After this, Jesus traveled around Galilee. He wanted to stay out of Judea, where the
Jewish leaders were plotting his death. But soon it was time for the Jewish Festival of
Shelters, and Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea,
where your followers can see your miracles! You can’t become famous if you hide like
this! If you can do such wonderful
things, show yourself to the world!” For even his brothers didn’t believe in
him. Jesus replied, “Now is not the
right time for me to go, but you can go anytime. The world can’t hate you, but it does hate me
because I accuse it of doing evil.
You go on. I’m not going to this festival, because my time has not yet
come.” After saying these things, Jesus remained in Galilee. John 7:1-9(NLT)
There’s a question that
haunts me about Jesus’ brothers: what
was their reason for trying to goad Jesus into going to the festival? Were they pushing him for good or
evil? Were they trying to get him
started on God’s plan for the Kingdom….or were they just envious and wanted to
see him go to Jerusalem to get clobbered by the Jewish rulers?
Well, the answer is simple
enough; the text says it simply that even his brothers didn’t believe in him. Sugar coat that as much as we might try, John
the Gospel-writer is showing us the sin of Jesus’ brothers. And the sin of unbelief by the brothers is no
different than the unbelief of Pontius Pilate, Herod, and Judas.
Again, the words of Jesus are
revealing; he said to his brothers that the world couldn’t hate them like the
world hated him. The reason is that the
brothers were as steeped in unbelief, and as spiritually blind as the Jewish
leaders who wanted to kill Jesus.
This is so much like the
teaching of light and darkness. John had
earlier recorded a conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus that wound up with
the point that light and darkness never occupy the same place peacefully:
And
the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people
loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. John 3:19(NLT)
While I was in seminary we
had the privilege of meeting the old Baptist evangelist, Vance Havner[2]. He was a favorite son of North Carolina,
growing up in Jugtown, not far from the shadow of Grandfather Mountain. The old man was so feeble when we met him he
hobbled along on a cane, and had to sit, propped up at the pulpit to teach us
aspiring young preachers. But his voice
was still strong, as was his mind. It’s
been more than 30 years, but I can still hear the raspy, hill-country sing-song
in his delivery as he told us about light and darkness. He said, when the light comes on, creepy, crawly
things scatter!
\
Indeed; I believe Mr. Havner
got that right from Jesus!
And this is why Jesus was at
odds with the Jewish leaders, the Roman government, his own brothers and, at
times, you and me. The light of Jesus
Christ illumines our darkness and we don’t like it…at all.
We try to run from it. His brothers despised him for it. And the leaders of the temple crucified him
because of it.
We love darkness rather than
heaven’s light.
But, like a good and
responsible, mature parent does with a kicking, screaming, obnoxious child, the
Father sent Jesus to bring us light, even when we preferred darkness.
And he died to bring that
light into our souls.
For You Today
Are there any creepy, crawly things in your life
that need scattering?
Come close to the cross; let God turn on the light.
[2]
It’s just fine for me, as a Methodist preacher to use a reference to a Baptist
evangelist; Havner had Methodist roots too!
See it at VanceHavner.com
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