Tuesday after the Eighth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on July 26, 2021 by under
Scripture: St. John 7:14-24 (NKJV)
7:14 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught. 15 And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?”
16 Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. 17 If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. 18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him. 19 Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?”
20 The people answered and said, “You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?”
21 Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work, and you all marvel. 22 Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? 24 Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
Devotion
Jesus was teaching in the temple during the Feast of Tabernacles. The Jews were already divided concerning His doctrine. “However, no one spoke openly of Him, for fear of the Jews.” (v. 13) In all Jerusalem, there was no doubt endless contention between the sects of the Pharisees, but any discussion of the One who proclaimed the Truth brought the fear of judgment at the hands of the rulers of the Jews.
The Lord began to teach the Jews by noting their failure to fulfill the teaching of Moses: They did not keep the law and seemingly understood nothing concerning the Gospel and the means of grace. As the administration of the Old Testament sacrament of circumcision on the Sabbath could not violate the law of Moses, so the mercy which the Christ showed to the man at the pool of Bethesda (John 5) was perfectly in keeping with the purpose of the Sabbath, for “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27) The man healed by Jesus was made “completely well” by the Word of the Lord, and the Lord then said to him in the temple: “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” (John 5:14) The Lord blesses and preserves His people, admonishing and consoling us through His Word.
Prayer: Grant to us, Lord, we beseech Thee, the Spirit to think and do always such things as are right; that we, who cannot do anything that is good without Thee, may by Thee be enabled to live according to Thy will; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
