Jesus’ brothers are having their fun at His expense. They make the statement, “No one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly.”

Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount to do your good works in secret. The Father shines His glory through us for others to see. We don’t make the choice ourselves to put ourselves before men, certainly not to exalt ourselves.

Jesus wants to be known. To know Him is eternal life. That’s His desire for us. There’s no selfish ambition there, just pure love. But an even greater desire is to submit to the Father and do nothing of Himself. He’s not going to put Himself “on the lampstand” (Mat 5:15). He will let the Father display His glory.

Jesus goes in private. He knows they want to kill Him and it’s not time to die. He knows why He is hated. It’s because he tells people what they do is evil. John the Baptist lost his life for the same reason.

There’s talk about Jesus leading people astray. Jesus doesn’t defend Himself. Jesus says that His teaching is not His own. His only job is to do the Father’s will. He comes in the Father’s authority. He did not speak on His own authority.

How much less should you try to use “your” authority to speak something. Stop “declaring” and start praying and relying on God. Don’t speak unless God gives the word.

In a good example of the fickleness of people and why we don’t need to worry about what they think or say, we have people accusing Jesus of being crazy for saying people are out to kill him, and then there are people saying, “Isn’t this the man they want to kill?”

Jesus went privately to the feast because they wanted to kill Him, but when the Father gave Him words to speak, He speaks publicly.

They want to arrest Him, but don’t. It’s not time. It will happen in the Father’s timing. Men are sent to arrest Jesus, but instead they are arrested by Christ’s words and won’t do it.

The chapter ends with the Pharisees being wise in their own eyes and missing out on the Wisdom of God.