If you listen to Jesus properly, you will understand who he is. But whether you get involved with him is another question. People like to make decisions based on predispositions.

The incident in John 7 shows us this: in verse 31 the listeners recognise that Jesus is the Messiah (Christ) sent by God. The Pharisees, on the other hand, send their servants to bring him to them. They do not want to go to Jesus. The servants are unable to arrest him (verse 44). When they returned, they confessed: “No one ever spoke like this man!” (John 7:46).

Nicodemus says to the prejudiced Pharisees: “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” But their prejudice is clear: “No prophet arises from Galilee“. They don’t want to hear the real facts. They also argue that the elite do not believe him (verse 48).

Even today people make judgements about the Bible and Jesus without really listening or argue that no educated person believes today.

It is a decision not to engage with God at all. The other question is whether you want to accept Jesus for who he is. The Messiah sent by God – the Christ who brings us into a new relationship with the heavenly Father.