“Divided opinions”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Saturday, March 11, 2023
John 7:1-13 (Forward, p. 41) CEV p. 1109
How very contemporary this passage seems. Today, almost everywhere in the world, people are divided over the issue of COVID 19, its effects and the measures undertaken to combat it, or over the Russian invasion of Ukraine, or over perceived threats of foreign interference or over alleged world-wide or international conspiracies. Sadly, it has meant that households are divided, one member against another. And, together with this, the widespread pressure of ‘political correctness’, all in the name of being anti-racist or pro-women or for sexual minorities, which can lead to the stifling of legitimate opinion and very real-life experience.
We see these very things in today’s account from the life of Jesus. Even though it is obvious that His own mother, Mary, was a follower, it is revealed that His own brothers were not—literally, a house divided against itself. And so their advice and suggestions were at cross-purposes to what Jesus knew to be the correct choice. This must have been very hard for Jesus, to know that His own kin, His own flesh and blood, were not ‘on board’ for Him!
Then too the public were divided, at odds, in their opinion and assessment of Jesus. Some were ‘all for him’, while others questioned His sincerity and truthfulness. But all of this was in provide, out of the earshot of the authorities, for the people were afraid of their leaders and how they might respond. So, once again, we see ‘political correctness’ at work, but this time for a very good reason. The common people were afraid of their leaders. After all, those self-same leaders had already decided that Jesus needed to be put to death. It appears that this was already widely known, especially in Jerusalem—see John 7:25, and even Jesus was aware of it—see verse 1. So, there was good reason not to get on ‘the wrong side’ of the authorities, lest one get caught up in their murderous schemes or caught up by them.
So, what about us today? It is a wonderful fact, and discovery, that Jesus’ brothers did indeed ‘come around’, or, at very least, one of them, James. It was because of the evidence, the irrefutable evidence, of Jesus’ death and resurrection. So, what can be our ‘irrefutable’ evidence today? I would suggest that it will not be any set of ‘facts’, for many people today are suspicious of ‘facts’ regardless of where they come from. Indeed, there often seems to be so many ‘versions’ of them! What I think will win them over is the evidence of changed lives, our lives, as lived out before them. That, of course, puts a tremendous onus and responsibility on us, but then, isn’t that exactly what the Christian life is all about, that we, as the apostle Paul, put it, are to be ‘living epistles’, living letters ‘to be known and read by all’ (2 Corinthians 3:2).
So, what about us today, and the fears elicited by the public demand for political correctness, and by almost total expectation that we will conform to it? This is very, very tricky, for non-conformity to this aura of correctness will often be judged or construed as being anti some group or another, or as being insensitive or uncaring towards others in what they have gone through.
In some ways, we cannot win for trying. Those who agree with us will listen if we dare to transgress this almost ‘universal’ demand for conformity for political or societal correctness. And those who disagree will often dismiss what we have to say, or give it some negative or pejorative label, even when our actions do not justify such a label. In some cases—though this seems rare indeed--there may be some that will be truly open to other opinions and who will truly listen, but in my experience, these are few and far between. I guess that the best we can do is examine our hearts and make sure that what we say is truly loving and honest and caring—and faithful to our Lord Jesus! Perhaps that is the best we can do in a very difficult and taxing situation.
Forward notes: “(For not even his brothers believed in him)” (verse 5).
“The Great Rift Valley splits Africa tectonically in such a way that geologists consider the continent to be two—or at least one, with two major parts. Similarly, in Israel, the Sea of Galilee to the north, the Jordan River moving north to south across the middle, and the Dead Sea at the south divide the land naturally, with Israel at the west and Jordan and Syria at the east.
“Jesus is a type of rift valley. His presence, his existence, bifurcates people into two groups: those who have faith in him and those who do not. His own brothers do not have faith in him—even though they urge him to
go to a festival to be seen by the disciples or at least by those who might become his disciples.
“Jesus goes to the festival after all, despite the cloud of danger that hangs over his visit. He does what his brothers ask him to do—but not so he will gain fame. Jesus’s motive is different from theirs, and fame for fame’s sake is not his interest.
“So much of life hinges on motives.”
Moving Forward: “How often do you examine your motives before taking action?”