Truth that Transforms

Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.”  So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?” (John 7:25-31).

The Holy Spirit inspired the apostle John to give us a glimpse into the struggle that was going on in the hearts and minds of the crowd of Jesus followers. Why are they trying to kill Him? Why are they powerless to stop Him? We know He is the son of Joseph and Mary from Nazareth, so how could He be the Christ? No one knows where the Christ comes from. But look at the signs He has done. How could He not be the Christ? The Word made flesh knew all that was in the hearts of everyone in this crowd. He was very intentionally stirring up these questions in order to confront these followers with truth that could make them disciples. John recorded evidence of this intentional confrontation… “Yet many of the people believed in him”. Through Christ, God presents the world with truth that transforms.

Jesus confronted the crowd of followers with the truth that they know Him… “You know me, and you know where I come from”. They knew Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Mary and Joseph. They knew the man Jesus. But their knowledge was limited. Indeed Jesus was a fully human being, born in Bethlehem… “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days” (Micah 5:2). He was raised in Nazareth… “And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene” (Matthew 2:23). But this was not the whole truth about who Jesus was.

Jesus also confronted the crowd of followers with the truth that they did not know Him… “He who sent me is true, and him you do not know”. Jesus was and came from God… “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God…  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-2; 14). Jesus was fully God. He was begotten of the same substance as God… “And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you’” (Acts 13:32-33). But the problem for many in the crowd of followers was that they did not know God, the source and the presence of the Christ who stood before them… “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30).

There are two keys to knowing God. First, God is sovereign. That means He decides how, when, and where to reveal Himself to us. The Spirit of Truth teaches that God reveals Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ… “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation...For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell” (Colossians 1:15-20). God earnestly desires to be known to us through His Son… “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4). But the second step is just as essential as the first. To know God we must believe… “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Jesus confronted the crowd with truth in order to provoke a response of faith that would transform them from followers into disciples, and on this occasion… “Many of the people believed in him”.

As we grow up into Christ we thank Him for revealing God to us by confronting us with…

Truth that Transforms.