Shades of Gray

John 7

People were making fun of Jesus in verses 3 and 4. Notice the response of Jesus – it was filled with grace.

• How do you respond when others make fun of you?
• Pray for the ability not to escalate arguments and make a bad situation worse.

Jesus makes an important point in verses 16 to 18: His message is from God. He knew what the world needed more than anything else was to hear from God.

Sometimes Life is Filled with Shades of Gray

Verses 21 to 24 is an interesting teaching from Jesus. He defends the time he healed on a Sabbath. As followers of Christ it is easy to look at the letter of the Law. Jesus compels us to always pay close attention to the spirit of the Law. Keeping the Sabbath is good. Healing a person is good. Jesus couldn't keep the Sabbath and heal a person. So he chose to heal. The Gospel shouldn't be thought of as a rigid, dogmatic set of rules -- rather it should be thought of as a radical set of a teachings that allow us to transform our world and the world. We don't live in a black and white world. Our world has many shades of gray.

Verses 40 to 43 illustrate a common theme many of us deal with daily: doing what is popular vis a vis doing what is right. Jesus didn't have a high approval rating. Many disliked him. He wasn't a people pleaser. He was failthful to God. And he was good with that.

• Are you more likely to do what is right or what is popular?
• Which is a higher value for you: pleasing people or being faithful to God?
• Pray for the ability to discern and do what is right, rather than what is convenient.