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

 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 yesterday's reading, Jesus continued in His discourse with the authorities over His equality with the Father (see also the readings from Wednesday and Thursday):  "I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.  If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.  There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.  He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.  But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?  Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  The lectionary skips over chapter 6 of John's Gospel, in which Jesus teaches that He is the bread of life, and made the fourth sign of John's Gospel, the feeding of five thousand in the wilderness.   He has also lost disciples for teaching, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.  He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.  As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever."  By now, as the text tells us, the religious authorities want to do away with Him.  We are now in the last year of Jesus' earthly life.  The next few chapters (7:1-10:21) cover Jesus' visit to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles.  The entire section covers eight days of this festival.  He teaches in the temple and attracts enormous attention.  Some will think He's mad, others will believe Him to be the Messiah, and still others (the Sadducees and Pharisees) consider Him to be a threat.  Those who sought to kill Him are the religious leaders, and not the people in general (in John's Gospel, the term "the Jews" is generally used as a political term referring to the authorities, reflecting the period in which the Gospel was written).

Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. The Feast of Tabernacles, called Succoth or Sukkot in Hebrew, is an eight-day autumn festival which commemorates the time when Israel wandered in the wilderness of Sinai and the people lived in tents (or tabernacles).  It's also called the Feast of Booths, with the same meaning.  With Passover and Pentecost, this was one of the three most important festivals of the ancient Jews.  There were numerous sacrifices and celebrations as a part of the festival (Leviticus 23:33-43).  In the later times of this feast, the final day included drawing water from the pool of Siloam to be mixed with wine and poured at the foot of the altar, as both purification and remembrance of the water flowing from the rock that Moses struck (Exodus 17:1-7).  It further included the lighting of great lamps in the outer court of the temple.  All of these elements will be reflected in Jesus' teachings as we go through the Festival in our reading.

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.   We read the tension between the "worldly" and the reality Christ brings into the world.  John's Gospel presents very clearly the lack of faith even in Jesus' extended family (brothers here refers either to step-brothers -- that is, children of Joseph by an earlier marriage; or to cousins or other relatives, as is still common in the Middle East usage).  It was common for whole extended families to go on pilgrimage to festivals at Jerusalem, and John's Gospel teaches us about the years of Jesus' ministry, recording His attendance at various festivals.  But the conflict in ways of thinking is clear:  Jesus has a specific ministry to carry out, but expectations of Him contradict the direction given by the Father.  In a modern context, we understand the appeal of fame for its own sake.  Our time of instant fame (or notoriety, as the case may be) through use of popular media, especially possible through the internet, has itself produced many cautionary tales about this particular "worldly" perspective.

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.  My study bible says that not openly means not with a grand, public appearance, as on Palm Sunday (12:12-16).

What is it about fame itself that is so elusive, so dangerous really, so likely to be something attractive and yet destructive?  Jesus' "brothers" taunt Him.  They say that anyone who wants to be publicly known like Jesus has to go show Himself.  But, on the other hand, so much about spiritual life is hidden.  The very word "mystery" teaches us about the secret things of the soul and spirit.  Jesus Himself has taught us about prayer and the most intimate relationship we have, that with God the Father, in His memorable words regarding the practices of faith in Matthew chapter 6.  He says that we should avoid being like the hypocrites who do everything to be seen.  If we do a charitable deed, let it be in secret, so that "your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."  Perhaps His most striking words are about prayer.  He teaches His disciples,  "But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."  We note the double mention of secret (or "hidden"), the Father who is in the secret place, and who sees in secret as well.  (It should be noted that this is as "private" a statement as possible, as the "you" both times in that last sentence is singular.)  So much of the spiritual life is contrasted with that which is "worldly" by definition, that which is publicly known or seen -- and Jesus warns against fame for its own sake here, lest we become like the hypocrites ("hypocrite" being an ancient word for actor, meaning "under a mask").  Jesus teaches us to understand that reality is multi-layered.  It is easy to create appearances in order to convey falsehood and to deceive.  We are to be deeper than that in our understanding of our own reality and of our own identities.  Most importantly, Jesus has a mission, and the instructions come from the Father.  From this He will not sway; it is not yet his "hour," his "time," meaning that it is not the time for the open confrontation that will come at Passion Week, resulting in His crucifixion, death, and Resurrection.  This will be the time He "openly" comes to Jerusalem.   The crucially important lesson that we take from all of this is the essential communion we maintain within our hearts that directs the rest of our lives.  Jesus had a mission, but a mission means that it must be done a certain way -- using discernment, seeking the will of God in all things, and not being fooled or lulled into thinking a certain way because all we depend upon is appearances and worldly ways of thinking.  This is the crucial thread for us.  It's what we, too, must hang onto in the questions of our own lives, because ultimately everything depends upon Who it is to whom we assign power.  Is it the world we must please, or God we must please?  A "worldly" perspective is one in which God is absent from our considerations.  The true perspective we seek is one in which our faith guides us through the world and in right relationship to others.  All else flows from this.   We can see the varied responses to Jesus from the people at the festival.  We're not to rely on worldly results and responses for our "missions" in life.  It all begins with love, and with the love of God in our hearts.  Thereby we follow His example.  We can understand the torments and difficulties He went through in His life first, so that we may follow Him.

The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil

 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

After Jesus taught, He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him (Monday's reading), we read (in yesterday's reading) 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.  Once again, we remember that in John's Gospel, the term "the Jews" is used as akin to a political affiliation, and most often refers to the leadership of the Council.  At this point, His renown has spread, He has already had confrontations regarding healing and the Sabbath rest (at the previous Feast, the second Passover recorded in John's Gospel), and given controversial teachings at the synagogue in Capernaum for which many disciples turned away.  He remains in Galilee, away from the powerful rule of the religious leadership in Judea at the temple in Jerusalem.

Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  The following several chapters involve our Lord's visit to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, and the entire section will cover eight days.  This is the last year of Jesus' life as Incarnate Man.  Here at this Festival, Jesus taught in the temple at Jerusalem and attracted a great deal of public attention.  y study bible says that some thought Him mad, and others believed Him to be the Messiah.  There are still others (such as the Sadducees and Pharisees, chief parties making up the Council) who consider Him to be a threat.  Those who seek to kill Him (verse 1, above) are the religious leadership, not the people in general. The Feast of Tabernacles (Hebrew Succoth or Sukkot) is an eight-day festival occurring in autumn.  It is an autumn harvest festival, but commemorates the time when Israel wandered in the wilderness of Sinai, and people lived in tents (or booths or tabernacles), rather than permanent dwellings.  Together with Passover and the Jewish Pentecost (Feast of Weeks), this was one of the most important festivals of the ancient Jews.  It included many sacrifices and celebrations (Leviticus 23:33-43).  In later times, says my study bible, 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 also commemoration of the water flowing from the rock that was struck by Moses (Exodus 17:1-7).  Further, the ceremonies included lighting of the great lamps in the outer court of the temple (see 2 Maccabees 10:5-9).  All of these elements will be reflected in Jesus' acts and teachings through this next section of John's Gospel.

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.  Jesus' brothers are extended family, perhaps either children born to Joseph in an earlier marriage or cousins or other extended relations, for whom it is still common to use the term "brothers" throughout the Middle East today.  Jesus articulates the importance of time and also His complete awareness of His mission ("My hour has not yet come").  He articulates a difference between the world, or a "worldly" point of view, and one that is capable of receiving Him in faith.  He says, "I testify of [the world] that its works are evil."  There is a clear difference here in how one views Christ and His works, between a worldly and a faithful perspective.

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.  Jesus goes to the feast without a grand sort of appearance, such as the one He will make on Palm Sunday (12:12-16).  The text gives us the setting among the people:  they argue and dispute among one another about Jesus, but none will speak openly, for fear of the leadership in the temple, who seek Jesus.

John's Gospel gives us many personal hints about Jesus' life, scattered here and there in its details.  Here we're told that Jesus' "brothers" ridicule Him.  They don't believe He's who He says He is.  They're not His disciples as are Peter and the rest of the Twelve.  In our last reading, we've been told that many disciples have fallen away from Christ, because of His "hard saying" about eating His flesh and drinking His blood.  What on earth can that mean?  The leadership in the synagogue at Capernaum is also perplexed and argue among themselves about what He can possibly mean.  And furthermore we've just been told that Jesus knows that even one among the Twelve chosen by Him will betray Him.  Far from things going well from a worldly perspective, we see elements that go against Him.  We see the "worldly" perspective at work that cannot accept His words in faith, even one personally chosen who will betray Him.  His own kin are against Him.  A "worldly" perspective we often seem to hear is one that would say that whatever Jesus did would be so acceptable, so good, so "perfect" that all must completely be drawn to Him and fawn upon Him.  Somehow we have it in our given knowledge, so to speak, or cultural understanding, that one as "good" as Christ is going to have a perfect life -- or that a person favored by God will find no obstacles or even no hatred in life.  But in Jesus' life, there is nothing that could be further from the truth.  On the contrary, it's His very goodness that sets up so much -- in the perspective of the Gospel -- that goes against Him.  It's His very goodness, and particularly the power of that absolute Good that He is in the world, that occasions opportunity and motive for betrayal, for envy, for those who want to do Him in, for all kinds of reasons.  We may even suspect that is the case among His relatives who make fun of Him and taunt Him that He must go to Jerusalem, the center of all things, and show Himself, if He really is Who He says He is.  This is a different kettle of fish, so to speak, from what a sort of conventional "worldly" perspective might tell us about Jesus, the Son of Man.  Everything is not smooth sailing, and this will also play as a great stumbling block to faith in and of itself.  Jesus says that He testifies of the world that its works are evil.  We have to think closely about what this means and what it implies about a "worldly" perspective.  People can worship all kinds of things:  power, money, fame, pride of place, the appearance we make toward others.  But Jesus cuts through all of that.  Even His power isn't a worldly power and doesn't work in the ways that worldly power does.  Everything depends on how we "see" Him, how we see the Cross, the perspective that faith or the capacity for faith will give us.  A worldly perspective would teach us that everything is about the appearance we make, the praise of men, as Jesus puts it (12:43).  But Christ sets our goals in a deeper place, one of the heart, in which we abide in Him and He in us -- and in which it is the praise of God that counts and makes us who we truly are. 

The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil

 

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 yesterday's reading, Jesus was at the Feast of Weeks in Jerusalem.  He was speaking to the leadership, who attacked Him after He healed a paralytic and told him to "Take up your bed and walk," thus violating a Sabbath rule concerning the carrying of burdens.  Jesus said, "I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.  If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.  There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.  He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.  But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in His own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?  Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.   The lectionary skips over chapter 6 (we'll return to it after this week).  In chapter 6,  there are quite a few events that engage great multitudes and thus give His ministry more publicity.  Here in chapter 7 through 10, we'll be reading the events of a visit to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, which covers eight days.  This festival occurs during the last year of His earthly life.  He teaches in the temple and attracts a great deal of public attention.  My study bible says, "Some thought Him mad (v. 20); others believed Him to be the Messiah (vv. 31, 40); and still others (such as the Sadducees and the Pharisees) considered Him to be a threat.  The Jews who sought to kill Him are the religious leaders and not the people in general."

 Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.   The Feast of Tabernacles (Hebrew Succoth or Sukkot) is an eight-day festival at the time of the autumn harvest.  It commemorates the time when Israel wandered in the wilderness of Sinai, and people lived in tents (or tabernacles), also sometimes called booths.  With Passover and Pentecost (the Jewish Pentecost was the festival Jesus was attending in our previous reading, from chapter 5), this was one of the three most important festivals of the ancient Jews, according to my study bible.  It included many sacrifices and celebrations (Leviticus 23:33-43).  Later, the final day of the feast included drawing water from the pool of Siloam to be mixed with wine and poured at the foot of the altar, as purification and remembrance of the water flowing from the rock Moses struck (Exodus 17:1-7).  It also included the lighting of the great lamps in the outer court of the temple.  All of these things are alluded to in the reading ahead as we encounter Jesus' statements that reflect elements of these events.

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.   In the Middle and Near East, the term "brothers" is still today used to designate cousins and other extended family.  Therefore, these "brothers" are members of Jesus' kin in Nazareth.  John's Gospel has already referenced Jesus' statement that a prophet is not without honor except in his own country, which is also quoted in all three of the Synoptic Gospels (see Matthew 13:57, Mark 6:4, Luke 4:24, John 4:44).  Here John gives us an illustration of this from Jesus' own life.

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.  That Jesus testifies to the evil works of the world is a repeated theme.  We know the motivations of the leadership ("I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you") and we've already been told about those from Galilee who believed because they saw the marvelous works done by Jesus at an earlier Passover festival, but whom Jesus would not entrust Himself to, because He knew what was in their hearts and understood the minds of all people (John 2:24).  In chapter 3, when we're told that Christ came to us because "God so loved the world," He also tells us that "the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."    Jesus' hour is the time of His open confrontation with the leadership, during Holy Week - and His Passion, death, and Resurrection.

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.  Jesus doesn't go up to the feast "openly" in the sense of the same kind of entrance He makes in Holy Week, on Palm Sunday.  We can see the division among the people concerning Jesus.  It's like a chorus, reflecting the people.  But even the people are afraid to speak "openly," because of the authority of the leadership and their hostility to Jesus.

We have a lot of themes about choices and decisions regarding the Light that's come into the world.  Why do people turn away?  Why are they divided?  What's in people's hearts and minds?  These are the things we think about in John's Gospel.  While it speaks of the greatest love of all, and the brilliant light given us as gift, it reminds us also about our own perceptions and reactions.  What motivations do we have?  Here we see even Jesus' extended family mocks Him, despite the great "signs" He's done, despite the obvious faith of His own mother, despite the disciples who follow Him.  And that tells us something very important.  Faith is not about proximity, it's not about what group we're from, nor even physical kinship.  This faith -- and thereby the love between God and ourselves -- depends upon things that are deeper than flesh and blood, deeper than the ties the world bestows upon us.  It goes into decisions made in the depths of the heart, at that place where creature and Creator meet.  It's a place that's so often mysterious in us that we can choose to ignore it if we wish.  But sometimes it calls out to us in ways we can't explain, no matter how much we may try to ignore it or hide from it.  It's in that mystery that the love of God lies within us, the depths of the heart.  Really, all we have to do is give it a little attention, or open up a little in prayer, to ask.  "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you," Jesus says (Matthew 7:7; Luke 11:10).  It just takes some genuine asking, seeking, and knocking.  The love of God really takes care of the rest if our own impulse is truly genuine.  But for this, there's a lot we put aside.  What gets in the way?  Here we see the envy of the leadership, and perhaps also of Jesus' "brothers."  This is one of the "evil" things people would rather not bring to the light, and so hide and stay in that place where light isn't allowed into the heart.   It might change too much, shake up one's world, rid oneself of a particular kind of self-centeredness we'd rather hang onto for all kinds of reasons we could give.  Whatever it is, think about this great and tremendous love of God, and the light of Christ.  What's worth more than that?  We're given a great picture in the Gospels, so much is at stake.  There are so many conflicting motivations, opinions, understandings.  Nothing is left out here.  But it comes down to what is in the heart, the deepest place within.  All we have to do is to ask, and seek, and knock.  How many of us try that?  And repeat?  God's love teaches us what we need to sweep away for its fullness.  It's a lifelong way to live.  All it takes is our attention, and everything comes from that.  Just like with anyone else we love.

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 yesterday's reading, we read of the aftermath of Jesus' discourse and teaching on Himself as the bread of life. Earlier, He had taught, "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed." But now, many of His disciples complained, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?" Jesus asked, "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." He knew what was in their hearts, and which would fall away. He taught again, "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. Again, in John's Gospel, the term "the Jews" here refers to the leadership, which actively opposes and seeks to destroy Him, not to the Jewish people nor to Jewish spiritual heritage. Jesus is wary of Judea, the central place of temple leadership, because by now the opposition has become open and fierce.

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. Those who oppose Him are not just in Judea! Here His own relatives oppose Him, at least in their hearts at this point. They taunt Him to prove Himself and show Himself openly. "Brothers" can mean extended family and is still used in the Middle East today for extended relationships such as cousins. My study bible notes that the Eastern Fathers understood "brothers" as stepbrothers, sons of Joseph by a previous wife; while the Western Fathers understood them to be first or second cousins. They're never called sons of Mary. Regarding the Feast of Tabernacles, my study bible notes, "The Feast of Tabernacles (Heb. succoth) is an eight-day autumn harvest festival commemorating the wanderings of ancient Israel in the wilderness of Sinai, a time when the chosen people lived in tents (or 'tabernacles'). Along with Passover and Pentecost, Tabernacles was one of the three most important festivals of the ancient Jews."

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' time will be what is referred to also as His hour, the time of His Passion - His glorfication, and at the Triumphal Entry when He "openly" goes to Jerusalem. But here we have the contrast between the "worldly" and Jesus' testimony of the Father. His spoken word becomes judgment; the truth He brings is something in which one trusts or does not. His own relations apparently cannot share in this trust, either.

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. We're now in the time of open persecution of Jesus, short of what is to come at the Passion. And I think we have to recall that in the times when John wrote his Gospel (and the Revelation), the Church was also undergoing a terrible and vicious persecution on a number of fronts. John's focus on opposition and betrayal tells us a lot about what the Church was to experience. Here, he gives us Jesus going to festival in secret, as it is not yet His time. But opposition and violence and threats are everywhere from the leadership ("the Jews"). The people themselves are torn about Him. Some call Him good, others do not. But the people themselves do not speak where the leadership can hear them, out of fear. So the people themselves are not "openly" at the festival, either, in some sense.

The menace of persecution is something we can palpably feel in the Gospel at the point of this reading. It comes to us in many ways, including the taunting of Jesus' "brothers." John gives us this picture of what it is to be Christ with His mission, to testify of the Father, and there is so much in opposition to this testimony. It's not a "hearts and roses" sort of picture, a sentimental do-gooder who's everyone's idea of a friend or companion. On the contrary, the Jesus we receive in this Gospel has "hard sayings" that not even His followers can accept (see yesterday's reading). Again, I feel we'd best go back to understand the persecution under which John and the Church suffered in John's lifetime, and know that in the other Gospels as well Jesus warns repeatedly not just of persecution to come, but also betrayal, and even wolves in sheep's clothing among His own, whom we as His followers are always to be vigilant about, on the watch for. In other words, this is not a fairy tale. It's a true story about human beings, about struggles, and even about the ongoing struggles we may receive in our own lives as faithful. Jesus doesn't promise us a rose garden without the thorns. In the "hard saying" of yesterday's (and recent) readings, we find many of His own disciples come to a crossroads: they can't understand about the bread of life, His words about eating His flesh and drinking His blood. And they can't trust past those words. But the twelve, with Peter speaking for them, find themselves at the place of faith where they trust more deeply. Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, is an affirmation of that deeper step, even as many fall away from them. Here in today's reading, Jesus goes up to the Festival in secret, not openly. He has work to do, but His hour has not yet come. There is persecution and danger. But through it all, there is a mission and a plan, to which He must be faithful. As He trusts in the Father, so He asks our trust in Him. And that's where faith goes; that's the road we're on. Sometimes we encounter danger, and separation even from family, and friends. We come to a crossroads where we have to decide: can we follow in faith, in trust? We don't know where it leads us. But our trust is in love, in the Father of love, in God who is love, in the One who truly has our best interest at heart. Which path do you choose?

Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it produces much grain

Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus. But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in the world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me, and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

- John 12:20-26

In yesterday's reading, we read of Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. After the resurrection of Lazarus, many have come to believe in Jerusalem, for there were many witnesses to this seventh and final miracle or sign in John's Gospel. The leadership of the temple seek to put Him to death because of it. Yet, He comes into Jerusalem openly for the feast of Passover. As He does, He is welcomed by crowds bearing palm branches, who shout, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!"

Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus. In this beginning of the story of Jesus' last Passover, we get a picture of what will come through evangelism. Philip is a Greek-speaker, as he is from Bethsaida in Galilee. The Greeks are Greek-speaking Gentiles who are interested in Judaism -- my study bible refers to them as "either God-fearing or full proselytes, who come to participate in the Passover festivities." As the end of Jesus' earthly life draw near, we get a glimpse of the many who will be drawn from all over the world to become a part of His flock. "And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd" - John 10:16.

But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in the world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me, and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor." John's Gospel has been leading us from one truth to another -- more deeply into the identity and understanding of Jesus and who He is, and what His mission is here in the world. As the outsiders from other "folds" are drawn toward Him, He speaks of the hour that has come, His hour. My study bible says it is "the great hour of salvation through the death and Resurrection of Jesus, leading to the salvation of the human race." Jesus' death and Resurrection will be the seed, as the grain of wheat, which will "produce much grain" or perhaps more literally, "bear fruit." My study bible says that this signifies that "Christ will die in order to give life, a principle of self-sacrifice which applies to all those who follow the way of Christ." Again, we have the promise of the eternal life -- with Him. We are to follow Him, and then we will be with Him, wherever we are. And, He adds, "him my Father will honor also." It is a promise of eternal union, together with Him, that sees us through all our lives and beyond. This great paradox of what we give up in order to join Him will play out through all the lives in this Gospel and beyond, all of the apostles -- and it is at work in our own lives as well.

What is it to fall to the ground and die, in Jesus' metaphor of the grain of wheat? What is it to love or hate our lives in the world -- and to keep it for eternal life? It is intimately connected with service to Him, an exchange. We exchange one perspective for another, and we gain an eternal life together with Him, and a gift of honor from the Father. To hate our lives in the world is directly connected with sacrifice -- with the things we are willing to give up of ourselves in order to better follow Him. This speaks of the deepest possible transformation, a lifetime of drawing closer in relationship to Christ, and following wherever that leads us, and whatever it may lead us to discard. We recall Jesus speaking in Matthew's Gospel, "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out." What sacrifices of ourselves, our lives or psyche (often translated as soul, the Greek word that is used here) in this world, are we willing to let go of in order to grow closer to Him? "In this world" implies the words He has previously taught as to the "praise of men" that may be in conflict with the "praise of God." What He is speaking about here is the deepest exchange possible, and yet, with God all things are possible -- and with a relationship of love, so we do the same. Jesus Himself is willing to go the full route, the supreme sacrifice, so that we may all be gathered with Him, people from all flocks gathered into one. He will make the most extraordinary sacrifice for this union. Can we follow Him and answer the call? The Greek speakers here prompt Jesus to speak of the fruits of His sacrifice. Together with Him, we are called to bear fruit ourselves.