July 9
________________________________________WISDOM FROM HIS FATHER
10 But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as if, in secret. 11 So the Jews were seeking Him at the feast and were saying, “Where is He?” 12 There was much grumbling among the crowds concerning Him; some were saying, “He is a good man”; others were saying, “No, on the contrary, He leads the people astray.” 13 Yet no one was speaking openly of Him for fear of the Jews. 14 But when it was now the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and began to teach. 15 The Jews then were astonished, saying, “How has this man become learned, having never been educated?” 16 So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.– John 7:10-16
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In this story, we see how the Jews obsessed to catch Jesus and also find the perfect occasion to expose Him. Jesus on the other hand was doing his best not to be seen for it wasn’t his time yet. While they were searching for him, the crowds were all grumbling to each other trying to figure out Jesus. Some were saying he was a good man, but others claim that he was a false teacher. Yet, they didn’t openly speak about him because they feared the Jewish leaders. The leaders kept wondering how Jesus had so much wisdom when they knew he had never been schooled? This time Jesus gave them an answer. He told these Jewish leaders that his teaching is not his but comes from the One who sent Him.
How many of us point to the Lord when we get praised for some wisdom that we are acknowledged or praised for? Human nature automatically makes us take credit for what is actually a gift from God. Isn’t it amazing to see Jesus, who was God Himself, still acknowledged His Father for something that He could easily take credit for? We can learn humility from Jesus in this story. In Psalm 16:2, David acknowledges that we are no good without God. When we take credit for the wisdom we have been given without acknowledging the source, who is God, we are boasting and praising ourselves. When we do this, we serve ourselves and not God. We become our own idol. We know very well that God hates idols. Even though He created us all, He wants us to acknowledge the Giver, not just the gift. Those who truly knows the Lord and serves Him, always ensures that God increases and he decreases.
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REFLECTION
• Why is it easy for man to claim wisdom as his and forget the source of it?
• What happens when we rely on our human thinking and give glory to ourselves?