"And they watched Him, whether He would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse Him." (Mark 3:2)
Note that this hatred against Jesus was the norm from the powers that be while He walked on this earth and not just an exception. In John 7, we see an example of this, wherein even Jesus' brethren did not believe Him for who He was. "I am become a stranger unto m/My brethren, and an alien unto m/My mother’s children." (Psalms 69:8) Nevertheless, it was not just His own brethren -- Jesus earthly family -- which did not believe. As Jesus said often to the Jews, "For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me; for he wrote of Me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe My words?" (John 5:46-47; Deuteronomy 18:15)
Of course, we are now privy to the mystery which was held in the bosom of the Father from the beginning of the world. That is, that Jesus the prophesied Christ would be raised from the dead three days and three nights after being nailed to the cross. And that in so doing, He would fulfill/satisfy the law, having personally delivered to those who receive and believe on Him by faith/through faith His free gift of salvation. By grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God.
After the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared. (Titus 3:4-7; John 1:1-18; I Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 9:6)
Still, He knew the hearts and inward desires of all men. Nothing was hid from Him. In one place, we know that Jesus would not walk in Jewry [Judea] because the Jews sought to kill Him -- at least not initially. At this particular time, the Jew's feast of tabernacles was at hand. So His brethren said unto Jesus, "Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that Thy disciples also may see the works that Thou doest. For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, [while] he himself seeks to be known openly. If Thou do these things, show Thyself to the world." (John 7:1-4)
At first glance, this seems odd for His brethren to say -- "If Thou do these things, show Thyself to the world!" That is, until we read verse 5, which states, "For neither did His brethren believe in Him." (John 7:5) This is not to suggest that in the murmuring against Jesus that some did not believe Him to be a good man, for some did believe, later desiring to become Jesus' disciples. (John 7:12) But it is this earthly perspective, the idea that we all want to be famous, and loved by the world for our own efforts that we are seeing displayed herein.
But Jesus is not about the earthly. As we know from the scriptures, Jesus is the second Adam from heaven. He is not the first. Indeed, as scripture proclaims, He is the dayspring from on high who hath visited His people. He was in the world and the world was made by Him and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own and His own received Him not. (John 1:10-11)
Therefore, the "earthly" perspective conveyed by His own brethren -- "that no man does any thing in secret but rather, seeks to be known openly" -- the motives that are as dung according to apostle Paul, the Lord Jesus turns on its head. Indeed, from the very beginning of His ministry, Jesus had said, "If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up ..." (John 3:12-14)
It is in this context that some Jews marvelled at Jesus' sayings, asking, "How know this man letters, having never learned?" (John 7:15)
Certainly, a question we should all be asking. Nevertheless, while Jesus was still in Galilee, Jesus spoke these words to the same brethren who wanted Jesus to partake of the things of this world. But He said unto them, "My time is not yet come, but your time is alway ready. The world cannot hate you but Me it hates, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for My time is not yet full come." (John 7:6-8)
At this point, His brethren headed up unto the feast. From what we read, it appears that His brethren had no understanding of what Jesus meant here when He said the world cannot hate you but Me it hates, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. One would think this one statement would have stopped them in their tracks, or at the very minimum, left His brethren wondering why the world would hate Jesus and not them.
As we know, Jesus went up unto the feast later. "Not openly" but instead "as it were in secret." (John 7:10) And there, the Jews sought Him, asking, "Where is He?" (John 7:10-11) Later, in John 11, the chief priests and Pharisees stood in the temple, speaking among themselves, asking, "What think ye, that He will not come to the feast?" Note that these went so far as to issue a commandment, that, if any man knew where Jesus was, He should show it, that they might take Him." (John 11:55-57) In other words, their heart motives had not changed.
From our perspective, what we should understand here is that those who condemned Jesus (and did so while standing in the temple) were standing wherein they ought not to have been. We see these same type of accolades -- earthly admiration of men -- going to those who stand in the temples/churches today who do not preach that this same Jesus whom ye/we have crucified is both Lord and Christ. (Acts 2:36-47) That the same God who created us in the beginning willingly clothed Himself in sin-prone flesh (yet without sin) and dwelt among us. His love that surpasses all human understanding displayed on the cross for one and all to behold -- the Lamb of God! Sadly, the same worldly spirit that commanded those who hated Jesus then is still standing in the temple wherein they ought not to be standing today. But I digress somewhat.
Although the actual commandment was not issued against Jesus until John 11, we do know that the writing was on the wall for a law against Jesus to be enacted. For even in John 7, "no man spake openly of Him for fear of the Jews." (John 7:13) Still, we know that about the midst of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and taught. As an aside, with so many people looking for Jesus, one has to wonder why these would look anywhere but the temple for the Lord of hosts to be preaching and teaching.
Continuing, Jesus responds to the Jews' question, "How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?" And this is where we see Jesus take His brethren's earthly thoughts into the heavenly realm. Jesus answers them by saying, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His that sent Me. If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or [whether] I speak of Myself ... he that speaks of himself seeks his own glory: but He that seeks His glory that sent Him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him. Did not Moses give you the law, and yet, none of you keep the law? Why go ye about to kill Me?" (John 7:16-19)
One can only imagine the people's response, beyond what the scriptures reveal, "Thou hast a devil; who goeth about to kill Thee?" (John 7:20; John 8:48, 52)
But as we also know, Jesus was not seeking His own glory, which may explain why Jesus said unto them, "I have done one work, and ye marvel. Moses therefore gave you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man. If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at Me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day? Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." (John 7:21-24)
The Jews persecuted Jesus and sought to slay Him because He healed (made whole) the impotent man that was lame for thirty-eight years on the sabbath day.(John 5:1-18) This is not an isolated case. There are many other examples of Jesus healing the sick, performing miracles, and signs and wonders too. The most important point to remember here is that Jesus continually said to them, "The Son of man can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do: for what thingsoever He does, these also does the Son likewise." (John 5:19-47)
How can this be? Because Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God. In Him the fullness of the Godhead dwelt bodily. (Colossians 2:9) And today, those who firmly believe in Him are looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (Titus 2:13-14)
For the grace of God that brings salvation hath appeared to all men. (Titus 2:11) It is for this reason that the things of this earth no longer matter, Because after the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, we are justified by His grace, that we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." (Titus 3:7)
Make Jesus your all in all this day, for this is the day which the Lord hath made. Stand in the offering plate.
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