Rejection - John 7:1-25

Rejection John 7:1-24 (c)Copyright February 14, 2021 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche It is probably in poor taste to talk about rejection on Valentine's Day. This is supposed to be the day of acceptance, love, and special memories. But let's be honest, sometimes it is about heartbreak and rejection. We have likely all known rejection at some time * From a boyfriend or girlfriend * From a mate * From someone you thought was your friend * From an employer Our focus today is not romantic love. We are going to look at the rejection faced by Jesus. In John 7:1-24 Jesus is rejected by his family, the crowds, and the religious leaders. Since Jesus was fully man, being rejected by those He came to save must have been painful. As we look at the reasons Jesus was rejected, and observe how He handled His rejection, we will come away with a few principles for facing the times of rejection in our own lives. As we look at this account of Jesus, I want you to keep in mind the words of Jesus: "Students are not greater than their teacher, and slaves are not greater than their master. 25 Students are to be like their teacher, and slaves are to be like their master. And since I, the master of the household, have been called the prince of demons, the members of my household will be called by even worse names! (Matthew 10:24-25) Rejected by Family Let's look at our text in John 7, After this, Jesus traveled around Galilee. He wanted to stay out of Judea, where the Jewish leaders were plotting his death. 2 But soon it was time for the Jewish Festival of Shelters, 3 and Jesus' brothers said to him, "Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles! 4 You can't become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!" 5 For even his brothers didn't believe in him. 6 Jesus replied, "Now is not the right time for me to go, but you can go anytime. 7 The world can't hate you, but it does hate me because I accuse it of doing evil. 8 You go on. I'm not going to this festival, because my time has not yet come." 9 After saying these things, Jesus remained in Galilee. Let me remind you of the geography of Israel. It is helpful to think of three basic areas. In the north of Israel was Galilee. Jesus spent much of his ministry time in this northern area. In the middle was Samaria. These were Jews and Gentiles who intermarried and therefore were not considered "true Jews" by the people to the north or the south. As we have learned, the Jews tried to avoid the defilement of Samaria. In the south there is Judea where there is Jerusalem, the Temple, and a large group of the religious elite of Israel. Jesus spent much time in Galilee to, if you will, "stay out of the line of fire" as much as possible. Israel had several festivals that were designed to remind people of their history and the way God has guided them in the past. * Passover- Which Commemorated God's rescue from Egypt under Moses * The Feast of Unleavened Bread (part of the Passover celebration) * The Feast of Weeks or Pentecost which was 7 weeks after Passover and celebrated the bounty of entering into the Promised Land * Feast of Trumpets (known as Rosh Hashanah also the Jewish New Year) which is a call to repentance. * Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) the most Holy Day in Israel where the sins of the nation are paid for) * Feast of Booths (Shelters) lasted seven days. During this time faithful Jews lived in temporary "booths" to remind them of the wilderness wanderings. Good Jews returned to Jerusalem for this celebration every year. As we read, the "Feast of Shelters" was taking place. Jesus' brothers encouraged him to attend the feast Some of you perhaps didn't know Jesus had siblings. We read about them in Mark 6, Then they scoffed, "He's just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us." (Mark 6:3) Jesus was the oldest in the family since he was born before Mary and Joseph had consummated their marriage. We don't know the tone of the discussion between Jesus and His brothers. Perhaps his brothers were pushing Him to go to the Festival of Tabernacles in Jerusalem where he could get some "real" publicity. Perhaps they trying to advance his cause (thinking he wanted to be a secular ruler). It is also possible they were taunting Him and making fun of Him. Either way, they did not understand who He was and why He came. We are told His brothers did not believe in Him. (After the Resurrection they did come to faith and the letters of James and Jude were written by brothers of Jesus. James became an important leader in the early church). Jesus knew going to Jerusalem was a mistake. If He came into Jerusalem in a grand entrance, he would provoke the leaders to act on their desire to kill Him. (This is exactly what happened with the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem for the Passover at the end of His earthly ministry). Verse 10 tells us Jesus did go to the festival, but He went later in the week when He could come in quietly and have the opportunity to teach the people. Jesus told His brothers that they could go into Jerusalem at any time because the world did not hate them. The world hated Jesus because He told them the truth. He talked about sin. He spoke words of accusation and conviction. And let's face it, no one likes to be told they are wrong. Sadly, we would rather destroy the accuser than have to repent of our sin. It is tough when your family rejects you. Perhaps you know what that is like. It may have been a parent who walked out on your family, a sibling who no longer has contact with you, or a family member who is always giving some "dig" about your "so-called faith." In Eastern countries, and I am sure in many places in America, if you become a Christian, you are disowned, dis-inherited, and despised. As we live in the world as believers, Jesus warned us that the gospel would at times divide families. If we follow Christ, we will be swimming against the current of our sinful world. And if we are doing it right, we don't even have to say anything for the world to feel condemned. The contrast between the life of the believer and the unbeliever is convicting enough. I've told the story about a time when Billy Graham was golfing in a Pro-Am tournament (which means he was teamed up with a professional golfer). The pro was not a believer and was known for his sometimes "colorful" language. He golfed his round with Billy Graham and when he came off the last hole, he was furious. He complained that Graham preached at him the entire time! One of his friends, who also knew Graham, knew this didn't sound like the famous evangelist. He talked to his friend and asked what specifically Graham had said and done. The golfer admitted Graham had been a complete gentleman and wonderfully nice. He, however, had played terrible and was just taking it out on the evangelist. In this case the righteousness of the life of Billy Graham created a contrast that caused this golfer to hate him. He didn't like the fact that Graham's mere presence exposed the emptiness and sin of his life. If you are going to walk with Christ - and I mean truly walk with Him - your life will be different from the people around you. You won't be invited to parties, you will be scoffed at and sometimes ridiculed, and even your friends and family may make fun of you because you are different. You will never be one of the "popular" people. We know, sadly, that people who are different are not celebrated, they are ridiculed. This is true for someone who looks different, has physical challenges, likes different kinds of food, or even talks with an accent. People make fun of those who are different from them. This starts in some of the earliest years in school and continues the rest of our lives. People may quietly respect you, but they will never acknowledge it publicly. Your faith-filled life exposes the emptiness of their lives. And they don't want that to happen. Jesus and the Crowds 10 But after his brothers left for the festival, Jesus also went, though secretly, staying out of public view. 11 The Jewish leaders tried to find him at the festival and kept asking if anyone had seen him. 12 There was a lot of grumbling about him among the crowds. Some argued, "He's a good man," but others said, "He's nothing but a fraud who deceives the people." 13 But no one had the courage to speak favorably about him in public, for they were afraid of getting in trouble with the Jewish leaders. 14 Then, midway through the festival, Jesus went up to the Temple and began to teach. 15 The people were surprised when they heard him. "How does he know so much when he hasn't been trained?" they asked. At the Feast of booths Jesus was the topic of conversation before He even arrived. People were hoping to see Him in person. The leaders were looking for Him because they wanted to destroy Him, the people were fascinated by Him, and those who believed in Him were afraid to say they believed. Some people called Him a deceiver and a fraud. Others dismissed him because of his lack of "proper" education. As believers we may face the same kind of rejection. The fact that we believe in the Bible will lead some to dismiss us as uneducated and empty-headed. It doesn't matter how much you have studied, researched, or how carefully you have drawn your conclusion. The very fact that you have not embraced the party line on evolution, the flood, absolute truth, gender, sexual mores, the work of the Holy Spirit, or any other controversial subject, automatically makes you "uneducated." I've had people scoff and what I believed and actually said, "When you get a little more education you will abandon such foolish thinking." Rick was dismissed in many of his science classes because He believed the Bible. In 1 Corinthians Paul said, The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. (1 Corinthians 1.18) Jesus defended Himself against the detractors, 16 So Jesus told them, "My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me. 17 Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own. 18 Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honor the one who sent him speaks truth, not lies. 19 Moses gave you the law, but none of you obeys it! In fact, you are trying to kill me." 20 The crowd replied, "You're demon possessed! Who's trying to kill you?" Jesus responded with words we should strive to be able to say: "we are preaching the Word of God, not the creative or popular messages of men." Some teachers are eager to try to give people what their "itching ears want to hear." In other words, they try to speak a more popular message. They avoid hard subjects, they are soft on things on which the Bible speaks clearly, and there is a lot of feel good, happy talk. They avoid talking about sin, judgment, obedience. The problem is, when we do this, we are trying to get honor and acceptance for ourselves. Our job is not to be popular (that won't save or help anyone) but to be FAITHFUL. We understand that our job to preach the Word of God and to stand on the truth contained in that Word. We try to preach the entire Word not just that which is comfortable or encouraging. Some people will not like this. They don't want to hear about their sin, about judgment, about a need to repent, the responsibility to forgive, or even the sovereignty of God! Here's the thing we must remember. People NEED to hear these things if they want to be saved. Rejected Because of His Compassion 21 Jesus replied, "I did one miracle on the Sabbath, and you were amazed. 22 But you work on the Sabbath, too, when you obey Moses' law of circumcision. (Actually, this tradition of circumcision began with the patriarchs, long before the law of Moses.) 23 For if the correct time for circumcising your son falls on the Sabbath, you go ahead and do it so as not to break the law of Moses. So why should you be angry with me for healing a man on the Sabbath? 24 Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly." (John 7:21-24) Jesus healed several people on the Sabbath. He was condemned each time for this act of compassion and grace because he "worked" on the Sabbath. It is always painful when you do the right thing and then catch grief because of it. Perhaps it was an act of honesty, or a refusal to do something the Bible says is clearly wrong, or you are determined to honor the Lord on Sunday rather than head out early to some recreational activity. Or it could have been as simple as you did your homework and no one else did and your classmates urge you should not turn in your assignment. It can be big or little. You try to be faithful before the Lord and are rejected because of it. Jesus stood up to the leaders. He pointed out that they did the very same thing they were accusing Him of doing. They did not refuse to circumcise a baby boy because it was the Sabbath. They did not delay pulling their farm animals out of a ditch because it was the Sabbath! Jesus said, "Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly." Certainly, that is something we should take to heart. We must be careful lest we stand in judgment over others before we know the whole story or have considered the way we might respond in the same situation. Conclusions No one wants to be rejected. However, the message we need to remember is: If they persecuted Jesus, they will also persecute His followers. Christians in our day are now frequently targeted as "dangerous" because we talk about sin, judgment and Hell. What they fail to hear is we also (I hope) talk about grace, deliverance and new life. Here are three things I hope you gain from this week's sermon: We should not be surprised to be rejected by the world. When we embrace Christ, we will begin swimming against the current of the world around us. As believers we live differently, we think differently, and our values are different from the world around us. When we live our life by the Word of God, we are not going to see "eye to eye" with the world. If that is not the case, you need to address the question: "Why do I think I am a Christian?" Here's what we must remember: they are not really rejecting you; they are rejecting Christ in you. That does not take away the sting of hurtful words and actions, but it is the truth. In fact, the disciples rejoiced because others saw Jesus in them. It is an honor to suffer for the Lord. When the World rejects you, remember they have no ultimate power over you. The world can reject you, vilify you, throw you in jail and even kill you but . . . they cannot take away our eternal life, our joy, or our peace. The world cannot extend mercy or forgiveness. We are inhabited by the Holy Spirit! He is our fortress and our strength. It is easy to let the bullies win. All you have to do is do what the bullies want you to do. But doing this destroys us as people and compromises our witness for Christ. We must not forget that we always have a choice! You can choose to stand by faith. You can choose to ask God to give you strength to do what you know is right. Finally, in the times when you feel rejected. I encourage you to Keep Going. This battle is worth fighting. We are not fighting alone. It is not about us! It is about the Kingdom of God! Lik the disciples we should rejoice when people see Jesus in us. Giving in to the world around us isn't going to make us happier. We have found the source of life . . . it is our Lord and Savior, Jesus. Hold on to Him. Keep doing what is right. In tough times, nestle into His arms. Draw upon His strength. Strive to stand before Him in the end and hear Him say, "Well Done!" * Will you stand firm as a believer in the place where you work? * Will you resist the peer pressure at school and continue to serve the Lord even if you have to do so alone? * Will you relate to others with grace and truth even in times when you don't like what someone is doing or saying? In other words, will you resist the urge to bully people as others have bullied you? * Will you quietly and consistently serve the Lord even at the risk of ridicule and rejection? The question is not about IF you are rejected. If you are living as a follower of Christ, the question is: How will you respond WHEN you are rejected. May God help us to stand firm and follow Jesus without wavering and without apology. May God grant that our devotion remain strong even when others treat us as they did our Lord. 1