Jesus and His Brothers

Good morning,

On Sunday we are going to look at John 7 and Jesus’ eventful trip to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles.  Something that I won’t have time to do a deep dive on is the interaction between Jesus and his brothers, found in John 7:2-5:

But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works 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.

As we will see on Sunday, the Feast of Tabernacles was a big deal and one of the three Feasts that all Jewish men were required to attend.  So there would have been all sorts of caravans and traveling groups traveling from Galilee to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast. 

John tells us that Jesus’ half-brothers encouraged Him to go to the Feast.  But look at why they say that He should go - they want him to do some signs and wonders in Jerusalem so that more people would become His disciples.   They seem to want Jesus to have as large a following as possible.

And so at first glance this seems like the brothers are being very supportive of Jesus. But look at what John says in verse 5:

For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

So…wait a minute…why would they be encouraging Jesus if they didn’t believe in Him?

Well, they certainly believed that He could perform miracles (they were witnesses to those miracles), but they did not believe that He was who He claimed to be – the Messiah.

However, they apparently enjoyed the honor and fame that had come with being a brother of Jesus.  There would have been a bit of fame that came with being His brother.

But by the events of chapter 7 Jesus had started to lose a lot of followers because of what He was teaching.  And this was a culture where shame and honor were extremely important ingredients for you and your family’s social standing.  Jesus’ family had lost some of their standing among the people.  They were no longer able to make a name for themselves through being associated with Jesus.

So what would have been a way for the family to get their honor back?  Well, it was for Jesus to stop being a country prophet and go to the big city to win over the people there.  Because if the Jewish elite would start to follow Him, Jesus was going to become a huge deal!  And their honor would be restored.

What we learn here is that people will claim to be followers of Jesus for all sorts of reasons besides believing that He is the Son of God and their personal Savior!  We should be wary of anyone who tries to use Jesus to make a name for themselves.

Here’s what’s happening:

1.      SUNDAY – Sunday School fully returns with classes for all ages.***  The children, youth and upstairs adult class are studying Jesus’ later ministry right now, while the Ladies class that meets downstairs is studying the book of Ecclesiastes.

2.     SUNDAY  – Any questions or suggestions regarding the proposed changes to the church By Laws should be submitted to the elders by this date.  I realize that the weather may have limited your ability to look over the changes.  If you would like a pdf copy to look at before Sunday, please email me!  We have already received some helpful feedback.  I want to make sure we do this right the first time, even if it means delaying the vote.

3.     Sunday, 2/8 – Fellowship Meal.  The youth group and the “senior” youth group are teaming up for a fellowship meal that is open to the congregation.  The youth will be having a chili cook off and the Double Nickels will be having a dessert bake off.  Rice and Cornbread will be provided, everyone else is invited to bring an additional side dish.

4.     Thursday, 2/12 – Youth Group and Quilt Knotting at 6:30 pm at the church.

5.     Sunday 2/22 – We will be having a congregational vote after the worship service to approve the proposed changes to the By Laws.

6.     We are in need of more help at the tech booth on Sunday mornings.  No experience necessary…see Bruce Fite if you are interested.

7.      A Marriage Retreat is coming up on March 20-22.  See Elizabeth Barrett or Vernon Myers for details.

8.     Save-the Date – ABCF’s shift during Solanco Meat Canning week is Tuesday, 3/10 from 3 to 7:30 pm.

It appears that the winter storm that is being talked about is now going to head out to sea and not be a major issue for us.  That, of course, could change.  I’ll announce any changes to the schedule as soon as possible.  I am really, really hoping that we can worship together in-person this weekend!

Sunday’s passage centers around a little-known ceremony that took place during the Feast of Tabernacles.  John only hints at it but understanding the ceremony is a key to understanding the passage.  We’ll look at the ceremony, what it meant to the people, and how it impacts and applies to our lives today.

Stay warm,

Scott

***I am aware that I have been saying this for weeks…it’s bound to happen at some point!