Category: John 7

John 7: 6-9

‘ 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.’

Here we have another example of Jesus’ heavenly perspective showing up in his speech. The idea that someone has an appointed time for some very personal event is unique. We might casually use the phrase, “It’s not my time…” for this or that, but we speak from the perspective of a human who is guessing or making an excuse. (e.g. – “I didn’t win because it just wasn’t my time.”) Jesus, on the other hand, speaks of a specific time that is preordained.  Continue reading “My Time”

John 7: 2-5

” 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.”

Being the oldest sibling in the family carries with it certain burdens that are unique. I know. I am one. For one thing, the oldest is the child that parents make most of their mistakes on. The oldest also seems to be the recipient of a lot of expectations. Then there is the role of helping to raise the younger siblings. Sometimes that means lots of responsibility without any authority to go with it.  Continue reading “Brothers”

John 7:1

” 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.”

Did you ever have one of those days when people were looking for ways to kill you? No? How about beat you up?

When I was about eleven years old my family moved to a small town with a rather rough pedigree. Academics were not prized there, but toughness was. Sometimes people would pick a fight for no reason at all. Stories about kids getting beat up or seriously hurt were not uncommon, and there were certain places one didn’t go if they didn’t want to risk a confrontation with someone who was just looking for a fight.

Even so, there is a big difference between being the object of a bully’s unwanted attention, and having people seriously plotting to kill you. Continue reading “Avoidance”