He explains the relative priority of the Sabbath, using an example from their own tradition (John 7:22–23). Jesus, once again, corrects their misunderstanding of the Sabbath. Apparently, some still believed Jesus was a lawbreaker based on His healing on the Sabbath in John 5:1–15. The crowd does not respond favorably to Jesus’ statement that their accuser was Moses (John 5:45). If they truly understood the Scriptures that Moses penned, they would believe in Jesus, because those same Scriptures point to Christ (John 5:46). This is demonstrated by their desire to kill Jesus. They have the Mosaic Law yet are themselves lawbreakers (John 7:19). It becomes clear that the reason the crowd does not understand Him is that they do not know God (John 8:42–43). Jesus explains that those who are “willing to do will” are going to understand the source and authority of Jesus’ teaching, because His teaching is from God (John 7:16–18).

A curious crowd gathers, mixed in their appraisal of Jesus and His seemingly audacious claims. In John 7:14, Jesus begins to teach in the temple. In John 7, Jesus goes to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. Jesus said these words to a specific group of people at a specific time, so the context of John 7:24 deserves be explored before a modern application is made. It is a line of dialogue from a historical narrative. While this statement is pithy and quotable, it is not simply an isolated proverb. This is one possible application of Jesus’ words in John 7:24: “Do not judge by the outward appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (NASB). We can judge with righteous judgment-we can judge rightly-by submitting to God in faith and seeking to understand His Word.

Who are we to judge