My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready

 

 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.  

 

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."   However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.  

 

- John 7:1–13 

 

In chapter 6 of St. John's Gospel, Jesus spoke to the people regarding Himself as the bread of heaven.  Much of His teaching concerned the eating of His Body and Blood, and the discourse that ensued is a teaching on the Eucharist and shapes our understanding of it.  Yesterday we read that many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"  When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you?  What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.  But there are some of you who do not believe."  For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.  And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."  From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.  Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"  But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"  He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.

 

  After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  The Jews who sought to kill Jesus are the religious leaders (based in Jerusalem which is in Judea), and not the people in general.  

 

Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. The Feast of Tabernacles (Hebrew Sukkot) is an eight-day autumn harvest festival which commemorates the time when Israel wandered in the wilderness of Sinai and the people lived in tents (or tabernacles).  Together with Passover and Pentecost, this was one of the three most important festivals of the ancient Jews.  This festival included many sacrifices and celebrations (Leviticus 23:33-43).  My study Bible explains that in later times, the final day of this feast also included drawing water from the pool of Siloam to be mixed with wine and poured at the foot of the altar, both as purification and in remembrance of the water flowing from the rock that Moses struck (Exodus 17:1-7).  Additionally, it included the lighting of the great lamps in the outer court of the temple.  Today's reading begins a section of the Gospel (John 7:1 - 10:21) which covers Jesus' visit to Jerusalem at this Feast.  The entire section covers eight days.  This is now the final year of Christ's earthly life.  My study Bible comments that at this festival, He taught in the temple and attracted a great deal of public attention.  Some thought He was mad; others believed Him to be the Messiah; and still others considered Him to be a threat.  

 

 His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.   Jesus' brothers are either step-brothers (children of St. Joseph through a marriage prior to that of himself and the Virgin Mary), or they are cousins.  Even to this day, the word "brothers" is used for varied relationships in the Middle and Near East.  My study Bible cites this tradition throughout the Old Testament Scriptures.  Abram called his nephew Lot "brother"; Boaz spoke of his cousin Elimelech as his "brother"; and Joab called his cousin Amasa "brother" (Genesis 14:14; Ruth 4:3; 1 Samuel 20:9).  Christ had no blood brothers.  In this Gospel, we will read that Jesus commits His mother to the care of St. John, the writer of our Gospel, at the Cross (John 19:25-27), which would have been unthinkable if she had other children to care for her.  

 

Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.  Jesus' words reflect themes told to us elsewhere in the Gospel, particularly John 3:19-20, Jesus' teaching to Nicodemus on those practicing evil, and hatred of the light.

 

 But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."   However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.   Not openly, according to my study Bible, means not with a grand, public entrance as He will do on Palm Sunday (John 12:12-16).

 

Jesus says to His brothers, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  Once again, as with all things concerning Christ, we have to understand His words in the light of His relationship to the Father, and the mission with which He's entrusted as incarnate Son and Savior.  Jesus has God the Father to please, and from whom He receives all honor.  In an earlier dispute with the religious leaders in Jerusalem, Jesus asked, "How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?" (John 5:44).  St. Augustine contrasts this sense of glory with worldly glory in his commentary on this passage.  We read Christ's words with the memory of His words to Nicodemus as cited above.  Christ's glory comes not from what others say about Him, but from pleasing God, and finding honor in that.  St. Augustine writes, "But our Lord was laying down another road to that very exaltation, that is, humility.… 'My time,' He says, that is, the time of My glory when I shall come to judge on high is not yet come; but your time, that is, the glory of the world, is always ready . . .'" (Tractates on the Gospel of John 28.5-7).  This concept of glory is related to renown, reputation, whereas humility seeks first the glory that comes from God.  As Jesus says here, the world hates Him because He testifies that its works are evil, for in humility He seeks to please the Father, and not the world.  His mission given from the Father is to testify to the truth of God; indeed, it is to be the truth in the world:  "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6).  Thus, the hatred of His witness and testimony, for those who prefer darkness do not like the light to shine on their works.  But let us note that Jesus will go to the Festival, only it will happen in His own way, and not the ways of worldly glory, for this is the path that truth must take until the proper time, His proper "hour" at Jerusalem.  Let us consider all of the obstacles to our Lord's mission when we find ourselves stymied by things in our own lives that delay, distract, and block our progress and how we think things should go.  For Jesus Himself finds all kinds of obstacles, including even His brethren who do not understand Him nor know Him as the Christ.  But truth, like the "living water" Jesus will teach about in this chapter, must find its own proper way in a world of obstacles and setbacks where truth is often not welcome.  Even Christ finds a different way in a world that does not share His values of glory or honor.  Let us seek our way in prayer, as He does.