Verses 1-10
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Jesus would not be pressured by those that challenged Him to show Himself openly.
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Do not let unbelieving people make you do things that you know you're not supposed to do, nor succumb to their pressure. Be led only by the Word and the Spirit.
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Verses 11-18
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Verse 15. True knowledge and understanding from God. No one has to have a formal education to know Scripture. If it's at all relevant, don't let a lack of formal education disqualify you from bringing the Word to others!
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Many people believed negative things about Jesus' teaching, but He replied saying that His teaching came from God, not Himself. And He spoke not to glorify Himself, but to glorify God
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Be like Jesus. When you speak or teach, speak because you want to glorify God and because you want His will to be done. Don't speak to draw attention or advantage to yourself.
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If you teach "from yourself" (that is, from your own opinions or desires that do not come from the Word), you are seeking only your own glory. But if you keep your motives correct, to do God's will and serve Him, this will help you to keep your doctrine correct and have better understanding of the Word.
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Verses 19-24
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Jesus here exposes that the Jews' criticism of His works was unrighteous. They would perform a labor of circumcising a boy on the sabbath, but they found it sinful that Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath.
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The Jews here did not realize that they had to violate the Sabbath in order to keep the law of circumcision. A boy was to be circumcised the eighth day after birth. And if the eighth day was a Sabbath, they had to sacrifice adherence to the sabbath law in order to keep the law of circumcision. So they judged Jesus based on a appearance that came from their lack of knowledge and due study.
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1. Always consider how you might be committing the same sin you criticize someone else for. Make sure that you're not guilty of the very sin you're wanting to correct (Matthew 7:1-5).
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2. Don't try to judge or correct a person or situation based on something you see on the surface. Nor hastily assume your judgment of a scripture is accurate. Take your time to study the whole context (everything the Word says on a matter) to ensure that what you think and say is an accurate judgment. This is how we judge righteously - not based on an impulsive assumption provoked by an appearance, but by a thorough study of Scripture and a patient investigation of the choices and situations we would seek to understand.
Verses 25-31
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Many of the Jews and especially the Pharisees wanted to kill Him more and more, but He continued to speak boldly, affirming repeatedly that He came directly from the Father.
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And He was not afraid to be bold because He knew that He would not be killed until His time to go to the cross had come.
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Due in part to His boldness and authoritative speech, the crowds believed Him to be a prophet, and would not have wanted Him to be killed (Matthew 21:46). This intimidated the Pharisees. So, the more bold He was, the more the Pharisees hesitated to arrest Him.
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Understand that boldness will work for you, not against you. Always be bold about the truth. So long as you are acting out of love, you have nothing to fear. Have faith that God will protect you.
Verses 32-36
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Even in a moment where Jesus was about to be seized by the Pharisees, He let them know that they were not in control of His death or departure from the world. He was going to decide when He was going to leave, and He was going back to the Father. He knew that the authorities had no power over Him.
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Have this confidence! Focus on the fact that God is in control of your life, and that as long as you are walking in obedience to God, you are not a victim to anyone.
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Verses 37-39
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The Holy Spirit was given after Jesus died and rose again.
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And when the Spirit lives in a person, it brings both peace and power. Rivers of water are both soothing and powerful—peaceful and dangerous.
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The Spirit is meant to flow out of you, into your words and actions with peace and power! Take action to help others and the Spirit will be there to help you with its power!
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Verses 40-44
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Jesus is the Prophet mentioned by Moses (Acts 3:22-23), He is the Christ, and He is a descendant of David who came out of Bethlehem.
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Though everyone had a valid point, they were divided over it and could not come to a conclusion because they were ignorant of the whole of scripture.
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- Understand that people who read the Word, even though they might not be right on everything, they can be right about some things. Always seek to learn more.
- Also observe that division caused unbelief. Know the Word for yourself and seek alignment/agreement in doctrine with other believers. This encourages belief in the Word.
Verses 45-53
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Verses 45-49. Many of the crowds wanted to believe Jesus, but they were discouraged from doing so because the religious leaders rejected Him. And the leaders in their pride assumed the crowds were wrong, thinking, "They do not know the law like we do! So we are right and they are wrong!".
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Don't let your perceived knowledge of the Word cause you to become puffed up. We can all still be wrong, so always be teachable.
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Also, remember that just because most religious leaders reject something doesn’t make it untrue. Nor is a doctrine automatically true just because most religious leaders affirm it. The majority of the knowledgeable leaders of Jesus' day rejected Christ as a blasphemer, and they were dead wrong. Go to the Word for yourself, and compare the Word with what you are taught, and this will bring you closest to the truth.
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Verse 52. And just because something is unusual or out-of-the- ordinary doesn’t make it untrue.
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Don't judge what truth is on the basis of what most leaders think, what the popular opinion is, or even what has been the pattern in the past. Always go to the Word for the truth in everything.