John 7:25-31 Could this be the Christ?
“Now some of them from Jerusalem said, “Is this not He whom they seek to kill? But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.”
Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, “You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.”
Therefore, they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. And many of the people believed in Him, and said, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?”
Well, Jesus is at it again, irritating the religious leaders beyond all endurance. Everywhere Jesus goes, there’s confusion because there are those who are certain that they really know the Messianic prophecies and they are equally certain that they know all the facts about Jesus. Of course, these people are completely wrong, but they are certainly vocal.
To make things even more exasperating, Jesus keeps referring to himself as having come from God and having been sent by God. Such assertions only infuriate the religious leaders, causing them to wrack their brains for ways to eliminate this pest before he gets them in trouble with the Romans. But despite the best efforts of those plotting against Jesus, they are failing to come up with a workable plan.
What is keeping Jesus’ enemies from eliminating him permanently? Simple. God is controlling Jesus’ ministry and Jesus has far more to teach and demonstrate before the time comes for him to be sacrificed.
One of the hallmarks of Jesus’ ministry is divine leisure. Jesus accomplishes a great deal, walking all over Galilee, Samaria, and much of Judea, riding in boats on the Sea of Galilee, and healing, teaching, and preaching. But Jesus continues to have time for people-time to heal a woman bleeding from the vagina for years, time to heal lepers and blind men and to deliver those possessed by demons.
How is it that Jesus can do so much and yet remain calm? Jesus is in constant contact with his Heavenly Father through the Holy Spirit. Jesus isn’t going off on tangents by himself but is taking orders from God, the same God who has designed times and seasons, who regulates the tides of oceans, and who has created everything in nature. Just as birds build nests and start families in the springtime, Jesus moves from place to place guided by the Holy Spirit.
“Jesus, you’re going to Capernaum. There’s a tax collector there named Matthew who’s ready to follow you and Me if you stop and chat with him. There are fishermen mending their nets who are hungry to know more of Me and who will become some of your staunchest disciples.”
“Jesus, there’s a widow here in Nain who’s about to bury her only son. Rebuke the spirit of death and raise that young man from the dead.” One thing we never see in any of the Gospels: we never see a time when Jesus is upset or surprised by the needs of those around him.
What can we learn about divine timing from these verses? God has more for Jesus to do, and Jesus knows this. Now, Jesus isn’t about to take foolish risks, and that’s why he goes up to Jerusalem by himself; however, when the Holy Spirit prompts Jesus to act, he does so.
How can we learn to work like Jesus? Copy Jesus’ habits of prayer. Jesus has special times where he goes off by himself to pray to his Heavenly Father, but Jesus is also in a constant dialogue with Him. If we want to work like Jesus, we must begin and end our days in prayer and pray throughout the day, asking for guidance. We don’t have to worry over every small decision for our training will dictate many of the decisions we must take. But we must be prepared for God to turn our days upside down.
As the only doctor in a bush hospital, I never knew what I would encounter when I went to work in the morning. I might make routine rounds and get home early, or I might find myself in the operating room until late at night. Both my husband and I had to learn to relax and allow God to work the way He wanted and not the way I had planned. At times, I would have to improvise instruments or techniques or even suture material to get things done. But if I would simply keep looking heavenward, there would always be some way through the problems.
May God help us to remain in contact with Him so that as we go through our days, we will enjoy the same divine leisure that marked Jesus’ ministry!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to remember that You are the One who calls us to our work and therefore You are the expert who knows how our schedules should unfold. Help us to trust You and not to stress out. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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