How Division Multiplies

How Division Multiplies
How Jesus’ Failure is our Success: John 7

I want to keep my message short this morning so I will try to focus on a single theme from chapter 7. I introduced the first 13 verse of chapter 7 last week. You might recall in v. 1 that “after these things Jesus walked in Galilee;” because the Jews in Judea sought to kill him. But according to Jewish Law, every male Jew was required to travel to Jerusalem three times a year for the Feasts. Jesus’ brothers came to him and taunted him, daring him to go up to Jerusalem to show himself and receive his fame. V. 5 says, “for even his brothers did not believe in Him.” But Jesus chose to travel secretly to Jerusalem and he kept himself hidden until the fifth day of the eight day feast. Let’s read John 7:11 to 24.

I am sorry have not the skill to make this sacred text fit today’s secular holiday and preach a sermon about Mother’s Day. I suppose I could have broken away from my schedule and preached Proverb 31 again, but I guess when it comes to allowing secular holidays dictate the content of my prophesying, I have a rebellious heart.[1]

I want to assert that this text is about (among other things) division; that is belief and denial. Let me show you what I mean: My first indication of this theme was in verse 5, “for his brothers did not believe in him.” Verse 5 jumps off the page; it tells me that the author wanted to underline the unbelief of the brothers just in case we did not perceive it by their taunts because the author wants to set us up for this ever widening division between belief and unbelief that began as early as chapter 1 which he weaves throughout the narrative.

To get a sense of this ever widening dissection of the multitudes, look at v. 12b, “Some said ‘he is good’ and others said, ‘No, on the contrary, he deceives the people.’ But Jesus did not commit himself to them, because he knew all men...” (2:24). Don’t be misled by some translations which interpret v. 12 as “Some said he was a good man.” The Greek reads, “Some said he was good.” Why does that matter, because Jesus was more then just a good man. If all that he was was a good man, then he was a liar and megalomaniac for claiming that his doctrine came directly from the Father and that he was the Son of God. If he was just a good man then the second group was right- he was a deceiver.

But that’s not what they said. They said Jesus was good! Once, when a man called Jesus “Good Teacher” (Mk 10:17), Jesus responded that there is no one who is good except God. This crowd who called Jesus good has unwittingly separated him from every other human being who has ever lived. “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who does good, no, not one.” (Rom 3:10-12).

Meanwhile, those who accused Jesus of leading people astray are ignorant of the fact that according to Isaiah 53:6 “All we like sheep have gone astray.” Peter reminds Christians that once we, “were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of [our] souls.” Jesus is no pied piper, He’s the great shepherd who leaves the 99 to find the one that was lost. Later this crowd would accuse him of having a demon (v. 20). And in verse 30 it says,
…they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. 31And many of the people believed in Him, and said, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?”

Even the religious leaders were more divided then ever (Read vv. 40 to 53).

These two opinions are to me like the two thieves on the cross. Luke’s gospel gives us the best description of them (23:39-42): “Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” He represents those who, loving darkness, reject Jesus as the deceiver.

But Luke describes an altogether different reaction from the other thief. He writes,
40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” (Lk 23:39-42).

The Latter thief has been with Jesus in paradise since that day. The former thief... groans to this day!

Conclusion
I have two applications this morning. One is more of an observation, the other is a question. (First- the division) do you notice how little Jesus cared for his popularity? That does not mean he did not grieve the unbelief of his people, but, if anything, Jesus worked very hard to avoid the public eye. By our standards his ministry was a failure. Three years into it and he had no mega church; Many of his disciples had already abandoned him in Galilee; the multitudes who followed him did so only for the miracles; the crowds were at best divided and even the ones who were for him, did not understand him. His own brothers taunted him and the loyalty of the twelve was tenuous at best- in six months time, one would betray him for a handful of silver and the others would abandon him; Peter even denying he knew Jesus.

Jesus Said, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (v. 24). Unless a seed goes into the ground and dies it will in no way bear fruit. Why, or how is this application? Because last week we had a lot of people away and we bottomed out as far as attendance. I’m not going to lie, that was discouraging. But what are we here to worship? Numbers? People? Am I disappointed with the providence of God? I dare not be; because I believe that God is doing something in this church and that he is preparing us for what is going to happen in this city.

But I believe that we are experiencing incalculable growth as a family and as a church. I am afraid that explosive growth would hurt what God is doing here to mature us. God is building us in depth, in faith and in maturity (He’s adding to our number one by one) so that when we finally go public, and God pours out his spirit on this city drawing the lost to His Son through our preaching of the gospel, the numbers will come in to find a congregation that is not just wide, but deep. A congregation that has a true love for God and for His people… a love for all people no matter what ethnicity or culture or social status.

They will come in to find a fully functioning body with hands and feet and eyes and noses all doing what they are supposed to be doing with Christ as our head.

The other application is this (and this is how I want us to solve the first observation, preaching the gospel): which opinion are you? Is Jesus Good and therefore God- Lord and Saviour of your soul whose innocence was exchanged for your sin on the cross so that his death was for you? Or are you of the opinion that Jesus leads people astray. His message divides. But it also multiplies and adds to the church… We need to be faithful to this message. It won’t bring us fame; it won’t turn us into a mega church; it may bring us pain and cost us many friends. But we are called to faithfulness, not fruitfulness. As long as we are faithful, God will take care of the fruit.

THOUGH STORMS OF STRIFE ASSAIL ME WITHOUT WARNING
AND THOUGH THEY TRY TO STEAL MY JOY AWAY
I WILL FIND REST IN KNOWING YOU HAVE SAVED ME
PRECIOUS JESUS ROCK OF MY SALVATION

NOTES
[1] Whenever I handle the sacred text, I feel a little like the Old Testament priest (Uzzah) who reached his hand out to steady the Ark of the Covenant, arousing the anger of God, who struck Uzzah dead for his error. I am fearful of profaning this holy thing by adding my words in such a way as cause error. So I strive not to presume upon God, but to pull out of His Word what it is He intended to say, rather then to force the text to say something it does not. For instance, it would profane this text if I were to make this text into a sermon about brotherly love, or the evils of higher education.