Divided

Scripture: John 7:37-44  (Click link for scripture in Bible Gateway)

37 On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! 38 Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’ ” 39 (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.) 40 When the crowds heard him say this, some of them declared, “Surely this man is the Prophet we’ve been expecting.” 41 Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others said, “But he can’t be! Will the Messiah come from Galilee? 42 For the Scriptures clearly state that the Messiah will be born of the royal line of David, in Bethlehem, the village where King David was born.” 43 So the crowd was divided about him. 44 Some even wanted him arrested, but no one laid a hand on him. (John 7:37–44 NLT)

Then, as now, people were divided about who Jesus is. Keep in mind that Jesus had one primary message for the people of Palestine in 30 AD. The Kingdom of God is here! When they heard him make Kingly declarations about the Kingdom of God, they had to reconcile his words with the current reality that the Jewish leaders ran the Temple, King Herod ran Judea, and the Emperor Tiberius ran the Roman Empire. Those who believed Jesus was God’s Son, the Savior of the World and the Lord of life, had to work out how that would affect their everyday decisions and actions.

Today, as then, people are divided about who Jesus is. Jesus still has one primary message for the people of planet Earth in 2023 AD, “The Kingdom of God is here!” We’ve got employers and mayors and governors and presidents. We’ve got local governments and parliaments and national governments and royalty. Among those of us reading GraceNotes we’ve got many forms of government and authority in our worlds.

And we’ve got our inner government: our desires, our wills, our obligations. We who believe Jesus’ message have a spiritual choice with natural practical implications to make: to believe that Jesus is God’s Son, the Savior of the World and the Lord of our lives. We must work out how that affects our everyday decisions and actions.

Prayer:

Father, Along with my friends, I affirm Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord. I believe your Holy Spirit is with me to lead me and guide me as I make daily, practical application of the truths of your Kingdom to my life. I submit to your will and your plan and I need all the help I can get it live it day by day! For your Kingdom’s sake. Amen.