Oida”, the Greek word for “know”, means to get acquainted closely with the other person. He was saying that an essential knowledge, not a superficial knowing, exists between Jesus and God. In John 1:1, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 』

The response of the leaders to Jesus' words speaking of an essential knowledge of God is to devise an arrest so that Jesus no longer works freely. Jesus knew the end was coming. The timing is about six months left until the last Passover.

In that context, the Lord shows us the only way to know the true God. “Jesus said, “I will stay with you a little longer, and then I will return to the one who sent me. You will find me, but you will not meet, and you will not come where I am.” The kingdom of God can only be entered by the name of Jesus. If you oppose Jesus, no one can enter the kingdom of God, and you will face eternal punishment. Those who can rely on Jesus' name become Jesus' family.

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