Perspective on John 7:6-9 Listening for Gods Go! 6 Jesus said to them, My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. 8 You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come. 9 After saying this, he remained in Galilee. Did Jesus lie to his brothers? He told them he wasnt going to the Feast of Booths, but later he made the trip to Jerusalem on his own. The brothers likely travelled in a caravan of family and friends, joining thousands who clogged the roads out of Galilee and down the eastern bank of the Jordan River. This round-about route was preferred by Jews because they would not contaminate their ritual purity by coming into contact with Samaritans. No doubt this itinerary added at least three to five days to the pilgrimage. Look at it this way. Jesus had no hesitation entering Samaria. The route he would take to Jerusalem would be much faster because he took the short cut straight through Samaria. So Jesus tells his brothers that he is operating on a different schedule than they. His time is not his own. He told his unbelieving brothers that they could operate on their own time and move about in relative safety. He, on the other hand was heading toward the cross. Jesus did nothing without hearing the Fathers Go! Its not that Jesus lied to his brothers, but the Father kept Jesus in Galilee those extra days. Why? What was so important that Jesus stayed in Galilee? Although chronologies vary, most scholars put Jesus at Caesarea Philippi before his trip to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles (also called Booths).. Caesarea Philippi was a pagan worship center at the foot of Mt. Hermon dedicated to the Roman god, Pan. Jesus and his disciples likely camped outside the city. It was on Mt. Hermon that Jesus was transfigured (not Mt. Tabor) (Mt. 17-18). Why else would Peter suggest they build booths at the Transfiguration if not that it was time for the Feast of Booths? Christ knew his time on earth was drawing to an end. He didnt have time for a road trip with a family who did not believe him. His true family were the Twelve men into whom he had poured his life. Worldlings can waste all the time they want. They set their own agenda and can change it at will. Their time is their own. But Jesus to-do list is written by Another. In those few days, the Father showed Jesus in dramatic fashion that his time had come. When Moses and Elijah appeared at the Transfiguration, they spoke with Jesus about his exodus to the final confrontation. The Transfiguration told Jesus it was time. Luke says in 9:51 that Jesus then set his face like flint to go to Jerusalem. As we move through life, we must be alert to theGo! of God. You may come to an intersection being worked by a homeless guy asking for cash and God may speak to your spirit and say give. You pray for someone who is sick and God may say, Go!, intending that you visit the one for whom you are praying. God is testing you in this: whether you can be useful to God without promoting yourself, without needing to gather an approving crowd. As Jesus taught in Galilee, Let your works be done in secret so that your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Mt. 6:4). Father God, may we, your sons and daughters, like Jesus learn that you are in full control of our days. We carry our day planners and fill up our calendars. Help us leave time for Thee, that hearing Thy sweet whisper, we may do as Thou would have us do in obedience to Thy righteous agenda first and foremost. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Dec 2014 19:23:08 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015