If anyone ever thinks Jesus did not speak difficult things, or cause offense, I suggest they read this passage.

John 7:14-36

14About the middle of the festival Jesus went up into the temple and began to teach. 15The Jews were astonished at it, saying, “How does this man have such learning, when he has never been taught?” 16Then Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine but his who sent me. 17Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own. 18Those who speak on their own seek their own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and there is nothing false in him.

19″Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why are you looking for an opportunity to kill me?” 20The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is trying to kill you?” 21Jesus answered them, “I performed one work, and all of you are astonished. 22Moses gave you circumcision (it is, of course, not from Moses, but from the patriarchs), and you circumcise a man on the sabbath. 23If a man receives circumcision on the sabbath in order that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because I healed a man’s whole body on the sabbath? 24Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

25Now some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is not this the man whom they are trying to kill? 26And here he is, speaking openly, but they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Messiah? 27Yet we know where this man is from; but when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.’ 28Then Jesus cried out as he was teaching in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I am from. I have not come on my own. But the one who sent me is true, and you do not know him. 29I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.” 30Then they tried to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31Yet many in the crowd believed in him and were saying, “When the Messiah comes, will he do more signs than this man has done?”

32The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering such things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent temple police to arrest him. 33Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little while longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34You will search for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.” 35The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36What does he mean by saying, ‘You will search for me and you will not find me’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”

John is clearly summarizing a period of teaching. He is writing a precis. But it is illuminating. Because Jesus did not play the guru game.

In India today, and among the ancient philosophers, and today among therapists, post modern “philosophers” and many schools of theology, your qualification is who taught you. My guru was this person, My Rabbi was this person. I was analysed by yet another, who was analysed by this famous person (Insert anyone from Freud to Kohut).

Jesus was unlearned. The term in (transliterated gk) is autos grammata — it implies without primary school. He had not sat at the feet of Gamaliel or Hillel. (Paul did). He instead said that those who seek God will understand his words are from God.

This is not the guru game: this is predestination. That God’s spirit allows us to see his words as wisdom and not foolishness.

The second thing Jesus did is ignore precedent. He healed on the Sabbath — and then told those who argued this was against the Law — but Jesus knew the Sabbath Law had exceptions. Like circumcision. He ignored the traditions (which were soon to be codified in the Babylonian Talmud) and argued back.

The one thing that is traditional here is the dialogue. Iron sharpens Iron. Most traditional teaching in a Rabbinical school is a dialogue — and argument where both sides want to find the truth, but argue incessantly about it. Jesus did teach in the temple within that practice and tradition. Here he did use some syllogisms but no nice parables, for he was not dealing with children, but with the leaders of Israel.

And when he spoke among those who thought themselves gurus and mature, he left them flummoxed. For it is not our wisdom nor our behaviour that justifies us and saves us, but instead God’s mercy, shown in Jesus and prefigured in his teaching here.