Text: “Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.” – John 7:14-16.
Comment: On the occasion of the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus Christ was moved by the holy spirit to expound the word of God such that the unbelieving Jews were compelled by the force of the truth to acknowledge the vastness of his wisdom, especially given the fact that he had received no formal education. When the chief priests and Pharisees asked the officers sent to arrest Jesus Christ “Why have ye not brought him? The officers answered, Never man spake like this man.” – John 7:45,46.
Our heavenly Father gives His faithful ones knowledge through His holy spirit which brings them to prominence by His grace. During the Babylonian and the Medo-Persian empires, God used four faithful Jews to show the power of divine knowledge. They were Daniel, Shedrach, Meschach and Abednego. (Daniel 1:7). The Bible account states that God gave these four Jews “knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom” but “Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams”. (Daniel 1:17) Not only did Daniel rise to the position of president in the Medo-Persian Empire, he was preferred among them because of the wisdom given him by God. (Daniel 6:1-3) Truly, the Bible says “For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.” – Proverbs 2:6, 7.