This summer, we're walking through the life story of Jesus in the Gospel of John. While the other three New Testament gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) overlap each other in many of their accounts and sayings of Jesus, John presents a lot of material unique to his gospel. Watch for Jesus' seven "I am" statements and other important speeches about the identity of who exactly Jesus is.

Read John 7:25-32

At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, "Isn't this the man they are trying to kill? Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Christ? But we know where this man is from; when the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from."

Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, "Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, but I know him because I am from him and he sent me."

At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come. Still, many in the crowd put their faith in him. They said, "When the Christ comes, will he do more miraculous signs than this man?"

The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.

Reflect

The religious authorities of the time were threatened by Jesus, but many of the everyday people were at least curious about him. What do you think was different about the two groups that produced these different reactions?

Respond

Jesus, you are a threat to establishments of all kinds—religious, political, social. But you're also a threat to our own established ways of living our lives for ourselves. Wake us up to who you really are, and to what that means for our lives and our world.