John 7

When I read John 7, it has a feeling of suspense, almost like a mystery novel. There is so much speculation about who Jesus is and what he has come to do. We see in verse 1-5 that even Jesus' brothers aren't sure what to make of him:

After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. Now the Jews' Feast of Booths was at hand. So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” For not even his brothers believed in him. Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” After saying this, he remained in Galilee.

It's almost like they're saying to Jesus "Why are you hiding out, shouldn't you be going around acting important or something?" Now, Jesus' brothers weren't wrong to think that one of Jesus' roles was as a public leader. But they were wrong to think that was his ONLY role. They wanted to skip straight to the glorious stage of Jesus ministry without realizing that it wasn't time for that.

I know that I get disappointed too when God's sense of timing doesn't agree with my own. Like Jesus brothers, I start asking God "Shouldn't you be acting this way?". And sometimes, God's answer is "not yet".

I wonder if Jesus' brothers would have been so eager for him to reveal himself publicly if they had realized that Jesus had to go through the crucifixion before he could be glorified. Maybe instead of asking "Why are you hiding?", they would have said "can't you wait just a little while longer before you go out in public? People are trying to kill you after all!"

But that would have been the wrong reaction too. Notice what happens in verse 30:

So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.

Just as Jesus had no intention of declaring himself king before the time was right, he had was in no danger of dying early. Sometimes I say to God "why are we waiting" but sometimes I'm thinking "I'm not ready for this yet." But I should trust God, because his timing is always perfect and nothing can interrupt his plan.