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“Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.” John 7:39

The religious rulers in Jesus’ day were scholars, steeped in knowledge of the Law and Scriptures, knowing all the Biblical clues and criteria regarding Messiah.  They knew that Messiah would be from King David’s lineage, the tribe of Judah and that he would come from the town of Bethlehem.  They believed Jesus couldn’t be Messiah because he didn’t fit the Biblical criteria.  They “knew” that Jesus was a child of Nazareth which was located in the land of the tribe of Zebulun.  Their judgment would have been correct if their information regarding Jesus had been correct, but it wasn’t.  Their judgments were based upon their own assumptions, which were based upon incomplete and inaccurate hearsay.  Because these rulers never asked Jesus about his family lineage or the location of his birth, they never learned his full back story.  These scholars had not done their due diligence of research in this matter.  Of course, there’s no guarantee that Jesus would have revealed the details of his lineage and birth to them if they had asked.  Jesus could be very vague when he wanted.  Nicodemus had come to Jesus one evening with questions regarding his teachings.  I don’t know if Nic left that conversation illuminated or more confused.  He didn’t seem to understand what Jesus was talking about at the time, but his actions at Jesus’ death suggest that the Holy Spirit used Jesus’ words to deepen Nic’s understanding and faith over time.

It would be easy to judge and condemn these ruling scholars (just as they did of those who believed in Jesus) for not doing their jobs correctly and completely (which made it highly improbable for them to believe Jesus was Messiah); however, they were acting solely in their own strength—the Holy Spirit had not yet been given to dwell within those who believed in Jesus.  Many people today who profess to possess the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, myself included, don’t take the time or expend the energy or pursue the open mind and wisdom that’s needed to correctly obtain the full back story of a person or situation before passing judgment.  Though we have the Holy Spirit’s truth and wisdom available to us, do we act any different than those who assumed, judged and condemned Jesus on the basis of their own abilities alone?  Their assumptions, judgments and condemnation were all wrong even though they contained some truths (their knowledge of Scripture was correct).  If we don’t ask for the Holy Spirit’s wisdom, open mind and enabling before we proceed, our own conclusions and verdicts have no chance of being completely correct.  All we can hope for is to possess partial truths that lead us to wrong conclusions and at best.  

I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if the Jewish ruling scholars had done a good, complete job of research before they set their minds upon a decision regarding the validity of Jesus’ claims and ministry.  The back story is always important, even crucial, to enable us to perceive and understand rather than just assume and judge.  Take time to get the full back story—otherwise you miss the full truth and make judgments based upon what you do know: inaccurate and incomplete information.  Ask for the Holy Spirit’s assistance; approach each conversation (and decision) with the mindfulness that you know nothing, and you’ll be better able to really hear and discern the full truth when you hear it.