The Cost of the KingdomSample

DON’T RELY ON PEOPLE TO SUPPORT YOU

MAIN IDEAS

• Although still questioning the teachings of JESUS, His brothers encouraged Him to have a strategy to win people’s sympathy and to become as popular as possible. They felt that the opportunity offered by the holiday would be fruitful.

• JESUS, who was doing all things according to God’s will, did not heed the advice of His disciples but appealed to God, His Father. He later decided to go to the feast but remained in full agreement with God’s strategy and purpose.

• The multitudes came to the feast and they loved His teachings and marveled at His wisdom because He had no theological training and probably not much schooling either. However, they sought Him discretely, not wanting to reveal themselves to enemies of JESUS. Their strategy was based on diplomacy and did not take God’s will into account, but the desire to have a good understanding with everyone.

• JESUS’ very frank and clear teaching is that, just like Him, His followers should not seek the acceptance, the glory, and the support of men, but should strive to obey God, even if it is not in accordance with the popular principles, opinions, or sympathies of people.

With the approaching Feast of the Tabernacles, JESUS is advised by His brethren to take advantage of the crowds that gather and to seek their support for His teachings. Even though they did not embrace all His teachings, they gave Him good advice, even though it came from the perspective of human beings. The attitude and behavior of JESUS teach us that in the KINGDOM OF GOD, we must not defend the principles of hype and promotion that humans embrace, but that we must quickly renounce these rules of human success and seek to walk in accord with God’s will.

Both the disciples and Jesus’ brothers couldn’t understand His teaching as they were not Born Again; that only happened after HIS death, His Resurrection, and His Ascent to Heaven, when THE HOLY SPIRIT was sent to help people be Born Again and He opened people’s mind to GOD’s perspective. JESUS did not walk on the successful path set by this world but renounced the that people unanimously apply to fulfill the will of GOD the Father. He paid the price for obeying God with His life, to complete the restoration of man’s relationship with God – broken by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden through their disobedience.
Learn more about us