The religious leaders questioned Jesus's authority and education, but His response reveals a profound truth about how we understand and accept God's Word.
John 7:16-17 "So Jesus answered them and said, 'My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. If anyone is willing to do his will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak for myself.'"
The religious leaders were astonished by Jesus's teaching. In their system, rabbis gained credibility by quoting other rabbis. They'd say, "Rabbi so-and-so once said..." or "I remember sitting at the feet of Rabbi such-and-such..." They relied on human authority for validation.
Jesus shows up and speaks with unrivaled authority. He's not quoting other teachers鈥擧e's speaking as the mouthpiece of God. So they ask, "Where did you go to school? What rabbi did you learn under?"
Jesus's response is stunning: "My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me." He's saying, "You want to know who taught me? No one taught me because I'm from God. Everything I speak is from God. That's why you're marveling at my authority."
But then comes verse 17, and you might have read right past it without grasping its significance: "If anyone is willing to do his will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak for myself."
This is profound. Divine truth is self-authenticated when someone comes to God's word wanting to obey it. Wanting to do God's will is a prerequisite to understanding God's word. If you don't want to do God's will, you will always find a problem with God's word.
People will always be able to say, "That doesn't mean what I think it says," so they can go on living the way they want to live. You can twist Scripture to mean anything you want. But when you are passionate about what God is passionate about, when you desire what He desires, when you love what He loves and will what He wills鈥攊t becomes less intellectual and more volitional.
The issue isn't primarily in the head; it's in the heart. These Jewish leaders didn't want to do God's will鈥攖hey wanted to do their own will. That's why they couldn't recognize truth when it was standing right in front of them.
This explains why some people can sit under sound biblical teaching for years and remain unchanged. They're not coming to God's word with a heart that says, "Lord, whatever you want me to do, I'll do it." Instead, they're approaching Scripture with an agenda: "God, please confirm what I already want to believe and do."
Are you coming to God's word hoping He conforms your will to His will? Or are you hoping to find ways to make His word conform to your lifestyle? The difference is everything.
When we approach Scripture with surrendered hearts鈥攈earts that genuinely want to obey whatever God says鈥擧is truth becomes clear and compelling. But when we approach it with rebellious hearts, even the clearest passages become confusing or offensive.
1. How do you typically approach God's word鈥攚ith a heart ready to obey or looking for ways around difficult commands?
2. In what areas of your life might your unwillingness to obey be clouding your understanding of Scripture?
3. What would change in your Bible reading if you approached it with the prayer, "Lord, show me your will and give me the grace to obey it"?
Stay dialed in, Jonny Ardavanis
