John 7 Disbelief and Division

John 7

Disbelief and Division

Secular:

Ever dealt with someone who won’t stop a harmful behaviour… drugs, alcohol, smoking?
My uncle smoked for years…
Best advice - STOP

Developed a horrible cough
Hacking
Rough breathing

Eventually cancer of the Oesophagus

Blew him away when he had to sign a paper authorizing the hospital to keep his Oesophagus
Sleep elevated… no mixing foods… digestive trouble…

And despite his desire to live well, to heal, he kept on smoking
And it finally caught up with him…
Disbelief… or an inability to accept the consequences of our actions doesn’t change the outcome…
Sometimes those we expect to follow through… just don’t…

Biblical: John 7:1 After these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him. 2 Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near. 3 Therefore His brothers said to Him, "Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing. 4 "For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world." 5 For not even His brothers were believing in Him. 6 So Jesus said to them, "My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune. 7 "The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil. 8 "Go up to the feast yourselves; I do not go up to this feast because My time has not yet fully come." 9 Having said these things to them, He stayed in Galilee. 10 But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as if, in secret.

Personal:

Sometimes the push in our life is to do something the world sees as acceptable…

To curse and swear…
To gossip or ridicule others…
To bury our faith…
To ignore or make fun of a group of people…
To cheat or lie in business…

In crowd it is often hard to follow Christ…
No matter the evidence…
Look at this slide…
Group of 10 British teens…
9 actors one subject

No matter our connection…
No matter our conviction…
No matter our relationship…

Bridge:

Following Jesus isn’t about what have you done for me lately…
What miracle do I get to witness…
Following Jesus is belief in the Son of God… His Deity, His Holiness, His Mercy… His Love
Lord God Almighty…

Body:

The Ridicule

7:1 After these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him. 2 Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near. 3 Therefore His brothers said to Him, "Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing. 4 "For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world." 5 For not even His brothers were believing in Him.

After these things…

Continues to point to the challenges in Christ ministry…
John 6: 66 As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.
Tough teaching… hard road…
This ministry isn’t for the flamboyant… the politically correct… the rich and famous…
Jesus speaks truth…

So often it is the downtrodden… the needy… the sick… the broken… those who have recognized the futility of life apart from Christ that accept the truth…
The same is true in our culture...
Those who believe “that they can do it on there own” or “have all they need” often fail to recognize the need for Christ….
Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Those who should know don’t… Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him.

His people… those anticipating the Messiah… didn’t recognize him and wanted to kill him…
Sometimes those in greatest need… fail to recognize their need…
Sometimes riches… or philosophy… or independence… block our ability to be ministered to…
Sometimes it is our own religiosity… the way things have always been done… the way things ought to be…
The Jewish people seethed against Jesus for many reasons… but one was that he was turning “their” religious system upside down!
He had ministry to do… so Jesus continued in Galilee… don’t let resistance… or threats derail your ministry!!

3 Therefore His brothers said to Him, "Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing. 4 "For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."
Pragmatics… if you can… then do it… Start over… fire up the miracle… feed 5,000 again… heal the sick… Political gain needs the political arena… to win over the religious establishment is to go to there place and deal on their terms…
Get out there and show them… show us… For not even His brothers were believing in Him.
It isn’t about evidence
They had witnessed or heard bout much He had done…
What are they waiting for… (Society’s approval?)
Go convince the Jews… the travellers… the leaders
Then… then we too will believe
Following Jesus isn’t about what have you done for me lately…
What miracle do I get to witness…
Following Jesus is belief in the Son of God… His Deity, His Holiness, His Mercy… His Love
Lord God Almighty…

The Response

6 So Jesus said to them, "My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune. 7 "The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil. 8 "Go up to the feast yourselves; I do not go up to this feast because My time has not yet fully come." 9 Having said these things to them, He stayed in Galilee. 10 But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as if, in secret.

My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune.
A Jewish audience would have a very definite understanding of this text…

Every person has “their” time…
Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—
Just like Jesus words to his Mother at the Wedding in Cana…
John 2:4 And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come."

Going with the flow…
World can not hate you… not set off against the world
John 15:19 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.

When Jesus ministry uncovers the sin in the lives of the Jewish leadership… many of their responses are not belief but anger…
The world… hates to have its sin exposed…(generally)
Jesus message to his brothers is that they are failing to challenge people with truth… the truth He has revealed in his Life and Ministry…
David the man of God… “Psalm 32:5 I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"; And You forgave the guilt of my sin.”
Family reunion tour… big deal to travel with extended family to Passover…
Jesus begins to distance himself from his earthly family in preparation for trial ahead…
"Go up to the feast yourselves; I do not go up to this feast because My time has not yet fully come."…

It would be fairly obvious to the officials in Jerusalem when Jesus was arriving if his entire family were with him…

Luke 2:43 and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it, 44 but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day's journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances.
Jesus knew the Father’s Will and the trials that faced him…
He moved not with the crowd but according to the will of the Father… to accomplish all that the Father had set before him to do…
" 9 Having said these things to them, He stayed in Galilee. 10 But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as if, in secret.
Jesus had a ministry, a focus, a purpose…
The whims of the world… or of his family was not going to distract…
Following Jesus isn’t about what have you done for me lately…
What miracle do I get to witness…
Following Jesus is belief in the Son of God… His Deity, His Holiness, His Mercy… His Love
Lord God Almighty…

Conclusion:

The Ridicule

The world wants Jesus to answer on their terms…

Why illness?
How can a Holy God?
Show Yourself?
Treasures and selfishness… (Rich Young Ruler)

Following Jesus isn’t about what have you done for me lately… It is who He is eternally!!

The world wants Jesus to perform to their terms…

Why death of Child?
Why pain and suffering… in my life?
Why poverty?

Following Jesus isn’t about what have you done for me lately… It is who He is eternally!!

The Response:

Ministry will bring you into conflict with your world…
If it doesn’t… are we living the Faith that we come together to celebrate…
It isn’t about just bringing us earthly comfort… but eternal peace
It isn’t about Jesus being “a choice” it is about Jesus being the only choice…
Following Jesus isn’t about what have you done for me lately… It is who He is eternally!!