John 7:14-36 | What's a lesson for the original audience?

It is essential in our reading not to just look upon the connections and the contexts, but actually analyze what the texts were saying. At the heart of this passage, there is a lesson that is incredibly important to the reader of the time. Naturally, it was all the rage to reject Jesus. Many would look as the Jewish leaders did and simply write Jesus off. They would look at poorly contrived circumstantial evidence and make a quick judgment about the Messiah. But what did Jesus say about this?

24 Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.
-John 7:24

It was no secret to them then, and it is no secret to us now, that the Jewish leaders of the time were very quick to pass judgment on anyone. Jesus taught a lot about this. Go and read Matthew 7 for deeper understanding on how to judge righteously. Given how much it was taught, I would be willing to bet that a top down affect had taken place with the leaders to the people. So all were struggling with unrighteous judgment. The lesson here is clear - judge righteously.

The instruction that is given prior is an important factor in understanding how one judges righteously. It is not according to appearance. Does that mean that appearance is completely out? No. But it does mean that appearance alone is not enough to judge by. It also means that appearance is not the most essential factor. To judge righteously, one must look beyond the surface.

What lesson are you seeing for the original audience?