“Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didnʼt you bring him in?” “No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards replied. “You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted. “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.” Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?” They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.” Then they all went home,” John 7:45-53
A true encounter with Jesus demands a response . . .the Pharesees (religous leaders) found this out!
Understanding some of these passages are easier if you understand the different characters that are involved. For example, the temple guards, really police, were part of the Hebrew religous system. They were not the same as the Roman soldiers, but they had authority to arrest violaters, but not prosecute them. Their main political function was to make sure that nothing happened at the temple that would bring the day-to-day happenings of the Temple to the attention of the Romans. If the Romans had to become involved, suspension of religious freedom would most likely result. Punishment could be as severe has mass crucifixions, so the temple guards tried really hard to keep things under control.
In this instance, when the guards returned to the Pharisees or religious leaders, the leaders asked, “why did you not arrest and bring Jesus in?” The guard’s reply indicated but they were somewhat confused as to who Jesus was. He seemed good and gentle, so why arrest Him? The leaders retorted, “we hope you haven’t been “deceived” the way the ignorant crowds have been.
At this point Nicodemus who had a approached Jesus in John chapter 3, commented, “we cannot arrest and retain a man without due process can we?” His implication was that Jesus had done nothing to be arrested for! Now, even though Nicodemus was one of them – one of the religions leaders, the other religious leaders began to rain their fury on him. “You haven’t become a follower of Jesus have you? You’re not a Galilean who are you? Check out the scriptures – it says nothing about the Messiah coming from Galilee!” (52, my narration)
Sadly, chapter 7 ends with everyone disputing each other and simply says “and they all went home” (vs 53).
A true encounter with Jesus elicits some kind of response. To NOT respond is to respond negitively because the call of Jesus on your life is very compelling!
The message of Jesus brings you face to face with the reality that we all need Him. We need Him as the remedy for our sin. We need Him as the curse-Breaker in our life and even the curse-Reverser.
All of us are broken in some way and we need Jesus as our Healer. Every encounter demands a response-respond positively to Him today!
Think about it!
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