But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. 11 The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?” 12 And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.” 13 Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him.
If there is one thing we learn about mankind from the Bible, it is that people never change. Here we see the people muttering about the Lord, wondering if he will go to the Feast of Tabernacles. It was an important question because there was danger involved in Jesus being seen in public. The more important issue at hand is that the people failed to recognize God when he was in their midst and acted as if God never existed. Take the Israelites immediately after he delivered them from slavery in Egypt.
Grumbling and muttering come naturally for us mortals on earth. We have a hard time believing God’s promises when his timing does not match ours. We act like he has forgotten all about us when our prayer is not answered in the time it takes to get a pizza delivered. The Lord will do what he wills, when he wills it. The sooner we realize that, the more we will recognize him when he is in our midst. We will see him in the trials and the triumphs because “where he is” is with us.
Dear Lord, thank you that we never need to ask where you are. Help us when we ask it anyway and help us in our unbelief. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church