What Jesus Did : John 7:45-46 - Never Heard Anyone Talk Like This
by Phil Ware
Never Heard Anyone Talk Like This - John 7:45-46
The temple police went back to the leading priests and the Pharisees. The priests and the Pharisees asked, "Why did you not bring Jesus?" The temple police answered, "The things he says are greater than the words of any person we've ever heard!" (ERV) Full TextKey Thought
I love to listen to the accents of people from different parts of the world as they speak. In a world with so many words—spoken, written, hung on signs, blasted over radio waves, printed in newspapers and magazines, sent through cyberspace—it is nice to hear something different. Then, every-once-in-a-great-while, someone comes along and speaks something in a fresh way; their words and accent are not just new, their message is refreshing and startling. Jesus spoke with startling freshness. His message was not just new, but powerful. It had behind it the breath of heaven and the ring of truth that resonated in people's souls. It also had power to change hearts, alter circumstances, and force out darkness. While we live thousands of years later, if we will listen for his voice as we read his story, we too, can be touched and transformed. We too can say, "We have never heard anyone talk like this!"
Today's Prayer
God of truth and grace, thank you for speaking to us in Jesus. I thank you for the message you spoke when you sent him to our world. I thank you for the very words he spoke while he was here. Make those words come alive in my heart as I read them. Transform me and refresh me through their power as I pledge my best to honor those words with my obedience. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Today's Verses in Context
The last day of the festival came. It was the most important day. On that day Jesus stood and said with a loud voice, "If a person is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. If a person believes in me, rivers of living water will flow out from his heart. That is what the Scriptures say." Jesus was talking about the {Holy} Spirit. The Spirit had not yet been given to people, because Jesus had not yet {died and} been raised to glory. But later, those people that believed in Jesus would receive the Spirit. The people heard these things that Jesus said. Some of the people said, "This man really is the Prophet. " Other people said, "He is the Christ. " Other people said, "The Christ will not come from Galilee. The Scriptures say that the Christ will come from the family of David. And the Scriptures say that the Christ will come from Bethlehem, the town where David lived." So the people did not agree with each other about Jesus. Some of the people wanted to arrest Jesus. But no person tried to do this. The temple police went back to the leading priests and the Pharisees. The priests and the Pharisees asked, "Why did you not bring Jesus?" The temple police answered, "The things he says are greater than the words of any person we've ever heard!" The Pharisees answered, "So Jesus has fooled you too! Have any of the leaders believed in Jesus? No! Have any of us Pharisees believed in him? No! But those people {out there} know nothing about the law. They are under God's curse!" But Nicodemus was there in that group. Nicodemus was the one that had gone to see Jesus before. Nicodemus said, "Our law will not let us judge a person without hearing him. We cannot judge him until we know what he has done." The Jewish leaders answered, "Are you from Galilee too? Study the Scriptures. You will learn that no prophet comes from Galilee." [The oldest and best Greek copies of John do not have verses 7:53-8:11]-- John 7:37-52 (ERV)
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