Throughout all four gospels, we see Christ clashing with the Pharisees and leaders of the synagogues. We see glimpses of the accusations Christ has against them. Matthew and Mark may have some of the best descriptions of what they were doing that caused the clashes with Christ.
In John 7, we see more indications of the rift between them, although the problems are more subtle.
In John 7:1, there is a reference to “the Jews were seeking to kill Him.” We see another reference in John 7:19, “Did not Moses give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law? Why do you seek to kill Me?”
They responded in verse 20, “Who seeks to kill You?” Then, we read in verse 25, “Therefore some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, ‘Is this not the man whom they are seeking to kill?’”
Notice the exposure of deception. To Christ’s face, they denied seeking to kill Him, but the gossip had made its rounds. It was an open secret in Jerusalem that the leaders wanted to kill Christ.
Verse 27 is also interesting, “‘However, we know where this man is from, but whenever the Christ may come, no one knows where He is from.’”
In verse 41-42, we read, “Others were saying, ‘This is the Christ.’ Still others were saying, ‘Surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?’”
So, which is it? Will Messiah come from Bethlehem, Galilee, or just appear out of nowhere and have no origin? Again, this is evidence of deception and people having been misled.
In Psalm 51:6, we read, “Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.” Also, in Leviticus 19:11, we find, “You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another.”
The deception by the Jewish leaders was a clear violation of the Law of Moses and an affront to God’s holiness and righteousness. By this, we can understand why Christ took the approach He did with the leaders. The leaders were deceiving the people and heaping judgment upon themselves. They misled the people into believing that the leaders represented righteousness, when they instead were misrepresenting God’s character.
Verse 49 is also troubling, “But this multitude which does not know the Law is accursed.” Such a statement reminds me of the years leading up to the Reformation when the Roman Catholic Church banned Bibles in individual homes. The lack of Scriptural teaching among the people was intentional, so that church leaders could engage in deception, sinful practices, and take advantage of the church members. The priests and church leaders were enriching themselves, proclaiming themselves to be righteous and holy, and engaging in gross sin.
If the average Jew did not know the Law of Moses, why was that? Was this at God’s command? We know from reading the Old Testament that times of distress and captivity in Israel came precisely when there was a lack of engagement with the Scripture.
Take, for example, Nehemiah 8 in which the people assemble and Ezra reads the “book of the Law of Moses” to them. In verse 9, we read that “the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law.” In Nehemiah 9:1-3, we see that the “book of the Law of Moses” was read over four days, and the people began confessing their “sins and the iniquities of their fathers”.
Scripture was always intended by God to be read publicly as part of our worship of Him. If the people in John 7 did not know the Law of Moses or the prophets, it was only because the synagogue leaders, chief priests, and Pharisees withheld Scripture from the people. Consider also the all-important verse in Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”
There is also Jethro’s admonition to Moses in Exodus 18:14-23, “Now when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, ‘What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge and all the people stand about you from morning until evening?’ Moses said to his father-in-law, ‘Because the people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a [fn]dispute, it comes to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor and make known the statutes of God and His laws.’ Moses’ father-in-law said to him, ‘The thing that you are doing is not good. You will surely wear out, both yourself and [fn]these people who are with you, for the [fn]task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone. Now listen to [fn]me: I will give you counsel, and God be with you. [fn]You be the people’s representative before God, and you bring the [fn]disputes to God, then teach them the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they are to walk and the work they are to do. Furthermore, you shall [fn]select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, [fn]of hundreds, [fn]of fifties and [fn]of tens. Let them judge the people at all times; and let it be that every major [fn]dispute they will bring to you, but every minor [fn]dispute they themselves will judge. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. If you do this thing and God so commands you, then you will be able to [fn]endure, and all [fn]these people also will go to [fn]their place in peace.’”
Unspoken in the text is that Moses exerted far too much control over the people. Instead of teaching the people how to work out God’s commands themselves, Moses retained Scripture to himself. This is a recipe for abuse of power. Thankfully, the text does not demonstrate this level of corruption, and Moses began to do what Jethro exhorted. Moses taught the people God’s Word, and they were able to resolve disputes Biblically amongst themselves.
Our practice should always be to disseminate to others plainly and clearly what God expects of us and not to amass power to ourselves, engage in deception, or withhold Scripture.
The public reading of Scripture in church and the home along with sound expository preaching is vitally important to maintaining our relationship with God and our baptism by fire in the Holy Spirit. Tragically, however, in the United States, we have ready access to the Bible, and the spiritual vitality of many churches and in many homes is dismal. There will be no excuse in the day of judgment, when we can access the Bible online, on our smart phones, and in any bookstore but choose not to read and heed its instruction.
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