John 7:14 14But at the point of the middle of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How does this man know learning when never studying?” 16So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine but from the one who sent me.
Jesus had arrived in Jerusalem and at some point went into the temple area to teach. Many rabbis taught in the temple courts where Jews gathered for worship. Jesus had already received a mixed reaction to his presence. He would have been one among many rabbis, but he had already caught the attention of many people, including the temple leadership from the clearing incident described in chapter 2 (assuming John’s Gospel is chronological). With many pilgrims present in the temple, it is highly likely that some from Galilee would have come as well. Many people knew who Jesus was, but undoubtedly, this would have been the first time for many to hear him.
Those who gathered and listened to his teaching were amazed. Their problem was that Jesus did not fit their expectations. He did not have the PhD behind his name. He had not studied under the famous rabbis of the time. John uses his generic term Jews to represent those who opposed Jesus or would not believe in him. The people’s bias is quite common in our day. Formal education is important and helpful, but there is a difference between knowledge and wisdom. A person can go to the best university but lack spiritual depth. A person might also never attend any formal education but know God and have deep insight into God’s word.
In verse 16, Jesus gives the secret and difference between these two situations. Jesus illustrates with his own life that primary difference between a formal education from the smartest people in the world and effective spiritual wisdom and strength is that the latter comes from the Father. Jesus did not need to be taught by Gamaliel, Hillel, Shammai or other famous rabbis of the first century. He knew God’s word as recorded in the Jewish Scriptures, but even more significant, he was filled with God’s Spirit and spent time with the Father in prayer.
All three qualities are important for us to imitate. We need to study the Bible and know it well, but that is not enough. Studying at a Bible college or seminary can be helpful for gaining knowledge, but knowledge must build on and contribute to character. Character is grown through fear of the Lord and fellowship with the Lord through his Spirit. We have to avoid the possibility of some form of esoteric gnosticism, thinking that we have some form of special revelation that comes through meditation. Meditation and prayer must be anchored in Scripture and confirmed in fellowship with other believers. Jesus is unique in all of history in his relationship to God the Father, but Jesus also set us an example of how we can grow in our knowledge and wisdom. The Jews in the temple were like others who criticized Jesus: they saw only from an earthly, human perspective and missed the power of “God with us.”
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