John chapter seven is remarkable in so many ways, but one truth stands out. Read the entire chapter, and it becomes immediately apparent that the people of the first century were struggling to decide who Jesus was and where He was to fit in their lives. There was no way they could deny that Jesus lived among them. The same is true in our day.
Jesus should change His ways. It is hard to imagine what it would have been like to be the younger brothers of Jesus. The opening verses of John seven reveal that they did not believe He was the Messiah, but they were unable to ignore the impact of His teachings and miracles. They came to Him and told Him what He should do and how He should change what He was doing. They were so wrong. He knew precisely what should be done. He did not change.
Jesus is good—Jesus is a deceiver. When the Lord arrived in Jerusalem to observe the Feast of Tabernacles, His presence forced the people to make decisions about Him. Some said that He was a good man, while others said that He was a deceiver (John 7:12). Yet, those who thought that He was good remained silent and would not speak openly about Him, because they feared those around them. In the absence of truth being spoken, only evil will be heard and it will prevail.
Jesus should be ignored for He is not educated. When Jesus arrived in the holy city, He went into the temple and began teaching. At age 12, He had been in that same temple and His wisdom amazed those teachers who were there. In this chapter, He was again in the temple and all who heard Him were amazed. They evidently thought that only theologians could know truth for they asked, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?” They were so wrong.
Jesus has a demon. There were some who immediately dismissed Him because of His message. Their explanation was to ignore Him and openly say to others that He was demon possessed. Their hasty conclusion was the reason Jesus said, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge righteous judgments” (John 7:24). He commands men to judge.
Jesus is wrong because leaders do not believe in Him. Some refused to do their own thinking and relied on others to tell them what was right (7:26). They evidently were waiting to let their religious leaders tell them what to do. Every man is personally responsible for his own decisions.
The response to His presence was twofold. Some sought to kill Him while many believed on Him (7:30-31). There was no way to ignore Him. The important truth is that there is no way to ignore Him today. The most important decision you will ever make is whether you will ignore Him!