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IT’S THE CHOICE THAT COUNTS

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IT’S THE CHOICE THAT COUNTS

“However, after His brothers had left for the festival, He went also, not publicly but in secret. Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus and asking, ‘Where is He?’ Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about Him. Some said, ‘He is a good man.’ Others replied, ‘No, He deceives the people.’ But no one would say anything publicly about Him for fear of the leaders.” John 7:10-13 (NIV).

Jesus was certainly the centre of attention and the talk of the town!

He knew what He was doing when He made it clear to His taunting brothers that He would not be going to Jerusalem at the same time as they were. He knew the Jewish leaders were looking for Him. It was not wise to make a public appearance because there was no knowing what they were planning.

Not only were the leaders against Him but the crowd was also divided. Those who had received ministry from Him in one way or another would definitely have spoken well of Him. Those who were influenced by their leaders would have echoed their misgivings. They muttered among themselves, not daring to make their opinions public in case they fell foul of the big shots who had spies everywhere.

Jesus went to Jerusalem when the crowds on the road had dispersed, but He kept a low profile in the city until the appropriate moment when He would reveal Himself. He was not afraid but He was wise. He didn’t want to start a riot prematurely.

“Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. The Jews there were amazed and asked, ‘How did this man get such learning without being taught?'” John 7:14,15 (NIV).

It was the rabbi’s job to teach. There was nothing unusual about Jesus gathering a crowd around Him as He began to speak about the kingdom of God. Perhaps there were other rabbis teaching in the temple as well. What the Jews could not understand was the authority with which He spoke compared with the other rabbis’ constant reference to the ancients. ‘Rabbi So-and-so said this and Rabbi So-and-so said that,’ and so it went on.

Jesus simply said, ‘This is what the ancients said, but I say…’ and they could not understand the difference. What right had He to speak with such authority so that what He said put paid to all debate? They assumed that as a village lad from Nazareth in Galilee of all places, He would have had minimal education and yet He had the status and recognized authority of a rabbi and carried out the function of a rabbi. It was His authority they could not get over because no other rabbi spoke as He did.

The reason they could not fathom His authority was that they refused to believe its source. Jesus constantly affirmed His connection with the Father. “Jesus answered, ‘My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.'” John 7:16 (NIV).

That’s it! It all comes down to choices, once again. Jesus was saying, ‘What is your heart attitude towards God? If you sincerely desire to be connected to Him and to do what He wants, you will have no trouble discerning who I am and what my source is.’ 

God promises that He will “reward those who earnestly seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6b). The Father does not reveal Himself to curiosity seekers. He is not building a fan club. He gives His attention to those who put aside their own interests to listen to Him and to find out His mind for their lives. He leaves the initiative to us to make the first move towards Him in response to His drawing. There is no value in waiting for God to draw near to us when He has done all He can to pave the way for us to approach Him.

8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. James 4:8

The Jews who constantly confronted and discredited Jesus would never experience the wonder of God’s revelation of Himself to them. It was their unbelief that effectively shut the door in their faces to the possibility of knowing God. They had religion but they did not know God.

Faith in God’s word opens the door to everything He has made available to us in Christ.

Have you drawn near to Him?

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

The Resurrection Is Coming!

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THE RESURRECTION IS COMING! 

“After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders were looking for a way to kill Him. But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, Jesus’ brothers said to Him, ‘Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.’ For even His own brothers did not believe in Him.

“Therefore Jesus told them, ‘My time is not yet here; for you any time will do. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil. You go to the festival. I am not going up to this festival because my time has not yet fully come.’ After He had said this, He stayed in Galilee.” John 7:1-9 (IV).

It must have been tough for Jesus to have been rejected by His own brothers!

But it was to be expected because they were part of “His own who did not receive Him.” It was probably the old story of being offended by His goodness. They grew up with Him. He was their flesh and blood. How could they accept that He was not a mere human being like they were?

Their words were not a suggestion but a taunt. One can read their hostility between the lines. Their words were accusing, revealing and a challenge to Him. ‘If you are who you say you are, go public and prove it. You have a golden opportunity to go to the festival in Jerusalem where everybody who is anybody will be gathered.’ Every word was full of venom and unbelief.

Jesus did not seem to be offended. He simply explained why it was not appropriate for Him to go to Jerusalem then. The Jewish leaders would be looking out for Him. Perhaps they even hoped to grab Him and assassinate Him before the crowd arrived so that He would have no opportunity to wow the people and win them over.

His brothers were free to come and go as they pleased because they were not controversial public figures. They were not living according to a strict timetable as He was. No one was watching out for them with murderous intent. They were not hated for exposing evil.

Jesus was smart. He knew that, if He arrived in Jerusalem before or during the festival His enemies would either waylay Him or stir up a riot against Him. Lynching was not God’s plan. He had to be tried, found guilty and offered publicly as a sacrifice at the exact moment when the slaughtering of the Passover lambs began. His guilt and execution had to be a decision of the representatives of both the Jewish and Gentile world. He had to be offered up for the whole world.

Jesus confined His ministry to Galilee for the moment where He was out of sight of the members of the ruling party. The Pharisees were everywhere, no doubt spying on Him and reporting back to their superiors, but the common people were happy to have Him around as long as He ministered to the sick and demon-possessed and taught them about the kingdom of God.

Unlike the undertones of His brothers’ accusation, Jesus was not seeking fame or popularity. He was not trying to make himself a “public figure”. It was unfortunate that the works He did forced him into the limelight. He often cautioned the people He had healed not to tell anyone about it. He did not want fans, but followers; people who accepted His yoke and committed to being His disciples because they believed in Him, not because of what He could do for them.

How unfortunate that many people “follow” Jesus today because of what they think He can do for them! How much better to be like His brothers who were at least honest about their skepticism. It took the resurrection to convince them that He was the Son of God and, once convinced they wholeheartedly threw in their lot with His disciples and were part of the group on whom the Holy Spirit fell in the day of Pentecost.

We may judge Jesus’ brothers for not recognizing who He was. It was part of the process by which they came to faith in Him. Their attitude was not set in concrete. Thank God that even the attitude of our loved ones which may cause us concern is only a part of the process by which many of them may yet come to faith. The resurrection and Pentecost are still coming for them!