From Him Who Sent Me

"Jesus answered, 'My teaching is not My own.  It comes from Him who sent Me."  John 7:16  (NIV)

The Apostle John, who addressed the gospel to all believers so that they would know that Jesus is God, here records the words of Christ when He was teaching in the temple during the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles.  Jesus was answering a question by one of the non-believing Jews who wanted to know how Jesus knew so much about the scriptures without going to school and receiving formal training.  His answer was that what He taught came from God, The Father, who sent Him.

Jesus said that the man who speaks his own thoughts "... does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth..." (John 7:18)  He was not putting forth His own thoughts, ideas, and opinions to call attention to Himself.  Whatever He said and taught came from our Heavenly Father.  Jesus did not come to earth to seek glory and honor for Himself, He came give glory and honor to God, The Father.  The lesson that we can learn from the example which Jesus demonstrated is that we are not to seek to gain honor for ourselves.  We are to speak, act, and live in such a way as to give glory and honor to God.  We can deliver the message that God told us to spread throughout the world by the way we live. (Matthew 28:20)  We can "teach" by example by letting the world see us living a good Christian life, exhibiting good Christian behavior, and hearing us engaged in good Christian conversation.  We may be the only "Bible" that some people "read" or hear.  Remember, "It's not about us, it's all about Jesus." (Unknown)