The Smartest Man

Today’s reading: John 7:1-30

“How does he know so much when he hasn’t studied everything we’ve studied?” - John 7:15

These experts in the Hebrew scriptures were unrivaled in their day. They not only had the Old Testament memorized, but had studied Talmudic writings beyond that (ancient Jewish commentaries). They knew every detail and nuance.

They couldn’t cope with him when he was 12 (see Luke 2:41-52), and they can’t cope with him now. The following quote really fleshes out this idea!

“Saying Jesus is Lord can mean little in practice for anyone who has to hesitate in saying Jesus is smart. He is not just nice, he is brilliant. He is the smartest man who has ever lived. He is now supervising the entire course of human history (Rev. 1:5) while simultaneously preparing the rest of the universe for our future role in it (John 14:2). He always has the best information on everything and certainly on the things that matter most in the human life.” - Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy, pg 94-95

Bottom line: Jesus can (and should be) trusted. 👏