‘Avoiding the dangerous trap of compromise’ (John 7:1-24)

When Jesus’ brothers encouraged him to attend the Jewish celebration of the Feast of the Tabernacles in Jerusalem, they did so for the wrong reasons. Their hope was that Jesus would make a name for himself and become some kind of celebrity figure. However, when Jesus attended the Feast, he did so on the quiet, yet continued to teach about himself quite openly. This led to a division among the crowds. Some thought him a madman, others said he was a good man. Varieties of opinions about Jesus continue to cause confusion today. In the midst of this uncertainty Jesus made his identity clear and remained determined to do the will of God and not the will of man.