Doubt. Have you ever been told something by someone else that you doubt the validity of? When you first hear about Jesus, your first likely reaction is to doubt it's true. After all, what human dies then is raised back to life in 3 days? Or in other places in the bible telling stories of other people, like Jonah being swallowed by a fish and spat out onto dry land. Or Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who were thrown into a furnace to be burned to ash alive, only to have the furnace explode and burn all the guards and them to step out with not even a mark.

There are so many more stories in the bible that you could easily just doubt the validity of. After all, if these things happened, why do they not happen these days? Well this chapter is about how many of the people alive when Jesus was, doubted him and the division among the people.

Jesus's Brothers Also Doubts

[John 7:3 ESV] 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.

Jesus's brothers struggled to believe that he was the messiah, and in all honesty. If I was one of the brothers, I probably would also doubt. Here comes their big brother, preaching about how he is the one who will take away all the sin of the world. From their perspective, sure he did some interesting and cool signs. But was he truly the guy who would take away sins?

Jesus's ministry happened at a time that only what we now call the Old Testament existed. And the peak of Jesus's signs had not yet happened. How easy do you think it was to believe what he was saying at the time? Would you have believed if you were alive back then? How does us living in a time where Jesus's life being documented change our willingness to believe in him?

The Division Among People

[John 7:40 ESV] When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet. ”
[41] Others said, “This is the Christ. ” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee?
[42] Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was? ”
[43] So there was a division among the people over him.

People no matter what time or place they are in will find themselves in some form of division between people. Some people may be divided in a division on direction for a company or product they are working on. Others divided over if pineapple belongs on pizza or not. Division is inevitable, and not everyone will agree on everything. With Jesus back in the times when he was alive, people were divided about arguably the most crucial topic in their culture. Is Jesus the Messiah? How does someone come to pick a side?

On one hand, he is the messiah because he has shown signs of his divinity through miracles, his teachings felt authentic and real with wisdom people just didn't posses at the time, and he healed people, forgave people of sins, gave wise advice to people on living life and gave hope to the ones outcast by society. Jesus was the real deal and should be followed.

On the other hand, he is just a man born of a loving husband and wife just like everyone else. He claims to be this prophesied messiah coming to take the sins of the world, which only God can do. Jesus is a fraud and leading people astray.

The big question is, what one of these is true? The natural question is how can you figure out if what he claimed is true? Well, I think we should keep reading and get the full picture of Jesus before making that call. But where do you sit currently? Do you believe? Do you doubt? And what would you require to believe?

What do you dear reader think of this chapter in the bible? What draws your interest, raises questions, or speaks to you? Leave a comment below with your thoughts as you read the bible. God Bless you 😄