Don't you hate bad news letters? Especially when they are filled with pages of legalese that you have to scan through trying to find the paragraph with the punch? You can tell right away that it's bad news, because if it was good it would say so in the first line. But, you have to dig for the sad truth.
     Isaiah 52:7 Why is it that Isaiah says Preachers or Ministers have beautiful feet? This is a figure of speech that refers to the fact that Ministers are the literal feet of the Gospel. They carry the Good News to those they serve. This does not go unnoticed by God. Their gift of service is taken at as high a price as it is given.
     Isaiah 52:8 Notice their reward? yes, the eyes of the watchmen will be the first to see the coming of Christ. And they already see, for don't you hear the cry of the watchmen? 
     Isaiah 40:3 There is the call... 
     Isaiah 21:5 Prepare the way of the King!  
     Isaiah 57;14  Make straight in the desert a highway? That is definitely a striking analogy! Deserts are not easy to walk through. They are dry and thirsty. It's certainly not easy to ride a bicycle on the beach. I've rented bicycles at Tybee island on vacation before, and it was not as easy to pedal on sand. Paved roads are better traveled. So, Ministers make a paved way through the desert for the Gospel to reach the thirsty souls. The sandy beaches are a nice place to visit, when you take along a towel, ice cooler, sun glasses, sunscreen, and a lawn chair. Forget any of those items and you might regret being on the beach. Certainly not a place to spend an extended stay, though you do hear of beach combers and such.
     No, most people seek out salvation eventually, and who will lead the way? Romans 10:14.

     The roar of the lion is no new sound. Some of the references to Jesus roaring like a lion appeared many thousands of years before the first advent of Jesus on Earth. C. S. Lewis wrote a picturesque trilogy based on the coming of the Lion that he called the Chronicles of Narnia, Narnia being the abode of the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve. 
     Joel 3:16-18  The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice
from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be
the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. So shall you
know that I am the LORD your God... And it shall come to pass in that day, that the
mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the
rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth from the
house of the LORD..."
     Of course, we all wait in hope for the return of the Lion. Jesus is the Lion and He will call His children from afar on that great and notable day.
Hosea 11:10  They shall walk after the LORD: he shall roar like a lion:
when he shall roar, then the children shall come trembling from the west. 
     The image of the Lion fits well, because is Jesus not the King, much like the Lion is the King of Beasts? Actually that is quite a striking metaphor, seeing as how the King of the Beasts must be a beast himself. God, being the Creator of mankind, was not a man himself, until he robed Himself in flesh like clay, and took upon Himself the likeness of a man in Jesus Christ. Then He was able to call Himself the King of Men... the Son of Man... He who was first the Son of God now walked in the clay that He created. Now... the Lion could call Himself the King of all Creation, because He dwelt in our earthly realm. 
Isaiah 31:4  For thus has the LORD spoken unto me, Like the lion and the
young lion roaring over his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth
against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor disturbed by the noise of
them: so shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for its
hill.
     Oddly matched battle usually, between the lion of Judah and the multitude of world leaders! (Our leaders are our shepherds, I hope we vote in the matter.) 
Isaiah 42:13  The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up
jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, shout aloud; he shall prevail
against his enemies.
     And on the Lion marches...coming, coming in glory! Hear the battle cry? Our Champion is leaping and charging ahead, leading the Kingdom Saints!
Jeremiah 25:30  Therefore prophesy against them all these words, and
say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his
holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a
shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the
earth.
     There will come a day when all will see His face in glory. After the rapture of the church, after the havoc of the man Antichrist, the man of sin, has devastated Earth with the climax of sin's effect which began at the Fall, after the desecration of everything called holy on this earth! Then comes King Jesus, charging on a white horse, leading the saints in their glorified bodies. Then we will not only behold Him, but we will be like Him, for we will have seen Him as he is.
1 John 3:2  Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it does not
yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be
like him; for we shall see him as he is.

     Somethings just aren't worth it. When you weigh the cost against the advantages, sometimes you realize it is time to reconsider your options. Quitting has never been an easy option for me. I have had to learn how to change gears many times in recent years, when I never thought I had more than one gear. I always liked to hit the ground running. My biggest fault on the bike is when I'm climbing hills, I can't keep myself out of the higher gears. I just
feel like I'm not doing anything if it's not an all out effort. If I'm not pushing, then I'm sitting still. And, we know that can't be true. I feel the same way about giving up or quitting. I remember rides where any sane newby was dropping out and catching a ride on the sag wagon. And, they were. But, I couldn't. I feel like if I rode in on two wheels, I'm riding out on two wheels, or an ambulance. That's crazy, I know, but it's out of my control most days. I
just hate to feel like I didn't give it my best shot, you know. But, sometimes our best shot is in seeking help. God's help.
Psalms 68:1-4  Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that
hate him flee before him.  As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as
wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them
exceedingly rejoice.  Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him
that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.
      Destroyer, Protector, Giant, Warrior, Savior, Worshiped One; Psalm 68 is a medley fit for a King. The magnitude of God is extolled in this Psalm. These same words were the words of Moses as the ark of the covenant was lifted each time the camp began to move in Numbers 10:35-36    
     I like that! Can you picture the men lifting the ark with those words? "Rise up" and destroy your enemies God. It sounds like a wake up call for a Savior. Imagine saying that as the pallbearers lift the coffin at a funeral. "Let this Saint arise!" They don't say that do they? But, you get the point that it sounds like God has been silent, almost asleep. Kind of like when Jesus called, "Lazarus, come forth," calling his 4-day stinky-dead friend out of the grave. Of course, Lazarus was dead, but God is always awake, my friend. Even when a stone is blocking your view.
     I can picture the swirling smoke, like leaves being tossed in a heavy wind. God is this huge giant and when He stands up, all those who opposed Him just fall on every side... a big, big God! Then, suddenly, He is riding "on" the heavens. Incredible pictures there. First He is surrounded. Then He rides like the wind. But, that's nothing because  this Destroyer will now protect the helpless. 
Psalms 68:5-6  A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is
God in his holy habitation. God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth
out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
     This kind of gives God that Robin Hood appeal to see Him destroying foes one minute, and then sheltering the fatherless, the widows, the solitary, and the prisoners in chains. But, God is multi-faceted, right? And, the defenseless need a Protector to destroy their enemies. It often seems like there is a disparity between the people who get help and the people who need help in our society. That is one thing I noticed about the doctor who accidentally messed up my first surgery. She spent a lot of time afterward doing "damage protection," for herself.
     The morning of my son's graduation, I was in a lot of pain, still trying to shop for a dress, and had cried a few times in different stores just out of sheer exhaustion from the effort of changing clothes, due to nerve damage limiting the mobility of my legs. I have been avoiding even grocery shopping because of this, but almost nothing in my closet fits anymore. I ran into her accidentally as I was coming out of another store empty handed. She was shorts and sunglasses clad, smiling with her young son on her arm, and asked how I was doing in a sweet sunny voice. I was surprised speechless. I could barely find the words to answer her. I just looked at her and quietly mumbled something about "5 surgeries later...not so well ...since you messed up." 
     After I got in my car I sat there until I could stop crying again to drive away. So, I called a friend to comfort me. While I cried and talked, she came out of the store without her son, and stood there in front of the store watching me cry on the phone. It appeared that she was suddenly concerned for "her" safety and the safety of "her child." I couldn't believe it. She was acting like I might be about to hurt her, and hid her son. How crazy can you get? That is the point, she is more concerned about her own safety and success than about her patient's life, health, and happiness. Instead of being concerned that I had broken into tears, she was concerned about her perceived safety level. 
     In the hospital, instead of being concerned about the damage to my body, she was concerned about whether or not she would be held legally liable. God on the other hand, is there to rush to our rescue when things go wrong. God can be a giant in moments like those. He stands up in our defense and shelters us from the storm of ungodly men. Yes, a loving god can be fierce. He turns around the table to protect the helpless, instead of protecting those who have all they need.
     The song suddenly changes tracks and we see the trembling, quaking Mt. Sinai in the wilderness with Moses again in verses 7-10. Then the track changes again for a battle scene, or rather a behind the scenes division of the spoils of war. 
Psalms 68:11-14  The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those
that published it.  Kings of armies did flee apace: and she that tarried at
home divided the spoil.  Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye
be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow
gold. When the Almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as snow in Salmon. 
     This is the passage that first caught my eye in this Psalm. The picture reminds me of a King's heralds sounding out the call. When the message had to go far, many heralds were used to relay battle messages. This sounds like we have an army of preachers carrying the gospel message to the whole world today. Then comes the passage about Zion. In 15 & 16 the psalmist compares Zion to a mountain, but God lives in Zion. And, here comes our Warrior King now, charging on His chariots at the head of His troops with the spoils of war behind Him... 
 Psalms 68:17-18  The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of
angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.  Thou hast
ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for
men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them. 
     What are these gifts He gives to men? This was prophetic of Jesus' death. He fought Satan during the three days He was dead. He took the keys of death and hell, and He took captivity captive. He received gifts for us here on earth. Acts chapter two tells us about how the disciples first received the "gift" of the Holy Ghost which Jesus promised to send in Acts chapter one. But, now look back to the Psalm, verse 6. See the part about the rebellious living in a dry land? Here is salvation, as a result of Jesus dying. Here in verse 18, we see that God even wants to live among the rebellious. Jesus died for all of us, even those who don't want the gift.
     Then, we see the order of the processional march in verses 24-27, and that is followed with worship fit for a king in verses 28-31, where they call upon God to scatter the enemy before them. The Psalm ends with an open call to praise God, and we hear the mighty voice of Him who rides in the clouds. We are reminded that He gives strength and power to His people. The first line in verse 34 holds the key to the whole Psalm, for me. It beckons us to write about the strength of God. The whole Psalm is about His strength, is it not? And, God is indeed powerful and strong!
     Do you need a strong God to come to your rescue? Are you surrounded by the enemy? Then call out to the Mighty God who can save you. He is listening for your call. He helps all those who call on His name.

     Do you ever wonder at the marvel of God? Look at the first quatrain of Scripture... "In the beginning God..." Nothing there to explain who God is. He just was. There you have it. Helping verbs with no verbs to help.  In my mind, that's a powerful way to end a sentence.
     No, the bible takes for granted the existence of God. And, it begins with the creation of heaven and earth, the works of God's hands. But, hit the fast forward button and take a look at the book of Revelation. Revelation 4:2  "And immediately I was in the spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne."
     John the Beloved has us peering through the clouds to see a throne set in heaven. There is one throne, and one sitting on that throne, John says. That's a good place to start. Some general conclusions can be drawn here. First, this guy on the throne is a King. Second, this King rules heaven and earth, since he sits on the throne of heaven. Turn back a few pages to chapter one.
Revelation 1:4  John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him who is, and who was, and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before his throne;
     Is, was, and is to come? More helping verbs without verb partners. But, it gives you the idea that God is everything that you can imagine, and then some. He extends beyond your imagination and capacity of mind. And, when the stars all twinkle out at night, God is still awake.
Revelation 1:5  "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loves us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,"
     Who is John sending greetings from? the firstborn of the dead? That's Jesus. He died and was born again from the dead.
Revelation 1:7-8  "Behold, he comes with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also who pierced him: and all tribes of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, says the Lord, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."
     Get the picture? Jesus is everything, so you understand the use of all the helping verbs? They are helping God. They have no verbs. They show who God is. Jesus is Almighty. He is the first and He is the last. Isn't that strange? If I say, "The house is huge," you think about "huge" because it is huge. But, if I say, "The house is," you think about "House," because the house just is. There is no adjective there to limit the noun or to distract your attention away from the subject of the sentence. It's all about the house nad not the enormity of it. With God, it's not about finite measures, and mere adjectives and verbs.  God is! Forget the verbs and the adjectives.
     John says that Jesus was and is and will be and that He is standing there in the middle of those seven candlesticks. And, don't forget the seven stars in His right hand. The candlesticks are the churches, and the stars are the ministers of those churches. So, as always, a good place to find Jesus is standing in church. That's why you feel so empty when you have to miss church. But, don't worry. John won't leave you hanging on to the was, the is, and the am. He gave us a few adjectives and verbs as well. 
Revelation 1:14-15  "His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine bronze, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters."
     If that is not enough description, turn to chapter nineteen.
Revelation 19:11-13  "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon it was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he does judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a robe dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God."
     But, wait...
Revelation 19:16  "And he has on his robe and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."
     There you see, He is the King of all Kings, King Jesus, the King of heaven and Earth. That's not all though. There is more, more than this warrior King. Look just over near the great river Chebar. There stands Ezekiel the Hebrew slave, with his eyes turned toward heaven. Is it a star constellation that has his attention? Not quite.
Ezekiel 1:26-28  "And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as the color of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his waist even upward, and from the appearance of his waist even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spoke."
     Ezekiel and John both have been in the throne room already, and I haven't been invited yet?! It's ok. At least they brought back a few adjectives. Fire and an appearance of precious stones. Brightness and a rainbow. The glory of God. But, He looked like a man...Jesus Christ. Flesh like me.
Hebrews 1:1  "God, who at many times and in various manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets..."
Look at how the Hebrew writer started his epistle. He began with God. That is a great place to start a book, is it not? Especially if Paul wrote it. All of Paul's other epistles start off with the word, "Paul." But, here he seems to have forgotten who he was and had his attention on God, as he neared the final days of his life, and impending martyrdom. Now, back to Genesis one.
Genesis 1:1  "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
     Who is the King of Glory? Who created heaven and earth? Who was it that sits on the throne?
Psalms 24:8  "Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle."
Who is this King of Glory?
Psalms 24:10  "Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah."
Who is my maker?
Job 36:3  "I will get my knowledge from afar, and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker."
Who is our Maker? The Lord is our Maker!
Psalms 95:6  "O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker."
     I am so glad that God is. If not, where would I be?

     I mentioned the sermon that drew me to the altar titled, Ragman in my blog titled, “The Gospel According to Me.” The sermon moved my heart, but it didn’t move my clenched hands from the back of the chair I grasped in front of me, at least not immediately. I made the decision in that altar call. It just took me 24 hours to let go of the chair. I decided that I would wait till the next night’s altar service, since this one was almost over. Or, at least that was my thinking. I knew I had a hard time moving mentally. It took so long, I knew people were ready to leave. Waiting did give me time to build my courage to walk down the aisle, and I did just as soon as the call was given the next night. I was afraid I wouldn’t have the guts to do it. But, when I began to pray, I saw Jesus and I heard Him speaking to me. He said, “I love you, Vicky… I love you, Vicky… I love you, Vicky…”
     The fortune of the prominent early American Vanderbuilt family was made by an immigrant named Cornelius, in the railroad industry. Vanderbuilt’s fortune was inherited by sons and grandsons, some who invested his fortune in horse breeding and yacht racing. But, sadly, some wasted on drugs and alcohol addictions. Only forty-eight years after his death, one of his direct descendants died penniless. All ten of the mansions his descendants built were torn down within 70 years of his death.
     America has seen both old money and new money fortunes. Whether the fortune is old or new, blood will buy the fortune. My natural father left me a legacy… he left me. When I was two. My mother was pregnant with my middle sister. He abandoned us. My blood is worthless and I have no ancestry to trace. I was born penniless and will die with empty pockets. My only heritage is my Father, the God of the Universe. Aye, but He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. I am investing my fortune wisely, in the hearts of children who are my reversed heritage. I have accumulated close to 1,000 students over the years. In that, I have a rich heritage. I didn’t say they all valued me. I valued them. Or rather, I placed a value on my time with them. It has been said that time is money. Accordingly, I have spent all of mine. I don’t plan to have any time left over “in the bank” so to speak, when I die. You can’t “save” time. You can only waste it or spend it.
     Alexander of Greek fame conquered much of the known world, in his time. He inherited the smaller empire of his Father Phillip…by blood rights as was assumed, by his Father. He purchased the submission of parts of three continents with the blood of the citizens of Thebes and Tyre. Much more blood was shed along the path of conquest, as far south as Egypt, where he was crowned pharaoh and called “the son of God.” (Referring to the Sun-god Ra.) He signed his name, “Lord of Asia.” He also called himself the King of Kings. He purchased these titles, and a claim to divinity and worship, with the blood of the conquered a few centuries before Christ.
     In Alexander’s time, lived three great civilizations; the Greeks who gave us much of our culture, the Romans who gave us the base of our politics and government, and the Jews who gave us God. And, the Jewish race gave us the uniquely Hebrew phenomenon of prophets. Why was the Jewish race so strongly a religious race? The Jews were planning to bring salvation to the world. And, they produced a Messiah. Strange…the fact that they were looking for a Messiah like “Alexander the Great.”
     What they got was Jesus, the Son of God, the King of Kings, the Lord of the whole earth. He bought his empire with blood, His own. Blood, after all, will buy. What did His blood buy? His blood bought back our eternal life, after the curse of death in the garden. The blood of Jesus bought healing from sicknesses and diseases. His blood bought our salvation. The blood Jesus shed on Calvary bought His rights as our Father.
Isaiah 53:8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.      Jesus, a Jew, had no children when He died. This was a tragedy in the mind of the Jew. Jesus considers us His children by blood inheritance. We are generated into his Kingdom from his blood, much like children are generated from their parent’s blood. We are the generation, or descendants of Jesus. That makes us His children. His blood bought our right to be near Jesus.
Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made near by the blood of Christ.
     One day Jesus will rule the earth as a conqueror of all. He will rule by conquering. He is already conquering through the work of His Kingdom that is being ushered in. He will be Lord of all. Blood after all, will buy. As His children, we are the sons and daughters of a King. I went, in the course of one altar service, from rags to riches. I gave my rags of sin to the Ragman. I took on eternal riches in Christ. My riches are the Glory and Grace of Jesus. Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Ephesians 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Ephesians 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 3:8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;   
      And, there are more.

     We read in Jesus' parables of the fact that Jesus gives us each talents, which holds true, even though it was an illustrated fictional story. But, one man in the Gospels stands out even though he wasn't remarked to have any special skills or talents. Andrew, the brother of Peter the fisherman. Jesus and Peter were best friends. Jesus gave peter the keys when He left earth. But, it was Andrew who brought Peter to Jesus.
John 1:40-41  One of the two who heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said unto him, We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
     As a matter of fact, that's all Andrew is know for, bringing people to Jesus. He was the one the little boy brought his lunch to on the mount. It was Andrew who took the boy's food to Jesus, who He must have believed would do some miracle with the food. Imagine the nerve of bringing such a small offering to Christ! And, what if he hadn't? When the Greeks first approached Phillip asking for an audience with Jesus, Phillip dared not take them to Jesus, but first enlisted Andrew as one crazy enough to take these foreigners to the King of the Jews. Of course, leave it to Andrew to jump in head first with his excitement and zeal over the best thing that had ever happened to him...Jesus the Messiah! Yes, he brought the Greeks to Jesus, and Jesus was glad to see them. 
     It takes no special gifts at all to tell someone about Jesus and His love. All we have to do is follow the example of the Fisher of Men...call them up. Our influence might make all the difference in this world and the next for one person.

     "Change...that's what we all want. Things have gotten so bad, the economy, foreign policy, terrorism, people are just waiting for someone to stand out in the crowd and show them something new. Some great policy. A sweeping, revolutionary change. A Miracle-worker like you...! Just cast your name in the hat as the one to end our misery...if you really can that is...Jesus."
     They were speaking in inviting words, but it was a tone of unbelief...goading Him to raise them to ranks of power...and they were His own brothers. Think in terms of an election year...the nation is looking for potentials to take office...someone to change a bad situation. The Jews were victims of bad foreign policy. They had been taken over by another country, allowed to keep their homeland, but the Romans had set up a Roman ruler over them and they were basically paying tribute while living under subjection to a foreign power. But, word on the busy streets, in the temple, and in the marketplace was that a new Jewish"King" would come to take back the nation, to lead a revolution to bring them their independance, a Messiah.
     Jesus had been on the scene for two and a half years, and was doing many great works. Halfway through his third year of ministry is a scene that reveals much of the humanity of Christ. There were people who thought He might be the one. But, there were those against Him, too. Some wanted to kill him. He kept a low profile and avoided Jerusalem, since He had healed a lame man and made some people high up really mad. There was one point in time, where even His mother and brothers had apologized for Him, claiming He was not right in the head. They had gone to get Him and bring Him home, to put an end to the ruckus, and threats against his life. It almost seems like they couldn't believe in His mission. Yet, you find this strange passage at the beginning of John 7...
John 7:3-4  His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world.
     They wanted Him to show up at the Feast of Tabernacles...a holiday much like a convention... and perform for the crowds, a demonstration of power to elicit a big following so everybody would believe in His mission, and they would not have to defend His mission to unbelieving neighbors. They wanted Him to put up or shut up. He was becoming an embarrassment.
     Jesus seemed more hurt by His own brothers than He did the mass of unbelievers. At other times He chided with unbelievers, but here He seems meekly to shrink back at their mocking scorn. He tries to explain that the timing is not right for Him. He sees they don't understand and it hurts Him to the core; so much so that he waits to go secretly after they leave. At the midpoint of the Feast days, He goes openly into the Temple and begins to teach the people.
     What strikes me most is that He resisted a public display of the proportion that many big promoters look for in every age. If you want good PR, you have to attract crowds...numbers. But, that was not Jesus' way. He spoke to the people, not the leaders. He didn't pander to the lobbies or organizations who would have promoted His "cause" in the interest of wielding their own power. That's what all politics is about: a power exchange. Jesus was not seeking to gain or exchange power. He was all power. He was the omnipotent Lord of the Universe. His mission was to change men's hearts. Funny how humility and power go hand in hand. But, most importantly, I love the human glimpse of Jesus among His earthly brothers; the picture of His sensitivity to their goading and disbelief. The Son of Man, was He not, just such as you and I?