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Free Daily Bible notes by Rev Stephen Thompson

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John 8:31-32: True freedom.

John 8:31-32: True freedom.

31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ NIV

Someone said, ”The truth will set you free, but first it will make you mad!!” Not everything Jesus teaches is palatable. Some of it will clash with your will; aspects of it will run contrary to your fond ambitions. But ironically, coming under the authority of Jesus will bring a person into true freedom. This is not liberty as the world understands it. You are not free to do as you wish; but you are freed to do what God wants. That is freedom ”indeed” (36). It’s a paradox, but in slavery to the LORD Jesus you will find perfect liberation.

There is an important vein of teaching running through the New Testament that says, ‘Genuine disciples persevere to the end.’ It’s not the starting that is so important as the finishing. We are called to ”hold” to Jesus’ teaching. There is an enemy of God (and therefore your foe also) who wants to rip this truth from your grasp. But if you endure the onslaughts and keep on clinging to this true word, you will find that through the years your knowledge will increase, and so will your freedom. It’s the freedom to be holy; to become increasingly like Jesus. Only a true disciple can know how desirable this is.

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John 8:21-30: Lost people matter to God.

John 8:21-30: Lost people matter to God.

“21 Once more Jesus said to them, ‘I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.’22 This made the Jews ask, ‘Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, “Where I go, you cannot come”?’23 But he continued, ‘You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.’25 ‘Who are you?’ they asked.‘Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,’ Jesus replied. 26 ‘I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.’27 They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. 28 So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.’ 30 Even as he spoke, many believed in him.” NIV

As we have seen, especially in chapters 7 and 8, Jesus was surrounded by an atmosphere of intimidation, abuse and danger. It swirled around Him like smoke. Murder was in the air. There were people who wanted Him dead. It’s true to say that this was not the whole story. There were others who were fascinated by Jesus and open to hear from Him. But the people were divided. They were not on the same wavelength as the Lord:

”You’re tied to the mundane; I’m in touch with what is beyond your horizons. You live in terms of what you see and touch. I’m living on other terms.” The Message.

Yet Jesus did not allow His enemies to silence Him. He was in a scary environment, but He pulled no punches. Three times in this short section He speaks about the possibility of dying ”in your sin” (or ”sins”: verses 21, 24). One commentator made the point that to die with your sins unforgiven; unatoned for, is the greatest tragedy in the Bible. We must never be afraid to preach the unadulterated gospel. It will produce results (30).

There is a danger in contemporary evangelicalism that many Christians may be losing touch with the reality that lost people really are lost; that those who die rejecting Christ will stay lost for eternity. To use old fashioned terms, we need a ‘burden’ for ‘souls’ that will populate our prayer meetings and stir us to faithful witness, even as we feel the walls of secularism slowly moving in to crush our testimony.

The call of Jesus is to ”believe” in Him (24). This is the only way to escape such a terrible fate.

Twice in this passage Jesus uses the expression “I am” (24, 28). The translation adds the explanatory words: ”that I am the one I claim to be”, but in the original language I understand Jesus just says ”I am”. His courage was immense, for His Jewish detractors would certainly want Him done away with for such an ‘outrageous’ claim. We must not lose sight of the fact that Jesus repeatedly claimed to be God, and if we trust in Him it has to be faith in this Bible Jesus – this divine Jesus – and not another of our own making.

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John 8: 12-20: ”Lighten our darkness”.

John 8: 12-20: ”Lighten our darkness”.

“12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’13 The Pharisees challenged him, ‘Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.’14 Jesus answered, ‘Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16 But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17 In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. 18 I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.’19 Then they asked him, ‘Where is your father?’‘You do not know me or my Father,’ Jesus replied. ‘If you knew me, you would know my Father also.’ 20 He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.” NIV

In John’s gospel you find a number of repeated themes. There are key words and phrases which come up again and again. Three of them are found in this short section:

  1. ”Light” (12). This is another of the ”I Am” sayings in the fourth gospel. They are undoubtedly claims to divinity.

    There are at least two ways in which we may think of God/Christ being ”light”:

  • Light is about clear sight: He brings illumination into our lives. He reveals spiritual truth to our hearts. He gives understanding. He also sheds light on our way. He shows us what to do/where to go. He guides our feet in His paths. At times He may only give enough light for the next step. But that is enough. And when you take it you’ll probably be able to see a further step;
  • Light is about a clean conscience: He brings holiness into our lives (1 John 1:5ff). As we walk in the light of Biblical truth we find that we are on the sunlit road of godliness. To walk in the light means to live in openness before the Lord and fellow believers, confessing our sins and experiencing the cleansing of the blood of Christ.
  1. ”Testimony”/”witness” (13, 14, 17, 18): There is a legal air to this. Jesus is verified/affirmed as God’s Son. He is who He says He is. Of course, as God, Jesus knew precisely who He was and where He was going (14,15). He could capably testify to Himself, but the Pharisees would not accept this (13). However, because the Father also testified to Him, there was the required twofold witness (17,18).
  1. ”Hour” (20). It was not yet ”time” for Jesus to die. When He did die it was obvious that God was in control, not wicked men.This was not a tragic waste of a young life, but a purposeful death. It could not happen outside of God’s timescale.

This section of the fourth gospel opens with the words: ”When Jesus spoke again to the people…” (12). Note the little, but so important, word ”again”. Here is an insight into Jesus’ perseverance. We read in (7:43) that ”the people were divided because of Jesus”. Yes, there were those who were open to Him and interested in Him; in fact fascinated by Him. But others were aggressive and abusive and some wanted to kill Him. Yet Jesus would not be silenced. Like a rubber ball He came bouncing back!! When Manchester United won their first European Champions League title under Sir Alex Ferguson (then just plain Alex), they had to slowly but surely claw their way back into a game that they were losing at half time. In the closing minutes they equalised through Teddy Sheringham, then ‘super sub’ Ole Gunnar Solskjaer came on and won it for them with virtually the last kick of the match. In his post match interview Sir Alex, as I recall, said something like this: ”I’m so proud of my team. They never gave in; they just kept going. The famous nineteenth century preacher C.H. Spurgeon said, ”By perseverance the snail made it to the ark.”

In Junior school, we regularly said this prayer at the end of the day. It seems appropriate to quote it here: ”Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee O Lord, and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night.”

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John 7:53 – 8:11: Three pointing back…

John 7:53 – 8:11: Three pointing back…

“53 Then they all went home, 1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered round him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’11 ‘No one, sir,’ she said.‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’ NIV

The earliest and most reliable ancient manuscripts of the gospel of John do not contain John 7:53-8:11. But this beautiful story does not contradict any other part of the Bible, and it fits with the picture of the Jesus we know from elsewhere.

This short story points to:

  1. The centrality of Jesus (2). Jesus has ”appeared” to us. We can only see Him because He has revealed Himself to us. And our lives personally, and the church’s life collectively, centres ”round” Him. We revolve around Him. He has ultimately authority in our lives and we listen to and obey His teaching. He is the centre of our orbit.
  2. The hostility of the religious leaders (3-6). There is a challenge here about how we treat people – especially those we know to have done wrong. Many years ago, because of a mistake I made in a Physics exercise, a science teacher not only humiliated me in front of my own class, but also marched me down the corridor to where my maths teacher was working with a group. He proceeded to rant about my stupidity in front of her and her class. That day I felt deep shame. What was it like for this poor woman when ”They made her stand before the group…” ?And by the way, there was profound hypocrisy here, for if the woman was ”caught in the act of adultery” (4), where was the man? (See Leviticus 20:10).Presumably he had been let go? How do we treat people whose lives, we know, run contrary to the Word of God? Do we remember that they are still in the image of their Maker, even though it has been defaced? Do we treat them with dignity? Do we show a proper recognition of their worth and value? Do we remember our own faults? Bill Hybels says, ”You will never lock eyes with anyone who doesn’t matter to the Father.” You need to remember that when you point a finger at someone else, you have three others pointing back.
  3. The charity of Jesus (6b-11): No one knows exactly what Jesus was doing when He ”bent down” and wrote in the dust (6b, 8), but I find the suggestion attractive that He was listing the sins of these violently critical men. It seems they came under conviction of sin. None of them were without it (7). The older ones, who had the longest sinning experience, were the first to leave. Eventually, only two people were left – Jesus and the woman. Jesus was balanced in His approach. He didn’t compromise with evil, but neither did He condemn her. Rather, He called to repentance. Jesus shows mercy so that we may pursue a life of holiness. He does not expect us to continue to flirt with sin.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me in a way that is different to how anyone else would treat me. I deserve condemnation, but your grace has given me a fresh start and a second chance at life. Help me to never abuse your great kindness.

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John 7: 45-52: The ignorance of arrogance.

John 7: 45-52: The ignorance of arrogance.

“45 Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, ‘Why didn’t you bring him in?’46 ‘No one ever spoke the way this man does,’ the guards replied.47 ‘You mean he has deceived you also?’ the Pharisees retorted. 48 ‘Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? 49 No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law – there is a curse on them.’50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, 51 ‘Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?’52 They replied, ‘Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.’ NIV

Three A’s!

ATTRACTION (45, 46): It’s a lovely story isn’t? The temple guards who had been despatched to arrest Jesus (32), came back empty handed. You can’t imagine that these men were easily put off in their work, and it probably wasn’t a good idea for them to be negligent. They had tough bosses, and my guess is they were no softies themselves. But they were utterly charmed by the words of Jesus. It’s a compelling insight into Christ’s magnetism. If they are honest, probably very few would argue with the assertion that Jesus spoke the best and most beautiful words in the world. They may not believe in His divinity, but they cannot doubt the power and persuasiveness of His teaching.

ARROGANCE (47 – 49):This is not a winsome quality. Arrogant people feel and act superior. They are dismissive of the thoughts, ideas and opinions of others. They imagine they know best and are unteachable. They are, as someone put it, ”Blocked learners.” If you ever recognise the slightest hint of arrogance growing up inside you, root it out before it spreads and covers the whole garden of your soul. It’s a malignant, destructive weed. It does not belong in a believer’s heart. It’s incongruous.

ASSERTIVENESS (50-52): While the Pharisees were putting others down, Nicodemus spoke up for Jesus. You can be assertive without being arrogant. It may have been easier for him to keep silent, but as all soldiers of the cross should, he stood up for Jesus. Nicodemus may not yet have experienced the new birth. We just don’t know. But he certainly knew about it, and he was deeply impressed by Jesus (John 3:2). We also have reason to believe that he spoke for others of his group. He was not alone in his admiration. You don’t have to be rude to be assertive, but you do have to be brave. In an atmosphere that seems to be increasingly secular and anti-Christian, may God the Holy Spirit give us the backbone to speak up for Jesus, even if it makes us unpopular and abuse comes flying our way.

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John 7: 32 – 44: ”Streams in the desert.”

John 7: 32 – 44: ”Streams in the desert.”

“32 The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.33 Jesus said, ‘I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the one who sent me. 34 You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.’35 The Jews said to one another, ‘Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? 36 What did he mean when he said, “You will look for me, but you will not find me,” and “Where I am, you cannot come”?’37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’ 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.40 On hearing his words, some of the people said, ‘Surely this man is the Prophet.’41 Others said, ‘He is the Messiah.’Still others asked, ‘How can the Messiah come from Galilee? 42 Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?’ 43 Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. 44 Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.” NIV

I suppose it is better to ”whisper” about Jesus (32), than to not speak about Him at all. The mention of ”whispering” here reflects the generally tense atmosphere in Jerusalem at that time. It was a dangerous period. Tension filled the air. There were people who were impressed by Jesus, but it wasn’t safe to express such sentiments. At least, that’s how many felt about it. So they kept their voices low.

Do you see a strong contrast with Jesus standing and raising His voice (37)? At the right time, He spoke His message loudly and clearly. He was prepared to die for it. He would die for it.

He spoke of a wonderful offer (37) – the satisfaction of spiritual ‘thirst’ (contrast with John 6:35). ‘Coming’ to Jesus and ‘believing’ in Him are two sides of the same coin (38). In Christ alone can the profound spiritual longings of the human race be assuaged. If you feel at all ‘thirsty’ now, you know who to go to.

But He also spoke of a glorious opportunity (38). Jesus can make us a blessing to the parched, dry, barren world around us. We receive from Jesus the Holy Spirit (39), when we come to Him/believe in Him, and then the Holy Spirit flows out from us in ”streams” (or ”rivers”). Remember these words were spoken in a hot, dusty culture where people really valued water and knew the seriousness of water shortage. A believer has an out-going, out-flowing life. This life brings life wherever it goes (see Ezekiel 47:1-12). And it doesn’t merely trickle; it ”streams”; it rushes like a river in flood. Jesus, by His Spirit, makes the believer like running water in a barren land. We are totally necessary to this world, and we need to ensure that we keep the outward focus.

But however loudly and clearly we speak about Jesus – repeating His offer to the world – and however refreshing our Spirit-filled lives may be, there will still be those who persecute and oppose (32, 44). There will also be those who are dull and lacking spiritual perception (35, 36). And we will find a divided response (40-43). The gospel has always had to face these differing realities, and will do so for as long as time lasts.

(By the way, contrast verse 27 with 41b, 42. Not everyone thought the same way. But even those who could say that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem didn’t seem to know that He had!)

Prayer: Help me Lord Jesus to keep bringing my thirst to you, looking to you alone for true satisfaction. And I pray you will keep on flowing through me by your Spirit, and affecting the world for good. Help me to keep moving in you, regardless of the responses of people. Let my life water the society in which you have placed me.

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John 7:25-31: ”Immortal until…”

John 7:25-31: ”Immortal until…”

“25 At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, ‘Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? 26 Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Messiah? 27 But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.’28 Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, ‘Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, 29 but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.’30 At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 Still, many in the crowd believed in him. They said, ‘When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?’ NIV

Someone said, ”I am immortal until all God’s will for me is accomplished.”

”At this they tried to size him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come” (30).

Jesus’ ”hour” (or ”time”) is a repeated theme in the fourth gospel. We have seen previously how He had opponents who wanted to kill Him (1, 7, 10, 11, 13, 19), and the people of Jerusalem were aware of the threat hanging over Him (25, 26). The fact of the matter is that, no, they hadn’t changed their minds about the Messiahship of Jesus. They hadn’t become kinder, softer and gentler in their approach. They had not modified their attitudes. But the Divine Hand was restraining them. Jesus could not die before the clock struck the appointed hour. There was a date written into the diary, and it could not be brought forward (or put back). It wasn’t that they didn’t try. They obviously did. But they were not permitted to succeed. Many people wanted to do away with Him, but nobody could.

This should encourage us I believe. Here are some key lessons:

  1. There is a time to die, just as there is a time to be born (Ecclesiastes 3:2)
  2. You can’t die before God’s appointed time.
  3. No amount of persecution or opposition can change this. This should help our perspective as we have to navigate increasingly (it would seem) dangerous waters in our contemporary world.
  4. No amount of animosity can prevent ”many” from believing (31). Although there was a widespread atmosphere of scepticism (as well as hostility – verse 27), there was nevertheless a great turning to Jesus. (It seems there was a prevalent Jewish belief at the time that, when the Messiah arrived, no one would know where He came from. But in fact His birthplace was foretold in the book of Micah 5:2-4. However, they didn’t truly appreciate His Heavenly origins.)

So, take heart, whatever is going on in your world. You are immortal until all God’s will for you is accomplished…and then you will find you live for ever anyway.

”The church is the only society on earth that doesn’t lose a single member by death. They just transfer to another branch!” David Pawson.

Prayer: Lord God, it gives me comfort and strength to know that my life is in your Hands.

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John 7: 14-24: Enough to be like the Master.

John 7: 14-24: Enough to be like the Master.

“14 Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. 15 The Jews there were amazed and asked, ‘How did this man get such learning without having been taught?’16 Jesus answered, ‘My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me.17 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. 18 Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?’20 ‘You are demon-possessed,’ the crowd answered. ‘Who is trying to kill you?’21 Jesus said to them, ‘I did one miracle, and you are all amazed. 22 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. 23 Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? 24 Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.’ NIV

This passage contains words which say clearly that if someone is a genuine seeker they will find (17). Authentic seeking has at its heart a willingness to change, to obey, to be different. I don’t just want to know about Jesus; I am also prepared to follow Him. And in the doing of God’s Word I find that it is self-authenticating.

Here are a minimum of five things that, being true of Jesus, will also be true of His disciples (John 13;16):

  1. A disciple will operate on a different timetable (14). Do you remember what Jesus had previously said to his brothers? (6). He marched ”to the beat of a different drummer.” All Jesus’ movements were according to a Divine table. May it be so for you and me. Let God the Father organise your schedule. Allow Him to fill in your diary. Then, like God the Son (and through Him) you can walk in companionship with the Holy Spirit. The world can offer no adventure like this one.
  2. A disciple will arouse curiosity (15). ”The Jews were impressed, but puzzled: ”How does he know so much without being schooled?” ” The Message. At times a Christ follower will ‘amaze’ others. People will wonder how we can be how we are; how we can do what we do; how we can speak as we speak. We will lives of ‘ever-increasing glory’ (2 Corinthians 3:18) and they will inevitably stand out. There will be a whiff of the supernatural which cannot be naturally explained.
  3. A disciple will speak Christ’s word (16). The great evangelical Anglican leader, John Stott, wrote a book entitled ‘Our guilty silence.’ There is a danger that in today’s atmosphere we focus on being and doing and not speaking. Now the church certainly must live the gospel. It is right that we should serve others in Jesus’ Name. But we also have a message to communicate. So let’s prayerfully apply our minds to the task – think through how to express the essential truths of the gospel in terms that are relevant and meaningful to our contemporaries. It’s good that people speak about Jesus, but we need to beware that we do not lazily trot out well-worn cliches and incomprehensible jargon. Let’s find fresh ways to speak the timeless and unchanging truths our world so needs to hear. This is not about reinventing the message. We have no right to tinker under the bonnet of truth. But we can be creative in how we say what we need to say.
  4. A disciple lives for the glory of God (18). He speaks God’s revealed truth whether it makes him popular or not. The response will not sway her, be it positive or negative. But people wanting their own kudos will tailor the message to ensure they get precisely what they want. ”A person making things up tries to make himself look good. But someone trying to honour the one who sent him sticks to the facts and doesn’t tamper with reality.” The Message.
  5. A disciple can expect to suffer (19, 20). In fact disciples can expect both interest and curiosity on the one hand (15), and profound negativity on the other. Don’t be surprised if you are verbally abused, and even if your life should be in danger. It goes with the territory. Jesus pointed out the hypocritical position of his opponents. They would circumcise someone on the Sabbath day – actually wound them, but for a good purpose. So why were they persecuting him because he had done a good and beneficial thing on the Sabbath day when he healed a man? (John 5:1-16). Don’t be surprised if some of the stuff the world throws at you seems to be irrational and nitpicking. It all came the way of Jesus in the first place.

It is enough for the disciple to be like his Lord.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for your example and your power. I want to be like you.

It is an honour to follow you.

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John 7: 1-13: Family matters

John 7: 1-13: Family matters

“After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him. 2 But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, 3 Jesus’ brothers said to him, ‘Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works 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.6 Therefore Jesus told them, ‘My time is not yet here; for you any time will do. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil. 8 You go to the festival. I am not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.’ 9 After he had said this, he stayed in Galilee.10 However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. 11 Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus and asking, ‘Where is he?’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 leaders.” NIV

It is a dangerous thing to be a Christian in this world (7, 11, 13).The world hated Jesus, and it will hate those who walk in His steps and speak His words; those who expose it; who show it up for the dark and dismal place it is. People do not like conviction of sin. 

”The world has nothing against you, but it’s up in arms against me. It’s against me because I expose the evil behind its pretensions.” The Message.

So the opening verse of chapter 7 shows that it is fine to act wisely to protect yourself, so long as that does not conflict with doing God’s will. Jesus was willing to die, and He knew that He would, when it was the right ”time” (or ”hour”). This is a repeated theme in John’s gospel. (We will come across it again in verses 6-9). Jesus wanted all His movements to be according to a divine timetable. He wanted all He did to be in the will of God – not just His dying, but also His living. It seems that He could not have been too far behind His brothers in leaving for the ”Feast” (8). Even so, He was on a different timetable to them. Frank Laubach tells how he got to a place in life where regularly, during the day, he would ask God that he might do His will in what came next. To look to the Father in this way became a habit and pattern in this missionary’s life. Jesus was not going to take His orders from his brothers, however much He loved them. He was not under their authority.

”Live on God’s schedule and you will always have God’s help.” Warren W. Wieners be: ‘With the Word’, p.693.

There is encouragement here for all those who have family members who don’t understand them; who are out of sympathy with them because of their faith. Jesus’ brothers did ”not believe in him” (5). What they said to Him sounds hurtful. There is no indication in the Bible that Jesus ever ‘wanted’ to be ”a public figure” (4). They just did not ‘get’ Him at all. But it looks like later on, at some point – probably after His resurrection – his brothers came to faith (Acts 1:14). So don’t give up. Don’t stop praying for your family. Don’t lose heart. Keep living a life of dedication to God, and keep on shining His light into their darkness. It’s the kindest; most loving thing you can do for anyone.

There is, in this passage, another reminder that Jesus divides people (12, 13). So it will be until the end of time. This is one big reason why it is dangerous to be a believer.

”But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, ”You are my God.” My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me.” Psalm 31:14, 15.

Prayer: Lord, help me to be both courageous and wise. I don’t want cowardice to force me into hiding when I should be highly visible in my witness. But I do need the wisdom to know when to take a lower and quieter profile. Help me to know your will and timing in everything.

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