A Feast Attender

After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life. But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, Jesus' brothers said to him, "You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world." For even his own brothers did not believe in him. Therefore Jesus told them, "The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come." Having said this, he stayed in Galilee. - John 7 : 1-9

I've been reading John lately in my quiet times. I enjoy a good bowl of cereal and John. John's theme regards the Deity of Christ. The all-knowing, fully God and fully man Christ. Prior to this passage Jesus had just fed the multitude the fish and loaves and explained his Deity and salvation to a Jewish leadership population who did not understand. These same Jewish leaders were seeking to kill Jesus due to his claiming of Deity.

As I read this passage, I wondered what Jesus was saying through the statement, "The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil." All I could think was the following: Jesus' brothers spoke in words of disbelief. Therefore, disbelief is not a threat to disbelief. But Jesus was such a threat because he made the defined line. Right and wrong. And those who stood on the wrong side stood with arrogance and frustration that they were "of Moses" despite the fact that "of Moses" failed to exist. Christ stated earlier in John that Moses condemned, but He came to save. See, the Law defines that all can't live up to it;s standard. Who has never hated another? Who has never kept from disrespecting their parents? Who has ever chosen their own good over another's? Yet Christ came preaching the Truth of that Law. And since it was not seen that the Law was a division, the division was attributed to Christ as well. Jesus came with a sword. But He didn't just leave with a sword, He left with availability, a torn veil, an open communication line.

Beyond those Truths, I wondered if the world would see me more as a threat because I live my life with clear definition of right and wrong... or if I could merely "go to the Feast" and blend in. Am I threat to the world? Or am I merely a product of a culture? Because no matter if you're "of Christ" or outside of Christ, it can be seen that Christ came not as a peacekeeper, but instead created a line of division that the world has been struggling with since his first coming. After all, aren't we supposed to be Christ-like in our behaviors? For what is Christianity without Christ?

- what do you think? -