we love you, go away

Devotions from Jefferson Vann # 2413

John 7:1-5

Joh 7:1 And after these things happened, Jesus moved around in Galilee, since he did not want to move around in Judea because the Jews were looking for him to kill him.
Joh 7:2 The Jewish Festival of Shacks was near.
Joh 7:3 So his brothers said to him, “Leave from here and go to Judea so your disciples can see your works that you are doing.
Joh 7:4 Because no one does anything in secret while he’s seeking to be public. If you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.”
Joh 7:5 (Because not even his brothers believed in him.)

we love you, go away

It is striking that the region where Jesus grew up did not embrace Him when He returned with a reputation for healing the sick, casting out demons, and restoring broken lives. One might expect His hometown to celebrate Him as a favored son, but the opposite happened. Their resistance went deeper than the familiar proverb about a prophet lacking honor among his own people. Once Jesus began explaining the true meaning behind His miracles—signs pointing to His divine identity and His unity with the Father—public enthusiasm began to cool. Crowds loved wonders, but they hesitated when those wonders demanded a redefinition of reality. The question beneath their discomfort was simple and unsettling: was there room in their world for another “I AM,” one who spoke and acted with the authority of God Himself?

Even His own brothers felt the tension. They had grown up with Him, shared meals and chores, and knew His humanity intimately. But when Jesus spoke openly about His unique relationship with the Father—clearly not referring to Joseph—they recoiled. Accepting His claims would require reshaping their entire understanding of God, family, and themselves. Instead of wrestling with that upheaval, they preferred distance. Their attitude amounted to, “We care about you, but it would be better if you carried this message somewhere else.” Affection remained, but acceptance did not. Their response mirrored the broader rejection Jesus faced: admiration without surrender, familiarity without faith.

Anyone who has ever felt like a stranger among their own people, or misunderstood within their own family, has tasted a small portion of what Jesus endured. The irony is profound. The One they pushed away was the only source of permanent life, the only voice offering a hope stronger than death. Rejecting Him was not merely a personal slight; it was a turning away from the very life they longed for.

The scene reveals a sobering truth about the human heart. Proximity to Jesus does not guarantee openness to Him. Those who knew Him best resisted Him most when His identity confronted their assumptions. Yet the invitation remained, and still remains, for all who will receive it.

LORD, draw hearts toward Christ rather than away from Him, and grant courage to welcome the One who brings eternal life.