the Unavoidable Christ
The freedom with which Jesus preached arrested the attention of the people in Jerusalem, and many wondered whether the cessation of hostility indicated a tacit admission on the part of the authorities that Jesus was what He claimed to be. But they were deferred in arriving at this final conclusion by the consideration that the origin of the Messiah would be unknown, John 7:27. Jesus answered this objection in John 7:28-29. He says in effect: “What you say is true: the Messiah's origin is not known: but my origin is unknown, because it is from God, whom you, notwithstanding your profession, do not know. I know Him, but to you He is only a venerable Name.” The knowledge of the birth at Bethlehem and the lowly family of Jesus, will not explain the mystery of His Person or the secret of His influence on men. All that can only be accounted for by His divine glory as the Only-Begotten of the Father. His hearers immediately recognized the greatness of these claims, which appeared to them blasphemous, though to us they are the literal truth. While the adversaries of Jesus were strengthened in their purpose, His friends were confirmed in their faith. John 7:31 is a decided advance upon John 7:12. See 2 Corinthians 2:16.