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There was a division among the people over him. John 7:43

We live at a time when people are divided over many issues, but this is nothing new to Jesus. Over the next few days, we’re going to look at four different responses to Jesus, the first of which is confusion.

Some said of Jesus, “This really is the Prophet” (7:40). These people were clearly sympathetic to Him. They liked what He said and were drawn to it. As they listened to His words, they realized there was something very special about Him. They thought He was a prophet.

Notice, these people did not say that Jesus was a prophet, they said He was the prophet. This is a reference to Deuteronomy 18:15, where Moses says, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you… it is to him you shall listen.”

From that time on, there was an expectation that God would send another Moses. What did that mean? It meant that since Moses was the lawgiver who told God’s people how to live, that this is what Jesus would do.

Although these people were right in saying that Jesus is the prophet like Moses, what they said was only part of the story, rather than the full picture. Many prophets have come and gone who told us to give a cup of cold water to the thirsty, but no prophet was ever able to say to the world, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink” (John 7:37). Jesus is in a class of His own.

Many today think Jesus is just a great moral teacher who calls us to follow the Sermon on the Mount, go the extra mile, live a life of love, etc. What could you say to someone who holds this view? What should you not say?