Read John 7:1-6
Stay Obedient to God Even In The Face of Resentment, Jealousy and Mockery.
Jesus was ministering throughout Galilee but refused to go to Judea because he knew the religious leaders were wanting to kill him. However, when the Jewish festival of Tabernacles was near, the brothers of Jesus mocked and antagonized him. Jesus’s own brothers did not believe in him. They told Jesus that he should go to Judea so that all his wonderful disciples could see all his wonderful works he does. They said, “If you are trying to become a public figure then quit doing things in secret, in fact, show yourself to the world.” They assumed Jesus to be a selfish man looking for fame. They missed the fact that what he did was out of obedience to his Father, God. His mission was bigger than what his brothers thought.
This reminded me of David when his brothers mocked him out of resentment because he was willing to stand up against Goliath.
Years ago, when I went to college, I worked at The LumberYard in the summers. I saw it as my mission field. I worked with a very rough group of men who were lost spiritually.
My one uncle, the one known for his arrogance, asked me a question. “So what are you going to do with your life?” I told him what I was currently doing in the summer and how it was my mission field to take Jesus to those working there. His heart was not in tune with spiritual things and asked, with great sarcasm, “Ok, once everybody gets saved at The LumberYard then what are you going to do?” I was offended by his comment. I felt he was mocking me and my God.
The most important thing we Christians should be doing is following the Lord. We are to be obedient to his calling on our lives no matter where it takes us, no matter how much money we’re going to make, and no matter how popular it is in the eyes of the world or our family. Some will show resentment, jealousy, or unbelief. They won’t understand your God mission and will say things that will hurt you. But Be Obedient to God!
