Truth Speaks to Agitation

It is helpful to understand that at this point in the chronology of the Lord's sojourn on the earth we are looking at the final few weeks, and there is still much material to cover. The three year ministry as recorded by the evangelists is not evenly distributed as to the reports given. The information is heavily weighted toward the end of His ministry. With this background, Jesus is at the Feast of Booths which comes around September/October, and He will be murdered at the time of the Passover which comes around March/April. So we are about 1/2 year from the end. The crowds are becoming more opinionated. It is getting more and more difficult for the Jewish leaders, notably the Pharisees and chief priests, to control and shape public opinion. The "exit polls" as people were listening to Jesus teach were more mixed and people are becoming more entrenched in their views. This is not good for he opposing party. They need for the potential voters to remain in a state of flux and indecision. They do not want the concrete setting too quickly. But they fear it is. So they think their hand is being forced, and they have to play it NOW. So they send officers, Jewish temple guards, to arrest Jesus.

There are two contrasting realities here. The reality of the Jewish leaders is that they perceive Jesus as an impostor Messiah who is simply making trouble for them, and He must be stopped. So if you can't stop Him with reason, you act like the Mob, and try to stop Him by force. The alternate Reality, which is the Real Reality, is that they are seeking to arrest the Son of God. How does one arrest God in the flesh? What type of cuffs are needed? What maximum security prison will hold God? Who wants to volunteer to carry out this assignment? The leaders are clearly agitated. Their hold on things is slipping away. They are getting worried that new "leadership" is coming to Jerusalem. This, they believed, would upset the delicate balance of power with the Romans, who were a constant Big Brother meddling in Jewish affairs. Thoughts of Roman crackdown,  loss of power, control, and income, and fear of the unknown pervaded their minds. They were getting more and more turbulent in their minds. "Do something!" "Anything." So they seek to contain the situation.

But, Jesus does what should be done in the face of agitation. Speak truth to it. Whether one is agitated about personal matters or national matters, truth is always the response needed. Tell upset people the truth. Tell volatile people the truth. So what truth did Jesus tell? We don't know all of it. But in 7:33-34 Jesus gives four truths that when pondered reveal profound realities that help put everything in proper perspective. 1) Jesus' time is getting short. He is on a divine pace which is not being controlled by the Jewish leaders. This puts the perspective back on the Father's timeline. 2) Jesus is returning to His Father, the one who sent Him. The mission is a God-ordered mission, and carries God's authority. 3) Time for seeking Jesus is now while He can be found. Soon He will be gone, and a new kind of seeking and finding will be necessary. 4) Jesus' destination is not open to them at this time. They cannot follow Him as they are doing now. He will not be accessible in the same way. A new access must be granted. Each one of these four truths are powerful and profound. He who has ears let him hear.