As we continue our look at John’s gospel, we find ourselves at the conclusion of Jesus’ time at the Festival of Booths in Jerusalem. If you will recall, Jesus has come to this festival and begun speaking very openly and publically about who he is, who sent him, and what he is to accomplish. The chief priests and the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the day, have become quite tired of all of the talking that Jesus has been doing. They noticed that there were those who were starting to really listen to and believe the things that this man was telling them. So, they ordered guards to arrest Jesus. Jesus delays their arresting him by saying something that quite honestly confuses everyone there. He says, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. You will see me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” The confusion experienced by the people around extends to the guards who have been tasked with arresting Jesus. They don’t understand what he’s talking about by saying that he’s leaving, seeing as he’s fixing to be arrested. Even if he were to escape from them, what does he mean by saying that they won’t be able to find him and that you cannot go where he is going?
You see, many of those gathered around Jesus thought that he was simply speaking about fleeing from Jerusalem at this time. They thought that he was going out to what was referred to as the Dispersion or Diaspora among the Greeks; the Greek-speaking Jews. These were Jews who dwelt beyond the borders of Israel. They were similar to how folks may live in a particular county or parish, but that doesn’t mean that they are similar to those in the major city of that region. Think about that election night coverage that you watched so closely and were confused by. An entire area of a state would vote one way, but the metropolitan area at the center was completely the opposite. This was the case with the citizens of Jerusalem and those living outside the borders of Israel. They were still Jews, but they were a seemingly very different people. It may be perfectly clear to us what Jesus is saying to the people gathered around him, but they cannot even begin to imagine the magnitude of what the man standing before them is speaking about and what will be accomplished through it.
Jesus then goes on to speak about something that we have heard him mention before, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Do you remember our look at the fourth chapter of this gospel and Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman? When we looked at this we said that Jesus was the ultimate quencher of spiritual thirst and that drinking the water that he is offering was enough to keep us full and save us from going thirsty ever again, and least spiritually speaking. Now, we also need to understand that this was a special day during this particular festival; John tells us that this is the last day of the feast. You see, on the last day of the feast, great crowds would gather into Jerusalem for a sacred ceremony of the outpouring of the water, which symbolized the water flowing from the rock in Exodus 17; a truly solemn scene. And it is here where Jesus begins all of this talk about coming to him if you are thirsty. This no doubt infuriated the religious officials within Jerusalem.
The people of Jerusalem, having seen all of these things take place over the last few days; all the preaching, teaching, confrontations, near arrests, and interruptions of ceremonies, are now divided as to what to think about all of this. There are those who are now shouting that Jesus is the Christ, the promised Messiah. There are those who are still stuck on his region of origin and saying that there is no way that he can be who he claims to be. There are those who think that Christ has come to set them free, and there are those who want him arrested (and potentially killed) for what they have just witnessed. However, despite the rabid nature in which some people are now looking upon Jesus with, no one lays a hand on him.
We see that the priests and the Pharisees are none-to-pleased with the guards when they show back up without Jesus in their custody. They become even more upset when the guards’ reason for not having him is because, “No one ever spoke like this man!” They claim Jesus to be a liar and a deceiver. When one of their own, Nicodemus, speaks up not necessarily on Jesus’ behalf, but from a place of keeping an open mind, they quickly condemn him. You see, the chief priests and the Pharisees, and even some of those in the crowd in Jerusalem, were completely closed to the possibility of Christ actually being the Messiah. As I mentioned earlier, it’s easy for us to sit and criticize from our point-in-time and say that everyone should have believed. However, couldn’t that be said today too? Could we not say that it is even more foolish for people to not believe in Christ in this day-and-age considering all of the information that is out there and the familiarity that so many have with Christ and the gospel? There are tons of people out there who claim themselves to not believe in Christ, yet they know even more of what Scripture says than some professing Christians in our churches today.
In honesty, this fact can be quite discouraging for some Christians. Believe me, no Christian, not one, likes the fact that not every tongue professes Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. I know that I don’t. I can’t think of anything that I would not do in order for even one person to come to know Christ. My life, all that I do, is devoted to the mission and service of promoting the gospel, and I’m sure that many of you try and live this way too. So, the question becomes, should we be discouraged by the unbelief of our friends, family, neighbors, and all the others who don’t profess Christ as their Savior? Well, I don’t really think so. I think that it’s quite appropriate for us to be sad for those who do not know Christ and I think that it’s right for us to not be content with their disbelief. However, I don’t think that we should be discouraged at all. The Christian faith has always and will continue to flourish in times of hardship. During the times of greatest persecution, the Christian faith has seen its greatest periods of growth. Remember, there were those there in Jerusalem that day who saw and heard directly from Christ, yet they didn’t believe. There were those like the priests and Pharisees who couldn’t get past their own assumptions to see him clearly. For as far back in history as we look, there have been those who should have believed, but for one reason or another they didn’t and they don’t. Our response today should be to continue to seek to fulfill the Great Commission (to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that Christ has commanded) and the Great Commandment (to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind; and to love our neighbor as ourselves). Let us never be discouraged by the disbelief of others, but only see it as an opportunity for God to bring even greater glory to His kingdom by working such a miraculous transformation in their hearts. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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