Speculation



John 7:25-36
25Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? 26And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? 27But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” 28So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. 29I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” 30So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?” 32The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. 33Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” 35The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”

Sometimes (not very often) I feel sorry for the TV reporter who is forced to fill hours of air time during a breaking story. Numerous interviews are held with supposedly informed people as the story unfolds. It’s basically hours spent in speculation as to what is going to happen. Many stories come to mind, but the one that jumped out is when OJ Simpson was driven through Los Angeles in that white bronco following the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson back in 1992. The news helicopters followed every twist and turn as they discussed why and what OJ was doing. I know – a weird connection. The reason that incident comes to mind is because of the highly speculative nature of the comments made by both the crowd and the Jewish leadership when Jesus comes to Jerusalem during the Festival. Everyone has a couple of facts, but not all of them. And then when Jesus actually speaks it is cryptic and veiled. Then of course, there would be the very mysterious fact that while the Jews wanted to arrest Jesus, they were unable “to lay a hand on Him.”

As we stand on this side of Jesus’ story having the benefit of knowing the whole story, we don’t have to speculate. We have been handed the facts in the Word of God. Today we find rampant speculation as to His Second Coming, which is neither wise nor necessary. Perhaps we are better served to stick with what we know and speak of that. Jesus was sent by God to free us from our bondage to sin through His atoning death and resurrection. Those are facts. We don’t need to speculate and wonder about His message or purpose. They are clearly stated. Perhaps less mental and spiritual wandering is the lesson for the day. Perhaps clinging to the truth of what we know rather than wondering about what God has not chosen to reveal would be best. Our speculation serves no good purpose and may indeed hurt those who are curious about the faith and seeking good information. God provides it and so we might want to keep our speculations about Him to a minimum.

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