October 14th~A Polarizing Figure

John 7:1-9


Luke 9:51-56

Matthew 8:18-22

Luke 9:57-62

John 7:10-8:20

Most of our passage revolved around Jesus going to Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Shelters. For much of His ministry, He avoided Jerusalem because the religious leaders there were plotting to kill Him. However, He decided to go anyway because “His time had not yet come” (John 7:8, 30; 8:20). Just as God sent Jesus to be born at the perfect time (Galatians 4:4), so also had He providentially prepared the time for Jesus’ death and resurrection.

The truth that was glaringly obvious today was that Jesus was a polarizing figure. Some people loved Him, while others hated Him. Some gave their lives to follow Him, while others wanted to arrest and kill Him. Some people called Him the Son of God; others said He did miracles by the power of the Devil. Some said that they had never heard anything like Him, while others listened only to catch Him in a trap.

Jesus is still a polarizing figure today. Millions love and follow Him, and millions despise Him and everything He stands for. Some talk of Jesus as a friend, with tender and heart-felt words, while others view Him as an enemy and use His name to curse. Multitudes see Jesus as the only thing that is right in the world; others see Him as what is wrong with the world.

What is it about Jesus that He provokes such anger and hatred? Jesus answered this question Himself, “The world hates Me because I accuse it of sin and evil” (John 7:7). For one to admit that Jesus was (and is) real means that one has to respond to His claims. For example, He said that He was the Son of God. Was He? He said that there is a heaven and a hell. Is there? He said that He was the only way to get to heaven. Is He? He said that He has the power to forgive sin. Does He? These claims require a response from us. Was He right or was He wrong?

If Jesus was (and is) right, then that means there is a God, which means that God makes the rules and sets the standard. That also means that God will judge us based on that standard and that He gets to determine how we please Him. That means that we are accountable to Him for our words and deeds, that we cannot do whatever we want and get away with it. Finally, it means that there is a heaven and a hell, and that we will spend eternity in one or the other. His perfect moral standard shames us of our sin and leaves us helpless before Him. These are the things that polarize people.

Daily Reflection

For what other reasons is Jesus offensive and polarizing?

How have you seen the polarizing effects of Jesus’ name and claims in your life?

If Jesus is polarizing, does that mean that His followers are (or should be) polarizing as well? Explain your answer.

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