3 minute read
Academy of Saint Elizabeth | Lenten Devotional
Wisdom 2:1a, 12-22
John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30
After these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him. Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near. So His brothers said to Him, “Move on from here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing. For no one does anything in secret when he himself is striving to be known publicly. If You are doing these things, show Yourself to the world.” For not even His brothers believed in Him. So Jesus said to them, “My time is not yet here, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify about it, that its deeds are evil. Go up to the feast yourselves; I am not going up to this feast, because My time has not yet fully arrived.”
Now having said these things to them, He stayed in Galilee. But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as though in secret.
In our New Testament Honors class, we talk a great deal about discernment. These are the moments where we connect with God, our sense of Spirit and Wisdom and try to listen for the next right steps for our lives. Here, we imagine that Jesus was in a place of intense discernment amidst so many contradicting situations.
In this passage in John, we see the intensity and impending danger of Jesus’ ministry being revealed. He is aware that there is a plot to kill him and he feels that he needs to remain hidden, so as not to be killed at the festival. At the same time, he is a leader, a teacher, and a devout member of the Jewish faith. He is aware that the prophecy states that he will lead, challenge others, and if truly from God, will be saved by God. He is probably aware that this will not be revealed as people expect. As Jesus discerns attending the Festival of the Booths, we see him change his mind. He originally states that he will not go, but then, does attend, but only in secret.
We can never truly know what Jesus was thinking. However, we can imagine that he was sitting in the midst of a variety of feelings, worries, hopes, and imagined outcomes. In the end, he goes to the Festival and takes a chance in attending, hoping that he will be able to participate and be safe. How many times do we find ourselves in similar situations where we are weighing a variety of decisions and hoping to make the right choice? Perhaps in this passage, we can trust that God goes with us in all of the decisions.
Let us rest in the knowing that God goes before us and with us in places of indecision, fear, and hope. During Lent perhaps we can take a moment to breathe a sigh of relief, trusting that in those times of the unknown, we are never alone. The love and grace of God goes with us on all of our journeys, those that are clear, and those that continue to be a mystery. Let us walk forward with courage as the next beautiful step is revealed.
