John 7:14-24
Jesus said, "Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own." (John 7:17)
"If any man wills – purposeth – to do His will, he shall know concerning the teaching whether it is of God. It is not necessary for this that a man should have reached the point of perfect obedience; but it is necessary that he should intend perfect obedience"*
My comment: There's that word again: perfect. But as was said yesterday, perfection is a process. All Jesus asks is that we try. If we try to follow Jesus's teaching, then we will be guided in the right direction, step by step. One step: that's all Jesus asks of us today, and every day.
Jesus also said, "Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly." (John 7:24)
"They would search the scriptures and then try to apply texts to life in meticulous detail. The result was bound to be superficial. Do not judge by looks. Go to the heart of the matter; that is to say, God's purpose expressed in the law and the relation of any action (act and motive together) to that purpose."*
My comment: The Bible is not a set of detailed directions downloaded from Mapquest or Google. It is not a How-To book. It is a story of how God relates to human beings where they are. Of course, we know how the story ends, which should help us understand the theme of the story: God's transforming love in the teaching, death, and rising of Jesus Christ. Always let that be the purpose by which you judge yourself, and others.
*From Readings in St. John's Gospel, by Archbishop William Temple
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