Pursuing God’s ideas. Not our own.

John 7.14-18.

After Jesus decided he was in fact going to Jerusalem for Sukkót, he went privately, (KJV “as it were in secret”) Jn 7.9 and at first people weren’t sure he was there. Till he started teaching in temple.

I need to remind you synagogues were not “Jewish churches.” Today’s synagogues get that way sometimes, but in the first century they were Pharisee schools, created and run by Pharisees to ensure future generations knew the Law of Moses and followed it. Specifically, followed it the way Pharisees taught it; Jesus has his own interpretations. Hence they butted heads.

There were also prejudices among Judean Pharisees about the quality of education you’d find among Galilean Pharisees. So when the Judeans listened to Jesus, they immediately realized here’s a guy who knew as much as, if not way more than, any of their scribes. But Jesus grew up in the Galilee, in Galilean synagogues. Not Judean synagogues; not any of the Jerusalem academies of higher learning. Therefore he must surely be “uneducated”—a presumption they’d later make about Jesus’s students. Ac 4.13

John 7.14-15 KWL

14Now at the middle of the festival,

Jesus is going into the temple campus

and is teaching.

15So the Judeans are amazed, saying,

“This person knew the classics? How?

He wasn’t educated in academy.”

“The classics” is how I translated γράμματα/grámmata (KJV “letters”). The word literally refers to letters of the alphabet, but it’s a Greek euphemism for literature. Not automatically Greek literature—they weren’t saying Jesus knew Homer, Plato, Sophocles, and Thucydides—though the Judeans did study that stuff, and the Pharisees used the Socratic method to train their disciples in critical thinking. More likely they referred to Pharisee literature; the teachings of their rabbis which later became the Mishna.

Unfortunately, various anti-intellectual Christians make the very same presumption about Jesus and his students, and will regularly preach, “These were uneducated, illiterate men!” Then use this to justify their own lack of education—and how their ignorance shouldn’t stop them from coming to conclusions about science, economics, politics, or God. You’ve seen Twitter; you know what I mean.

As for “illiterate men”: These guys wrote the New Testament. And no, they didn’t just hire secretaries to make up for an inability to read: Synagogues taught reading. If you were gonna follow the Law, they expected you to be able to read it! Jesus could read, Lk 4.16 and what kind of sucky teacher would he be if he couldn’t? Or if his students likewise couldn’t?

Jesus was educated enough to engage Pharisee scribes on their level. Above their level; he knew more than them, and could quote their own rabbis back at them. Mk 7.11 But the reason he’s smarter and wiser than they, is because he knows his Father. And they didn’t. Claimed to, but didn’t.

John 7.16-18 KWL

16In reply Jesus tells them, “My teaching isn’t mine,

but from God who sends me.

17When anyone wants to do God’sᴾ will,

they’ll know about the teaching—

whether it’s from God,

or whether I speak on my own.

18Speaking on one’s own

seeks only one’s own opinion.

Seeking the opinion of the one who sent him—

this person is true,

and there’s nothing unjust in them.”¹

See, Jesus teaches the scriptures and the Law correctly because he cares about what God thinks of it. (And yeah, since he’s God, it’s also what he thinks of it. But that wasn’t what the Judeans needed to hear at that time.) He seeks his Father’s opinion on the matter. The Pharisees only sought their own opinions.

Like many people, Christians included, they were self-promoting: They wanted to be recognized for their own wisdom and insight, and be lauded as great teachers. And if you wanna stand out, you gotta be different. Not necessarily in a good way. It’s always easier to be weird for weirdness’s sake, to pitch novel ideas for novelty’s sake, to be a naysayer just to trigger controversy and debate, to claim “I’m just trying to be thought provoking” when really we’re just throwing intellectual grenades.

Many bibles translate δόξαν/dóxan, “opinion,” as “glory”—

John 7.18 ESV

“The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.”

—and yeah, there’s overlap in these ideas. People promoting their own opinions so they can become known as wise sages. Problem is, we’re wrong. When we teach our own ideas instead of God’s, we’re gonna teach wrongness. Not necessarily lies. Some of us, like politicians, lie to promote political allies or selfish agendas; the rest are unwittingly wrong, and spreading falsehoods because we never bother to fact-check ourselves. But in general we just promote wrong ideas, which is why I really don’t care for the ESV’s “falsehood” as an interpretation of ἀδικία/adikía, “not right” (KJV “unrighteousness”). It’s not mere falseness. We’re doing the wrong thing instead of the right thing. We’re unjust.

So why’s Jesus the best teacher ever? Because he seeks his Father. And, he points out, everyone else who truly and selflessly seeks our Father who sent us, gets it right.

When Jesus said he wouldn’t go… and did.

John 7.1-13.

When you read the synoptic gospels (meaning Mark, Matthew, and Luke, the three which sync up a lot), you might get the idea Jesus only went to Jerusalem once—to get arrested and crucified.

That’d be historically inaccurate. Jesus obeyed the Law, and the Law decreed every adult male should go to temple three times a year for the festivals. Dt 16.16 Hence Jesus went to Jerusalem a lot, and John—which largely takes place in Jerusalem, at those festivals—fills in the blanks of what happened during those many Jerusalem trips.

Including when Jesus cured that one blind guy. The context of that story was when he went to Jerusalem one year for Sukkót. That trip began a few chapters back; since I skipped that part I figure I’d better backtrack. Here y’go.

John 7.1-13 KWL

1After these things, Jesus is traveling the Galilee,

for he doesn’t want to travel in Judea,

because the Judeans are seeking to kill him.

2Tabernacles, the Judean festival, is approaching.

3So Jesus’sᴾ brothers are telling him,

“Leave here and go to Judea,

so your¹ students will also see the works which you¹ do,

4for nobody works in private

if he wants to get attention.

If you¹ do these things,

show yourself¹ to the world!”

5For not even Jesus’sᴾ brothers are believing in him,

6so Jesus tells them, “My time is not yet now.

Your² time is always here.

7The world can’t hate you.²

It hates me because I testify about it—

that its works are evil.

8You² go up to the festival.

I’m not going up to this festival,

for my time isn’t full yet.”

9This said, Jesusᴾ stays in the Galilee.

10Once Jesus’sᴾ brothers go up to the festival,

then he also goes up—

not publicly, but {like} in private.

11So the Judeans are seeking Jesusᴾ at the festival,

and are saying, “Where is that person?”

12Much grumbling about Jesusᴾ

is happening in the crowds.

On the one hand, some are saying he’s good;

others are saying, “No, but he misleads the crowd.”

13Nonetheless, no one is boldly speaking about Jesus,ᴾ

out of fear of the Judeans.

I’ll admit right now: This story has always kinda bothered me. ’Cause y’notice Jesus initially told his brothers, “You go to the festival; I’m not going.” Then, one verse later, he goes—“as it were in secret,” as the King James Version puts it. On face value, it totally looks like Jesus lied to his brothers and snuck to the festival.

I know, I know: Christ Jesus never sinned. He 4.15 I’m not claiming otherwise. I don’t think the passage is claiming otherwise either. Certainly no Christian is gonna interpret it that way. But anybody who honestly looks at this passage—including skeptics who have no qualms about accusing Jesus of all sorts of things—are gonna come right out and say, “Looks like Jesus deceived his brothers.” (That is, once pagans get over their initial surprise: “Wait, Jesus has brothers? I thought he was an only child!”)

So instead of letting little doubts poke at the back of our minds for no good reason, let’s deal with this bible difficulty today.

God’s grace is sufficient: What we mean, what Paul meant.

2 Corinthians 12.9.

Recently I wrote about Paul’s thorn in the flesh, and praying about our own thorns in the flesh. Contrary to popular belief, Paul wasn’t talking about an illness or ailment he was suffering, but a person. Which is why Jesus didn’t cure him—there was nothing to cure but Paul’s attitude about this person.

Problem is, people are really insistent this passage is about an illness. And about how sometimes God won’t cure us, so we gotta accept that. Y’ain’t getting nothing but his grace, honey.

We’ve even made “My grace is sufficient for thee” 2Co 12.9 KJV a whole theme in Christendom. Frequently reworded: “Your grace is enough for me,” or “His grace is sufficient.” People don’t even quote the entire verse; just the “grace is sufficient” bit. And whenever we pull it out of context, we mean one of two things.

Most of the time it’s used to state God’s grace is sufficient for salvation. It’s a reminder we humans can’t save ourselves from sin and death, no matter how many good deeds we do; and that’s fine ’cause God does all the saving. He applies Jesus’s atonement to our sins, takes care of it, forgives us utterly; all we need is God’s grace. It’s sufficient. It does the job.

Great is your faithfulness oh God

You wrestle with the sinner’s heart

You lead us by still waters into mercy

And nothing can keep us apart

So remember your people

Remember your children

Remember your promise, oh God

Your grace is enough

Your grace is enough

Your grace is enough

Your grace is enough for me

—Matt Maher, “Your Grace Is Enough,” 2008

Is this what Jesus means by “grace is sufficient”? Not even close. While the idea we’re entirely saved by God’s grace is entirely true, the basis for this idea isn’t at all the verse where we find the words “grace is sufficient.” It comes from other verses, like “By grace are ye saved,” Ep 2.8 KJV —not good works. I say more about that elsewhere

The rest of the time, “grace is sufficient” is used to say God will provide all our needs. ’Cause he’s gracious, generous, watches over us, answers prayers, cures our illnesses, guides our steps: We figure when we have God, we don’t need anything else. A self-sufficient person doesn’t need help, and neither does a God-sufficient person, ’cause God has us covered. Different worship song:

Jehovah Jireh, my provider

His grace is sufficient for me, for me, for me

Jehovah Jireh, my provider

His grace is sufficient for me

My God shall supply all my needs

According to his riches in glory

He will give his angels charge over me

Jehovah Jireh cares for me, for me, for me

Jehovah Jireh cares for me

—Don Moen, “Jehovah Jireh,” 1986

Horrible pronunciation of YHWH-yiréh aside, which I remind you isn’t one of God’s names but a name of an altar, Ge 22.14 the problem is this also has nothing to do with what Paul meant by “grace is sufficient.”

But you know how songs are. Once a catchy one gets in your head, it’s hard to shake the song away… much less the inaccurate bible interpretations which come along with it. Just because K-LOVE plays it twice an hour, doesn’t mean it’s theologically sound: It’s a radio network, not a church. They’re not pastors; they’re programmers. They’re here to entertain Christians, not disciple us. They don’t know any better. All the more reason we gotta be careful about Christian music.

But I digress. Time to get to the context.

The Lᴏʀᴅ sends fire.

1 Kings 18.36-40.

In proposing this contest between the LORD and Baal—which of these gods could set fire to his offering—Elijah wasn’t just putting God’s reputation on the line, but his own. Baal was silent, but if the LORD had been silent too, it wasn’t like the people of Israel would throw up their hands and say, “It’s a draw.” They’d just presume neither Baal nor the LORD thought their contest was worth their divine time, and simply continue with the status quo.

Only problem with the status quo: The LORD’s prophets were getting persecuted and killed. And here’s a prophet of the LORD who suggested his God would make fire, but he didn’t… and hey, didn’t Moses say we’re supposed to kill false prophets?

So yep, Elijah’s life was at stake over this one. Which is why it was only fair when Baal lost the contest, that his prophets should suffer the very same fate they intended to inflict upon Elijah.

Anyway, let’s check out where the LORD came through for Elijah:

1 Kings 18.36-40 KWL

36The time to offer the sacrifice came,

and Elijah the prophet came near.

He said, “YHWH, god of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,

make it known today:

You’re¹ God in Israel,

and I am your¹ slave,

and I did all these deeds by your¹ word.

37Answer me, YHWH, answer me,

and the people might know you,¹

the god YHWH;

you¹ who make their hearts repent.”

38YHWH’s fire fell.

It consumed the offering,

the wood,

the stones,

the dirt,

and licked up the water in the trench.

39All the people saw,

fell on their faces,

and said, “YHWH, he is God!

YHWH, he is God!”

40Elijah told them, “Seize Baal’s prophets.

Don’t let any of them escape.”

They seized them.

Elijah brought them down to the wadi Qišón.

He slaughtered them there.

Jesus is preparing a place for us. [Jn 14.1-3]

John 14.1-3 KJV

1Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

 

Jesus made this statement the night he was betrayed; since Jews figured days began and ended at sunset, this’d also be the day he died. He had just told them he was leaving, and they couldn’t follow; Jn 13.33 Simon Peter protested he’d follow him anywhere, and Jesus told him he wouldn’t last the night. Jn 13.37-38 But the very next verse, he said, “Let not your heart be troubled,” and the rest. He wasn’t leaving them forever; he’d be back. And when he was raptured a month and a half later, he again isn’t leaving us forever; he’ll be back.

What’s he doing in the meanwhile? Well, directing his church. Advocating for us with his Father. 1Jn 2.2 And as he tells the first Christians in this passage, getting our place ready in New Heaven.

Because the KJV translates μοναὶ/moné, “rooms,” as “mansions”—which, in King James English, meant “suite” or “apartment,” not “massive house”—you’ll hear many a Christian claim when we get to New Heaven we’re each getting a big giant house. A big giant house within our Father’s house? Well, they figure, our Father’s house is all of heaven, so yeah.

But the materialistic dream of a big giant house is a fleshly desire; same as a lot of the other Christian myths about what heaven will be like. These same Christians keep talking about receiving a golden crown covered in jewels; a jewel for every person we led to Jesus. Sometimes they say once we get these crowns, we’ll just give ’em back to Jesus, like the 24 elders and their crowns. Rv 4.10 Jesus does talk about giving us crowns, Rv 2.10, 3.11 as do the apostles, 1Co 9.25, 2Ti 4.8, Jm 1.12, 1Pe 5.4 but there’s nothing about ’em being gold; they’re the leafy crowns which represent victory, not monarchy. There’s so much Mammonism in popular depictions of heaven; so much talk about our “heavenly reward” and wealth and luxury. But the actual point of New Heaven is we get to live there with Jesus. He wants the same thing he’s always wanted: For us to be where he is; for him to be our God, and we to be his people. Ex 6.7, Lv 26.12, Jr 7.23, 11.4, 30.22, Ek 36.28

If that’s not what we want as well—if all our hopes and dreams about heaven involve material wealth—good gravy are we so not gonna be ready for it. Or happy there. Might be better off outside it.

Praying about thorns in the flesh.

2 Corinthians 12.6-10.

There’s a popularly misinterpreted paragraph Paul wrote about a person he described as “a thorn in the flesh.” Most of the time when you hear people interpret this passage, they claim it’s about some chronic ailment Paul had. Usually they speculate it’s eye damage from when Jesus blinded him that one time; Ac 9.8-9 as if when Ananias later cured him, Ac 9.17-18 he only cured him partway. But nope; Paul was writing about a really annoying person. Someone who was trying to derail his ministry.

2 Corinthians 12.6-10 KWL

6For whenever I want to be proud,

I won’t be a fool,

for I’ll speak truth.

I desist lest anyone considers me greater than I am,

who sees or hears {something} of me

7and the amazing revelations.

This is why, lest I get conceited,

a “thorn in the flesh” was given me—

Satan’s angel, who might punch me

lest I get conceited.

8Thrice I begged the Master about it,

so it might leave me.

9And the Master told me,

“My grace should satisfy you,

for {my} power is perfected by weakness.”

So I will gladly be more proud of my weaknesses,

so Christ’s power might abide in me.

10So I’m pleased with weakness for Christ—

in hubris, compulsions, persecutions, difficulties.

For whenever I am weak,

then I am strong.

I mean, I get why people presume this is a sickness; ἀσθένεια/asthéneia tends to be translated “sickness, disease, ailment, illness.” Properly it’s anything which affects your strength, but usually that’s disease. And a thorn in the flesh does sound like a chronic disease; like arthritis, a bad back, or poor vision 12 centuries before eyeglasses were invented.

But consider the context of this passage. Paul had just been talking about all the persecution he underwent because he preached the gospel. 2Co 11.23-27 Some of those things were physical ailments—because he got flogged, caned, stoned, shipwrecked and forced to swim for it, hungry, thirsty, cold, or weary. Physical hardship comes with the job.

So in this text, the “thorn in the flesh” describes a person or people who “gets under our skin”—yep, exactly like a thorn—and just bugs us. Often maliciously, but sometimes not. I’ve had coworkers who were really annoying people; they weren’t trying to be, but they simply didn’t think about anyone but themselves, and naturally this unrelenting selfishness made them an irritant. Lots of people are self-centered like that. I’m betting you can immediately think of at least one.

Sometimes they’re trying to be malicious. They wanna get in our way, wanna see our downfall. Not necessarily political opponents, although that’d be the first thing most people think of nowadays. Sometimes religious opponents—people who have their own inadequate or false religious practices, who don’t want you preaching the true gospel. Or people who would rather they preach the gospel than you; they’re jealous.

Now to be fair, sometimes they don’t want it to be you because you’re a jerk; you lack the maturity to fulfill your anointing, and need to stay back from leadership till you’re properly ready. Paul definitely had that problem when he first became Christian; both the Damascenes and Jerusalemites wanted to kill him because of the bold, argumentative way he preached. Ac 9.23, 9.29 It’s why the Twelve sent him back to Tarsus. Ac 9.30 Those are problems of our own making, but it’s fair to say by the time Paul and Timothy wrote 2 Corinthians, they were more mature than that.

In Paul’s day, when freedom of religion was barely a thing, such people who might even want to see us dead, and even think they’re doing this for God. And as Jesus said, no they don’t know God. Jn 16.2 They only imagine they do, but they’ve been following their own fleshly desires for a good long time, and have ’em completely confused with God’s will.

The repentant taxmen and soldiers.

Luke 3.12-14.

The gospel of Matthew doesn’t tell us about the crowd of repentant Israelis asking John the baptist what they now should do. Doesn’t have him tell people to share their extra tunics. Doesn’t have him say this part either, when repentant taxmen and soldiers ask him how they’re now to live.

Luke 3.12-14 KWL

12Taxmen are also coming to be baptized,

and tell Johnᴾ, “Teacher, what might we do?”

13John is telling them,

“Do nothing more than your² orders.”

14Soldiers are also questioning Johnᴾ,

saying, “And we? What might we do?”

John is telling them, “Shake no one down,

nor extort silver from anyone.

Be content with your² salary.”

The gospels say the crowd had come to John to repent, but in the Jesus movies, they’re doing no such thing. They’re sitting on the riverside, watching other people come to John. Meanwhile they stand back and watch, grumbling, all judgey. In the gospels when John addresses the Pharisees and Sadducees, he’s speaking to the religious folks who are coming out into the water to receive his baptism. Not skeptics on the shore; that’s in John. In the synoptics, the Pharisees and Sadducees received his message—and John’s challenging them to actually live lifestyles of repentance.

Hence the question, “What might we do?” Now that we’re following God, how ought we live? And John went right for the most obvious deficiency in their lifestyle and character. He went right for the throat of Mammon.

Yep, Mammon. Money’s always been a rival with God for our affections. Was in Moses’s day, was in John’s, is in ours. So John told the people they oughta share what they had. Told the taxmen they oughta stop charging people more than what the Romans expected. Told the soldiers they oughta stop angling for bribes and extorting evildoers, and be content with what they were paid. These are money temptations. So, y’know, Mammonism.

Most of the time, the first thing we go after when we’re instructing new Christians, is we try to get ’em to come to church, read their bibles, pray regularly—to get in the basic habits of the Christian religion. Which is fine! We should teach all that stuff. But we’re not always that great at reminding them to resist basic temptations. Or if we do, it’s usually Ten Commandments stuff like no theft, no murder, no adultery, no coveting, and no idolatry. We don’t go on a frontal assault against their very biggest idols, and if they’re from the United States, these idols would be their stomachs, their wallets, and their teams—athletic and political.

John, same as his fellow biblical prophets, went good ’n hard against the biggest idol Israel had: Wealth. That’s what they coveted: Enough money to buy off the Romans and make their lives comfortable. That’s what got Israelis to turn their backs on their own people and work as tax-gatherers for the despised Romans. That’s what got people to leave their homelands and join the Roman army and hope to gain Roman citizenship: People got rich doing that, and they wanted some of those riches too.

But our treasure is in God, and if we wanna follow him, we gotta put our wealth under his feet too. And stop doing every morally questionable, evil compromise we can, just to get at that wealth. Be good for once.