John 11:45-53

John 11:45-53

Therefore Jesus was no longer walking around plainly in the Jews.  But He went away from there into the region near the wilderness into a city while being called Ephraim.  And He remained there with the disciples.  And the Passover of the Jews was near.  And many went up into Jerusalem out of the land before the Passover in order that they should purify themselves.  Therefore they were seeking out Jesus and they were saying with one another while having stood in the temple, “What is presumed true by you all?  That He should surely not come into the festival?”  And the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment in order that if anyone should know where He was he should report it so that they should seize Him.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus went away.  Jesus did not unnecessarily court danger until God’s timing was right.  He withdrew from the people who desired to kill Him for a little while until God was ready to unfold his plan.  Ephraim was about 15 miles north of Jerusalem.  So Jesus went away, but He also didn’t go far.  Jesus went far enough to avoid conflict but not so far that He couldn’t continue His work when God said that it was time.

How do you resolve conflict?  Do you unnecessarily resist it and end up arguing?  Do you run away completely?  How can you learn from Jesus’ example?

Second Thought:

I love the question that the Jews ask one another as they gather in the temple.  “What is presumed true by you all?”  They are asking one another for wisdom.  Their hearts aren’t tuned to God.  Their hearts are looking for validation of their own human way of thinking.  Yes, I do teach that it is important to get verification from the spiritual community around you as you go about following God’s Word.  However, unless we first go to God and begin in God’s wisdom, the people around us only give advice, not true spiritual counsel.  Spiritual counsel comes from God and is verified by the spiritual people around us.

How often do you go to God for your direction?  How often do you genuinely receive direction?  How often do you fall into the trap of going to people before getting direction from God?

Third Thought:

As we conclude these verses, we hear definite language of being an outcast – even an outlaw!  Jesus had a price on His head.  Jesus was unwelcome.  He was to be reported so that He could be arrested on sight.  The truth is that whenever God’s Word comes among human tradition, God’s Word is outcast and those who teach it become outlaws.  That is just how it works, and we can see it happening more and more in western culture each and every day.

Have you ever been an outlaw?  If so, what was the spiritual reason?  If not, what does it say that you have never been outcast because of your faith?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 12:1-8