CONSISTENT ACTION OF FAITH
By Pastor Paulus Budiono Lemah Putro
Sunday, May 10, 2020
Shalom,
It is reasonable that we will be fixated and focused on a public figure or object that we are longing for. We will act differently if we are not interested in him/it, we will be reluctant to and uninterested in thinking or discussing him/it. Are our eyes still fixated on Jesus who brings our faith to perfection (Hebrews 12:2)? Are we able to please Him, knowing that He always protects and takes care of us? Does our faith remain consistent and is not easily swayed by the wind of tests and problems especially at this time when the deadly COVID-19 viruses attack the entire hemisphere? Does the existence of severe problems (Corona outbreaks, earthquakes, landslides etc.) encourage us to seek Him but after all is over our faith also subsides? Unshakeable faith comes from Christ because He Himself is unshakeable.
The Gospel of John begins with “In the beginning was the Word; the Word was God; and dwelt among us” (John 1:1,14). "Dwelt/tabernacled" means not standing still (stagnant) but moving. Didn’t Jesus – the Word – who move/walk to the mountains to give peace and to the valley of fearful death also walk amid us to give faith? During that period Jesus was walking (physically) in the Palestinian territories, but now the living Word is not limited by space and time. Do we still believe in Him, the source of our faith (Romans 10:17)?
When studying the Gospel of John, we have to know the author and the year he wrote it, so that we do not doubt every verse written in it. It turns out that the Apostle John wrote the Gospel of John 60 years after Jesus, his Master, rose from the dead and ascended to Heaven. The focus of this gospel is Jesus – the Word becoming flesh. In His ministry, Jesus performed many miracles such as: turning water into wine at the marriage in Cana (John 2:1-11), healing an official’s son (John 4:46-54), multiplying five loaves and two fish (John 6:1-13). It’s very ironic when initially the crowds flocked to follow Him but when Jesus introduced Himself as the Bread of life from Heaven (John 6:35) they immediately left Him (verse 66), of which remained only the 12 disciples (verse 67). Even Judas Iscariot later betrayed Him.
What happened to the followers of Jesus? John 7:1-9 explained “After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. Now the Jews' Feast of Booths was at hand. So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” For not even his brothers believed in him. Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” After saying this, he remained in Galilee.”
In chapter 7, it seems that the division among Jesus’ followers became increasingly tense. More and more people did not like Jesus and even the Jews tried to kill him. Even worse, Jesus' own brothers did not trust Him. The writing of the Gospel of John makes it clear that there are two contradictory groups – the Jewish group and Jesus.
Implication: We should remain consistent in believing Jesus as the source of faith in the midst of the many people who abandon their faith in Him.
More people who were previously so enthusiastic in following Jesus left Him, but Jesus – the Word – who experienced rejection, abandoned, and even willing to be killed remained consistently unwilling to compromise in their ways.
In verse 7 it starts with the words "After this"; means it is occurring after the previous events. What did Jesus do that made the Jews want to kill Him?
• Jesus healed a paralyzed man at the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath (John 5:1-9). The Jews tried to kill Him because He not only neglected the Sabbath but also said that God is His Father which means Jesus identified Himself with God (verse 18). Indeed, Jesus was not fluent in words, He said what happened bluntly and the Jews could not accept it.
• Jesus further said that “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”(John 6:41). The Jews complained even more furiously because they knew Jesus was the son of Joseph whose ancestors are known; how could He descend from Heaven (verse 41-42).
Note, those who follow Him because of the physical needs for clothing, food, and shelter will not be consistent. Sooner or later they will leave Him and His eternal Word that gives faith.
Conflict after conflict continues. Approaching the Feast of Booths, many of the Jews came to Jerusalem to celebrate that day. Jesus' brothers who did not believe in Him ridiculed Jesus saying that if He wanted to be popular He should promote Himself amid the crowd. Indeed, Jesus was busy in ministries such as healing the sick until He had no time to eat. He worked discreetly, not looking for fame but people thought He was out of His mind. (Mark 3:20-21). Isn’t normal for people to do all kinds of things to show off and to be known and popular? This kind of practice is not only done by worldly people but also applies in the church and the work of God.
Jesus' brothers should have known who He was because they had lived with Him for quite long. In fact, they neither supported nor believed Him; instead, they mocked Him. Jesus said that His time had not yet come, does this mean He did not want to be known? When he entered Jerusalem, people knew Him as the prophet Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 21:10-11). During Jesus’ arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane by a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, who went there with lanterns and torches and weapons, Jesus asked them who they were looking for. They answered, "Jesus of Nazareth" (John 18:3-5). Here it shows that they do not know Him. Jesus did not like showing off, He loved working discreetly and He knew many people hated Him.
Application: We should not love showing-off but let our faith in Jesus – the Word – leads to the cross. Don't think the Word of God that we believe is easily accepted by those who hear it (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:5, 3-6).
The closer to the Feast of Booths and the Passover, the people's hatred for Jesus became more intense and they planned to kill Him. On the other hand, Jesus’ unshakeable personality remained consistent.
• It turns out that Jesus went to Jerusalem during the celebration and taught in the Temple (John 7:14-18). The Jews were surprised at Jesus’ knowledge when they knew He never learned. Their displeasure with Him increased even though they denied it when Jesus openly asked, “Why do you seek to kill me?” The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” (verse 19-20). But their denial was refuted by some of the people of Jerusalem who said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill?” (verse 25-26).
Jesus who came from God did not want praises from man. Be alert, people who don't believe in Him will often lie. They rejected Jesus as well as His Words (John 12:48-50) and they did not know that Jesus is the theologian above all theologians of the world because He is the Word Himself.
In reality, hatred against God's Word keep increasing and we can ask how many people believe in Jesus and how many reject Him to this day? People who do not believe and even reject God's Word can be tested by their honesty.
Be alert, people tend to reject someone or something that is not from man (earth) because of their limited knowledge. That is why Jesus reminded us not to judge by appearance (John 7:24). Paul's mindset changed completely after his encounter with Jesus. Christ's love conquered him since Christ died for everyone, so that we would live no longer for ourselves but for Him. Therefore Paul no longer judged Christ according to human standards because anyone in Christ is a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:12-17).
Truly the Word of God gives us eternal life and takes us further and further away from worldly mindset to experience constant renewal. Of course the renewal of life does not apply as fast as turning the palm of the hand but through a series of process. Therefore, remain steadfast in following Him and let our faith remain consistent despite the challenges and obstacles that try to weaken our faith, until one day we will meet Him and live with Him forever in New Jerusalem. Amen.
This whorsip's video can listened at Ibadah Minggu Raya - 10 Mei 2020 - Pdt. Paulus Budiono.