25 Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill? 26 But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? 27 However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from."
We are fickle people. Just a few verses previously, the people were accusing Jesus of being demon possessed for thinking someone was trying to kill him. Now they believe that the authorities are really trying to kill him. What happened between verse 20 and verse 25? As stated before, Jesus explained why “someone” was trying to kill him. It was because he broke the Sabbath. That was an “Ah Ha” moment for the crowd. They used logic. The only people who would want to kill someone for breaking the Sabbath would be the religious leaders, the authorities.
Continuing to think logically, they look at the circumstances of Jesus speaking publicly without being hindered and wonder if the authorities really understand that he is the Christ. Note that they aren’t sure since they pose it as a question. However, they don’t stop there. They add their own ignorance to the equation. They believe Jesus was born in Galilee as we will see in John 7:41. They think the Messiah will show up mysteriously. So, adding two wrong beliefs to the one truth, what happens? They get error.
This is a fundamental problem with human reasoning. We are fallen creatures so our reasoning can be faulty, though it isn’t always so. We can do math and always come up with the same answer. However, in human relationships we only need to add one erroneous thought or interpret a motivation and we have conflict and sin. We only need to get one error from a newsfeed to reinforce another and before you know it, you have a conspiracy theory. What comes next? Making bad decisions. What is the solution? Listen to Jesus.
28 Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. 29 But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."
Jesus said that they know him and where he is from. How can that be? They just said the opposite. I think Jesus is telling them that they need to go back to what he has already taught them. He isn’t talking about Galilee or Bethlehem; he is reiterating that he came from the Father. He has already explained this before when he was talking about being the bread of life. He is speaking to those in the crowd who understood this much.
Jesus didn’t come to the earth on his own initiative. The Father sent him. This is sometimes referred to as the Covenant of Redemption. In eternity past, the Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – made a covenant with each other to redeem lost mankind even before Adam and Eve were created. Jesus is giving us a glimpse of this when the tells us that the one who sent him is true. God is true and cannot lie so this covenant will be fulfilled. Jesus tells the truth that he has known the Father and is here doing the Father’s will. In telling them this, Jesus is explaining that he is part of this covenant and therefore God.
Speaking to those who don’t understand, he says that they don’t know him who sent him. This isn’t that they didn’t understand Jesus’ claim to be sent by the Father, but they don’t KNOW the Father. They have no relationship with him, though they go through all their religious ceremonies and still don’t know the Father. This is the problem with many in our churches today. They go through various religious ceremonies but don’t know Jesus or the Father. I’m not talking only about liturgical churches but even people who get caught up in religious fervor with hyped up music and flashing lights of modern worship. Many in these churches do know Jesus but for others, being members or attenders of these churches doesn’t mean they automatically know Jesus.
30 Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.
If there is any doubt about the sovereignty of God, then this should show who is in control. Just as Jesus simply walked away from a crowd that tried to kill him in Nazareth (Luke 4:29-30), he walked away from these. All the demons of hell could not kill Jesus before his appointed time. Jesus trusted the Father to accomplish his will in his timing. He wasn’t presumptuous as was indicated when he waited to come to the feast at the right time.
We should have the same confidence about our lives. Though our mission isn’t the same as Jesus’, our lives are still in the Father’s hands. A fundamental truth is given to us in Psalm 139:16, “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them” (ESV). From our very conception until our death, God is in control. This doesn’t mean we can be presumptuous and take risks that are foolish. But it does mean our days will not end until we reach that determined day. Even when violence done to us by evil people or “accidents” happen; it is all part of God’s plan.
31 And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?" 32 The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.
This is the way it works. Jesus loses some disciples because they can’t or won’t follow his teaching. They are the ones who only want the benefits of miracles. Here, Jesus reiterate he came from the Father and many look to the miracles to authenticate who Jesus is. They put their faith in him. They didn’t just believe but put their faith in him. Putting your faith in Jesus isn’t just believing about him, but it is putting your trust in him. It is trusting him for the forgiveness of sins, salvation from God’s wrath, and substituting his death for our, his righteousness for our unrighteousness, his Lordship for our rebellion, and eternal life for our deadness.
33 Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me. 34 You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."
Jesus has been telling everyone that he came from the Father and now he lets them know that he will be returning. This isn’t astounding especially for us who can look back in history to his death, resurrection, and ascension. But it is interesting that he tells them they will look for him, not find him, and can’t go to where he is going. Who is he talking to? Certainly, the disciples looked in the empty tomb and didn’t find him, yet we have the promise of being with him even as he promised the thief on the other cross.
Many people look for Jesus but don’t find him. There have been three “Quests for the historical Jesus[1]” The problem with these searches is that they are not trying to know Jesus but know about Jesus. They don’t believe that the information provided in the Bible is sufficient to know him because they are not focused on salvation. They won’t find Jesus if they can’t find him in the Bible. If they don’t know Jesus, they will not go to be with him when they die.
35 Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"
We are back to the reaction of the Jewish leaders. They miss the point that he said he will return to the one who sent him. Had they thought about that, they wouldn’t have speculated on where he was going. They are no different than the ones initiating the quests for the historical Jesus. They are working off flawed human reasoning adding their own error to what Jesus said. No one will come to Jesus if they don’t recognize he came from the Father and that he went back to the Father.
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