Daily Dose of Hope

October 15, 2025

Scripture: John 7:1-24

Prayer: Dear God, We come to you today with sorrow. We know that we are sinful and broken. We know that we have fallen short. Lord, how we need you. Help us to grow closer to you. Help us seek holiness. Help us love others the way you love them. In these next few moments of silence, Lord, please help us set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on you... In Your Name, Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan. We are currently working our way through the Gospels and Acts. Today, we are starting John 7.

This is kind of the beginning of the end of Jesus' public ministry. He has been doing a lot of teaching and a lot of miracles. At the beginning of chapter 7, we learn that it is the Festival of Tabernacles, one of the most important Jewish festivals. Jerusalem would have been filled with visitors for this important event. His brothers want him to come and essentially show off at the festival. He can come do miracles and make a bigger name for himself. A mocking tone is implied here. They are not supportive of Jesus, they are goading him. We can assume these are Jesus' half-brothers, the biological sons of Mary and Joseph.

Jesus decides the timing isn't right. He has his brothers go ahead and he comes later, presumably to be more discreet. But by this point, it was hard for Jesus to do anything discreetly. People begin talking about who Jesus is. And Jesus begins to teach several days into the festival. His teachings are not well-received by the Jewish leaders. He says that his teachings are not his own but the Father's. That does not go over well. He speaks of the ridiculousness of Sabbath-keeping without keeping to the spirit of the law. Again, not well-received. What were the intentions of the law vs. what it had become? A person's intentions are always more important than evidence or reason.

The Jewish authorities had turned the law into something that God never intended. It became a way to entrap people and an obstacle to people coming to God. Keep in mind, that by Jesus criticizing their interpretation of the law, he was hitting at the core of who they were. There was nothing more sacred to them. But what Jesus is essentially saying is that their refusal to believe him was a rejection of the Scriptures that point to him. Their rejection of Jesus' message was a rejection of the law which he fulfilled.

The leaders want to silence Jesus. They begin their conniving to find a way to get rid of what they see as a blasphemous nuisance. And they are not kidding. They feel so threatened by Jesus that they begin to plot his death.

The leaders then continued to miss the point, over and over again. It's easy for us to point fingers but how often do we miss the point?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki