Text: John 7:1-13
In the name of + Jesus. Amen.
At this point in John’s Gospel, Jesus is carrying out His ministry in Galilee. For “He would not go about in Judea,” explains John the Evangelist, “because the Jews were seeking to kill Him.” This made for a decision for Jesus to make, since the Feast of Booths “was at hand.” This festival involves Jews making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and living in a tent (also known as a booth). So on the one hand, if our Lord attends the feast, those who seek to kill Him may attempt to have Him assassinated before His time. On the other hand, if He does not attend, He will not have access to the children of Israel, for whom He has been sent first (Matt 15:24).
And so publicly, our Lord says, “My time has not yet come.” His assassins will indeed get their wish, which is why our Lord took flesh in the first place – but only when it is time according to the Father’s will. At any rate, Jesus sends His “brothers” – who did not believe in Him – to the feast. He is going to remain in Galilee.
But He does not remain long. He goes to the feast “not publicly but in private.” Rather than announce His arrival and give His opponents a chance to organize, our Lord engages in a kind of sneak attack – much like His coming in human flesh thirty years before. For the Incarnation is a kind of invasion, even as the Crucifixion will be a cunning military operation to crush the head of the enemy (Gen 3:15).
And when the Jews who “were seeking to kill Him” could not find Him at the feast, they said, “Where is He?” This is a profound question. Where is Jesus? For many sought Him for many reasons. Some were oppressed by sin and its effects: in need of forgiveness, in need of healing, in need of exorcism, and even in need of resurrection. Where is Jesus? Some were curiosity seekers looking for a show, wanting to see signs and wonders. Where is Jesus? Some were malignant and wanted to murder Him. Where is Jesus?
This question still applies today. Where is Jesus? Some seek Him for forgiveness, life and salvation. Where is Jesus? Some are seeking signs and wonders in entertainment worship and revivals and charismatic gifts. Where is Jesus? Some are unbelievers who wish only to mock and destroy the church. Where is Jesus? The answer, dear friends, is that Jesus is found in His Word and promises. Apart from the Word we cannot apprehend God. We find Him in the signs and wonders of the Sacraments: physical elements empowered by the Word of the Word Made Flesh to give us His gifts.
And even as in that day, “there was much muttering about Him among the people,” so there is today. People seek to make Jesus in their own image, reducing Him to a symbol of their own skin color, ethnicity, and political viewpoint – as malleable as a comic book character recreated in a “universe” of the author’s own imagination. But along with the question, “Where is Jesus?” is the question of “Who is Jesus?” And we objectively confess Him to be God in the flesh, the Son of the Father, who is also fully man. He lived in time, He died, He rose again, and He lives and reigns in eternity. We find Him on the cross. We find Him in the proclamation of the Gospel. We find Him in the Word. We find Him in the Sacraments. We find Him in our neighbor who is to be served. We find Him when our neighbors serve us. And we will find Him when He returns in Glory. For He will return just as He departed, and we would do well not to be surprised, and not to be asking “Where is He?”
Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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