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Who was Jesus? What was His demeanor? How did He interact with others? Was He so persuasive and charismatic that He had no enemies? Today’s message will not address all these questions, but it will show that the popular perception of some that Jesus was some sort of a milquetoast pacifist does not square with the facts. In fact, today’s message will show that Jesus could even be seen as confrontational depending on which side of the truth a person comes down on!

The Feast of Tabernacles was the last of the three feasts of the Jews which had “mandatory attendance" stipulations (see Deuteronomy 16.16). All able bodied men were required to go to Jerusalem during this event just as they were for the previous two annual feasts (Passover and Pentecost). Jesus’ opponents were there and He knew it; in fact He had delayed His coming due to the opposition there and His desire to avoid early capture and death (consider the impact of John 7.1-8). Nevertheless Jesus did come to Jerusalem and He appeared at the temple just as the Law required.

“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?’” (John 7.28-31).

Notice that He was teaching in the temple; cowering in the corner was just not His style. Jesus was not one to back down from a fight if a fight was necessary. Notice also that He publicly rebuked some of His hearers by saying that they did not know the One who sent Him (God the Father); this was a slap in the face of the pious leaders who already had it in for Jesus. This comment simply poured salt in the wounds that were already there. Notice that the indignant rulers “sought to take him, but no one laid a hand on Him, because “…His hour had not yet come.”

Now consider the conclusion that others with an open heart reached. The text says that “…many of the people believed on Him.” Without stating such in so many words, John even gave the reason that so many believed. They asked a rhetorical question the answer to which prompted them to believe; here is their question: “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?” This question could not be truthfully answered in any way other than negatively! After all, what sign could anyone perform that would “top” the ones that Jesus had performed? How could any one do more than He had done? For instance there were occasions in His ministry that He healed all the sick in a given location – NO EXCEPTIONS (see Matthew 8.16; Matthew 14.35; Mark 1.32)! If Jesus worked miracles and He claimed to be Messiah, what sign could possibly disprove His claims? To ask the question is to answer it! Therefore, the people of open hearts and minds readily recognized Jesus as Messiah! This was their rationale and it was right!

So who was Jesus? He was, among other things, a straight-shooter who did not allow fear to interrupt His work and mission. He was a man who was accustomed to controversy and confrontation. He was a man whose purposes were not secret, but rather, were open for all to see and examine. Who was Jesus? He was God’s son and He proved His claims by the works that He did. He loved the souls of men and He loved truth equally; He refused to compromise one with a view toward saving the other!

Questions:

1. Why did no one lay their hands on Jesus while He was in Jerusalem?

2. Why were the leaders upset with Jesus for what He said in the temple?

3. Why or how did those who believed on Him come to believe that He was the Christ?

4. Why would it not be possible for someone to perform a sign or a group of signs that proved Jesus not to be Messiah?

"'Christ in You...'" from Dale Krebbs

The Saints Who Slept