Thoughts on the Gospel of John (37) - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2025

Then Jesus said to them, My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify of it that its works are evil. You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come. When he had said these things to them, he remained in Galilee.
John 7:6-9.

Thoughts on the Gospel of John (37)
Jesus' brothers had told Him to go to Jerusalem to give proof of His supernatural abilities. He should win everyone over to Himself and liberate the people from the Romans.

"My time has not yet come", the Lord told them. This reply can be understood in two ways:

Jesus always acted in full agreement with His Father. In His Father's plan the point in time for Jesus to go to the feast in Jerusalem had not yet come.
Nor was it the time for Jesus to show Himself to the world as King. That could not be: first He had to suffer and die. Later He would reveal His glory to the world. This moment in time has still to come.
Man's time is "always ready". This means, they can and should believe in the Saviour Jesus. That applied to His brothers, who at the time still belonged to the world and were therefore not treated as enemies. Jesus, on the other hand, was hated, because He was not of the world and placed people in God's light.

We must decide for ourselves: we either love the world or we love Christ. If we love Him, we shall be prepared to suffer humiliation from the world. We will not strive to make a name for ourselves in the world. If it is not yet time for Christ to participate in the world, neither is it for His disciples.

(to be continued next Sunday)

Today's reading: Genesis 1:1-19 · Proverbs 31:1-9