Based on John 7:25-36 (New King James Version)
“Now some of them from Jerusalem said, ‘Is this not He whom they seek to kill? But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.’ Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, ‘You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.’ Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. And many of the people believed in Him, and said, ‘When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?’ The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me. You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come.’ Then the Jews said among themselves, ‘Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What is this thing that He said, ‘You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come’?”
I remember that I had a stage in life during my early childhood years where I ate very little, especially healthy food. I detested eating vegetables and other foods that were good for me. I was awful! My parents tried to make me eat going about it in a nice way, and not so nice way, but nothing worked. I think the only thing they didn’t try was knocking me out with anesthesia and feeding me intravenously. As a few years went by, and because of weakness and having exposed myself to extreme and unexpected cold weather, I got very sick. And because of that, I nearly lost my life. If it wasn’t for the divine power of the Lord upon my life, I would not be telling this story today.
What was my problem? Why didn’t I choose to eat well while things were still ok, and avoid getting sick? It was explained thousands of times to me that I had to eat because it was good for me, so I could grow and avoid getting sick. Even though I was a child, I was old enough to understand what was being said. It wasn’t a question of lack of intellect. It wasn’t because I was being told to do something that was beyond my physical reach, because my parents always found a way to have good food for me every day. It wasn’t that I lacked the aptitude or ability to be able to eat, because I had my hands and my mouth. I had very good teeth (I would bite my sister sometimes when we would fight. She’ll tell you I had excellent teeth). I was able to see what was put in front of me. And sometimes, to try to convince me to eat, they would try to make food look nice, and pretty, and appetizing. So, what was my problem? I didn’t like the flavor or the sensations that many foods gave me. It was simple obstinance. I didn’t like it, and no one was going to force me to do something I didn’t like, neither trying it the easy way and even far less, doing it the hard way. And this foolish obstinance nearly took me to the grave while still being young. What does this have to do with today’s passage?
We read that many people would ask themselves if Jesus was the Christ. We see that some people looked to kill Him. Others were indecisive. Others maybe believed, but not enough to leave everything and follow Him; without complete surrender. And similar to the problem I had with food, people not being able to accept Jesus as the Messiah did not involve a lack of learning, or a problem of not being able to understand, or a problem with a lack of capacity of being able to believe. Nothing physically or mentally was impeding them from believing as they should. There were no mechanical impediments, per se. Because the Lord Himself declared this: “You both know Me, and you know where I am from…” So, if the Lord said so, then it was so. God doesn’t make mistakes. The root for such disbelief was sin. Sin within people is what interfered with being able to believe as is necessary. Now, we need to make a distinction within sin itself. We need to dissect sin per se. We need to understand something important. Within our being, there is such a thing as choice, the ability to reason and make decisions despite what we may be feeling or wanting. The sin that does not let a person make the decision to believe is pride. Even though a person knows what is good, they simply refuse to do it or believe it because they feel they have the power to do so. So then, it’s not necessarily the other types of sin that limit faith. Pride against God is the most destructive of all sins. It’s when a person says within themselves, “I don’t want to believe because I don’t feel like believe,” or “I won’t surrender to the Lord because I want to do whatever I want to do.” The sin of pride is synonymous with rebellion. And if you ask a person why they don’t believe, if they were sincere, they would say, “I choose not to believe because I can, and that’s it.”
The Bible teaches us that when the Lord really loves us, but has to deal with the sin of pride, He tries to break that pride. It’s not that He likes to break us, because God is love, but rather, the level of pride a person has is what determines this. This is what the Scriptures tell us regarding His so-called people’s sin: “Hear this, O priests! Take heed, O house of Israel! Give ear, O house of the king! For yours is the judgment, because you have been a snare to Mizpah and a net spread on Tabor. The revolters are deeply involved in slaughter, though I rebuke them all. I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me; for now, O Ephraim, you commit harlotry; Israel is defiled. They do not direct their deeds toward turning to their God, for the spirit of harlotry is in their midst, and they do not know the Lord. The pride of Israel testifies to his face; therefore Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity; Judah also stumbles with them. With their flocks and herds they shall go to seek the Lord, but they will not find Him; He has withdrawn Himself from them. They have dealt treacherously with the Lord, for they have begotten pagan children. Now a New Moon shall devour them and their heritage. Blow the ram’s horn in Gibeah, the trumpet in Ramah! Cry aloud at Beth Aven, ‘Look behind you, O Benjamin!’ Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke; among the tribes of Israel I make known what is sure. The princes of Judah are like those who remove a landmark; I will pour out My wrath on them like water. Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked by human precept. Therefore I will be to Ephraim like a moth, and to the house of Judah like rottenness. When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria and sent to King Jareb; yet he cannot cure you, nor heal you of your wound. For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them and go away; I will take them away, and no one shall rescue. I will return again to My place till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.” Hosea 5. The Lord gives opportunity, but He warns that there is a limit also, and that you need to look for Him while the opportunity is still there. For it is written: “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.” Isaiah 55:6. If a person has too much pride, the Lord’s calling may end at some point. When does this happen? Only God knows. So then, are you trying to overcome the sin of pride within you so you can desire Jesus, as is necessary? Lord bless! John