John 7 - Jesus Through the Lens of Legalism, Part 2
Last week we began to consider Jesus through the lens of legalism. We learned that the Jewish leadership in Christ’s day were overseeing a system which so gutted the scripture of its intended purposes, and attached so much tradition to it, that all that remained was an empty husk of a manmade religion. A religion which was devoid of the Spirit, which drove people away from God and which slammed shut the door to the Kingdom of Heaven in the faces of others.
This system left the Jewish leadership superficial in their spirituality, heartless toward sinners, authoritarian in their leadership, and spiritually blind toward the truth. It was from within this system, and under these conditions that they judged who Jesus was. It’s no wonder that they got it so terribly wrong.
They were legalists, and legalism renders discernment impossible, motivations corrupt, and worship heartless. Consequently, Jesus will never be accepted for who he is when viewed through the lens of legalism. Whether it be the legalistic religion of the Jews in Christ day, a legalistic religion today, or even some legalistic variation of Christianity.
Today we return to John 7 where we see another encounter between Jesus and the Jewish leadership. Jesus has gone up to the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. At about the mid-point of the feast he has gone into the temple to teach.
Sitting among the hearers are the Jewish leadership. As they consider the content of Jesus’ sermon, and the authority with which he taught, they begin to draw some conclusion about him. What we will see is that because they could only assess him through the lens of their legalistic system, they got Jesus completely wrong.
In fact, as they hear Jesus, the Spirit-filled Son of God whose life-giving words were always and only exactly what the Father wanted taught, they will conclude that he is a self-serving, demon possessed, false teacher who is worthy of death.
Let’s read John 7:10-24
John 7:10-24 But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. 11 The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?” 12 And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.” 13 Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him.
14 ¶ About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” 16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” 20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” 21 Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. 22 Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man's whole body well? 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
For the remainder of this message we are going to consider why it was that the Jews were incapable of seeing Jesus for who he was. First of all consider that:
1. They Were Blinded By Their Own Bias
John 7:16-17 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.
When Jesus began teaching at the feast, the Jews were astounded by his grasp of scripture. Look in verse 15:
John 7:15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?”
It was not uncommon for Jewish men to be able to read and write and to have a familiarity with scripture. What was surprising to Jesus’ hearers was that he spoke like a well-educated religious teacher. He could give a discourse on scripture like one who had formidable theological training.
This, by the way, was a fulfillment of the prophecy regarding the Servant of the Lord from Isaiah 50:
Isaiah 50:4 The Lord Yahweh has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught.
In addition to teaching with an incredible grasp of scripture, we learn elsewhere that when Jesus taught, he taught with authority.
Matthew 7:28-29 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
It was this authoritative teaching that was ultimately offensive to the Jewish leadership. As we will see in a little bit, they had a specific style of teaching which they deemed acceptable. It was expected that a teacher would support his teaching by always citing previous Rabbis, thus showing that his teaching was within the stream of their accepted tradition.
As Jesus taught, he didn’t sound like the other teachers. He didn’t quote other Rabbis, he quoted scripture and brought its authority to bear upon his hearers. Jesus, knowing that they were unpleased with his teaching answered them in verse 16:
John 7:16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.
Again, he claims authority. He says “My teaching is directly from God.” Not tradition, not the Rabbis, but it is God’s word, and therefore God’s authority. He then says this in verse 17:
John 7:17 If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.
While the Jews were standing in judgment of Jesus’ teaching, determining whether or not it was true, Jesus turned the tables. What he says is that, if they don’t accept his teaching, the problem isn’t with his teaching, but with their hearts.
What he’s talking about is discernment.
“If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know…” Genuine discernment first begins with the heart. Did you really want to know God’s will? If you knew God’s will, would you do it? Are you a genuine seeker after God? According to Jesus, the Jewish leaders were not.
The Jews were not sincerely seeking God's will. If they were, they would have perceived that what Jesus taught was consistent with the scripture, and ultimately from God.
But they didn’t compare what Jesus taught to the word of God, instead they scrutinized his words through the lens of their religious system. He had to measure up to their pre-existing ideas, and their manmade traditions. Ultimately they would reject him, not because what he taught violated scripture, but because it violated their preconceived ideas and their interpretations steeped in legalistic tradition.
The fact is, had they been genuine seekers of truth, they could have known who Jesus was. The had the Scriptures and they testified of him.
John 5:39-40 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
The problem was not Jesus’ teaching, but the hearts who heard it. They were blinded by their own bias. A bias shaped by their religious tradition. When they read the scripture it was like they had on a pair of glasses which hid some truths, distorted others, and added yet others. Those glasses were their legalistic religious system which had been erected over centuries.
By the time Christ came, they had allowed their tradition to become the primary interpreter of scripture. Let’s look at an example in Matthew 15:
Matthew 15:1-9 ¶ Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.”
Here the Jewish leaders come to Jesus with an objection – why don’t his disciples wash their hands before they eat. This was not about hygiene, and it was not about a scriptural command. This was about tradition. They were judging Jesus and his disciples through the lens of tradition. Look at how Jesus responds Matthew 15:3:
3 He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
Ouch. The Jews had implemented additional ceremonial washings to those found in scripture. What might have begun as well-intentioned safeguards against ritual defilement became unbreakable rules. Rules by which they measured their obedience to God, and by which they judged the spirituality of others. This is legalism at its worst.
They were ready to reject Jesus and his disciples, not because they broke scripture, but because they broke their tradition. Jesus responds by calling them out for breaking the commandment of God for the sake of their tradition. He offers an example:
4 For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 5 But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” 6 he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.
What’s the idea here? “Mom and Dad, I know that it is my responsibility to help care for you in your old age, but the money you are hoping to get from me, I’ve given to God as an offering.” So, under the guise of religious piety they neglect a fundamental duty to their parents, and in so doing actually break the law of God!
And notice what is sacrificed – love, empathy, compassion, in favour of what? Ritual giving. If they gave more money, they could be praised by others, but no one was going to praise them for the internal attitudes of love, empathy and compassion. Jesus said elsewhere regarding the Pharisees:
Matthew 23:23-24 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
An attention to every ritual detail while neglecting the massive heart issues like justice, mercy and faithfulness. Don’t use false religious obligations as an excuse to withhold love from others.
Jesus continues in Matthew 15:
7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: 8 “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
The Pharisees, like all legalists, raised their rules and traditions to the level of laws and commandments. Consequently, instead of seeing Jesus as the meek and lowly Messiah who came espousing the loving and merciful character of God toward sinners, they were blinded by their own bias and saw him as a law-breaking, self-serving, demon-possessed, false teacher who was worthy of death!
When Jesus came and ate and drank with sinners, instead of seeing him as God’s good shepherd, who was pursuing the lost sheep of Israel, they saw him as a glutton and a drunk, who was violating their law by associating with sinners.
When Jesus did miracles of mercy upon the oppressed they didn’t consider that he was operating in the power of God, whom the Psalmist describes as the one, “Who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. [who] sets the prisoners free; 8 [who] opens the eyes of the blind. [who] lifts up those who are bowed down; (Psalm 146:7-8)“
They were incapable of seeing Jesus for who he was because they were blinded by their own bias. Their bias being their religious system, steeped in their manmade traditions. They didn’t begin from the objective starting point of wanting to do God’s will, but were instead on guard against anything that seemed to violate their system.
Instead, they could only see his works through the lens of their system and rejected them because he often did these things on the Sabbath.
Frankly, we can be guilty of the same thing. We can become so steeped in our theological systems that instead of sitting with humility under the teaching of God’s word, with a willingness to change what we believe when corrected by scripture, we impose a framework upon scripture and filter out what doesn’t seem to fit within it.
Sometimes this framework, or filter has been imposed by tradition.
We must never allow tradition to rise to the level of law, or to the level of final arbiter of truth. Sola Scriptura means that although historical theology is invaluable in helping us understand and articulate what scripture teaches, it is the scripture itself which serves as our ultimate authority.
Tradition, creeds and confessions are helpful servants, but should never be granted the role of master. If they do, they may very well become that distorted lens through which we read scripture. Consequently, we will become incapable of seeing where we have erred in our tradition.
You will never see the errors in your tradition if you are always reading scripture through the lens of your tradition.
The faithful reader of scripture has learned a necessary balance. On the one hand, he knows that he stands on the shoulders of giants, benefitting from thousands of years of biblical interpretation and theological formulation produced by the church throughout history. On the other hand, he knows that, like the Pharisees, he can become blinded to the truth through tradition. He knows that scripture can be robbed of its ability to correct tradition when it is read only through the lens of tradition. Therefore, he is willing (even sometimes with fear and trepidation) to hold everything to scripture as the final standard of truth. He reserves the right to declare anathema whatever does not measure up, regardless of its pedigree.
So again, Jesus says,
John 7:17 If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.
When we read scripture we must approach it with a desire to learn, which includes a desire to be corrected where we harbour error. Above everything, we must have a desire for, and submission to God's will.
We should have the attitude of David in Psalm 25:
Psalm 25:4-5 Make me to know your ways, O Yahweh; teach me your paths. 5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
Psalm 25:9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
Or David in Psalm 143:
Psalm 143:10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!
Or the Psalmist in Psalm 119:
Psalm 119:33-34 ¶ He Teach me, O Yahweh, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end. 34 Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.
Jesus says, if you desire to do God’s will then you will gain discernment. Approach the word of God with fresh eyes and a desire to do God’s will. Pray as you read, “Lord, show me truth and I will obey it. Give me understanding so I can follow you with my whole heart.” With that attitude, you check your biases at the door and espouse a willingness to be challenged, convicted, and changed by the word of God. This is what the Pharisees were lacking.
2. They Were in Pursuit of Man's Praise
John 7:15-18 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” 16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.
Again, implied here is that Jesus' teaching from verses 15-16 was not only learned, but was authoritative. As already noted, the scribes would always appeal to tradition as authority. They would cite a myriad of Rabbis in order to support their teaching. When Jesus taught, he did no such thing. Instead, he cited scripture and offered an authoritative interpretation which sometimes contradicted their tradition.
Look in Matthew 5 where we see some examples of Jesus teaching with authority and even challenging their tradition.
After saying that he did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill them, Jesus made a series of surprising statements in Matthew 5.
Matthew 5:21-22 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
Matthew 5:27-28 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Matthew 5:31-32 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Matthew 5:38-39 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Matthew 5:43-44 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
What Jesus was doing in Matthew 5 was challenging the legalistic reading of the law, and communicating the intended spirit of if. You may not murder, but your heart is full of hate. You may not have committed adultery, but you are lusting after women in your heart. You may have followed the law where divorce is concerned, but you have no concept of love and commitment. You may love your neighbour well enough, but you also love hating your enemy.
The legalistic Jews were content with keeping the rules while neglecting their hearts. When Jesus taught, he authoritatively brought the spirit of the law to bear upon the hearts of his hearers – showing them that God always intended worship and obedience to be matters of the heart.
Consider Joshua’s words to the people of Israel:
Joshua 22:5 Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded you, to love Yahweh your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
By the time of Jesus, the Jewish religion had become so corrupt that they neither kept the commandments of God, not maintained a love toward him.
The Jews paid meticulous attention to externals. Primarily to those things which could garner them praise from others. The things about which they could make an outward show.
Matthew 23:5-7 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, 6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues 7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. (contrast, Matthew 6:1-4)
It was all external. It was all for show. It was all for earthly, fleeting praise. Jesus warned against this type of hypocritical, external religion.
Matthew 6:1-6 ¶ “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5 ¶ “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
So here in John 7, they are guilty of projecting their own character upon Jesus. In verse 18, it is clear that they were accusing him of seeking his own glory. In reality, he was willing to sacrifice all human praise by accurately and authoritatively bringing both the letter and the spirit of scripture to bear upon his hearers, not for his own glory, but for the glory of God.
One of the real reasons they rejected Jesus is that when he accurately and authoritatively taught the scriptures, the Holy Spirit began to work and they were exposed by him. The Pharisees had become so insulated against Holy Spirit conviction through their tradition, that when they were confronted with Spirit-empowered teaching of the unadulterated word, they were offended and appalled it.
Remarkably, they were so dull to what the scripture actually said and meant that when Jesus taught it accurately, they accused him of teaching on his own authority and seeking his own glory. But, he was not seeking his own glory. He was willing to confront, contradict, challenge, and convict his hearers through the accurate interpretation of scripture because he was teaching to the glory of God. He was bringing God's word to bear upon them in order to accomplish God's purposes, for God’s glory. In many cases, this did not result in praise from people, but persecution.
Ironically, they accused him of teaching in his own authority in order to build himself up, while in reality every detail of their system was designed to elevate themselves.
John 5:43-47 I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
The Pharisees were in the pursuit of man's praise and so favoured their system of external rules and public piety over genuine spirituality wrought by the Spirit, through the Word of God, in the soul of man. For this reason, they rejected Jesus' teaching and preferred to surround themselves with teachers who taught what they wanted to hear.
They had so designed their system that as long as teachers continually appealed to their tradition, they would come out looking like the pious, religious elites. That’s the stuff they wanted to hear. The stuff which shone a spotlight on them and resulted in praise from others.
This type of ear-tickling, conscience-soothing, man-centered teaching has always been around, and is all around us today. Paul charged Timothy this way:
2 Timothy 4:1-5 ¶ I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
"Timothy, there is coming a time when people will have no appetite for sound teaching but will instead surround themselves with teachers who only affirm them. These teachers will deliver messages that allow their audiences to feel content pursuing the passions of their flesh while assuring them that they are right with God. They will turn against teachers who accurately teach the truth. So, Timothy, be prepared to endure suffering and remain faithful to your calling."
That's a charge which is befitting all of us. If we are determined to receive praise, accolades, acceptance or "glory" from men, we will be continually tempted to compromise the word of God. We will be tempted to tell people what they want to hear instead of delivering a message that they need. We must be willing to speak the unadulterated truth in love, for the glory of God.
Furthermore, we must be willing to be confronted, challenged, and contradicted by scripture when necessary. We must be willing to subject ourselves to that kind of exposure by the word of God if it means bringing glory to God, and even if it means losing the praise of men.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the Jewish leadership were so blinded by their biases and so obsessed with receiving praise from men, that they rejected their Messiah.
Their system left them superficial in their spirituality, heartless toward sinners, authoritarian in their leadership, and spiritually blind toward the truth. Their legalism rendered discernment impossible, their motivations corrupt, and their worship heartless.
Seeing Jesus through this lens meant that they would never receive him.
What are some take aways for us?
Recognize when well-intentioned rules or standards in your life have been elevated to the level of laws. Laws which determine if you are right with God, and laws by which you judge the spirituality of others.
Never neglect inward attitudes like love, empathy and compassion in the name of religious duty.
When you approach the scripture, do so with a humble desire to do God's will and a sensitivity to how the Holy Spirit might apply the word to your heart.
Value tradition, but do not allow it to become the primary interpreter of scripture.
Guard against a superficial faith which seeks praise and recognition from others.
Never give into the temptation to alter the content of scripture, or the balance of scripture, to make it more palatable to others.
Finally, allow scripture and scripture alone to define for you who Jesus is, and how you should relate to him.
