John 7:1 (ESV)
After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him.
Jesus spent almost 85% of his public ministry in this vicinity of Israel. The Sea of Galilee is approximately 17 miles long and 8 miles wide and runs 120 feet deep. On the southern shore is the city of Tiberius, a Roman town in the time of Jesus, and today, a resort town with a population of about 70,000. During the time of Jesus, the Jewish population lived along the northwest shore, in and around the city of Capernaum. To the East was a gentile community known as the Decapolis. This area was also along the Via Maris, an ancient trade route that went as far south as Egypt and as far north as modern-day Turkey (and Iran to the east). Jesus was always strategic.
He is just as strategic today.
One might read this first verse of chapter seven and wonder if Jesus was afraid of being killed by the Jewish authorities. We know that it was no easy task that lay ahead of him, as he asked the Father to remove the burden from him in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mth. 26:36). In his humanness, he was uneasy about what lay before him, but in his deity, he was ready, willing and the only one able to make the necessary sacrifice. It was not a lack of courage that made Jesus stay in Galilee, but an awareness of the Father’s perfect timing. Jesus was being strategic according to His Father’s will.
He is just as strategic today.
As I write this devotional, there is plenty of uncertainty in my life. My ministry is low on funds, my family is in the midst of a move, our two oldest children are at a standstill in their careers, the 2020 election looms near, there is civil unrest in many cities across the nation and COVID-19 is still on the move. But at any given time, God is doing millions of things in the life of His Church, His Children, and His world, and by faith we must believe that God is in control…and that God is strategic.
Remember what He has Said…and what He has Promised:
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Mth. 6:31, 34
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” Is. 41:10
“So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deut. 31:6
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
