uʍop-ǝpᴉsd∩ – at the Festival

Here is a link to last week’s series Upside down.

Believe

Isn’t it funny? The people you least expect to love Jesus somehow find a heart of devotion for our Savior. How arrogant that we could possibly think we know who belongs and who doesn’t belong in God’s kingdom. For anyone who thinks that way, there is a parable in Luke 18:9-14 that can clear that misconception right up.

That is precisely why judgement is so wrong. We don’t know who the right people are, do we? We should keep our eyes to ourselves in that regard.

Our judgment of others should only ever be to look for need, not a measurement of deplorable status.

During Jesus’ ministry, religious leaders and ordinary people alike practiced these sinful ways. They misused God’s moral law; they were blind and lost.

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

In today’s devotion, we will survey two groups: those who are upside down in the world’s view (believers) and those who are upside down from God’s perspective (tragically lost).

The people we will meet today were attending a religious festival in Jerusalem. In case you want to know more about the festival it was called the Festival of Booths. You can learn more about it from the Bible and other reliable sources like gotquestions.org.

Here are the groups in attendance:

• Jesus’ own family who started off mocking Him that day. John 7:1-10
• The Jews John 7:11 Religious leaders of Jerusalem, or those who supported them.
• The people John 7:12-13 a mixed crowd of those attending a festival that is described at the beginning of the passage. These are people living in or near Jerusalem. Most would have supported the opinions of the religious leaders out of fear, ignorance or even some who truly adhered to what the religious leaders taught.
• The temple guards-(a surprise awaits) John7:32
• The people who would recall this day after the Spirit came and would believe. John 7:37-40
• Nicodemus (I bet you remember that guy. He was already sticking his neck out for the Savior though he has yet to make a profession of faith. We won’t know until we get to Heaven if he ever really did. You see, salvation is not based on good deeds. Even standing up for Jesus in this way won’t do it). John 7:50-53

Look what Jesus teaches the people who attend the Festival of Booths. Keep in mind, the Holy Spirit has not been given to believing hearts yet. God still enabled people to believe.

If anyone desires to do his will, he will know about the teaching, whether it is from God or if I am speaking from myself.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory, but he who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.

John 7:17 & 18 (WEB)

That knowledge Jesus spoke about in verses 17 & 18 is what filled the hearts of the temple guards. It was not God’s will for the bloodthirsty Pharisees to arrest and murder Jesus on that day. But God’s grace was given to the guards. They heard and believed. Their hearts were not hard. And God gave them courage to stand unshakeable against fear of the Jews.

Here is the exchange between the wicked religious leaders and the guards.

The Pharisees heard the multitude murmuring these things concerning him, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest him.

John 7:32

The officers therefore came to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said to them, “Why didn’t you bring him?” The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this man!” The Pharisees therefore answered them, “You aren’t also led astray, are you? Have any of the rulers or any of the Pharisees believed in him? But this multitude that doesn’t know the law is cursed.”

And Nicodemus makes one more appeal. You can read what he tells his wicked Pharisee brothers, and their quick response follows in verse 52.

Would our faith allow us to have such conviction? Remember, we still don’t know about the true faith of Nicodemus, do we? Even lost people experience the feelings of loyalty and love.

That is why it is so important to keep in mind that our salvation is not based on our conviction, morality or courage. They don’t give us faith to believe. The kindness of the Holy Spirit leads us to faith for redemption.

By the way, we saw some form of the word believe used 5 times in verses 5, 31, 38, 39, and 48. That brings our total in seven chapters to forty-one uses of the word believe. What is this great thought doing for you as a BELIEVER?

Be unshakeable in your faith. Share the Gospel in your world!

World English Bible (WEB)

by Public Domain. The name “World English Bible” is trademarked.