When the authorities are looking for a wanted man they sometimes inform the public and give them a description, so that they also can be on the lookout to help to find him.
Here is the strange case of a wanted man being recognised as he moved about quite openly, and yet the authorities did not have Him arrested.
It is very important for you to know why He was a wanted man. You see, today you will have to decide if the authorities were right in wanting to arrest this Man! If you decide they were not right, you will need to be able to give a good reason for saying they were wrong! Your decision will be a very important one for you, and it's not as easy as it might seem at first!
The people of Jerusalem were asking, "Isn't this the Man they are trying to kill? Here He is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to Him. Have the authorities really concluded that He is the Christ? But we know where this Man is from; when the Christ comes, no-one will know where He is from." (verse 27.)
Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, "Yes, you know Me, and you know where I am from" (verse 28.); but He went on to point out that it was God who had sent Him, and that the people did not know God, or recognise His plan. "At this they tried to seize Him, but no-one laid a hand on Him, because His time had not yet come. Still, many in the crowd put their faith in Him. They said, 'When the Christ comes, will He do more miraculous signs than this Man?'
"The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about Him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest Him." (verses 25-32.) They were determined to keep the people from accepting Jesus as being the great Priest and Saviour God had promised to send to mankind - "the Messiah". (Galatians 4:4-5.) They knew that if the people would believe that Jesus was the Messiah they would no longer need the religious priests or sacraments! (Hebrews 7:24-28. 10:9-14.)
Jesus had clearly shown Himself to be that long promised Messiah - the one who had come from God to be the Saviour of the world. (John 5:36-47. Luke 24:44-47.)
If you had been there would you have wanted to arrest this Man who was claiming to be the Messiah - the One who could do more for you than all other priests and sacraments together could do? (John 14:6. 1st Peter 3:18.)
The evidence that a person has truly accepted Jesus as the Messiah sent from God is they will no longer need any other priest or saviour. Is Jesus Christ your only Priest and Saviour today? (Acts 4:12. 1st Timothy 2:5-6.)
Jesus said to the crowds, and to those who had come to arrest Him, "I am with you for only a short time, and then I go to the One who sent Me; and where I am you cannot come." (verse 33.)
Where was He going to go that they would not be able to get to Him later? And why did they not arrest Him there and then before He would get away from them? You will hear the answers to these questions in the next "talk".
Read about them wanting to arrest this Man in John's Gospel chapter 7, verses 25-36.
John Nixon, Cork, Ireland. P31HD98. Contact: jnixonj@gmail.com
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