Read John 7:6-12. Circle the words that stand out to you. What is the Lord saying to you?
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.
Digging Deeper.
Confrontation. Debate. Heated Argument. Most of us rather would “back down” than challenge someone’s comment. It’s easier to walk away from a confrontation than to engage in a confrontation.
It appears that Jesus is backing away from a challenge or is afraid: “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.” He did not go publicly as his brothers suggested to him.
Jesus was not silent to His brother’s comments. He spoke the truth to them. He wasn’t driven by the words of others to challenge or disprove their comments. He had nothing to prove to them. Jesus desire was to do the will of the Father, not the will of His brothers, of others or even his own. It wasn’t the right timing for Him to go to Jerusalem.
There is a time and place for everything. Discerning that appropriate time requires sensitivity to the Spirit of God and wisely choosing one’s course of action. The religious leaders wanted to kill Him, but His followers wanted to hear more from Him. Jesus was between a rock and a hard place. Going quietly enabled Him to evaluate the situation before taking any action.
Impulsive behavior is unwise. Don’t be driven by feelings based on the words or actions by others. If you are tempted to react rather than respond, ask the Spirit of God to give you His wisdom as to what you should say or do in that situation.
Reflect on your past reactions. Did it help or did it hinder the situation? Did it make it better or did it make things worse? If it made things worse, what could you have said or done to make it more God honoring?
-Kingston