Discerning Truth

October 18, 2026 | Discerning the Truth| John 7:1-24

JD Cutler

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Good morning church family. Let me invite you to take your Bibles and open to John chapter 7 as we continue our look at the Gospel of John in our ‘So that you may believe’ series. The last time we were in John, Pastor Will brought us through the end of chapter 6 where we saw many of the disciples turned back and stopped following Jesus and then heard his pronouncement that not even all of the twelve truly believed, highlighting that proximity and exposure alone to Jesus is not the same thing as believing in him.

Throughout this series, we have repeatedly addressed John’s purpose in writing and where our series title comes from. John 20:30–31 “30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

There is a way of thinking about scripture made popular by the Simeon Trust workshops that encourages students of the Bible to look for what they call the melodic line of a book of scripture. That is to say, what is the repeated theme, what ‘notes’ ring out throughout the book. The belief is that both the individual books of the bible and the bible as a whole posses a sustained, unified message, much like the unique melody of a song. A central them, that helps us understand individual texts and narratives within their broader context.

For John’s gospel, it certainly seems that the melodic line is the idea of believing that Jesus is the Christ.

Once we identify that, what John writes, how he writes it, and how he arranges it, all begin to resonate with a recognizable and beautiful, almost musical sound. Each section, each narrative, each encounter adds its unique perspective to the overall melody running through this book.

For instance, in the section we begin today which runs through chapter 10, John continually exposes us to the question on the minds of those around Jesus in Jerusalem and Judea. Is this the Christ? You can easily see that John is continuing to carry his readers through the life and ministry of Jesus, so that they may believe that Jesus is the Christ, and by believing they may experience life in his name.

But, as we will see, not everyone does. Some initially refuse, but later believe, some never believe, and some not only reject that Jesus is the Christ, they supplement their own identification label on Jesus.

Our text this morning takes place in two distinct environments. We begin in Galilee where Jesus and his brothers have an encounter and then we move into Jerusalem, at the temple where Jesus is teaching. As we walk through this text today we will see that each element seems to be designed to highlight unbelief or uncertainty about Jesus. But I think the real thrust of the passage, the main point is found at the end of our section today in verse 24.

Let’s read it together now, beginning in verse 1.

John 7:1–24 ESV

1 After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. 2Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. 3 So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For not even his brothers believed in him. 6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. 8 You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” 9 After saying this, he remained in Galilee. 10 But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. 11The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?” 12 And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.” 13 Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him. 14 About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” 16So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” 20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” 21 Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. 22 Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well? 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

Those final words, the singular command from our Lord to those hearing his teaching. Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right (or righteous) judgment.

The tension Jesus presses on here is that everyone who hears his teachings, everyone who encounters his claims has to judge for themselves. Who is this Jesus? He challenges them to do so with right judgment.

For those of us who are surrounded by so many voices claiming to speak for Jesus or on behalf of his word, how do we do that? How do we exercise right judgment on who Christ is, what he teaches, and what he desires of us?

In the end we are all responsible for how we judge Jesus’ claims and how we judge his teachings. So how do we make sure that we are doing that rightly?

As we examine this story a little closer, I want to share three areas of discernment that I believe will lead us to judging rightly.

The first is…

I. We must discern where the message is coming from.

We’ll pick up first in verse 14. 14 About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?”

Here’s the scene. Everyone has been wondering where Jesus is, and the religious leaders, represented by the Jews in verse 11, where seeking him and probably not for good reasons. The last time he was in Jerusalem he caused quite a fuss. All of a sudden, seemingly out of nowhere, Jesus is in the temple, and he begins holding a public discourse.

The crowds reaction actually tells us what his teaching included. How is is that this man has learning? The more literal translation is how does this man know the letters, referring specifically to the sacred writings of the Old Testament. Which means what? Jesus was expounding on and applying scripture like we find him consistently doing throughout the gospel accounts.

Their question is how can this man teach like this without any formal education. In the Jewish thinking of the day, a teacher studied under another teacher, who had studied under another teacher. A teacher was a disciple of another teacher. To their knowledge, Jesus had not been formally discipled by any teacher.

If we understand John’s reference to the Jews in verse 15 as the same usage in verses 11 and 1, he is referring to the spiritual leaders. We know from the synoptic gospels that the religious leaders were constantly trying to test Jesus, trying to catch him in a trap, and he consistently shut them down with his teaching. We know that the crowds were amazed at his teaching. In all three of the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke we find some iteration of the crowds responding because he taught as one with authority, not as the scribes.

Here’s the contrast. The scribes and the religious leaders, those trained, typically cited rabbinic traditions, saying the rabbis teach or according to the law, but Jesus taught with direct, commanding authority, I say to you…

Here’s the reality, the religious leaders could see that he his teaching wasn’t according to their customs and often times exposed their customs as violations of the very same scripture they claimed to follow.

So where did Jesus’ teaching come from? That’s the point of tension the crowd and the religious leaders are feeling. What do we do with this, how are we supposed to judge this teaching when we aren’t sure where it is coming from?

Jesus, either hearing them talk about this or knowing it was in their minds, responds. 16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.

Jesus wants them to know he is not making this stuff up, he did not come up with it, but rather he is faithfully proclaiming the message of the one who sent him. This is consistent with what we heard Jesus say the last time he was in Jerusalem in chapter 5.

John 5:24 “24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”

John 5:30 “30 “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.”

Jesus essentially challenges them to answer the question for themselves, where is this teaching coming from? God or man.

Friends, the application for us today is the same. When we encounter someone’s teaching or preaching, we have to answer the question, where does their teaching come from.

Why? Because scripture repeatedly warns that not everyone who claims to teach God’s word is genuine. We are told that there are men who will teach what tickles ears to draws crowds. We are told that there are men who will use the ministry for selfish gain and to take advantage of people.

The reality is that not everyone teaching who stands up, opens a bible, and teaches ‘this is what God’s word says’ is teaching a message that finds its source in God’s word. Their message may use scriptural language, but is it proceeding from the revealed word of God or is it merely propping itself up with vague references to the scripture?

If we are going to judge rightly, then we must exercise discernment on where the message we are hearing is coming from. We must listen with our Bibles open, searching the scriptures, like the Berean believers in Acts. We have to study for ourselves, dig into God’s word, so that we can rightly judge the messages we hear.

The second area where we need to have discernment is that…

II. We must discern where the messenger is coming from

That is to say, if the message sounds biblical and sound, what then? We need to press deeper and ask what is the motivation for the messenger?

Jesus gives the crowd the answer to that exact question when he continues. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.

What is he saying? When you are evaluating a biblical teaching, what is the motive of the speaker? Is he seeking his own glory?

The idea of seeking here is craving, desiring, or demanding. Jesus contrasts himself with the other teachers. The one who speaks his own words seeks his own glory. That is, he is aiming at what he can get from what speaking, fame, recognition, praise, glory. He will say anything that he thinks will move him closer to those goals.

But, the one who seeks the glory of his who sent him? That one is true. Why? Because he is not concerned with his own glory but the glory of the one whose message he is delivering. He is more concerned about fidelity to the one who sent him than to playing to the praise of the crowds.

Jesus is helping them see that the one who teachers for the glory of the teacher is corruptible, the one who teaches for the glory of the sender speaks truthfully.

Church family, we can never truly know what is in a man’s heart, but we can absolutely examine his fruit. I don’t know if you know this, it may be shocking, but the individuals who teach you, from your pastors to your Sunday school teachers, are not perfect.

They will make mistakes, they will fall short, but… the overwhelming impression you ought to get from them is that they are most concerned with God’s glory and teaching His truth, not their own. They don’t waver when public opinion shifts. They don’t back away from the difficult parts of the Bible, they don’t use God’s word to advance themselves.

There are so many churches today, even in what we would call evangelical churches, where the leadership claims some kind of unique direct access to God. Places where questioning the leader is questioning God. Friends, not only is that incredibly dangerous, it isn’t right and it isn’t scriptural. The offices of apostle and prophet are not for today. Today we have pastors and teachers, neither category by the way, that we should expect special revelation from.

Rather, we should expect through much study and prayer that they would simply open God’s word and present his message as faithfully as they can.

To return back to the opening verses of our passage today, this seemed to be exactly the problem Jesus’ brother’s had. They didn’t understand his motivation.

They say, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” They are pushing him to go public, to stand in Jerusalem and declare that he is the Messiah.

We aren’t told why. Perhaps they wanted to glory and recognition of being related to the Messiah. Maybe they were ready for the messiah to free them from Roman oppression and they are saying, hurry up if it’s you. But for whatever reason, they are assuming that Jesus is operating according to his own will and his own desires. But what does Jesus say?

“My time has not yet come…

Jesus is saying that he is operating according to his Father’s timetable and schedule and he will not do anything to jeopardize that. He is fully submitted to the Father and his only concern is His glory. Even when it is difficult, even when it might be easier to do it another way, even when it would be convenient to just do it a little differently, Jesus shows us that someone who is concerned with God’s glory keeps that as his focus in all he does and all he teaches.

But even when the message is from God (we have discerned where the message is coming from) and the messenger is speaking truthfully (we have discerned where the messenger is coming from), his message is not always received or obeyed. This brings us to our last point.

III. We must discern where we are coming from.

Let’s revisit the heart of our passage. Verse 19.

John 7:19 “19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?””

Jesus seems to change subjects here, unless you stop and think about what he is saying. They believed Moses was God’s messenger, they believed that Moses was not in it for his glory, their own scriptures say that… ‘Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth. Numbers 12:3.

In essence they had discerned that the message was from God, that the messenger was faithful, and yet…they did not keep the law, or teaching, he gave.

Jesus is exposing them because although these religious leaders claim to sit in Moses’ seat and claim their authority from Moses, they are not actually keeping his commands.

Here is how I envision this moment with my sanctified imagination.

Jesus is teaching in the temple courts, he has drawn a large crowd. There are Jewish men and women who are genuinely curious as to what this Jesus guy is going to say, but dispersed through the crowd, or maybe at the edge, there are religious leaders who he knows want to kill him. I think this statement in 19 is directly to them. None of you keeps the law and yet you are seeking to kill me because you think I violated it.

Which consequently is why I think the general crowd seems confused and say, essentially, ‘you’re crazy, whose trying to kill you?’

Jesus answers them. I did one work, and you all marvel at it. Jesus has obviously done more than one work, what is he referring to?

Most commentators agree that he is likely referring to the healing of the man at Bethesda the last time he was in Jerusalem in chapter 5.

I healed a man and you marvelled at it, but rather than praising God and believing in the might works of God, you are offended that I did it on the Sabbath.

That’s the concern we see throughout the gospels about Jesus healing on the Sabbath. There are at least five distinct accounts of Jesus healing on the Sabbath in the gospels, each time raising the anger and judgment of the religious leaders. In fact, shortly after this encounter, Jesus is going to do it again in Jerusalem on the Sabbath. That story occupies all of chapter 9 of John. But for now, let’s ask what they were accusing him of.

Chapter 5 says specifically they were persecuting Jesus because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. Think about that. They didn’t have a problem with him healing a man, they were enraged because he would do it on the Sabbath. John summarizes it a few verses after that when he says because he was breaking the Sabbath.

Jesus challenged them on their inadequate understanding of God’s law and even the way that they kept it. He says in Matthew that they would naturally lift an animal out of a not and not consider it work. He says in Luke that they untie their ox or donkey and lead it to water and not consider it work. He challenges them in Mark about whether it was lawful on the sabbath to do good, to save life.

In our immediate context he again points out the hypocrisy in their thinking. When any of their sons was born and the prescribed 8th day fell on the Sabbath, they did not see it as a violation of the law but of keeping the law. Here’s the application. You have no problem essentially making their son complete (giving him the sign of the covenant) on the Sabbath, but can’t see that Jesus making a man whole or complete is equally righteous to do on the Sabbath..

So what was their problem? They were judging by what appearances, not with righteous, or according to God’s judgment. They weren’t being governed by the law of God or concerned with obeying him, they were caught up in keeping man’s law that they were willing to condemn God himself for working on the Sabbath.

Here’s the evaluation question Jesus gives in verse 17.

John 7:17 “17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.”

If anyone’s will is to do God’s will… If anyone is determined, resolved to do God’s will. I think Jesus is essentially saying here, you are actually judging rightly when you circumcise on the Sabbath, but your wrong concerning my healing on the Sabbath. Why? Because one comes from a genuine desire to obey God, and one comes from looking at the external rather than the spiritual.

What’s the takeaway for us who regularly encounter God’s word? Where am I coming from?

Am I approaching God’s word as merely something to learn about? Am I approaching God’s word trying to force it into what I already believe to be true?

Or…

Am I approaching God’s word with a heart that desires to obey him above all else? To thoroughly submit every aspect of my life to his word.

Jesus says, that if that is your desire, you will be able to discern what teaching is from God.

In our text today we have seen Jesus wrongly challenged by his brothers, questioned by the crowds, and hated by the religious leaders. We have seen him challenge them to judge rightly, discerning the truth.

If we simply begin at his words in verse 24 John 7:24 “24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”” and work our way back.

Discerning where I am coming from. Whether my heart is set on obedience to God. Discerning where my teacher is coming from. Whether they are seeking God’s glory or their own. Discerning where the teaching is coming from. Is it rooted in and faithful to scripture?

For New Testament Christians who have the completed cannon of scripture, surrounded by voices claiming to speak for God, we need discernment now more than ever. May our examination of Jesus in Jerusalem motivate us to exercise discernment and judge rightly. Let us pray.