Don't Let Pride Blind You

Tuesday, March 17th, 2026

5 am

Good morning! Today I am in John 7:32-53. When the Pharisees heard what the crowd was saying, they sent Temple guards to arrest Jesus. Jesus told the Temple guards that He would only be with them for a little while longer, then He would return to the One who sent Him. And they would search for Him but not find Him, and where He was going they could not go. The Jewish leaders were confused, and did not understand what He meant, and asked each other where He was planning to go. Asking if He was planning on going out of the country or going to Jews in other lands? On the last day of the festival, Jesus told the crowds that anyone who was thirsty could come to Him, and anyone who believes in Him may come and drink. Telling them that the Scriptures say, "Rivers of living water will flow from His heart." When the crowds heard Him say these things, they began saying, "Surely this man is the Prophet we've been expecting." And others where saying He was the Messiah. But others were still arguing that He couldn't be the Messiah or a Prophet because of where He came from. The Temple guards returned without Jesus, and the Pharisees asked why. They told the Pharisees that they had never heard anyone speak like Him. The Pharisees asked them if they had been led astray too, like the foolish crowd that follows Him. Saying that His followers were ignorant of the law. And they cursed them. Nicodemus spoke out asking them if it was legal to convict a man before he is giving a hearing? The Pharisees told him to search the Scriptures for himself and see that no prophet had ever come out of Galilee.

The Pharisees and Jewish leaders did not like what Jesus was saying and what the crowds were saying about Him. They had had enough. So they sent the Temple guards to go arrest Him. But when they got there and listened to what Jesus was saying, they did not see that He was doing anything wrong. They did not see a reason to arrest Him. The Pharisees and religious leaders had let their pride blind them to what Jesus was teaching. Jesus' words did not line up with what they had believed and taught all their lives, so what Jesus was saying was threatening everything they believed. They could not understand or believe that what Jesus was saying was right.

When Jesus calls us out, we may feel the same way. Jesus' ways and teachings challenges each and everyone of us. It challenges us to look at what we believe and examine if what we believe lines up with what Jesus tells us. When we do examine what we believe, we have the choice to reject what Jesus is telling us or accept. If we reject what He is telling us, we become like the Pharisees, stuck in our own religious beliefs, our own self-centered ways, and argue with those who do believe Jesus. But if we accept what Jesus is saying, He refreshes our lives with the life giving water He offers, the Holy Spirit. He starts opening our eyes and softening our hearts, and changing our lives. And we become His followers. And just like Jesus, we may get rejected because of it, but Jesus will never reject you when you make the decision to believe and trust Him. He offers us so much more than this world could ever offer us, and it is a gift that He will never take back. You become His for eternity. But our pride will stop us from trusting Him. Our pride will make us stubborn, making us not want to change but stay in the same place we are in. Don't allow your beliefs cause you to be blind to Jesus. Allow Him to speak to you, and open your eyes to His truth. Because He wants you to be part of His family. Search His Word for yourself, and allow Him to guide you.