Anglican Daily Fountain 4th March 2024 (Devotional Today)
Welcome to Today’s Daily Fountain Devotional of the Anglican Church of Nigeria. Daily Fountain is a daily reading devotional for all Anglicans and Non-Anglicans to read, study, share and discuss the Word of God on a daily basis.
TOPIC: CHRISTS MESSIAHSHIP REJECTED BY HIS PEOPLE
TEXT: John 7: 1-24(KJV)
7:1. After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him.
7:2. Now the Jew’s feast of tabernacles was at hand.
7:3. His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest.
7:4. For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world.
7:5. For neither did his brethren believe in him.
7:6. Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready.
7:7. The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.
7:8. Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast: for my time is not yet full come.
7:9. When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee.
7:10. But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.
7:11. Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he?
7:12. And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people.
7:13. Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews.
7:14. Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.
7:15. And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?
7:16. Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.
7:17. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
7:18. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.
7:19. Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?
7:20. The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee?
7:21. Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel.
7:22. Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man.
7:23. If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day?
7:24. Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
Anglican Daily Fountain 4th March 2024 STUDY:
The Gospel of John and other Synoptic Gospels contain cases of Christ’s rejection by the Jews. The evidence of this in our text corroborates the comment of John, the baptist: “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not (John 1: 11). On many occasions that Jesus performed miracles that should ordinarily have spurred the Jews to believe in Him as their Messiah, such as the healing of the man at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5); healing of a man born blind (John 9); raising of Lazarus from the dead (John 11), etc;, the Jews rather responded with controversy and rejection.
Paul would later show his dismay at the rejection of Christ as Messiah by his people and prayed for their salvation (Rom. 10: 1-2). The Jews were looking for a messiah that would deliver them from Roman oppression and establish their kingdom. They were also deceived by their wilful ignorance, familiarity, self-centeredness, self-righteousness and unbelief.
Many today also equate Jesus to prophets, religious founders and miracle workers and do not appreciate him as their Saviour and Messiah. It is not that they cannot believe; it is that they would rather not believe. It is not that they need more evidence; it is that they fail to act upon the plethora of evidence available to them. Are you denying the available truth about the messiahship of Jesus? Repent now before it is too late.
PRAYER: Lord, help me never to deny you as my Messiah and Saviour now and always, Amen.
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