When you were very young, your parents likely encouraged you to speak your first few words over and over again. Later they no doubt had to try to stop you talking many times! "There is a time to be silent and a time to speak." (Ecclesiastes 3:7.) Perhaps when you were younger you were tempted to go and dig up seeds you had just planted a day or two earlier to see how they were doing. You were told you would have to wait much longer. "There is a time to plant and a time to uproot." In fact there is a right time for everything. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.)
In this true story the brothers of the Lord Jesus are wanting Him to do something at the wrong time.
These brothers of Jesus we would call half-brothers today. You see Jesus was born to Mary while she was still a virgin. But the Bible tells us that Mary then married Joseph and they had four sons and several daughters born to them. (Matthew 1:22-25. 13:55-56.) So although Mary was Jesus' mother, Joseph was not His father. Jesus is the Son of God. (Luke 1:34-35.)
It was coming near the time to celebrate the Jewish feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, but Jesus was "purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews were waiting to take His life." (verses 1-2.)
"Jesus' brothers said to Him, 'You ought to leave here and go to Judea.... No-one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret...' For even His own brothers did not believe in Him." (verses 3-5.)
Jesus' brothers' unbelief kept them from realising God had a plan for His Son. Jesus knew the horrible death He was soon going to suffer at the hands of the religious leaders there in Jerusalem. He was not trying to escape from it - He had come to die for our sins so that He could become the Saviour of the world. This was not the right time.
Jesus'death was planned by God to take place at the time of another important feast the Jews celebrated - the PASSOVER. In that feast they would be remembering how God miraculously saved them from slavery in Egypt, and from certain death. The killing of the Passover lamb would clearly remind them of that historic deliverance.
God was planning that the killing of Jesus, the Lamb of God, would give God's true people a far more important "Passover" to celebrate. (Luke 22:13-20. 1st Corinthians 5:7.) Jesus' "once and for all" sacrifice would make it possible for God's judgment to pass-over every sinner who would trust in Jesus sacrifice for their sins. (Hebrews 10:10-18.)
So, the timing was not right for Jesus to go up publicly to Jerusalem. He said to His brothers, "You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, because for Me the right time has not yet come." (v.8.)
"However, after His brothers had left for the Feast, He went also, not publicly, but in secret." (verse 10.)
I'm glad Jesus was not trying to avoid taking your punishment and mine - oh how much Jesus loved us sinners!
Read in John's Gospel chapter 7, verses 1-13 how His sacrifice to save us was obviously planned and timed by God. Please don't ignore His wonderful love. Trust Jesus today as
your only Priest and Saviour?
John Nixon, Cork, Ireland. P31HD98. Contact: jnixonj@gmail.com
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