John Study 12: 7:25-53

Dear Student of the Word,

It's time once again for your weekly study from John.  This week we move on to John 7, where Jesus came to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, taught in the Temple courts and had an encounter once again with the Jewish authorities.  At this point, the leaders had put out a contract on Jesus' life, determining that He must die. 

With that in mind, this is what I wrote on day six of this seven-day study that you can download below:

vs. 50&51 – Nicodemus had courage, for he was at least willing to ask a question that challenged the pronouncement that all were against Jesus on the ruling council.  It takes great courage to challenge authoritarian leadership, especially when they are set on preserving their own world and power.  The council had become dictators and saw themselves as vastly superior to “the people.”  They considered the people under a curse due to their ignorance of the Law, which meant that the leaders’ studies and knowledge had set them free.  They did not and could not see their bondage.

The leaders did not allow people to speak freely or openly; everything had to be said in “whispers.”  They attempted to rule by fiat and edicts, telling the people what they could or could not do and believe. 

The interesting point here is that Nicodemus was correct!  The Law did require that the accused have a hearing, but the leaders were not interested in due process or procedure here. They were only interested at that point in ridding the earth of Jesus’ presence.  Therefore, their judgment was clouded and biased.  That makes Nicodemus’ comment all the more courageous and a harbinger of things to come, for Jesus would have an impact on that Council for many years to come.  If fact, Jesus’ presence and their ultimate decision about what to do with Jesus both contributed to the end of that leadership council thirty years later.

How courageous are you to stand up to authority that has gone bad?  Are you whispering, saying what you think needs to be said, but hiding it from those who would disapprove?  Are you saying what you believe about Jesus in the settings where He has placed you?  Remember what Jesus said in another gospel:

If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels (Luke 9:26).

v. 52 – The council members turned on one of their own and rebuked Nicodemus, accusing him of being from Galilee and thus sympathetic to Jesus due to parochial influence. The Council was so certain that no good could come from Galilee that they dismissed Jesus because of where He lived!  This was the equivalent of discrimination or bias, which also renders leadership ineffective when they operate in it. 

Throughout these studies, I have been “hard” on leaders.  Leadership requires much development and great skill; it isn’t just a gift.  All leaders, even spiritual ones, have the power to do great good or cause great upset and evil. We see the effects of poor leaders throughout history, the Bible and current affairs.  That is why I am passionate about leaders developing and training themselves to be all God wants them to be.  Leaders are not and never will be perfect, but they have the responsibility to perform at the highest level possible, admitting mistakes along the way.

What kind of leader are you?  What kind of leader do you want to be?  What price are you willing to pay to be a great leader?

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, Colossians, First Timothy, and Matthew's and Mark's gospels on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Plus my website archives contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse Bible studies from Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Hebrews, James, 1&2 Peter, Hebrews and Revelation, along with the unpublished Faith Files.

Download John Study 12

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REVELATION: I need your help. I urgently want to publish my next book, this time a devotional from the book of Revelation. I wrote about this project in my blog last week and encourage you to read what I wrote there. In that post, I explain my urgency in wanting to get it out for people to read. Then please consider if the Lord wants you to help me to restore an important book of the Bible that has been obscured by so many weird interpretations.  If you have any questions about the project, please don't hesitate to contact me.

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