John 7:30-36 - Lesson #78

When Jesus first came to the feast in Jerusalem, the people were mainly debating His goodness: "Some said, 'He is good'; others said, 'No, on the contrary, He deceives the people'" (John 7:13). But when Jesus spoke in the temple He did not present Himself as simply good. Jesus consistently presented Himself such that there was no middle ground, He must either be accepted as the Christ or rejected as evil; "I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me" (John 7:29).

John 7:30-36
"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"?'"

Once again John shows how all events and timing were in the hands of God. Jesus would not be arrested, crucified, or resurrected until the exact time determined by God. And that time would not occur for another six months; "the hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified" (John 12:23).

We don't know what the people in the temple understood about righteousness and forgiveness, but we know that John presents only one requirement for Salvation; "He who believes in Him is not condemned: but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed" (John 3:18). Though their belief may seem shallow and based only on miracles, John's point was that there were some who believed.

This section also presents a decision point for the Jewish leaders as they decided to officially send the temple police to arrest Jesus - but His time had not yet come. Jesus spoke about His resurrection and return to the Father, but they thought He was talking about the Jewish settlements outside Palestine. They did not believe Jesus could go where He would not be found, and so they missed the opportunity to truly seek and find.

Jesus is no longer walking the earth but we are still living in a unique time: "Seek the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near" (Isaiah 55:6). It is not too late! But there is coming a day of judgment when He will no longer be found. We cannot wait!! "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of Salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2). There is much we need to understand and much resolve of commitment to which we will be called, but it must begin by opening our heart to the truth. The One sent by God has called us to believe.