Sometimes having a vague idea of what the Bible says is worse than having no idea at all.
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Previous DIG DEEPER posts on John
John 7 Summary
As you begin reading chapter seven, it's important to remember how things were going at the end of chapter six. There Jesus slowed down His miracle output in order to teach the people at a deeper level, but once He struck a nerve with them and began talking about seemingly weird things like eating His flesh and drinking His blood, people begin to leave Him in droves (6:66).
Now even Jesus' own brothers kick Him while He's down as they demonstrate their unbelief by goading Him to jump back into the fray where the establishment wants to kill Him.
After initially ignoring His brothers' unwise temptations to draw attention to Himself, Jesus ends up going to Jerusalem incognito. He resumes teaching near the temple, so the establishment sends out their brute squad to arrest Him. Yet Jesus' teaching is so compelling that these goons return empty handed because even they were swayed by what Jesus said.
John makes one of the biggest understatements ever in v43:
So there was a division among the people over him.
That division continues today. Which group do you fall into: the crowd that wanted more spectacular miracles, the establishment that wanted Jesus out of the way, or the minority who truly believe and are ready to pick up their crosses and follow Him?
Dig Deeper
People often think they know what the Bible says, but can't remember exactly. Sometimes they're right, and just don't know the exact chapter and verse, while other times they'll quote a saying like 'a penny saved is a penny earned' as if it's Biblical.
The Jews in Jerusalem had the same problem. They thought they knew what Scripture said: that no one will know where the Christ will have come from (v27), and that the Christ certainly will not come from Galilee (v41).
The problem is that Scripture doesn't say those things. In this case, the Jews missed the most important person in history standing right in front of them because they had a poor understanding of the Bible.
What blessings are you missing out on if you don't have a firm understanding of God's Word?
AAA Prayer :
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, the giver of the bread of life (v32)
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that God grants you the ability to do His work - that is believing with your whole being in the one He sent (v29)
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
