Take a Break
John 7:14-36
They don’t believe because they don’t want to believe.
Photo by the author, Blue Mountains, Australia
About the middle of the festival Jesus went up into the temple and began to teach. The Jews were astonished at it, saying, “How does this man have such learning, when he has never been taught?” Then Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine but his who sent me. Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own. Those who speak on their own seek their own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and there is nothing false in him. “Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why are you looking for an opportunity to kill me?” The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is trying to kill you?” Jesus answered them, “I performed one work, and all of you are astonished. Moses gave you circumcision (it is, of course, not from Moses, but from the patriarchs), and you circumcise a man on the sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the sabbath in order that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because I healed a man’s whole body on the sabbath? Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” Now some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is not this the man whom they are trying to kill? And here he is, speaking openly, but they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Messiah? Yet we know where this man is from; but when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.” Then Jesus cried out as he was teaching in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I am from. I have not come on my own. But the one who sent me is true, and you do not know him. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.” Then they tried to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come. Yet many in the crowd believed in him and were saying, “When the Messiah comes, will he do more signs than this man has done?” The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering such things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent temple police to arrest him. Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little while longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. You will search for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.” The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What does he mean by saying, ‘You will search for me and you will not find me’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?” - John 7:14-36
The opposite is true as well. People believe because they want to believe.
I used to think that believing was easy. Show me the truth, and I will believe. But how do we know what is true?
Jesus told them what was true, and they didn’t believe him because they couldn’t understand how he would know such things without being educated.
The high priests were educated, but Jesus claimed they didn’t understand what they were taught. They learned about the laws and the history, not about the meaning and purpose of those laws.
Today, we say that each person has their own truth. Truth has become personal, not universal. It is as if we have chosen to live in our own bubble, disconnected from the rest of humanity.
We don’t witness events and try to understand what we saw. We listen to someone else’s interpretation and take that as our own. It is easier than thinking for ourselves. And so, we follow the herd.
We do not differ from the people Jesus was talking to. They had become accustomed to following the leader. We see a line of people, and we join the line, not knowing what we are in line for.
It is much easier to pick up a sign or banner or flag and march along with everyone else when we think they believe what we believe, or we don’t know what to believe.
I like to think that we used to be better than that, but I don’t believe we ever were independent thinkers.
Some of our leaders were, at times, but most of the time we were followers.
It is easy to accuse others of blindly following the wrong leader. From where we sit, the picture is obvious. We use the words, cult and brainwashed, but what about us? What about what we believe?
We are living in the time of the Tower of Babel. Many voices are declaring their personal truths, and most of us are uncertain whom to believe.
We were far more comfortable hearing only one message and believing it was true, than hearing many messages and having to decide for ourselves.
So, we follow the loudest voice.
We don’t even teach people how to think for themselves anymore, as if that ever proved useful. We are all the product of the propaganda of the times. We are told what to believe, and we accept it. We align with whatever voice we like and raise our flags of righteous indignation against the opposition.
Maybe we all need a time-out. We need a break in the insanity.
Stop scrolling. Stop listening to the rants. Stop posting in anger. Take a pause. Breathe. Stand on the shore and watch the waves crash along the beach. Climb a mountain and touch the clouds. Be alive.
That’s what I am doing. And it is so refreshing.
More to come...
Yes, we all need a timeout!