A Feast Without Meaning

S - Everyone here likes to party. Jesus' brothers offered him advice in this text, but only about becoming more popular. Maybe they wanted him to 'loosen up' a bit and not be so serious. They didn't believe he was the Messiah, even though they saw the miracles. People had various opinions about Jesus in the crowds. Those that listened to his teaching were afraid to acknowledge him in public.

O - Religious events, like this festival, can be more social than spiritual. The Feast of Tabernacles was an annual pilgrimage, people came from all over the nation of Israel to keep the Feast in Jerusalem. It was to be a joyous celebration, God intended it to be observed throughout the generations. The occasion here was a real danger to the Lord, but he couldn't stay away nor hide his identity. His message may have focused on the real meaning of the celebration. People who did know him didn't want to speak up. Some were there merely to accuse him.

A - Many outward celebrations are meaningless without Christ in attendance. Non believers see the whole religious thing as a farce, often becoming cynical. Some were there hoping to accuse and arrest Jesus. For the blindly religious, historical events are often poorly understood, the focus becomes about the feast rather than about the true meaning of why it is celebrated. This event was about the exodus from slavery in Egypt, but the people lost sight of the holiday and of it's origin. In boldness, Christ spoke out. Can't you just hear his message that day as he began teaching? A note about family: Jesus' brothers lived in the same household, shared his childhood, yet they didn't know him. Even so, we may have been brought up attending church and attending Sunday school, yet we don't know him or believe he is the Christ.

P - Dear Lord, rescue me from fear about speaking out. Holidays, like Christmas, can leave people cold hearted if you are not there. Lord, let me remember your boldness in speaking the truth, especially when people gather to blindly celebrate something they don't even understand.

Created 5 months ago