Knowing Beyond the Surface – Do you truly know the Lord who holds your life?

Dear friends, brothers and sisters, peace be with you. 

Have you ever experienced this in life: you thought you knew a friend incredibly well—you knew where they lived and what they did for a living. But it wasn't until a deep, late-night conversation or navigating a crisis together that you suddenly realized, "Wow, I didn't truly know them at all!" Actually, our understanding of God can sometimes fall into this very same blind spot. Today, we are going to look at the Gospel of John, chapter 7, verses 25 to 31 together.

The background of this passage takes place during the bustling Festival of Tabernacles. Jesus was teaching openly in the temple in Jerusalem. The crowd was full of confusion because they knew the Jewish religious leaders were doing everything they could to kill Jesus, yet there He was, speaking boldly in front of everyone, and no one was trying to arrest Him. As a result, the crowd started whispering and debating whether He was indeed the long-awaited Messiah. This passage acts like a spiritual mirror, reflecting our true condition when we face the challenges of faith and life. Today, I want to share three key points with you.

First, we see the crowd's "Contradiction" — A superficial understanding.

Verses 25 to 27 mention that the crowd felt very conflicted about Jesus' identity. On the one hand, they saw Jesus performing miracles and boldly speaking the truth; but on the other hand, they boxed Jesus in with their own traditional knowledge. They said, "We know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from." They thought that knowing Jesus was the carpenter’s son from Nazareth equated to truly "knowing" Him. This superficial understanding actually became a stumbling block to their experience of God. Don't we often make the same mistake in our daily lives? We might be very familiar with Bible stories and church service routines, and thus assume we know God perfectly. Then, when God works in ways that are unfamiliar or don't meet our expectations, we begin to doubt Him. May the Lord help us not to let our past experiences limit our expectations of God's infinite works.

Second, we see Jesus' "Declaration" — The truth that pierces the core.

Faced with the doubts and murmurs of the crowd, how did Jesus respond? In verses 28 and 29, Jesus cried out in the temple, "Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, 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." Jesus pointed directly to the heart of the issue: you only see my earthly origins, but you do not know the Father who sent me. Through these words, Jesus declared His intimate, unified relationship with God the Father. This is exactly why the Jewish religious leaders wanted to arrest Him and even kill Him—to their ears, this was nothing short of blasphemy. Yet, Jesus did not fear the authorities; He bravely spoke the truth. This reminds us that true faith is not about pursuing superficial harmony, but about bravely embracing and living out the piercing truth of Jesus Christ, even when it challenges our comfortable values.

Third, we see the Father's "Sovereignty" — God has the perfect timetable.

There is an incredibly profound statement in verse 30: "At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come." Even though the surroundings were filled with hostility, and even though the religious leaders wanted to eliminate Him at any moment, as long as the time appointed by the Father had not yet arrived, no person and no circumstance could lay a finger on Jesus. What a tremendous comfort this is! From this, we see that God holds absolute sovereignty. Dear brothers and sisters, perhaps you are going through a difficult season right now. You might feel surrounded by hostility, misunderstanding, or immense challenges that leave you anxious and fearful. But please remember: the timetable of your life is not in your boss's hands, nor is it subject to the variables of your environment. It is securely held in the hands of the Heavenly Father who loves you.

Dear friends, does our knowledge of God merely stop at "knowing His story," or have we truly experienced Him as "the Lord who governs my life"? The deeper we know the Father who sent Jesus, the firmer we can stand in the midst of life's storms.

True peace does not come from having smooth circumstances, but from knowing exactly who is in charge of tomorrow. May the Lord Himself gently guide your heart and mine today, so that no matter what unknowns we face, we can rest in His perfect timing and welcome each new day with courage and hope.