Focus Passage: John 7:10-24 (NASB)
10 But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as if, in secret. 11 So the Jews were seeking Him at the feast and were saying, “Where is He?” 12 There was much grumbling among the crowds concerning Him; some were saying, “He is a good man”; others were saying, “No, on the contrary, He leads the people astray.” 13 Yet no one was speaking openly of Him for fear of the Jews.
14 But when it was now the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and began to teach. 15 The Jews then were astonished, saying, “How has this man become learned, having never been educated?” 16 So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me. 17 If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself. 18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
19 “Did not Moses give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law? Why do you seek to kill Me?” 20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who seeks to kill You?” 21 Jesus answered them, “I did one deed, and you all marvel. 22 For this reason Moses has given you circumcision (not because it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and on the Sabbath you circumcise a man. 23 If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath? 24 Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
Read John 7:10-24 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
Every so often, something included or implied within a passage in the Bible appears odd to me. There is one place like this passage, and it isn’t directly stated, but it is implied. With all the popularity Jesus had, He was able to sneak into Jerusalem, and also into the temple – when everyone was looking for Him.
Jesus was probably the most famous person in the whole region at that time, and He is able to sneak around in one of the most crowded places in the region (Jerusalem during a festival) along with His group of disciples.
How was this possible?
Did the Holy Spirit hide them from people’s eyes or recognition? Maybe, but there is nothing in the Bible text that implies this.
What most likely happened is that once people began to think Jesus wouldn’t show up, they stopped looking. When they stopped looking, they missed seeing Jesus as He entered Jerusalem and made His way to the temple.
This brings up an important and significant point: Often Jesus shows up in unexpected ways and/or at unexpected times. Always be on the lookout for Him so you don’t miss seeing Him.
Too often, when we stop looking for something/someone, we end up missing out on what we were hoping to experience. Not only was this true for those in Jerusalem, it is true for us today.
Don’t give up looking for Jesus. Always keep your eyes open, and you may be surprised where He shows up in your life.
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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