Just Plain Selfishness!

When you do something nice for someone, what do you want in return?

Now if that sounds a bit selfish to you, then you might find this bit of advice interesting.

Now the Jewish festival of Booths was near.  So his brothers said to him, "Leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples also may see the works you are doing;  for no one who wants to be widely known acts in secret. If you do these things, show yourself to the world." - John 7:2-4

In the reading today, John tells us that Jesus was cautious about traveling where he knew there were factions that wanted to put  him to death.

I get that.  I am the same way.  When we were planning our pilgrimage to Israel, we subscribed to alerts from the State Department, just to be aware of the latest developments in the area.  We still get them and some are a bit scary.

Why go where people want to kill you?

Recent terrorist threats in Russia have brought this into the collective consciousness once again, reminiscent of the Boston Marathon bombings.  There are people who want to hurt and kill others.

But going to Sochi and participate in the Olympic Games is the culmination of a lifelong dream.  It is not something an athlete can easily give up just because there are a few threats.

Is that the type of advice the brothers were giving Jesus?  Were they saying that he must go and show the world what he can do, as if he was a marathon runner or snowboarder?

I hear something sinister in their suggestion, and it rings loudly in the reasoning behind it.

Throughout Jesus' teachings, one thing rings true that makes today's reading stand out as particularly nasty.

Jesus repeatedly chastised those who did their good works and offered prayers in public seeking recognition.  So, surely that would not be a motivating factor in his decision making.  These brothers, his brothers, were taunting him.

Yes, that's what brothers do, but telling him to go to Judea, knowing that was where they were waiting for him is evil.

There is another message here, though, other than watch out for your brothers.  It is one about understanding our motives and knowing what we want to happen when we put ourselves out for others.

In time, Jesus will go to Jerusalem and face the music.  He will enter the gates victorious in the mental battle with his enemies and the people will be rallied to support him, albeit for just a short while.  But he wouldn't enter to show himself off as a great healer or teacher.  If anything, he would be seen more as a rebel, a revolutionary, one seeking to overthrow the government.

So, why tell us what the brothers said?

What is John's motive?

Perhaps he wants us to see the irony, that even his family didn't understand him.  Or maybe this is John's way of warning us not to give in to the false piety that can pour down on us and twist our intentions when we seek to do good.

In the end, we will make up our own minds.  Whether we take the path of fame or the humble road, it will ultimately be up to us to determine whether or not our desire in doing so is just or just plain selfishness.

More to come...