Placeholder Study Title
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Who came to mind while reading?
12 friends have opened a study shared with them.
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
12 friends have opened a study shared with them.
When a large foundation announced they planned to spend a billion dollars on advertisements about Jesus, I felt conflicted. Throughout my ministry, I've always done some kind of marketing. But a Super Bowl ad? Jealousy and cynicism don't mix well.
Read John 7:1-13
During the eight-day Festival of Shelters, most families lived in outdoor booths designed to remind them of Israel's forty years of wandering in the desert. These makeshift, palm-branch shelters often had low walls and sparse roofs. You ate in the open and slept where your neighbors could see you. But in Jerusalem, where hundreds of thousands of pilgrims created their own Airbnbs in the streets and courtyards, the boundaries between public and private collapsed. When everyone is everywhere, hiding is nearly impossible. So, Jesus' brothers give the perfect advice: this is your moment. Reveal that you are the Messiah, do a miracle, call for an uprising, and you will be unstoppable. But John reveals what's hidden: his brothers did not believe in him. They looked at Jesus and saw an opportunity. Just as YHWH grieved over the unbelief of his people in the desert, now Jesus must grieve over the unbelief of his own brothers. I remember having dinner with a family member. After my wife prepared an amazing meal, he remarked, "You know, I think Christians are the Taliban of America." It was so shocking we didn't know how to respond. I can't imagine what would have happened if I'd responded, "The world cannot hate you, because your works are evil." But Jesus does tell his brothers, "You are so aligned with an evil world that your plans have no significance to God." He looks them in the eyes and explains, 'You're on the side of hating me, because I reveal your wickedness.' It's no small thing to say that God is holy. But then, Jesus goes to the festival. Did he lie? No, he didn't go to the festival on their terms, but his own. The authorities knew the risk of revolution, and they spread the word: don't risk associating yourself with a man marked for death. If Jesus wanted to trick people, he had a strange way of going about it. He goes to Jerusalem incognito to prove that his glory will be revealed by God on his sovereign timetable. It's an ironic foreshadowing of the cross. Then, everyone will see him, but no one will recognize him.
Are there any ways you want Jesus to show up to serve your agenda, rather than his?
What does it feel like when God is working but you can't see him?
Where do you feel the pressure to stay quiet about your allegiance to Jesus?
Think of one thing you've been advising God to do. Write it down. Then pray, "God, I don't get to set the terms or the timeline with you. Show me what you're doing, even if it seems unimportant to everyone else." Then text a friend and ask them to pray for you to have the courage to humbly follow Jesus.
"Thank you Heavenly Father...to allow us to send a message to all the tyrants, the communists, and the globali...
In February 1941, during the German bombing of London in World War II, James Welch of the British Broadcasting...
When I was going through a tough season in my life, one friend kept reaching out. I felt weird pouring out so...
Check your email
Tap the link inside to sign in and start receiving The Daily.
Didn't see it? Check your spam folder.