John 7:1-2 MSG
[1-2] Later Jesus was going about his business in Galilee. He didn’t want to travel in Judea because the Jews there were looking for a chance to kill him. It was near the time of Tabernacles, a feast observed annually by the Jews
Jesus didn’t allow opposition to stop him from fulfilling his assignment s,though he was faced by threat ,the threat of untimely death at that point knowing his time has not yet come, this didn’t stop him from doing the assignment set before him instead Jesus devised strategy, he narrowed his route, he avoided the province of Judea where he could have been attacked;Jesus in his “almightiness” could have started a fight of defense against his attacker since he has supernatural powers ,but no ,Jesus chose his battles,he prioritized picking the important, though fighting and winning could have been a prove that he was not an ordinary person ,but ignored the unnecessary and picked the most important .
Just like Jesus, we give excuses to fulfilling our life assignments, excuses which may come in different forms ,some of them are valid and as severe as posing a threat to our lives….but In the midst of all our oppositions there are always ways to restrategize just as Jesus did ,he stayed back a bit,the strategy might include a little pause ,not setting our when others are……challenges each individual faces in the quest to fulfilling our life assignments varies so as the strategy to fulfillment of the assignment….so I shouldn’t stop at the point of opposition as many people has stopped there ,Jesus didn’t stop even though it was life threatening, so whatever it is ,there is a strategy to divise .
John 7:3-5 MSG
[3-5] His brothers said, “Why don’t you leave here and go up to the Feast so your disciples can get a good look at the works you do? No one who intends to be publicly known does everything behind the scenes. If you’re serious about what you are doing, come out in the open and show the world.” His brothers were pushing him like this because they didn’t believe in him either.
*Not all advice are worth following, Jesus brothers advice sounded so nice, “No one will see what you’re doing here in the backwood of Galilee, how do you expect to be successful and famous, if you do all these Things in secret?Now is your time ,go to Jerusalem, come our of hiding and show the world who you are!”
Any one would have felt excited by this word ;it feels like a motivational talk to set out at this point, but Jesus didn’t consider it.
Why?
He understood his timing, he knows what he should be doing at specific time and how he should go about it ,discernment is key in our life’s journey, anyone can have the best sounding advice but not every good idea is good for me .I must be able to know what God is saying beyond what any man has to say;although sometimes God’s word might aline with men’s advice but some other times ,it could be absolutely different, but in all what I should strive to get is the word of God ,as regards what to do ,not to do And timing, I can never go wrong with God’s word
But I’m still wondering why Jesus’s brothers were giving him a push without believing in him
Men’s words could either be out of genuine love to push one to success and greatness or total deceit to put one to shame and embarrassment and we sincerely might not be able know which is which that is why we need to allow God’s word to supercede any other word spoken over us
John 7:6-11 MSG
[6-8] Jesus came back at them, “Don’t pressure me. This isn’t my time. It’s your time—it’s always your time; you have nothing to lose. 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. You go ahead, go up to the Feast. Don’t wait for me. I’m not ready. It’s not the right time for me.” [9-11] He said this and stayed on in Galilee. But later, after his family had gone up to the Feast, he also went. But he kept out of the way, careful not to draw attention to himself. The Jews were already out looking for him, asking around, “Where is that man
Jesus’s response was one that was birthed from a place of knowledge before hand, he knows what has been written concerning him,hence their word didn’t bring him into complete confusion ,many times ,the utterance of people around us can disstabilize us ,most especially when we do not know what God is saying about us ,but it’s not same whenever we’ve labored into knowing God’s word for us ,if the word spoken aligns, we hold on to it has a confirmation but if it doesn’t, we know and give the right response just as Jesus did
Here Jesus knew he would be glorified but it was not yet time ,in having God’s word knowing God’s timing is as well important.
John 7:9-11 TPT
[9-10] Jesus lingered in Galilee until his brothers had left for the feast in Jerusalem. Then later, Jesus took a back road and went into Jerusalem in secret. [11] During the feast, the Jewish leaders kept looking for Jesus and asking around, “Where is he? Have you seen him?”
This is the exact point where Jesus chose his fight ,he took the back road ,indeed if he had taken the normal route,they might have done nothing to him but a scene might have been created, Jesus tried as much as he could to avoid any form or unnecessary drama
John 7:12-13 TPT
[12] A controversy was brewing among the people, with so many differing opinions about Jesus. Some were saying, “He’s a good man!” While others weren’t convinced and insisted, saying, “He’s just a demagogue.” [13] Yet no one was bold enough to speak out publicly on Jesus’ behalf for fear of the Jewish leaders
* when one starts making positive moves,people starts to notice,they start to pass both negative and positive opinion ,we shouldn’t be overly excited or downcast by people’s opinions, we have to keep our eyes on the assignment
*Only God’s revelation makes us dynamic, Jesus went to the temple to teach and all the people were astonished at what he taught, they went ahead asking knowing he was not trained, they marveled and asked who taught him and he revealed God’s idea,there is nothing new under the sun ,only God’s revealed mystery will make people astonished…in the temple where Jesus taught were great teachers of the law that had read the Torah, they had memorized so much from the books but still when Jesus taught, they saw a great difference because the word is only of great effect when it is revealed by God
–Why were the pharisees trying to kill Jesus ?What made the pharisees entirely different from jesus Was their Motive; Jesus’s motive was ‘to please he that sent him, Jesus knew that he was sent and he diligently lived his life. to fulfil the Mandate, the Pharisees Saw the “Leadership position as a place to satisfy there quest to be honoured and respected and they were ready to come after anyone that is set to limit them from fulfiling their desire.
The pharisees has shifted, they have stopped being God’s centered; they were too focused on the law, forgetting that religion Is a mean to an end The Law in religion should bring us to God, but they’ve allowed it to be The end Itself.
Relating this to myself now, how have l been like the pharisees focusing on things that are meant to lead me to God, forgeting God himself, In the process.
What are the things that are meant to bring me to God that I have idolized?
– is it possible to have taken the act of prayer religiously forgetting that its a means to reach God?
-The pharisees are men that should be leaders,leading men to God ,teachers of the Law, but they forgot God in between the study and took the study seriously, they started to take pride in the knowledge, probably their ability or proficience in learning and reciting the torah, In breaking it down word for word has made them forget that it’s just a means , God is the life in between the word, forgetting God of the word makes the knowledge of the word meaningless.
It’s like carrying box used to carry a Precious Jewel, but at some point, we let the precious Jewel out and held on to the box, still carrying it with, so much Care and honour
“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same images from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:18
John 7:21-24 KJV
[21] Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel. [22] Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man. [23] If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day? [24] Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment
The reason they wanted to kill Jesus here was because, He healed on the Sabbath , while they do much more on the sabbath; Jesus was making them realize where they were getting it wrong. They were judging basedon the Superficial
But Jesus was introducing to them a new standard of judgment which is Mercy and truth which means being merciful in our judgment ,we shouldn’t be joyful in looking for people’s fault ,finding pleasure in it. and truth,in judgment with mercy we should be biased ,the truth must indeed be established at the same exercised with mercy, Jesus exemplified what he taught here in John 8 :1-20
*Familiary: it Sometimes robbs us of great things God is doing in our neighbouhood ,the resident of Jerusalam’ looked down on Jesus because they stayed in the name neibourhood. There is more to people than what we see on the outside, we might be on a Close walk with them and not know what I God has been building on their Inside
We might know their date of birth, place brith and process of birth, but that Should not stop us from acknowledging God’s grace over their life, there’s a place of rebirth, of making beyond the physical, so When God starts to show from within them,i Shouldn’t let farmliarity robb meon the Superficial
But Jesus was introducing to them a new standard of judgment which is Mercy and truth which means being merciful in our judgment ,we shouldn’t be joyful in looking for people’s fault ,finding pleasure in it. and truth,in judgment with mercy we should be biased ,the truth must indeed be established at the same exercised with mercy, Jesus exemplified what he taught here in John 8 :1-20
John 7:36-39 KJV
[36] What manner of saying is this that he said, Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come? [37] In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. [38] He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. [39] (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified
It was a feast ,and in a feast there’s always abundance to eat and drink, but on the last day
Jesus said anyone who is thirsty should come to him, everyone there would have been confused, thinking we have more than enough to eat and drink here ,so can be thirsty in an atmosphere like this
But Jesus was talking about something deeper ,which is the longing of the soul which nothing in the world can never satisfy except Jesus
We might have everything in the world to satisfaction but ,there’s always still a longing in our heart that nothing else can satisfy except the spirit of God
John 7:52-53 KJV
[52] They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet. [53] And every man went unto his own house
Any man who has met the Lord never returns the same.
“Met” here means any kind of encounter; spiritual, personal, up-close, environmental, etc.
Nicodemus, the Jewish leader in chapter 3:1-21 had gone to Jesus for knowledge and Jesus offered him salvation. The chapter didn’t reveal whether or not Nicodemus believed the Lord and was saved. But it recorded that encounter. In this chapter, Nicodemus speaks up (defends Jesus) before his colleagues. This is proof that something must have changed in his heart.
The gospel has the power to change any man.
Jesus performed miracles and helped a lot of people but when it was time for them to speak up at the festival of shelters, they cowered. They became afraid to speak up before the rulers but Nicodemus did. Because of his status, it is possible that his colleagues won’t treat him as badly as they would treat a commoner.
Imagine if Elon Musk is saved!
Imagine if Joe Biden is a devout missionary.
Imagine if Tinubu is a devout believer.
Nicodemus knew the scriptures as recorded by the prophets. He was trained but he did not understand what he read until he met the Lord. Tinubu has heard teachings from the scripture, the same as Joe Biden.
God needs that status, that relevance— our “influencer” status. We are like watchmen at our various posts. Imagine the huge impact we’d make if all influencers were believers.