Thursday 28th September
Read John 7:1-5
“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. 2 But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, 3 Jesus’ brothers said to him, ‘Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. 4 No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.’ 5 For even his own brothers did not believe in him.” (NIVUK)
There is irony in Jesus’ brothers’ exhortation for Him to ‘show yourself to the world’ (v4) because those who have read John’s gospel up to this point know very well that the ‘world’ is unable and unwilling to recognise Him. There are always those who say that if God would just come down and show Himself and demonstrate who He was with miracles and authority that of course they would believe in Him. We might secretly think that to be true too.
Yet all through Jesus’ ministry He plainly and frequently declared that that was not the case. The evidence John’s audience have just read also proves that. Jesus came and fed thousands of people with only a small basket of food yet not only did that not convince them of who He was, people actually walked away. They saw the sign but not what it signified. Or perhaps they did grasp what it signified and were too affronted and offended to believe?
Belief in Jesus, on Jesus’ terms, is a difficult step to take. The ‘world’ looks for success and followers and power and authority, just as the brothers seem to encourage Jesus to chase. But Jesus walks to a different drum, and to follow Him means we need to change our steps too…
