SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/11/2016 7:17 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Derisive Contempt
Bible Reading &
Meditation Reference: John 7:33-36
Message of the verses: “33
Therefore Jesus said, "For a little while longer I am with you,
then I go to Him who sent Me. 34
"You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot
come." 35 The Jews then said to one another, "Where does this man
intend to go that we will not find Him? He is not intending to go to the
Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks, is He? 36 “What is this
statement that He said, ’You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I
am, you cannot come’?"”
We last
left this scene with the Jewish officials who were suppose to send their guards
to arrest and take Jesus which they could not fulfill as seen later on in
verses 45-46 “45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and
they said to them, "Why did you not bring Him?" 46 The officers
answered, "Never has
a man spoken the way this man speaks."” We will speak more on these verses in a
latter SD, but think about the last part of verse 46 which is highlighted and
remember the truth of this statement and the fact that He still speaks to us
through His Word today and no one has ever spoken like He speaks for He is the
Son of God, the all knowing, all powerful Son of God who knows our names.
Now because
the temple guards had not come Jesus continues to boldly proclaim the truth
about who He is and what He will be doing as He tells them some things that
they did not understand by saying that He would only be with them for a little
while longer and then He would be going back to His Father, the One who sent
Him to earth. Yes it would be around six
months until Jesus would fulfill the plans that God the Father had for Him as
He would hang on a cross to pay for our sins, and after His death would be
buried and then three days later be raised from the dead, given a new body, one
like all of those who have truly believed in Him will one day receive, and then
He returned to the Father as seen in the first chapter of the book of Acts.
Jesus then
tells them that they would seek Him, but would not find Him as where He was
going they could not come. John
MacArthur writes “Thos who reject Jesus will never come to where He was going
when He ascended and currently rests at His Father’s right hand in heaven,
because they will die in their sins (8:21).
(Jesus would later tell His disciples that they would not be able to
follow Him to heaven immediately [13:33], but would do so later [v.36].)”
Now it was
because of their misunderstanding that the Jews made the following statement
that is found in verse 35b “"Where does this man intend to go that we will
not find Him? He is not intending to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks, and
teach the Greeks, is He?” MacArthur
writes “They found the idea that the Messiah would minister to Gentiles to be
preposterous. The Greeks they scornfully
refered to were probably Gentile proselytes to Judaism. (Ironically, it was because of Israel’s
spiritual blindness in rejecting her Messiah that the gospel would indeed reach
the Gentiles who had no interest in Judaism [cf. Rom. 11:7-11].) Mockingly they offered Jesus’ statement ‘You
will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come,’ as
support for their derisive suggestion.”
We will
close with Isaiah 55:6 “Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him
while He is near.” The people listening
to Jesus should have remembered this verse or later on the verse in second Corinthians
6:2 which reads “for He says, "AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU,
AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU." Behold, now is "THE
ACCEPTABLE TIME," behold, now is "THE DAY OF SALVATION’.” These verses are just as important today as
when they were written, so listen to them and heed what they have to say so
that one day when this world is gone that you will be with the Lord forever.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I want to continue to dwell on verse 46 which
we spoke of earlier as when I read that verse the last time it was one that
seemed like it jumped off the page at. “Never
has a man spoken like Jesus did or still does.”
My Steps of Faith for
Today: Love the Lord more, and continue to get to
know Him better as He reveals Himself to me in the Scriptures.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible question: “Hebron and Jerusalem” (1 Kings 2:11).
Today’s Bible question:
“Who tried to flee from God by going to Tarshish?”
Answer in our next SD.
5/11/2016 7:47 AM
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