The more the Jews started to believe in Jesus, the more desperate the Pharisees became. The Pharisees believed that they alone held the truth, but the “truth” they proclaimed had been warped over the generations. It had become a system of obtaining righteousness through works instead of looking to God for salvation. But Jesus came with a different message. He made it clear that it was only through Him that people would find life, not through the elaborate system of laws that the Pharisees had created.
On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” – John 7:37-38 NLT
The closer Jesus got to Calvary, the more urgent the message became. People were making their decisions about whether they believed in Him or not, and the division was growing among the crowds. The Temple guards that were sent to arrest Jesus couldn’t bring themselves to do so because they had never heard someone speak like He did. Even when Nicodemus, a Pharisee himself, stood up to defend Jesus’ right to a hearing, the other Pharisees continued to deny that Jesus could be the Messiah.
The Pharisees thought they alone possessed the truth because they had been educated in the Scriptures and the law. Their pride kept them from opening their hearts to the truth. They were more concerned with being right than they were with being saved. They hand-fed the law to the people (as they interpreted it) and expected everyone to follow their truth. Once people started to look at Jesus for themselves, they began to see beyond the laws and customs that the Pharisees had been proclaiming. They began to see the truth for themselves.
Although those that teach the Word of God can help us to understand the Scriptures and guide us as we grow in knowledge, we must search the Scriptures for ourselves. When we turn to Jesus, we are given the Holy Spirit as our guide. He will reveal the truth of Scripture to us.
But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth [full and complete truth]. – John 16:13 AMP
But it was to us that God revealed these things by His Spirit. – 1 Corinthians 2:10 NLT
God wants to have a personal relationship with you. He wants you to speak to Him in prayer and worship and He wants to speak to you through His revealed Word. Open the Bible and allow the truth to unfold for you. The gospel of John is a great place to start!
YES! Great post, Mom! 🙂 I’ve been learning this over the past year, and what a revelation it has been. I’m learning that the Holy Spirit knows exactly how to speak to each of us to teach us. As I was reading this, I realized something. Through all the debate at the end and the cry for a trial, the final vote came down to one thing, and one thing only. What do you believe? Not what can be proven through debate or proven in court, but what do you believe. That’s faith. Pontius Pilate asked, “What is truth?” It was the wrong question. The question was, “Who is truth?”Jesus said again and again that HE was the Truth. But if we want to know WHAT truth is, Jesus also said, “I tell you the truth,” repeatedly. Jesus IS truth, God revealed as he truly is. And he simply IS. He IS love in relationship. He simply loves us and, in return, simply wants us to love him. And then – if we love him – obeying his commandments will naturally and effortlessly follow. Thanks for following the Holy Spirit’s leading!
I love this! So well said! And it also comes down to: Who is Jesus? — “Who do you say that I am?” (Luke 9:20)
And I think we need to accept just as much our Father’s answer when we ask HIM, “And who do you say I am?”