“Is this not He whom they seek to kill? But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him" (John 7:25–26).
Unlike some of the crowds from other regions, the citizens from Jerusalem were more informed about the intentions of the Jewish leaders. They realized that the claims Jesus was making, if they were not true, would not be tolerated by the religious authorities of the day. Because they knew this to be the case, the people of Jerusalem wondered why Jesus was allowed to continue teaching, especially after having made scathing accusations concerning the Pharisee’s inconsistency in keeping the Sabbath. They, therefore, begin to speculate that maybe the religious establishment was beginning to think that Jesus might indeed be the Messiah.
The people of Jerusalem, however, did not believe that the Pharisees could have come to this conclusion because they knew Jesus was from Nazareth. The popular theology of the day was that the earthly origin of the Messiah would not be known; this idea, however, was not supported biblically. The other idea concerning the Messiah was more in line with the Scriptures, that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem. But the people did not make this connection with Jesus who was from Nazareth.
As the people wrangled over the question of His origin, Jesus passionately cried out against them. They were so concerned with earthly things that they missed the spiritual reality concerning Jesus’ origin. He was commissioned by God Himself—that was His origin, and His miracles testified to that fact. This claim only infuriated the religious leaders further; and while some in the crowd believed Him, most despised Him and sought to kill Him. But He escaped because “His hour had not yet come.”
This may explain why the Pharisees allowed Him to continue. It was probably not indecision on their part, but God restrained them because Jesus’ hour had not yet come. Jesus’ ministry would go forth without interruption until God determined it should end. He would continue to preach boldly, and He would escape the deadly clutches of those who sought to kill Him. This should be an encouragement to all who preach in the face of persecution. No matter how much opposition you face, if God has ordained it to be so, the Word will go forth.
David said that he could speak confidently before kings because he had been commissioned by God Himself. God had called him and God would determine when his end would come. Jesus possessed this same confidence. Pray that you will stand up for the truth because you trust in an Almighty God.
