Free to Believe

~~~ Jeremiah 11:18-20 ~~~ Psalm 7 ~~~ John 7:40-53 ~~~

Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said,
“This is truly the Prophet.”
Others said, “This is the Christ.”

It is sad to think that many who heard Jesus speak 

wanted to believe but felt they could not.

Maybe they were afraid of being judged.

Maybe they were afraid of being ridiculed.

Maybe they were afraid of being thrown into jail or worse.

I wonder how many went home 

with a heavy heart 

because they could not reveal how they truly felt.

Have you ever found yourself in that situation?

Have you ever felt it was better 

to keep quiet rather than to voice your real beliefs?

So imagine when the authorities posed this question 

to the already confused group how fearful they must have been.

Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him?

They did not just ask if they 

had heard Jesus or if they had followed him around town.

No, they asked if any of the authority figures believed.

If they did believe then that implied 

that they had indeed heard Jesus speak.

The  authorities planned to catch Jesus in the web 

of his own words.

Their plan would have been completely

 spoiled if those same men came to believe.

If you believe in someone you would not 

be trying to neutralize them.

If you believed, even secretly, 

you would want to spread the word.

So this is where we are today...

those who believed stayed the course...

Those who believed told others and those told others.

The chain of believing has been, is being, 

and will continue to be passed on.

Jesus never meant for us to hear his words, 

believe in what we heard and then to keep it to ourselves.

I want my belief to be evident in how I speak to others.

I want to be convicted by my belief in God.

Lord, may our actions emerge from our belief in you.

We are Blessed to be living now...

where we do not have to afraid of what we believe.

Peace.