Page 58 - Life of Christ - textbook (3)

figure who liked to put on a show to gain attention to
Himself. We see here that Jesus’ brothers wanted Him to go
into Judea publicly, but they did not believe who He was.

Jesus told his brothers that He was not going to the feast.
But a few days later, He did travel to Jerusalem in secret and
did attend the feast. Did Jesus tell His brothers a lie?

Early manuscripts of the Gospel of John, including p66 and
nd
p75 (late 2 century), record Jesus saying, “I am not yet
going up to the feast” rather than “I am not going to the
feast”. That’s another way of saying, “Brothers, you go
ahead. I will not be going with you”. In John 7:9 we are told
that Jesus stayed in Galilee “for a time”. In other words,
Jesus delayed His departure. He sent His brothers on ahead
but did not accompany them as was the common practice
for such a journey. Therefore, according to the earliest
manuscripts, Jesus informed His brothers that He was not
leaving for the Feast at the time they were leaving, and that
they should go without Him. This was not a lie, as that is
18
exactly what He did.

Also, Jesus’ brothers probably traveled the common route to
Jerusalem, south by the Jordan River, then up to Jerusalem
from Jericho. They would not have traveled through Samaria. Jesus, we are told in Luke, traveled
through Samaria on His journey to Jerusalem, receiving opposition along the way. (Luke 9:51-56).

Why did Jesus take the Samarian route? Luke records that almost immediately Jesus was rejected in a
Samaritan village which reflected the hostility between Jews and Samaritans. Jesus knew that He would
face opposition in Samaria and wished to encounter it head-on, demonstrating His courage and His
determination to fulfill His destiny in spite of opposition. He was determined to go to Jerusalem. The
Samaritan encounters also allowed Him the opportunity to teach His disciples how to handle such
opposition, a lesson they surely needed in coming days.

Following Jesus would involve rejection
and suffering. His followers could not be
halfhearted. Both Luke and Matthew
record Jesus’ teachings that His disciples
must be completely committed (Matthew
8:20-22, Luke 9:58-62). They could not
allow excuses, such as the death of a loved
one or the need to say farewell to family
members, to delay them from following
Him. Remember, as Jesus redirected His
ministry toward preparing His disciples for

18 https://www.gotquestions.org/did-Jesus-lie-to-His-brothers.html
Entrance to Jerusalem through the Damascus Gate
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