‘Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.”’

(John 7.3–4)

I’ve read this chapter of John countless times, but on my most recent reading these words hit me as if for the first time. The sliminess of them. The promise, the flattery, the apparent-worldly-wisdom. They’re sickening, and they feel surprisingly contemporary.

‘No one who wants to become a public figure…’

The lure of celebrity is not just a modern temptation. Scripture tells us that Jesus was tempted in every way just as we are, and yet didn’t sin (Hebrews 4.15). So I think we have to conclude that he faced the very same temptation to which many fall foul today. The lure of fame. 

In some ways, I reckon we can read this story as the Johannine equivalent of the wilderness temptation recorded in the synoptics. The promise of a kingdom, power, glory, if Jesus will just compromise a little on his integrity. Only this time the temptation comes not from the mouth of Satan directly, but from the lips of his family members.

Worldly wisdom for brand management

Looking at this through the lens of worldly wisdom, there’s a lot of sense in what the brothers say. It reminds me of the lyrics from Jesus Christ, Superstar,

‘You’d have managed better
If you’d had it planned
Now why’d you choose such a backward time
in such a strange land?
If you’d come today
You could have reached the whole nation
Israel in 4 BC had no mass communication.’

Their advice is a great response for crisis management. After all, it comes hot on the heels of chapter 6, where Jesus said some challenging words and began to haemorrhage followers (John 6.66). Heading to the festival and performing some public signs would be a great way for Jesus to detoxify his brand and win back some fans.

It would be a great way to leverage the moment – capitalising on the gathered crowds, hijacking the festival of Tabernacles and making it all about him! And in particular to go to the place of greatest influence – not staying in Galilee, but heading up to Judea, specifically to Jerusalem. Because if you want to become a public figure, what better way to do that than to position yourself in a city – a place of influence? Among the elite, and those in power.

On paper, this looks like a strong strategy. And what strikes me is that whilst Jesus resisted his brothers’ advice, he didn’t do the complete opposite! In the verses that follow, Jesus did go up to the feast; he did demonstrate how the symbolism of the feast was all about him; he did reveal his glory through the signs he performed, and his plan did culminate in being exalted in Jerusalem to draw all people to himself, albeit not in the way any P.R. consultant would have predicted or advised (12.32).

No, Jesus resisted the temptation from his brothers. And his response was a matter of moment, mode, and motive.

Moment: Not at this time

‘Jesus told them, “My time is not yet here; for you any time will do.”’

(John 7.6)

When you’re going after your own agenda, time is money. You gotta work hard and fast to build your brand and maximise your influence, before the opportunity to gain the limelight slips through your fingers.

But Jesus was secure in his timing. Or rather, in his Father’s timing. Throughout John’s gospel he speaks of ‘his hour’ or ‘his time’ referring to the forthcoming events of his arrest, crucifixion and resurrection, which together constitute his glorification (e.g. 2.4; 7.30; 8.20; 12.23, 27; 13.1; 16.25, 32; 17.1). A time he knew was not yet, but was fast approaching.

Jesus’ confidence in God’s timing allowed him to resist the temptation to hustle. A lesson many would-be-influencers could do with learning today.

As Peter put it in his first letter:

‘Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time’

(1 Peter 5.6).

Mode: Not in this way

‘However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret.’

(John 7.10)

Jesus did go to the festival as his brothers had urged him to, but not in the way they suggested. Instead of going with a street team and a flash mob, Jesus went in secret.

What an odd experience it must have been, attending incognito and hearing yourself talked about by fellow pilgrims. John tells us that the Jewish leaders were looking out for him (v11), some of the crowd whispered that he was ‘a good man’, while others replied that he was a deceiver (v12), but nobody said anything publicly for fear of the religious leaders (v13).

The mode of Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem was important. There would come a time for a triumphal entry – with donkeys, palm branches and chanting – but even that would be underwhelmingly small, and would lead not to his enthronement, but his execution.

Jesus’ chosen mode of self-revelation is humble and understated. Not only here; the whole of his incarnate life was couched in humility. From the moment of his birth: to a virgin, not in a grand palace but in a backwater town, with the only fanfare being from a chorus of angels to a handful of shepherds.  

In a world where people strive to gain influence, build platforms, and market themselves, the mode of Jesus’ self-presentation is deeply challenging. What would it look like for us to,

‘have the same mind as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!’

(Philippians 2.5–8)

Motive: Not for this reason

“The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil.”

(John 7.7) 

Jesus’ relationship to the world was complex. His brothers assumed he wanted to be known by all, and so advised him, “show yourself to the world” (v4). And of course, in one sense Jesus did want the world to see him and know him.  

Throughout John’s gospel we’re told that the world came to being through him (1.9-10). Jesus loved the world (3.16), had come to take away the sin of the world (1.29), not to condemn the world but to rescue it (3.17), to give life to the world (6.33) by giving his life for the world (6.51). He is the light of the world (8.12; 9.5, 12.46), the saviour of the world (4.42; 12.47), the prophet who came into the world (6.14), and indeed he commissions his disciples to go out into the world, sent just as he was sent (20.21; cf. 17.18-26), and told to be unified so that the world would know that Jesus was truly sent by the Father (17.20–23).

After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, the Pharisees complained that the whole world had gone after him (12.19), a ludicrous exaggeration, given that John also tells us that the world hated Jesus (7.7), preferred to remain in darkness than come into his light (3.19), could not receive the Spirit of truth (14.17), is under the satanic power of the ruler of this world (14.30–31), and would also hate Jesus’ disciples (17.14).

Jesus did want the world to come to know him, and he did want to show himself to the world – through his incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and the subsequent global preaching of the disciples.

But, Jesus was not trying to be loved by the world in the way that his brothers thought, and which many are tempted to today. He knew the world hated him, because he called out sin. He was not trying to curry favour with the world, because he wasn’t ultimately living for the world’s applause. 

In fact, only two chapters previously, he asked a question all would-be influencers should ponder carefully,

‘How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?’  

(John 5.44)

Resisting the lure of celebrity 

So, John 7 raises at least three challenging sets of questions, particularly for those of us who have the opportunity (or desire) to ‘become a public figure’. We need to be mindful of:

• The Moment: Am I acting now because I genuinely believe it’s God’s timing? Or because I’ve bought into the lie that I need to hustle, lest I miss the opportunity?
  
• The Mode: Do the decisions I’m making and the way in which I’m acting reflect the humble approach of Christ? Or am I trying to make the biggest splash possible, in my own strength? 
  
• The Motive: What is really driving me? Is it the glory and praise of people, or the glory and praise that comes from God alone?
  

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