Jesus Wasn’t A Public Figure
(John 7:4 NIV)…No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.”
(John 7:4 AMP)… For no one does anything in secret when he wishes to be conspicuous and secure publicity. If You [must] do these things [if You must act like this], show Yourself openly and make Yourself known to the world!
(John 7:4 ESV)… For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.”
Jesus just finished teaching the Jews that he was from heaven. They did not understand and seemed to be frustrated or maybe they just couldn’t fathom what Jesus was talking about and their brains melted. I don’t know, but we know from John 6:60 that the disciples (not the 12 but others) felt that they couldn’t accept the teaching that Jesus was from heaven. As the other disciples struggled to understand, they decided to leave Jesus and walk away from the truth of the life only Jesus can give. In John 6:67-71, Jesus confronts the 12 and asks “You do not want to leave too, do you? They said no because they had nowhere else to go or in other words, they had no other way. They knew Jesus spoke of eternal life and they believed though from this side it seemed difficult for them to believe. Jesus goes on to say that he had chosen the 12 and that one was the devil (referring to Judas).
Starting in John 7, we read that Jesus intentionally kept away from Judea because the Jews were waiting to kill him (vs 1). The disciples came to Jesus and said “you ought to go into Judea so that your disciples (others) may see the miracles you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things (miracles) show yourself to the world.” (vs 3-4) But Jesus answered them and said “The time is not right…”
A public figure is just a man seeking to get attention for his own gain (politicians for example). Jesus on the other hand wasn’t trying to gain attention for his own gain, but rather to gain attention for the sake of God. Jesus was to do things (miracles) which no man or public figure could do. His miracles were to turn our heads toward him so that we might believe that he was/is the Son of God. The brothers, or disciples, simply struggled to believe for themselves that Jesus was the Son of God and so they wanted him to prove himself by doing these acts. Later in John we read that Jesus would go the cross to die a sinner’s death and then rise from the dead 3 days later by the power of God’s Holy Spirit. At that time, when Jesus rose from the dead, the disciples truly believed that Jesus was the Son of God.
The bible says that Jesus didn’t come into the world to condemn it, but to save it. He didn’t come to be a “public figure” for his own gain, but to do the will of the Father that we will have a way to get to the Father in heaven (death on the cross and resurrection).
Now we have to make a choice. Do we accept Jesus and believe he is the risen Son of God or do we turn away from him in an effort to try and produce our own way into Heaven? As for me, I believe there is only one way into heaven and that’s through the belief in Jesus (John14:6). I’ve made my choice to accept and believe in the risen Son of God. What will you believe??
Jonathon Keys 