Father, we are all becoming very weary. Enable us to see our situation through in Your grace and love. Amen.
John 7:25-31 (<<click here to read the passage)
One thing that I am absolutely awful at telling lies. Even if it is to ensure the keeping of a secret. I just can’t do it!
For example, a few years ago, I was trying to pull off a “surprise” 40th birthday gathering for my wife. We were meeting family at a local Ryan’s Restaurant and Karen saw through my flimsy “story” of why we were meeting my parents there. I told her that my mom really liked their soft serve ice cream – Mom did! – but Karen knew that wasn’t why we were meeting.
Anyway…secrets can sometimes be fun but overall, they quite often get us into trouble, mainly because it is nigh impossible to keep a secret secret! Far too often it finds a way of seeping out. Many people just can’t keep one, so they tell someone else who tells someone else, and ultimately the cat is out of the bag.
Jesus said in Luke 8:17,

For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all. NLT

In today’s text, John communicates that although the teachers of the Law were eager to rid themselves of Jesus, them plotting His murder was probably not something that they wanted to be common knowledge among the populace. But there it was. The last part of verse 25 states, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?
Of course, Jesus knew the “secret” of what was going on. But that every run-of-the-mill person knew, as well, amazingly didn’t slow the perpetrators down one bit. They kept grasping for anything that might be useful in bringing Jesus’ influence to an end.
Even in this passage, Jesus clearly calls them out, saying, “…I’m not here on my own. The one who sent me is true, and you don’t know him.” v28 NLT
The Father had sent His one and only Son, He was true, but the Jewish leaders had no idea who He was. But they did know that Jesus was blatantly pointing His finger squarely in their faces.
Verse 30 goes onto say,

Then the leaders tried to arrest him; but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come. NLT

Though they desired His life, they had no say as to when their desire would be fulfilled. It would only be at the time the Father would set. He always has and always will have the last word, regardless of what we say or think.
We fool ourselves if we think we can have secrets before God. He is omniscient – He knows all there is to know. We can hide nothing from Him. And we – every man, woman, and child to ever walk the face of this earth from day one to the end of time – will all stand before Him of that final day of judgment. May we all ready ourselves for our accounting. Amen.

June 14th, 2021, Mon, 9:45 pm