Don’t Outpace Grace

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John 

July 26, 2024

Don’t Outpace Grace

You go on. I’m not going to this festival, because my time has not yet come.” After saying these things, Jesus remained in Galilee.

John  7:8-9

The Festival of Shelters, also known as Sukkot, Tabernacles, or Feast of Booths, is held in late September or mid-October and is a reminder for the Jews of the time their ancestors spent camping in the wilderness during the exodus from Egypt. It was one of three great annual celebrations for the Jews, Passover and Pentecost being the other two. John wants us to see that Jesus was demurring about going to Jerusalem in the autumn of the year for the Festival of Shelters because Jesus knew the time was not right. His time would come in the spring, the time for Passover and the sacrificial lamb.

Later, Jesus changed his mind and went up to Jerusalem for the Festival. However, he did his best to remain incognito and did not follow the urging of his brothers: “Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles! You can’t become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!” (John 7:3-4).

Jesus’ brothers had not yet come to faith in Jesus the Messiah. They were pressing Jesus to take the plunge, go to the big city and put on a demonstration that no one could deny. Does that sound familiar to you? It sounds very much like the temptations Jesus experienced in the wilderness. (See Matthew 4:1-11) Jesus did not yield to the temptations of the evil one, or those from his own brothers. Instead, Jesus was following God’s timing and his Kairos moment had not yet come. Kairos is God’s time and refers to the right or opportune moment when the Word of God, like a seed planted in good soil, germinates, takes root, grows and begins to produce fruit.

My Takeaway: There have been times in my life when I felt pressed to make something happen, and I soon regretted my decisions. In hindsight, I learned the wisdom of Jesus: wait on God, or as my friend Dudley Hall likes to say, “Don’t outpace grace.” 

Sē’lah

 

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2024 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.