When the Temple guards returned without having arrested Jesus, the leading priests and Pharisees demanded, “Why didn’t you bring him in?” “We have never heard anyone speak like this!” the guards responded. (John 7:45-46)

Read: 1 Kings 12:1-33, 2 Chronicles 10:1 – 11:17, Ecclesiastes 11:7 – 12:14

Relate: I used to watch a TV show called Haven. The show is about an FBI agent named Audrey who shows up at this little town in Maine called Haven. In this town all sorts of weird stuff keeps happening. They call it the “Troubles” but we would recognize it as a grab bag of supernatural tropes. If it happened in any horror story or film, sooner or later it will happen on this show. While in Haven, Audrey she partners up with the local police chief named Nathan. At the beginning of one of the episodes they are about to go off into the woods to find a serial killer. Nathan wants to wait for backup and says, “We need to follow police procedure.” Audrey wants to rush right in and answers “I don’t think police procedure covers towns like Haven.”

As I was reading these verses in John today, this quote from Haven immediately popped into my mind. I can almost picture the confrontation between the priests and the guards:

Priest – Where is Jesus?

Guard – We don’t have him.

Priest – I can see that, why not?

Guard – We couldn’t bring him in.

Priest – What do you mean “you couldn’t”? We have procedures for things like this. Your boss even wrote up a manual for it.

G – I know. But the manual doesn’t really apply to Jesus.

React: Jesus is unique. When He spoke, nobody else ever spoke like He did. When He healed, nobody else could heal like He could. When He intervened, it was as if God Himself were stepping into your situation to take care of things. There was a reason for that. When He opened His mouth, you heard the voice of God. When He reached out His hand, someone was touched by their Creator. There was nobody else quite like our Savior. He was the ultimate difference maker and even the best trained, most experience hardened guard could recognize it. Do you?

Respond: 

Jesus, there is nobody else like You. You alone are my Savior. You alone are my Lord. You alone are my King. You alone are God. Help me to live in the reality and the freedom that You have saved me. Help me to always give You authority as my Lord. Help me to recognize that I am a subject in Your Kingdom.