John 7:1-13 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is John 7:1-13. I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
John 7:1-5 (NIV)
1 After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life.
2 But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near,
3 Jesus’ brothers said to him, “You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do.
4 No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.”
5 For even his own brothers did not believe in him.
On verses 1-5: The Feast of Tabernacles was the biggest festival in the Jewish calendar, so much so that it is sometimes in Scripture it is just called “The Feast”. With the Feast closely approaching, Jesus’ brothers tell Jesus to go to Judea and show himself to everyone, since they know Jesus is claiming to be the Messiah, though they themselves did not believe him. They tell Jesus to go to Judea for the Feast since naturally that’s what anyone who wants to get famous in Israel would do (v4). To follow their advice would have been unwise, since certain Jews in Judea were already waiting to kill Jesus (v1). It is not clear whether Jesus’ brothers were aware that Jesus was already a wanted man in Judea. What can we learn from this?
- Sometimes you may find that the people who are the most opposed and the most resistant to your faith and calling are members of your own family. That can be tough, but Jesus knows exactly how you feel.
- Sometimes people who are not in tune with God’s will and calling for your life will have all sorts of opinions about what they think you should do. That’s why it is so important that you be in tune with God and keep your relationship with Him close, so that you can better discern what is from God and what is not from God. Not everyone who has advice for you is worth listening to, so you need to be discerning.
6 Therefore Jesus told them, “The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right.
7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil.
8 You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come.”
9 Having said this, he stayed in Galilee.
10 However, after his brothers had left for the Feast, he went also, not publicly, but in secret.
On verses 6-10: At first Jesus tells his brothers that the right time for him to go to Judea has not yet come, but then after his brothers leave for Judea he also goes to Judea, not publicly but in secret. Was Jesus being dishonest? No. Remember that Jesus did not say he was not going to the feast. He said “I am not yet going up to this Feast” (v8) and the reason he gives is because “for me the right time has not yet come” (v6). In other words, Jesus was waiting for his Father’s go ahead before he went to Judea. (Remember that Jesus did nothing by himself and only does what he sees his Father doing (John 5:19)). I believe that soon after Jesus’ brothers left for Judea, the Father gave Jesus the go ahead to go as well. That’s when Jesus goes, but wisely Jesus goes in secret since there were people out to kill him.
People who are not led by the Spirit are not sensitive to the guidance of God in terms of timing and direction. They’ll just do whatever they feel like doing when they feel like doing it, with no sense as to what God wants them to do and when. As Jesus says about them, “For you any time is right” (v6). Jesus, however, was different. In many ways, for Jesus, timing was everything. The right timing can sometimes be the difference between saying something wise and saying something foolish, between doing something good and doing something inappropriate. You’ll find that what often separates the greatest in any field from the rest is their timing; the greatest tend to move at a different speed than most. No one had better timing than Jesus. Jesus would look to the Father even on issues like when to time his moves. Like Jesus, be timing-conscious. Look to the Father for a sense not of just what to do but when to do it. Also, when you don’t have a good sense of what the right time is, trust Jesus that His timing is always the best.
John 7:11-13 (NIV)
11 Now at the Feast the Jews were watching for him and asking, “Where is that man?”
12 Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.” Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.”
13 But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the Jews.
On verses 11-13: The Jews in Judea who were waiting to take Jesus’ life (v1) are at the Feast looking for Jesus. People were expecting Jesus to show up and the whispered conversations about him ranged from “He is a good man” to “He is a deceiver” (v12). But no one would speak up one way or the other about Jesus, for fear that they would be discovered by the Jews who were trying to kill Jesus.
What can we learn from this?
- Just as it was at the Feast in Judea, so it is today: you will hear all sorts of people say all sorts of contradictory things about Jesus. Rather than rely simply on what other people say to you about Jesus, go to the source and ask Jesus himself. If you’re curious about Jesus, don’t just read articles on what people think about Jesus, but read the Bible for yourself. Pray and ask Jesus to show Himself to you. I believe He will when you ask with a sincere heart.
- People in these verses were afraid to identify with Jesus. If you are a follower of Jesus, may you not be afraid or ashamed to identify with Jesus. May you be wise and courageous in following Him and leading others to him.
Copyright © 2021 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.
