May 13

John 7:40 - "On hearing his words, some of the people said, "Surely this man is the Prophet." Others said, "he is the Christ."

I often wonder why the Pharisees were so confused. They've been reading about the coming of the Messiah all of their lives. The religious leaders had the Talmud memorized by age 5. It always boggles my mind why they didn't recognize Jesus as their Messiah. As usual, I did a little reading to understand the difference between the "prophet" the Pharisees recognized Jesus as and "The Messiah" which they refused to believe He was. I learned that a prophet is the forth-teller of the will of God, the man who has lived so close to God that in limited capacity, through scripture reading, quiet time and studies, he has come to hear and recognize the voice of God. While this is all true of Jesus, here is the distinguishing difference which separates him. The prophet says: "Thus says the Lord." His authority, though from God, is borrowed and delegated. His message is not his own, he speaks only what he hears. Jesus on the other hand is saying: "I say unto you." He has the right to speak, not with a delegated authority, but with his own. Therein lies the difference and the problem which sent the Pharisees into a tizzy. Jesus speaks with his own authority as part of an intricate Trinity that the Pharisees just couldn't understand and refused to accept. Jesus talks about His Kingdom, ruled by principles that cannot be looked at through the lenses of this world. Nicodemus speaks up to defend Jesus (John 7:50). In that council of the Jewish authorities his was the lone voice raised in defense. There lies the duty of every one of us. The same way the Pharisees didn't understand the world around them 2000 years ago, is the way we don't understand the world around us now, unless we look at life through the eyes of Jesus. It is up to us, as disciples of Jesus to point to scripture which reveals our Messiah. Lord, I pray, let us be your voice calling and your feet walking into a broken world.

Randi