Person of Interest-Seeking Jesus

Seeking Jesus: Where is Jesus?

John 7:1–13

Summary: In John 7:1–13, Jesus' brothers urge Him to show Himself openly, but Jesus decides to stay in Galilee instead of going to Judea for the Feast of Tabernacles because His time had not yet fully come.

Application: In our own lives, we often want immediate answers or results from Jesus, but sometimes He calls us to wait and trust His timing. This passage encourages us to seek Jesus faithfully even when we don't see immediate signs of His presence.

Teaching: This passage teaches us that seeking Jesus requires patience, faith, and obedience to His timing and will. Even when we don't understand His ways, we can trust that He is always near, guiding us on our journey of faith.

How this passage points to Christ: Just as Jesus chose the right time to reveal Himself fully to the world, His presence and timing are essential themes throughout the Scriptures. From creation to redemption, Jesus is intricately involved in every aspect of our lives.

Big Idea: By seeking Jesus faithfully and trusting in His timing, we can experience His presence and guidance in our journey of faith.

Introduction

Good Morning,

Today we will start our look at the 7th Chapter of John, but we are going to approach it a little differently. This is a Chapter of questions. Why is that important? Questions help us learn. As you know, each week I ask you a question, It;s something to ponder, to get the mind going. Often times, the tougher the question, the more helpful the answer. In John 7, we see 20 questions, thats more than a question every 3 verses. Up to this point we have gotten familiar with John’s style. He has affirmed and made the case for Christ based on different miracles and long teachings that Jesus has given to explain who He is. But this chapter takes a different approach, centered on questions. Each question provides more insight into who Jesus is and why He came. We can boil these 20 questions down into 6 main questions and today we will be looking at the first.

Where is Jesus?

John 7:1–13 (NIV)

After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him. But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

Therefore Jesus told them, “My time is not yet here; for you any time will do. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil. You go to the festival. I am not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.” After he had said this, he stayed in Galilee.

However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus and asking, “Where is he?”

Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.”

Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders.

Application

We MUST have...

1. Patience in God's Plan

John 7:1–4 NIV

After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him. But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.”

We spoke last week about how John likes to present things in sequence, and here is no different. We see the phrase “After this...” This gives us insight into the rationale of Jesus and a reason why he preferred to minister in Galilee over Judea at this time. Things are heating up and Jesus knows it. The Jewish leaders in Judea want to kill Him, but it is not time for that just yet.

The crux of the questions resides with the brothers. They are pushing Jesus to go to Judea, for the Festival of Tabernacles:

One of three major religious festivals described in the Torah. Originally a harvest celebration, the eight-day festival came to be linked with the story of Yahweh providing for the Israelites during their forty years of desert wanderings after the exodus from Egypt. The Torah calls for the people of Yahweh to offer special sacrifices and live in booths, or temporary shelters, during this festival to commemorate the years that their ancestors spent living in tents in the desert (Leviticus 23:33–43; Numbers 29:12–34; Deuteronomy 16:13–15; compare Nehemiah 8:13–18).

But why?

They wanted to push Jesus into the limelight. They wanted Him to be forced to prove who He was. It tells us that they did not beleive in Him. That seems unbelievable! Throughout John we see the demand for Jesus to perform miracles or meet some task, as a sign of unbelief. They need a certain thing to happen in order to believe, their desires must be met. They are essentially saying, “If you are the Messiah, go and prove it.” But, His time is not our time.

They want immedaite results

We must wait for God’s plan

They did not understand His mission

Hardest people to minister to are family

Expections not tied to timing but desire

Patience is Key

We MUST be willing to wait for God’s timing

We all want to get to the end now

As your Pastor I have had to learn this

Parents should learn this with Children

We have with Larry, and surely will with Eli

A cake takes time to bake. The batter may look messy, but in the oven, it transforms into a delicious treat. God's plan for our lives is just like that. We may feel messy and unsure, but in His timing, something beautiful and fulfilling emerges.

2. Discernment in Divine Timing

John 7:5–9 NIV

For even his own brothers did not believe in him. Therefore Jesus told them, “My time is not yet here; for you any time will do. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil. You go to the festival. I am not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.” After he had said this, he stayed in Galilee.

Our response should be like Christ

Commitmet to God’s plan and timing

New Church year provides that for us

Pray for Discernment

Find the true meaning for your life

God has a plan, and his timing is perfect.

As Christ shows, we should always be looking to God for the answer

Jesus knew what would be waiting for Him if He made a big scene

It was not God’s time yet

His time is getting closer, we see the shift from “my time has not come,” to “my time has not fully come”

Are you seeking God’s timing in every decision?

It is the only way to recieve true fulfillment and purpose.

God’s timing is always perfect, but perfect for Him not for us

3. Trust in the Unseen Jesus

John 7:10–13 NIV

However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus and asking, “Where is he?” Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.” Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders.

We see that Jesus did go (He was a good Jew)

He did so in secret, not how his brothers wanted.

He went in the way His Father led him.

We see the leaders actively looking for Him

Going alone, without the Twelve or anyone allowed Jesus to easily blend in.

We gain insight to how Jesus was being viewed in the city and the division that existed in regards to Him.

Are we willing to move in accordance to God’s direction.

Seek Jesus in the quiet moments of your life

Here he moved in secret, but for a purpose

There are times we don’t see Jesus, or He seems to have gone away.

Those tough times of loneliness where we hide ourselves from the world.

Even in this story we see that Jesus was there, He is always there.

A child holding their parent's hand in the dark feels safe, even though they can't see their parent. In the same way, we trust in the unseen Jesus, finding comfort and security in His presence even when we can't physically see Him.

We must always seek His guidance, even when it may be hard to see Him.

Conclusion

Our main question for today was, Where is Jesus? The answer, He is where He is supposed to be. The crowds were looking for Him, his brothers were pressuring Him, but He remained faithful to the father’s timing.

Where are you this morning? Are you on your own time? or on the Father’s time?

Are you catering to the pressures of the world around you, or are you able to discern the will of God?

In what ways can we show patience, faith, and obedience to God's timing and will, just like Jesus demonstrated in John 7:1-13?

I pray that you are on your journey of growth, and when people ask where you are, the answer will be “exactly where God wants them to be.”