In this episode, we move from John 6 into John 7 and watch the tension around Jesus begin to rise. After many false disciples walk away, Jesus continues His ministry under the Father’s timetable—not the crowds’, not the religious leaders’, and not even His own brothers’.

We recap the contrast between false disciples and true disciples from John 6, then step into John 7:1–5 to see Jesus refuse His brothers’ pressure to “go public” at the Feast of Booths. Along the way, we explore the theme of God’s sovereign timing, the danger of living by sight instead of faith, and how modern hopes in technology and AI echo the ancient temptation to trust anything but God. The episode also touches on the mystery of Christ being fully God and fully man, His pattern of slipping away to pray, and how all of this brings real comfort as we face uncertain futures, politics, economics, and personal plans.

• Quick recap of false vs. true disciples in John 6

  • False: demand signs, grumble, take offense, look only at the physical, and ultimately walk away

  • True: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life… we have believed and come to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

• How what we know (doctrine, truth) should shape what we feel—not the other way around

• Transition into John 7 and the rising hatred toward Christ

• The six-month gap between Passover (John 6:4) and the Feast of Booths/Tabernacles (John 7:2)

• Deuteronomy 16 and the meaning of:

  • Passover – rescue from Egypt and the blood of the lamb

  • Feast of Booths – remembering God’s provision in the wilderness

• Jesus’ brothers’ unbelief and their pressure:

  • “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples may see the works you are doing.”

  • “If you do these things, show yourself to the world.”

• Seeing the works of Christ but not believing – seeing is not the same as faith

• Biblical faith as trusting what we cannot see (future glory, our place in the kingdom)

• Jesus’ answer: “My time has not yet come” – anchored in the Father’s will, not human PR or safety

• Jesus’ pattern of withdrawing to pray and staying locked on the Father’s mission

• The mystery of Christ: fully God and fully man, truly tempted yet without sin

• Why we must resist the urge to water down doctrine just so it fits our categories

• Modern parallels:

  • AI, abundance promises, and technology as a functional “savior”

  • How this mirrors Revelation-like dependence on systems instead of God

• Comfort in God’s timing: nothing—from world leaders to our retirement plans—sits outside His ordained purposes

Primary Text

• John 7:1–5

Context & Supporting Texts

• John 6:28–69 (false vs. true disciples)

• Deuteronomy 16:1–8, 13–17 (Passover & Feast of Booths)

• 1 Chronicles 29:11–12

• Romans 11:36

• John 2:3–4 – “My hour has not yet come”

• John 8:20 – “His hour had not yet come”

• Galatians 4:4–5 – “When the fullness of time had come…”

• Revelation 13:8; 1 Corinthians 15:3–4

1. Truth Over Feelings Our emotions swing, but doctrine is steady. What we know about God—His sovereignty, His character, His promises—must lead and correct what we feel, not the other way around.

2. Faith Is Trusting the Unseen Jesus’ brothers want proof in the public square; Scripture calls us to faith in what we cannot see yet. Our future glory, our place in the kingdom, and God’s timing are all realities we trust without visible evidence.

3. Christ Lived on the Father’s Clock, Not Man’s “My time has not yet come” shows us a Savior who is never manipulated by pressure, fear, or popularity. He is entirely governed by the Father’s will and timetable—an anchor for us in a chaotic world.

4. God’s Timing Rules Over History and Our Lives From the incarnation “in the fullness of time” to the cross “according to the Scriptures,” nothing is random. World powers, technological trends, economies, and our personal plans all unfold under God’s sovereign hand.

In this episode, we finish John chapter 6 and watch a massive turning point in Jesus’ ministry. After His hard teaching about being the true bread from heaven, many who had called themselves “disciples” decide they’ve had enough. They grumble, take offense, and ultimately walk away from Him. Jesus doesn’t soften the message or chase them down—He lets them go and turns to the Twelve with a piercing question: “Do you want to go away as well?”

Peter’s answer, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,” becomes the backdrop for a careful look at the difference between false disciples and true disciples, the importance of knowing truth versus living on feelings, and the ongoing struggle of the believer’s heart as described in Romans 7. We also wrestle honestly with the tension between God’s sovereignty in salvation and our responsibility to preach the gospel, and then pivot into John 7, where opposition escalates and we see Christ moving according to the Father’s perfect timing.

• Recap of John 6:63–65 – the Spirit gives life, the flesh is no help at all

• Why people reject the gospel: not lack of information, but unbelief and hard hearts

• Verse 66 as a turning point: many “disciples” turn back and no longer walk with Jesus

• Jesus’ question to the Twelve: “Do you want to go away as well?”

• Peter’s confession:

  • “Lord, to whom shall we go?”

  • “You have the words of eternal life.”

  • “We have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

• Knowing vs. feeling: why Christian faith is rooted in truth, not emotional highs

• How doctrine sustains us in trials (cancer, job loss, betrayal, persecution)

• Romans 7 and the believer’s ongoing battle with remaining sin

• Contrast between false disciples and true disciples in John 6:

  • False: demand signs, grumble, take offense, and ultimately walk away

  • True: come to the end of themselves, cling to Christ as the only hope

• Wrestling with election and human responsibility: God grants, we still must preach and believe

• Encouragement for evangelism when family and friends reject Christ

• Transition to John 7: opposition intensifies and Jesus moves according to the Father’s timing

Primary Texts

• John 6:60–71

• John 7:1–2

Supporting Texts

• John 6:22–63 (context of the Bread of Life discourse)

• Romans 7:22–25

• James 1:2–4

• 1 Chronicles 29:11–12

• Philippians 2:12–13

• Romans 10:14–17

• The gospel is rejected not because it’s unclear, but because hearts are hard.

• “Lord, to whom shall we go?” – there is no alternative Savior.

• Our assurance is anchored in what we know about God and His promises, not in how we feel on a hard day.

• True disciples may stumble (like Peter’s later denial), but they ultimately return to Christ because He holds them fast.

• We are called to hold together two truths: God sovereignly grants and we boldly preach and believe.

• We dare not boil the gospel down until it fits comfortably inside our limited understanding—its power is greater than our categories.

1. True Disciples Stay Because They Have Nowhere Else to Go False disciples follow Jesus as long as He fits their expectations. True disciples, like Peter, recognize that Christ alone has the words of eternal life—even when His teaching is hard and the crowd is walking away.

2. Truth, Not Feelings, Carries Us Through Trials When suffering hits—diagnosis, loss, betrayal—it’s not spiritual “vibes” that hold us; it’s what we know about God’s character, Christ’s finished work, and His promises in the Word.

3. God is Sovereign, and We Still Preach No one comes unless the Father grants it, yet God commands us to proclaim the gospel to all. We rest in His sovereignty, but we do not retreat from evangelism or missions.

4. Jesus Walks According to the Father’s Timetable As we move into John 7, we’re reminded that all opposition, timing, and outcomes fall under God’s rule. Christ is never rushed, never late, and never out of control.