Family Dynamics. John 7:1-9 There can be a lot of bitterness among those who oppose the Gospel and the efforts of those who seek to see them saved by God's grace. When people think we are condemning them because they trust in their works, sincerity, religion, or personal opinions, it doesn't take long for them to oppose us openly or, at best, try to avoid us. When we are called to proclaim the Gospel publicly, we expect such reactions and are not offended by them. Sometimes, our family and relatives face the same criticism and opposition because of their association with us. They find it hard to be ostracized through no fault of their own, just because they are related to us.
Go ahead if You’re so great, have the power, and hold the final word. Go where the crowds gather and turn the place upside down. If You’re Lord, make it known; You’re God, not just our brother for people to pity.
The Lord’s brothers, who had seen and understood the difference between Jesus and everyone else, responded with taunting, cutting words, and scorn—showing their indifference and some level of hostility. In a way, I can understand why Jesus' brothers sometimes were sarcastic and, to some extent, opposed to Him. The Jewish leaders did not hide the fact that they wanted to kill Jesus. His teachings, the signs He performed to reveal His deity, and the miracles He worked exposed the falsehood and deception of the religious traditions they had added to God's word.
It would have been difficult to grow up in the same household under the shadow of an older brother who never did anything wrong, never said anything inappropriate, never disobeyed or displeased His parents, and was clearly "in favor with God and men." Everyone who knew Him during His childhood could, if they wanted, use Jesus as an example of a perfect child and then a perfect son maturing into manhood. No wonder He was "a stranger to His brethren and an alien to His mother's children." Additionally, having Him as the target of murderous intent and maybe fear from family ties would have caused tension with His brothers.
Jesus' brothers challenging him to go to Judea and reveal himself was an act of opposition within their family. "Go ahead. Do what kings and leaders are supposed to do if you really are the Son of God," was their challenge. The sarcasm in their remarks made it clear they did not believe in Him.
Sometimes, those closest to us can be the hardest to convince of your sincerity and your call to do things differently than what they expect. The Lord's life on earth was guided by God, and Jesus understood what God wanted. Some things just can't be fully explained to others' satisfaction. We simply have to leave those matters to God, move forward in faith, and do what we know He desires from us.
The Jews did not hate the brothers of the Lord because they were of the world, and the world loves its own. They did not testify against the world nor against the evil that was being practiced. In His infinite wisdom and understanding, the Lord Jesus Christ could see all the evil in the world and in the hearts of those who appeared righteous outwardly but were sinful inwardly. "Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."
By remaining in Galilee until He traveled to Jerusalem and arriving during the middle of the week of the feast of Tabernacles (booths), Jesus followed God's chosen sequence of events, not what His brothers or others expected. We may not always have the freedom to do what people expect when we are acting according to God's will. Our duty is to follow God's revealed will, not human expectations. For a Christian, being loved by the world because we conform to it is unnatural. We are "in the world but not of the world." "If any man love the world; the love of the Father is not in him."
In any situation, we need to wait on God's timing for change. The Lord Jesus attended the feast and was there at the exact moment God intended Him to be—neither earlier nor later. Some things we must leave to God regarding the schedule of events. The Lord's brothers seemed to think that if Jesus was the Son of God, He should act like other world leaders and promote Himself publicly.
The worldly views on promotion differ from divine purpose. It is our responsibility to discern what God desires for us, while also avoiding rushing ahead of His will or delaying to follow our own plans. God said, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways." Therefore, in family life as well as in public testimony, we must wait for God to reveal His timetable and then act quickly and in faith, grace, and humility.
“Who is Jesus?” John 7:10-29 “How can He know the doctrine? Who taught Him the words of the law? If He never learned from us or trained rabbis, how is it that He saw things in the scriptures we have never seen or known?” The teachers asked questions, never understanding that real truth comes from God and is passed on to those whose hearts and minds are open to the Light. True learning comes from God, bright and clear, illuminating the darkest mind that heeds its truth.
In serving God, there are times to be publicly active and times to remain in the background. During Jesus' ministry, He waited until most of the religious rituals of the Feast of Tabernacles had been completed and the social aspects of the week began to settle down. Only then did He enter the temple to teach. It was time for the truth to be spoken. It was time for God's word and will to be shared, rather than allowing people to remain in religious deception. By the middle of the feast, three or four days had passed since they started recalling the history of the Jews living in tents during their wilderness journey. People can only reminisce so long before they grow restless and seek more exciting activities.
In this setting, Jesus, with eloquence and clarity, taught God's truth against the backdrop of dry formalism. His intellectual ability and approach to spiritual truth surprised those who had attended the established schools of learning in Jerusalem and considered themselves superior to those from Galilee or distant places. They thought this teacher would be of lesser intelligence and ability than the leaders of the Jews. The officers came to find and claim the freedom He had unleashed through His teaching. As they listened to Jesus speak, hearts were opened to the truth; they had to return with thoughtful minds and empty hands to those who sent them, with the statement, “No one spoke like this Man!” No, they were not deceived or misled by spoken truth, but they had heard Him speak and recognized the correctness and value of His words.
When teaching spiritual truth, it's essential to remember who we're addressing. A respectful, reverent presentation of divine truths, guided by the Holy Spirit, influences those who listen. The difference between spiritual teaching and human learned teaching is that spiritual teaching first affects the teacher before sharing it with others. Human learned teaching is often accurate but can feel dry and detached because it's based on impersonal facts. Jesus clearly explained that what He was teaching was the doctrine of God, not just a human idea or school of thought. Among God's people, some of the most knowledgeable teachers have learned from God and experience rather than formal religious training.
The thirsty crowds, who came yearning to satisfy their souls, were His national and cultural brothers. They remained spiritually hungry and thirsty after a week of meetings. Days passed, and the great day arrived, yet they still felt empty inside. “Where can our deepest needs be met; is there no one to fill me?” Then the loud and clear voice of the Lord called them to come to Him, who can satisfy longing hearts and souls with refreshment in God’s Son.
A man among them, Nicodemus, one of their own, whose questions have all been answered, speaks clearly to challenge those who called their brothers cursed. His voice, perhaps not loud but reasoned and evidence of faith, is heard as he moves from among those who hate the light to join those whose hearts are open. With the light he has been given, Nicodemus identifies himself with Jesus and all who now believe with heart and soul—his brethren.
Today, those who genuinely believe in His Person and His claims to be the Son of God, sharing in His life, are willing to call Him “His brethren.” He is not ashamed of us. How could anyone saved by Him ever deny Him? No, among those who are saved, it would never be that we don't want to be known as one of His brethren.
People often miss the point of a message if they are only impressed by the speaker himself. One well-presented point is worth much more than ten points delivered impressively but without sincerity. Being moved by the messenger rather than the message defeats the purpose of teaching. The Lord Jesus Christ emphasized that His teaching came from God, the highest authority, and that people could understand it. The key to understanding His message was a person’s willingness to follow what was taught. The door of understanding remains closed to those who refuse to do what the Teacher says. When we hear someone speak, we evaluate if what they say is true by comparing it with what we already know is right. If it contradicts revealed truth, we should reject it. Sometimes, a teacher's focus is on themselves rather than God, and that teaching should also be rejected.
Why was there such hostility toward the teaching Jesus gave? It was because it revealed the inner thoughts of the hearers, who were planning to kill Jesus and break Moses' law but outwardly appeared to obey it. Jesus knew their hearts and exposed their hypocrisy through His teaching. Their hostility and animosity were clearly evident to Him and could even be observed by those around them. They would circumcise a child at eight days old on the Sabbath but did not want someone who had been sick for decades to be healed on the Sabbath.
This kind of inconsistency still exists today, where people appear religious on the Lord's Day but live sinful, ungodly, covetous, materialistic lives the rest of the week. When we teach God's truth in fellowship with Him, guided by the Holy Spirit, He can use those words to produce in the listeners what we may never see in our lifetime. Our responsibility is to be "the Lord's messenger in the Lord's message."
There is a saying, "You can fool some of the people sometimes, but you can’t fool all the people all the time." The people who heard what Jesus had said to the Jewish leaders began to think about what they had overheard. Apparently, they had heard someone teach that no one would know where He came from when the Messiah arrived. This is not according to the Old Testament scriptures, but it was probably something someone had added to the scripture to seem very knowledgeable. The unprovoked hostility of the leaders caused people to start talking among themselves. That was when Jesus called out to the whole crowd and told them who He was, where He came from, and who sent Him. No one was able to lay hands on Jesus, not even the soldiers who were sent to seize Him. The power and authority of Jesus cannot be contained or stopped by mere mortal men, no matter who they are. Our work can strengthen us by remembering, "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world."
His miracles, signs, and power over all forces of men and demons caused many to believe in Him. The pride and status of the Jewish leaders clashed with the dignity, truth, and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Truth and human traditions are contrasted when truth is shown through love, while tradition is driven by hatred. Truth is revealed through grace, but tradition often through intimidation. Truth is presented by One who is meek and lowly in heart, and those who follow Him. In contrast, tradition, followed by the proud of their status, fosters fear of exposure and embarrassment. Following Christ does not mean adding to the law's requirements. Instead, influenced by new nature, a follower of Christ does what the law intended. The blindness of willful unbelief is as morally dark as possible. When someone refuses to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord, they will find they cannot. Those who seek to do God's will discover that they can not only do it but are empowered to do what they could never do on their own.
Why is there hostility toward such grace when the blessings of salvation are shared? Why do people take offense at the power of Jesus' words when it is obvious that He is the Son of God? Why did religious leaders want to kill the Prince of Life when He brought peace rather than conflict? Why do people still complain and murmur against the One who is truly good when He is able and willing to meet needs everywhere, from healing to miraculous provision?
Today, there is still such indifference toward Christ, who can satisfy the needs of our souls by offering full salvation that works, which money can’t buy. There is opposition against the Lord Jesus Christ, whom people cannot see when, through simple faith in Him, we are set free from sin. There is significant resistance to the gift He has given, even though without it, one is lost and can never be in heaven. After all these years since He was here, people still refuse to believe in Him and reject the gift of eternal life that is offered to all who receive Christ.
Why condemn such a One who has shown infinite love when He suffered on the cross to bring us to God? There is no logical reason to ignore the truth demonstrated in millions of people's lives. When the truth can set you free through simple faith, why wouldn't someone come, drink, and enjoy God’s Living Water? The Holy Spirit dwells in those who believe in Jesus, and one can know the Father personally through faith. Those who have tasted and seen that the Lord is good walk by faith, with sincere obedience, and seek to please the Lord.