The Festival of Tabernacles
by Dianne Eckermann
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Some said, ‘He is a good man.’ Others replied, ‘No, he deceives the people.’ But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders (John 7:12,13).
Fear is a powerful motivator. We only need to look at the way some coercive governments use the fear of arrest or violence to control people. Or we can look at the ways whisper campaigns can create fear by undermining a target. Even more prevalent is the fear of what might appear on social media posts.
In today’s reading, Jesus attends the Festival of Tabernacles secretly. He knew the Jewish leaders were looking for a way to kill him. But it was not fear of death that concerned Jesus. He attended in secret because he still had much to do, and it was not the time for the leaders to silence him. Attending an important festival would ensure Jesus had a large audience. So he began teaching at the temple partway through the festival, unafraid of the Jewish leaders.
He probably heard the whispers about him as he arrived at the week-long festival in secret. As he moved through the festival crowd, he would have heard comments from some people who thought he was a good man; some thought the opposite. The Jewish leaders did not want Jesus discussed at all, so the fear of the leaders may have subdued the comments. But the impact of Jesus’ teachings meant that he was a significant topic of discussion.
Fear itself did not dampen the discussions about Jesus. Fear did not stop those who thought he was a good man from praising him. Fear certainly did not stop Jesus from attending the festival or speaking in the temple. In our lives, we need to have no fear in speaking up for Jesus or in boldly proclaiming him as our Saviour.
Dear Jesus, we thank you for the goodness you show towards us each day. We ask you to give us the strength to share your love boldly in your name wherever we see injustice, hurt or harm. Amen.
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