Controversial Jesus
There have been many controversial figures throughout history: Mohammed; Henry VIII; Martin Luther; Darwin; Karl Marx; Adolph Hitler; Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton; and Barak Obama, to name a few.
But, there has never been a more controversial person than the Lord Jesus Christ. Controversy surrounded every aspect of His life: Controversial in His birth, teachings, miracles, death, resurrection.
•More books written about Him than any other person.
•He is the favorite subject of artists and song writers.
•No person has been quoted more often than Jesus.
•There has never been another person in history who has been hated by more people or loved by more people. More blood has been shed over His doctrine than the teachings of any other man.
Saying His name will either incite or inflame a conversation—or shut it down. No name has been profaned more.
Hear what some have said about Jesus (both skeptics and believers):
H.G. Wells— I am an historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history.
Historian Kenneth Scott Latourette— As the centuries pass, the evidence is accumulating that, measured by His effect on history, Jesus is the most influential life ever lived on this planet.
J. Sidlow Baxter— Fundamentally, our Lord’s message was Himself. He did not come merely to preach a Gospel; He Himself is that Gospel. He did not come merely to give bread; He said, “I am the bread.” He did not come merely to shed light; He said, “I am the light.” He did not come merely to show the door; He said, “I am the door.” He did not come merely to point the way; He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
Albert Einstein—As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene… No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.
C.S. Lewis—A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.
When we come to John 7 we are entering the final months in the life of Christ’s earthly ministry. Things are gradually coming to a head.
John 7 is all about the controversy surrounding the identity of Jesus. Most of the chapter occurs in connection with the feast of Tabernacles (vs. 2, 10, 14, 37). It lasted 7 days (Lev. 23:34-44; Dt. 16:13-16; 2 Chron. 8:13). This took place about 7 months before the crucifixion.
When we come to John 7 we are entering the final months in the life of Christ’s earthly ministry. Things are gradually coming to a head.
John 7 is all about the controversy surrounding the identity of Jesus. Most of the chapter occurs in connection with the feast of Tabernacles (vs. 2, 10, 14, 37). It lasted 7 days (Lev. 23:34-44; Dt. 16:13-16; 2 Chron. 8:13). This took place about 7 months before the crucifixion.
Questions asked concerning Christ in John 7:
v. 15—How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?
vs. 19-20—Why go ye about to kill me?…Who goest about to kill thee?
v. 25—Is not this he, whom they seek to kill?
v. 26—Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ?
vs. 35-36—Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? Will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles?
v. 41—Shall Christ come out of Galilee? (cf. v. 42).
v. 45—Why have ye not brought him?
v. 48—Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him?
I. The DISBELIEF of His brethren (vs. 1-9).
A. The worldly ADVICE of Jesus’ brethren (vs.3-5).
B. The wise ANSWER of Jesus to His brethren (vs. 6-8).
II. The DIVISION amongst the people (vs. 10-18, 40-43).
Partial sermon: CLICK HERE for full PDF
