Listen to today’s devo!

“But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.” (John 7:27)

Expanded Passage: John 7:25-27

Have you ever “people-watched”? Sometimes my husband and I watch people at a store. We notice how they are dressed, how they act, and sometimes how they talk. However, we truly do not know these people we observe. We do not know them inside—their goals, dreams, fears, strengths, weaknesses. We just look at the outward appearance, perhaps even drawing conclusions based on outward appearance alone!

Jesus came late to the Feast of Tabernacles. Upon seeing Jesus, different groups of people were sizing him up and making quick decisions about who he was. They could not figure out why the authorities in the temple did nothing about him. Surely, he was not the Messiah, because they believed that no one would know where the true Messiah is from.

Just like participants in people watching, the people in Jesus’ day were making assumptions about him without the truth, without knowing him truly. If they had waited to know who he was, what his goals were, and where he really came from, they may have come to an entirely different conclusion.

First Samuel 16:7 tells us, “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Let’s be sure we do not jump to wrong conclusions or assumptions about Jesus or our neighbors; instead, take time to learn the truth.

Don’t just watch; get to know someone’s heart today.

Jeannette Carroll is a retired Wesleyan pastor’s wife, a God-called teacher, writer, and musician. She resides in Florida.

© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.