Dig Deeper:
HE DESCENDED INTO HELL: We recite this line of the Apostle's Creed to signify that the expression Jesus quoted from Psalm 22 in which He asks why God has forsaken Him means Jesus experienced the full wrath of God for our sin. But Jesus' hell was more than just what He experienced on the cross. He was going through a hellish experience at the beginning of today's chapter. Look at how chapter six ends: many of His followers turned away from Him (v66), and even though the Twelve stay loyal at this point, Jesus lets them know that one of them is a devil. Things we're bad enough on their own even before Jesus' brothers show up in chapter 7.
KICKING HIM WHILE HE'S DOWN: It's hard to know if Jesus' brothers we're taunting Him in v3-4, as if they said 'look at you... you want to be king! Go ahead, go down to Judea where they want to kill you; at least you'll get noticed there.' Or perhaps they were genuine in their advice and support even if they didn't understand His mission. Either way, the one thing Jesus knew for sure during this depressing point in His life is that "even His own brothers did not believe Him (v5)."
DOESN'T THE BIBLE SAY SOMEWHERE THAT... I've heard people use that phrase to justify one thing or another often. They 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?
A BOLD INVITATION: There's all sorts of drama and intrigue going on in this chapter about who Jesus actually is and the establishment's efforts to arrest and kill Him. In the middle of all this tension, "Jesus stood and shouted out... (v37)" inviting all to drink of His living water. As the busyness of the Christmas season heats up, don't miss Jesus' voice shouting out to you.
Follow the AAA Prayer Pattern:
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our all knowing Father who sent us His Son
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask the Spirit to bless and grow your reading of His Word.
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
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