True Hope
Hope is what we all look for when it comes to living in this world that is surrounded by hopelessness. The passage of focus is John 7:37-52 and it shows us the one true hope in this world and where it’s found. The three main points raised in this passage are:
True Hope is found in Jesus (v.37-39)
Jesus was still at the Festival of the Feast of the Tabernacle as this event lasted for 7 days. It was a major event for the Jewish people. Every morning during the festival, the religious leaders would lead the people from the pool of Siloam to the temple. They performed this ritual to resemble God cleansing his people. They aligned these rituals to Isaiah 12:3 and Isaiah 44:3 which speak about water being poured out to represent the Spirit being poured out onto the people The Jews were anticipating the Messiah. During this time, Jesus stood up for his message and stated that if anyone is thirsty, they should come to him and drink. He was stating that he was the fulfillment of the Festival. The people were looking for the Messiah yet Jesus was right in front of them. Not only that Jesus was the embodiment of what they were celebrating during this festival and the Spirit would be poured out once he returned to his glory. Jesus was the living hope and he was inviting all to join him and take part in the Messianic time. Jesus’s message still has implications for us as we live in a hopeless world. Everyone is invited to believe in Jesus and this invitation lasts for eternity. It’s clear that God is going to renew this world and in the process, we are renewed. We are called to live a changed and transformed life when we commit to believing in Jesus. We live in obedience to God.
True Hope is found in a relationship with Jesus (v.40-44).
The people’s reaction to Jesus’ speech caused them to think that Jesus was a prophet. No one believed that Jesus was the true Messiah. Jesus was not only the fulfillment of what the people were celebrating but his speech was also an invitation to have a relationship with Him. There is an importance in understanding that true hope is not found in our knowledge about God or even serving God. These things are a result of having a relationship with Jesus and this is the only thing that gives us true hope. It’s very hard to feel satisfaction in this world and yet Jesus calls us to come to him for true satisfaction and hope. There are so many things that we do to feel satisfied or find hope but this can only be obtained through a relationship with Jesus. When we start to replace our relationship with Jesus we are closing ourselves off from the hope in Christ. In other words, when we continue to do things for Jesus instead of spending time or even being with him, we will run on empty fumes. A relationship with Jesus means we are able to have relationships with others.
True Hope is not found in pride (v.45-52).
The Pharisees were proud in their knowledge of the law even though they were wrong. They did not know God or the law. At this point, the Pharisees believed that those who followed Jesus were cursed wherein actual fact they were the ones who were cursed. They used the law to benefit themselves so that they could show off their knowledge and to be seen as elite. They found hope in their status and reputation as being leaders and experts of the law. This is a temptation that we need to avoid. It’s easy to think that all that we do or have has come from ourselves but we can only boast in Christ. We have been transformed to be more like Christ and less of ourselves. In other words, when we are prideful, we are saying that we are better than God. This prevents us from living for true hope.
Father God,
Thank you for inviting us to be in a relationship with you. Thank you for giving us to have true hope in this life. I pray that we can grow in our relationship with Jesus and that we choose to prioritise that over all. I pray that we continue to be obedient to God and be changed from the inside out.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen