John 7:11-12 So the Jews were seeking Him at the feast and were saying, “Where is He?” There was much grumbling among the crowds concerning Him; some were saying, “He is a good man”; others were saying, “No, on the contrary, He leads the people astray.”
We learn from these verses about the diverse opinions about Jesus and the settled hostility of some of the Jews, referring to the Jewish leaders who sought Him with malicious intent. His attendance was expected, so they were on the lookout.
I would like to put these verses into our context to some degree. As we live to love with Jesus, we may expect the same range of opinions about us. There will be some who think we are good, and there will be others that think we are imposters, toxic, and should be cancelled. It’s hard to imagine how someone who is God, who performed miracles of healing and deliverance, and who taught with such authority could be considered an enemy and a false prophet. But there is an explanation for it proposed by James, Jesus’ brother, in his letter. James 3:14-16.
But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.
The Jews’ view of Jesus was not an unbiased appraisal. He was a threat to their ambitions. They were jealous of His humility, popularity, power, and ministry. We know that Jesus exposed that their deeds were evil (vs. 7). We should not be surprised if our good deeds, our acts of love, are misunderstood and mischaracterized by people who want people to think they are good, but are not. The encouragement I get from these verses in their context is that Jesus didn’t let the opinions of the crowd sway Him one way or another. He sought only to do His Father’s will for His glory. Jesus made it clear in chapter 5 that it’s impossible to believe in Jesus as long as one seeks the glory of man, which is self-ambition. So let’s take great care to put away our self-ambitions and, in humility, receive whatever God has for us, both good and bad. May we be faithful in doing good, abiding in Christ, and surrendered to His will and plan for our lives.
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