John 7:45-46 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, “Why did you not bring Him?” The officers answered, “Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks.”
We learn in these verses that the temple officers had been sent by the chief priests and Pharisees to seize Jesus and bring Him in for examination. They came back empty-handed. We learned in the previous verses that the temple officials and the hostile crowd didn’t lay a hand on Him. We also learn why they didn’t arrest Him—He spoke with authority and love. I assume that is what they meant by saying, “Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks.”
After Jesus, with a word, healed the paralytic whose friends had dropped him through the roof, it was said, “But when the crowds saw this, they were awestruck, and glorified God, who had given such authority to men” (Matt 9:8). When Jesus spoke the truth, it came with authority and love. Such authority left people awestruck. In this case, the temple officers were awestruck to the point that they couldn’t bring themselves to arrest Him. They were more afraid of interrupting Him and taking Him into custody that they were upsetting the chief priests and Pharisees. In other words, there was more fear of God than there was fear of man. That’s the power of the Holy Spirit attending Jesus’ words and impacting even Jesus’ enemies.
We also know from previous verses that the officials didn’t arrest Jesus because it wasn’t God’s time. In John 7:30 we read, “So they were seeking to seize Him; and no man laid his hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.” So again, we see God’s providence at work as the Father protected His Son until His work was done on the earth.
I encourage you today with two things. One, when we speak the truth of God in love, we also have authority. When Jesus loves through us and gives us His words to say to others, they will recognize that we are not normal. They may not know what it is, but like the officers, they will notice we don’t speak from the same perspective as most people. Let’s be encouraged to boldly speak God’s word and truth as we share with others. Two, we may also have confidence that God’s providence will protect us as we live to love with Jesus. He has work to do through us, and our days are numbered. We may speak God’s word and truth without fear. Let’s be encouraged to fear God more than we fear man. May we love with boldness and speak with authority and love.
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