Not Very Motivating
OCTOBER 6, 2026
Today is about unbelief
SCRIPTURE COLLECTION
Today's Scripture Passage
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. But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private.
John 7:2-10
Notes & Reflections
Matthew says that Jesus' brothers were James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas (Matthew 13:55). These men watched Jesus grow up and like the other people around them, they followed Jesus. They saw the miracles and heard his teaching. Indeed, teaching that was, at times, really difficult to understand. Words that were "hard to hear" (John 6:60).
In the previous chapter, Jesus shocked the crowd and the religious leaders by telling them that they must eat his flesh and drink his blood. This undoubtedly took everyone by surprise, even his brothers. They must have looked at each other and rolled their eyes as they were bewildered by their half-brothers' audacious comments.
What confused them even more, was how slow and uneager Jesus seemed in making himself known to the world. We hear them say,
“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."
Why were they so eager for this? Maybe they were tired of being embarrassed, if he was who he said he was why not just get on with it instead of making everyone mad? Maybe they were simply suspicious of his miracles and wanted to be sure that he was legit. Whatever it was, we know the root of their eagerness was grounded in unbelief.
Many in our day express the same unbelief. They want proof, they seek miracles, and they draw others in so that, just maybe, if the group is big enough, God will HAVE to do something.
Yet the fact is, God is never moved or motivated by unbelief. No one manipulates his hand to action. The only thing that moves God is faith or trust in his ways and purposes. Men and women who ignore his word are always prone to become eager for things that will never happen. The brothers of Jesus were rejecting the word of God at this moment. Indeed, they were acting according to the rest of the world in rejecting Jesus himself.
We hear Jesus respond by saying, "my time has not yet fully come." If Jesus went before God's timing, the Jews would kill him before the time. The only motivation for Jesus was the motivation of the will of his father. Apart from his father's will, he did nothing. He loved his father and nothing moved him away from complete obedience to him.
Because everything else was not very motivating.
Theology Deep Dive: The World Loves Its own
1 John 5:19 says,
"We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one."
The world in which every Christian lives, is under the influence of the evil on; the Devil. The worlds system, contrary to popular belief, is not Christian. Nor do they trust or believe the word of God. Men and women who live for God and his glory can and will partake in hatred from this system (John 15:18; 2 Tim 3:12).
Related Scriptures:
Exodus 23:16
Mattew 1:16-18
John 8:20
John 15:18-19
What is the Feast of Tabernacles?
This feast was one of three: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacle. The Israelites remembered their life through the wilderness by making shelters out of leaves and branches. (cf. Lev. 23)
Study Questions
QUESTION 01
What motivates or moves you throughout the day?
QUESTION 02
Have you experienced persecution?
QUESTION 03
Do your family members think that you're crazy for being a Christian?
How To Cling Today
Cling to Christ today by trusting his word instead of chasing flashy things that others may claim are better.
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