John 7:11-13 11The Jews were seeking for him at the feast and saying, “Where is that man?” 12And there was much grumbling about him among the crowd. On the one hand, some said, “He is a good man,” but others said, “No, he is misleading the people.” 13Yet no one spoke openly about him on account of the fear of the Jews.
Jesus ended up going to the feast, but not at the instigation of his brothers but at the leading of his heavenly Father. Once he got to Jerusalem, Jesus experienced two types of responses that represent the two options for those who encounter him at any time or place in history. On the one hand, he did not receive a warm welcome from the Jews and was labeled that man, likely ina derogatory way. By this point in John’s Gospel, the designation Jews has taken on a negative sense and refers to those who would not put their faith in Jesus. The antagonistic Jews were likely the religious leaders who were seeking a way to get rid of Jesus and even kill him. They represent those who hear the gospel but reject it out of hardened hearts and selfish and worldly thinking. Their response to Jesus came in the form of grumbling, complaining, or muttering. The content of this low rumbling murmur was that Jesus was misleading (planē) people astray or deceiving them. This complaint was a direct affront to Jesus’ claim to be the Truth and direct revelation from God. These people thought he was leading the people away from true Judaism, which the leaders thought they were protecting with their many rules and ethical regulations.
The other response was positive with the rumor that Jesus was a good man. No one could find fault in what he did. What bothered people was the claims about himself. In John’s Gospel, Jesus opening proclaims his association with God, while in the Synoptic Gospels, he is more discrete and more secretely calls for the commitment of faith. Since this was a popular national feast, it is likely that people followed Jesus from Galilee and would be more of the friendly type, but there were also people in Jerusalem who were open to him and put their faith in him. Many people in the world today acknowledge that Jesus was a good man, but they fail to put their faith in him. Recognizing the good things he did, accepting his teachings as profound and significant, or even believing that he did miracles is not enough. We must accept him as Messiah, Lord, Savior, and the divine Word of God who came in the flesh.
Those who murmured good things about Jesus would not speak openly because of fear and shame. What they needed was to believe. Faith is the one thing that overcomes fear. Do we believe in Jesus enough to overcome our fear of what those around us think? Shame is still a powerful force today in all cultures. People are afraid to put their full trust in Jesus because of what others may think or say about them. The reader of this Gospel once again is confronted with the decision of believing or rejecting Jesus.
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