Not For Show | John 7
John 7
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Chapter Notables:
Jesus is encouraged by His brothers not to stay secret - verses 1-9
Jesus goes to the Feast of Tabernacles celebration in secret - verses 10-13
Jesus teaches in the synagogue during the festival - verses 14-24
Differing opinions about Jesus among the leaders and the common people - verses 25-44
The Jewish Leaders in a mess trying to figure out who is Jesus and what they should do about Him - verses 45-52
Mission Minded | Lemuel Ayudtud
It’s very rare that people try to play down what they do. Most of the time anyone that does anything worth talking about, take the time to actually have it talked about. We see this from politicians to preachers; if they do something amazing they want everybody to know it.
Not Jesus, though.
Some of the people that knew Jesus, His brothers, had seen that Jesus was doing some miraculous things. They saw that His recent activities could make Him, His town and maybe even His circle of friends famous. So, a feast was coming up and they encouraged Him to show Himself around and declare Himself to everybody. They thought He shouldn’t keep His actions secret. They didn’t actually believe Him to be the Messiah, but they probably saw action coming their way. Unfortunately for them, Jesus was not it for the fame.
Applying the advice of his family and friends would’ve sped His fame along but that was not yet in the plan. Jesus was about His mission but on the low. His cause was greater than potential fame. Of course where we stand now, Jesus is more than famous but back then His Name was just beginning to spread.
Ultimately, Jesus does go ahead and join in the feast at a later time. The Jewish leaders were seeking to kill Him for the words and the works that He was doing: specifically Him healing the impotent man on the Sabbath; but the regular people loved hearing Him. He didn’t sound like everybody else. He spoke with words of power and authority.
And even though those that were in the town knew that Jesus did not study the way the Rabbis studied, His teachings and delivery was so powerful that they could not dismiss what He was saying. In fact, some were given instructions to take Jesus and remove Him from speaking, but they themselves were so caught up in His authority and teachings that they were mesmerized themselves—unable to take action because they were flabbergasted.
There’s something about having the ability to be known yet seeking anonymity because your purpose is greater than the possible clout. There are times we may want a pat on the back or an acknowledgment for the things that we do, but for the most part the reward of doing something is actually seeing the very thing you want to see happen. Sure there are times when fame is required or having recognition becomes a part of what you do, but our heart should always be about the purpose and the mission of God rather than anything those things may bring to us.
We’ve seen it all around us. Ministry can be a doorway to fame, props and even wealth. None of those things are intrinsically bad or evil. Sometimes they just come, much like it came in the time of Jesus and up until now. The issue comes when you are pursuing the kingdom of God or ministry or involvement because you want to have some sort of recognition or fame.
How to keep our eyes on the mission:
Our goal should always be about the mission of Jesus Christ to change the lives of people around us.
Our passion should be the cause of Calvary: to bring healing to the wounded and joy to the hurting.
Our purpose for study, prayer, and community building should not be about enlarging ourselves; but to be about the Father‘s business of bringing lost sons back home.
There were times in the life of Jesus that people wanted to take Him by force to make Him king, but Jesus was not about the earthly kingdom. He was not seeking for a throne or a crown. His mission was to be at the cross with thorns instead of gold on His head. He didn’t send His disciples two by two so that He can be famous through them or that they can be famous themselves. The mission was simple: seek and save the lost.
No fame. No glory. Just mission minded.
Jesus, help me to spread the word of Your truth and Your love among people. Help me to make sure that it is about Your calling and about Your word, not anything else. When I do work for the church or for members of the community, help me to lay it down at Your feet. Teach me not to be self-seeking, drawn by fame or fortune. Give me the heart for Your mission alone. And should fame, clout or even fortune or any other thing should come my way, let me always return the glory to You and let me always know that it is truly about You and Your desire for the world. I pray this in Your name Jesus, amen.
