In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus Christ secretly working to accomplish His plan for us, as we often see happening when we reflect on things in retrospect in our own lives. Within the first two verses, we are told that the Jews wanted to kill Jesus, so that is why He did not wish to travel to Judea. However, in verse 10, we are told that Christ does indeed go up to the feast, but it is in secret that He does so. Christ “went up” to the feast, just like He went up on the Cross to die for our sins and grant us eternal life. Throughout the many challenges and setbacks we may face in this earthly life, we are meant to recognize that just like in this Gospel, Christ is knitting together His plan for us in a way we cannot always see. We may reflect on hard seasons we have experienced before and know that if it weren’t for those moments, we wouldn’t have some of the strength we have today.
Later on in this Gospel, we see that Christ does begin to openly teach in the temple area for the Jews. He is openly trying to show Himself as the Messiah, as the one who fulfills the Old Covenant. In verses 25 and 26, Christ is recognized as the one that the leaders are trying to kill, yet we are told He still speaks publicly. Let these verses truly help us each understand the gravity of true love. Love is willing the good of the other, and in this case, Christ shows ultimate true love. Despite the danger posed to His life, He is willing to step out and do what He has to to show the world around Him that He is the Savior. After hearing the doubts from the crowd about His identity, Jesus explains, in a way that might not be completely clear to all, that He is sent from the Father. We are told that “many of the crowd began to believe in him.” We must recognize from this the importance of staying close to the heart of God throughout our lives. When we stay close to Him, we are able to discern the things He tells us, and when we do this, His plan and love becomes all the more clear.