John chapter 7

vs 21

Jesus' reply to their fairly clear question is long and drawn out. John doesn't feel the need to repeat the actual teaching that Jesus was giving which impressed them so much, just this bit.

He starts by saying that they were all wowed by a miracle he did.

vs 22

Moses is named because of the law, but of course circumcision was given long before in the book of Genesis. In any case, the point is that you can circumcise a child on the sabbath so as to prevent that child from breaking God's law.

vs 23

And yet, when Jesus heals someone on the sabbath (the guy at the pool) people go nuts and start talking about wanting to kill him. Jesus was doing God's work on the sabbath, making a person well, and telling them to stop sinning. Why do you want to kill someone for doing that?

Well, the truth is he did more than that. He told the guy, once well, to carry his mat home with him. So not only did Jesus break the sabbath, but he told someone else to as well. This is part of Jesus' push to show that he has authority over the sabbath - not because he heals people, but because he is the Son of God.

vs 24

And so Jesus calls to this group to judge by what is right, and not by silly rules that have been made up. He calls on the people to use biblical and godly principles, not the literal letter of stupid laws.

OH HOW WE COULD LEARN THE SAME LESSON!

Sorry, we had an idiot write us a letter this week telling us that churches can't have names because of the verse in 1 Corinthians which says that "some follow Apollos, some Paul, some Cephas, some Christ". Of course, what he didn't realise is that by using the term "we are the believers who meet together in Jesus' name" or something equally stupid, he was committing the exact same sin as those who "follow Christ".

Anyway, don't be legalists boys and girls. It's frustrating.

vs 25

Aha! So either some people did know that the Jewish leaders were trying to kill him, or the people just didn't realise that it was Jesus who is speaking. I mean, guy in tunic with beard, they do all look the same. But Jesus is making himself known by saying that he is the miracle man, and now people recognise why he said that bit about being killed.

vs 26

And so now people start asking questions - if he's here, why aren't they killing him? Have the changed their minds? Is he really the Christ?

vs 27

And yet, rather than believing that someone who walks like a duck, preaches like a duck and does miracles like a duck is the duck of God, they go back to a piece of (pretty incorrect) Jewish myth that no one will know where the Messiah comes from. In fact, prophecy says he'll come from Bethlehem, go figure.

vs 28-29

Rather than Jesus saying "Firstly, you don't know where I'm from, because I was born in Bethlehem, and all you people seem to think I'm from Nazareth. Secondly, I'm the son of God, you idiots!", he takes their argument and runs with it. Sure, they know where he is from in a sense. But he has come from God, and they don't know God, so in another sense they don't know where he's from (news of his Holy-Spirit conception hasn't gotten out you see).

vs 30

What does this mean? Does it mean that he escaped just in time? Or that angels came down and kicked some ass? Or just that the people trying to seize Jesus went all floppy and didn't work anymore? Whatever it was, Jesus wasn't ready to be crucified just yet.

vs 31

Some people, see, took him at his word. He quacks like the duck of God, let's just say he is the duck of God. When the real duck comes, will its miracles be any better?