¹⁴ Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. ¹⁵The Jews there were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having been taught?”

¹⁶ Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. ¹⁷ Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. ¹⁸ Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. ¹⁹ Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”

My teaching.

So interesting to picture Jesus, secretly at the Feast for 3 1/2 days (halfway through the festival). What did He do? Where did He go? What did He see? Three and-a-half days was a lot of time; time to watch people, whom you’d created to know you, totally miss the very truth within the Feast of Tabernacles.

Huh, I just got the image in my head of Jesus coming halfway through a Christmas Eve service, secretly, then coming to the pulpit to teach and people wondering where He got His understanding.

Again, I’m seeing the truth that’s woven through John so far: Jesus doesn’t do anything on His own. He does–and goes–and speaks–what the Father says.

Can you imagine hearing Jesus teach? Riveting is the closest word I can grasp. Well, riveting if your heart is accepting, I would think. Offensive otherwise.

To think that only a portion of Jews got to hear the scrolls (some of the Old Testament) read in the temple courts. Women didn’t get to hear. Oh, how I would have missed out and begged my husband to tell me what he’d heard!

So I have a grateful heart as I sit here this morning with my slice of quiche and get to feast on the words of Jesus that–thanks to divine inspiration through the pen of John–I get to read? In my own language. Whenever I want.

The words of God. Written down so that I may know, follow and enjoy my Creator.

What a privilege and blessing.

It is hard to grasp that God’s love is the only reason I can love — He models it and empowers it. Oh, how lost I would be on so many levels without Him.

To demonstrate that a bit today, I went to my beloved Pinterest for ideas.

We had this for breakfast, with some yummo sliced peaches, just in season.

Scott loved it saying, “We should do this every year! It’s kind of like Christmas.” Twist my arm. So easy.

Then, I wanted to make some treats for Scott and for friends who have watched Lizzy for us, as a family. I was thinking about what I had on hand and got an idea.

Super easy. Now that my sugar coma has worn off, I can tell you about it.

• Make Rice Krispie bars, according to your fav recipe…or on the box. I added 1 t of vanilla and think I found my new way of doing it. When the butter and marshmallow (love that word and spelling–maaaalloooow) have almost completely melted, add a few drops of red food coloring. Doesn’t take much to make it pink. Stir and add more coloring, if needed, until you get it the shade you want. Mine was more hot pink until I added the cereal, so that will dilute some of the color. Just a head’s up.
• Mix together and pat into Pam-ed 9×13 pan.
• Let cool.
• Slide the huge rectangle ‘o goodness onto your clean counter or a bendable cutting board.
• Take a heart-shaped cookie cutter and press all the way through the bars, until you feel the counter/cutting board.
• Great news–the remnants aren’t just for the cook! You can push them together–lightly–to remove the gaps and use it for more hearts.
• Enjoy!

My favorite Valentine!

¹⁰ However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. ¹¹Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus and asking, “Where is he?” ¹² Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.”

Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” ¹³ But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders.

In secret.

Whereas His brothers’ wisdom was to go big and go public, Jesus went in secret. Have I caught that before here?

Makes me think of how Lizzy’s children Bible we describes the plan of salvation as “God’s secret rescue plan.” What a great description. God’s plans are often not laid out in our timing and with the elements we’d assume.

Who could have imagined what Jesus’ ministry would really be about?

To picture the scene from chapter 7 so far is to see what becomes an almost crime scene with Jews out to kill Jesus with everyone having an opinion.

Makes for a great time to study what was instituted by God for His people to remember His provision of tabernacles–places for them to stay–in the desert (The Feast of Tabernacles) in Lev 23:33-44 & Deut 16:13-17.

⁶ Therefore Jesus told them, “My time is not yet here; for you any time will do. ⁷ The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil. ⁸ You go to the festival. I am not^[a] going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.” ⁹After he had said this, he stayed in Galilee.

¹⁰ However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. ¹¹ Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus and asking, “Where is he?”

The right time.

What a line: “The right time for Me has not come; For you any time is right” (v. 6).

In the last passage, we saw the brothers giving Jesus unsolicited advice about what to do. Add to that, their thoughts about when to do it. That’s a combination that is so tempting to spew, I fear. I have friends that struggle with that. You know, telling God what to do and when to do it. I’ll have to talk with my friends about that.

But how Jesus chooses when to do something and what to do stands in such contrast to this. Total obedience. Fast forward to John 8:28,

So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.

This is the moment-by-moment dependence of the Christian life. Listening and then acting.

 ¹ After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want^[a] to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him. ² But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, ³ Jesus’ brothers said to him, “You ought to leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. ⁴ No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” ⁵ For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

You ought.

I keep thinking about about Jesus being rejected. First, by some of this disciples. And, now, his very brothers. Verse 5 is so sadly clear: “For even his own brothers did not believe in Him.”

But the brothers don’t just reject him, they also propose that they know best how Jesus should go about His ministry. What?! Do they even know the words that are coming out of their mouths?

“Big Brother, here’s our advice because you obviously don’t know what you’re doing. You want to be famous, right? Let people know you’re the one? Well, you need to be public. What are you doing acting in secret? You ought to show yourself to the world.”

His disciples, by their decision to turn away, have said that Jesus ought to have acted differently. That He shouldn’t have such hard teachings (6:60). And, now, his brothers are voicing their opinion about how Jesus ought to act. Oh, how I do that, too. Giving my ideas like He’s asking for input. Like He isn’t Soverign and Good.

How about I let God be God today?

⁶⁶From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

⁶⁷ “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

⁷⁰ Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” ⁷¹ (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)

Turned back.

That’s a heaviness in my stomach. At this crawl-pace, I actually had this scene flicker in my imagination.

People turned away from Jesus. And not just anyone. But men — and probably women — who had been following Him.

Following Jesus didn’t turn out to be what they’d imagined?

So, “many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him” (John 6:66–interesting “address”–maybe a hint of who put the unbelief in their head?).

Our pastor, Ron Hoffmann, gave a great truth lesson yesterday about our amazing eternal security as believers. It’s great timing to have thought about that yesterday and then read this yesterday morning and this morning. It’s clear to me that these folks either didn’t ever really trust Jesus in the first place (and were deemed disciples but were really more along for the ride) or they, at some point, did place their faith in what Jesus had done on the cross but unbelief took over and they walked away — walked away as believers who let unbelief cloud their memory of truth.

Either way, sad. So sad. Makes me think about the parable of the kinds of soil.

Back to the scene in my head. I see a group — not just one or two — because the Word says “many” who turned back, although it might not have been at the same time.

They turned back. As in, turning back to the life before the met Jesus. What would that have been like to have tasted LIFE, as I’ve seen so often in John, and then go back? Makes me think of living in color and then going back to a place of dusty/empty/black-and-whiteness.

Only, when you were there, originally, you didn’t know it was that desolate. But unbelief blinds. Maybe it looked the same going back. Maybe it was the familiarity that beckoned. The lack of risk. The comfort of the known.

I love, love, love what Peter says to Jesus’ question of whether the disciples (the Twelve) want to leave. (Sidenote: wouldn’t that have been heart wrenching for Jesus to watch the people go away? Again, John 1: His creation didn’t recognize Him. I can’t forget He was 100% man who would have fully felt the rejection.)

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Preach it, Peter! Truly, Lord. Where else would I go? Only You have the words of eternal life.

You hold life.

Oh, may I not be prideful in thinking that a season of unbelief couldn’t cloud my view of You, God! Thank You that You hold me fast!

Grace. All grace.

(Happy 30th birthday, Bryn! So glad she got to give you an early birthday kiss in Publix when we saw you–picture #2.)

We’d come to the office for a lunch meeting/walk-Lizzy-around-the-conference-room-to-keep-her-quiet. Then, we got to join in with some dear friends toward the end of their lunch gathering (and celebration–thus, the glasses).

⁶¹ Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? ⁶² Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! ⁶³ The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit^[a] and life. ⁶⁴ Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. ⁶⁵ He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”

Life.

I can’t get away from that word in this slow-crawl study. It’s becoming evident that it’s peppered throughout John. So, I looked up how many times.

44 times.

How thankful I am that God lays out how to get true life. (And what’s not real life and, thus, not worth my time.)

“The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.”

His Spirit gives life — how amazing. He enables us to even come to Him in the first place.

I’m gonna live it today!

⁵²Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

⁵³ Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. ⁵⁵ For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. ⁵⁶ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. ⁵⁷ Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” ⁵⁹ He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

Feed.

So it’s interesting to see the Jews’ emotional progression. In verse 34, they’re jumping up and down asking, “Gimme this bread!” Then, in verse 41, they start grumbling, “Who does he think he is? Don’t we know this guy’s parents?” Now, in verse 52, they’re arguing amongst themselves about what Jesus’ comments about eating his flesh mean. (I totally would have thought Jesus meant cannibalism, too, at first.)

All this makes me think about how easy it is to follow someone when you think it’s all about what you get and really no cost factor. “If this bread meets my need, gimme some, Jesus!” quickly becomes, “You’re crazy and I am confused and really don’t want to follow you” (coming very soon).

It’s still, honestly, a pretty crazy passage, but one that makes more and more sense to me.

The Amplified Bible gives good insight.

⁵³And Jesus said to them, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, you cannot have any life in you unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood [unless you appropriate His life and the saving merit of His blood].

⁵⁴He who feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood has (possesses now) eternal life, and I will raise him up [from the dead] on the last day.

⁵⁵For My flesh is true and genuine food, and My blood is true and genuine drink.

⁵⁶He who feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood dwells continually in Me, and I [in like manner dwell continually] in him.

⁵⁷Just as the living Father sent Me and I live by (through, because of) the Father, even so whoever continues to feed on Me [whoever takes Me for his food and is nourished by Me] shall [in his turn] live through and because of Me.

⁵⁸This is the Bread that came down from heaven. It is not like the manna which our forefathers ate, and yet died; he who takes this Bread for his food shall live forever.

Maybe that’s why “feed” caught my attention today. Feed makes me think of full. Different than eating a few M&Ms from the office candy jar or, even, topping off a good meal with dessert.

Feeding makes me, also, think of Lizzy. I feed her often and fully. It’s what she needs for energy and life.

What a great description of what the verse means in 57: “…whoever continues to feed on Me [whoever takes Me for his food and is nourished by Me] shall [in his turn] live through and because of Me.

That’s what I want! How often I think, “That’s what I want!” after reading a passage in John. It’s like You’re using it to stir up the very desires You put inside me for Yourself, God!

To be continually nourished by the life of Jesus throughout the day.

And it is scandalous and confusing and — if I really think about it — horrifying. It’s all that because, when I’m feeding on Jesus through the day, it’s only because of what He did for me on the cross. He’d have no Life to give me had He not defeated death.

But — woo hoo! — He rose from the dead and now empowers His children to live supernatural lives.

That’s what I want to live out today. His feeding is for the taking!