Jesus: Too Well-Kept a Secret
Too many of those that claim Christ treat him like a well-kept secret. I call this kind of Christian a secret Christian. They are like a spy for Jesus. Except Jesus didn’t send out any of his people as spies. He sent his people out as messengers and story tellers. Proclaiming the message of Jesus is simply retelling what we have already heard. This is what the Apostle John wrote about,
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” [1 John 1:1-3]
Did you see it? It’s hard to share about something you haven’t witnessed, haven’t seen or haven’t heard about. But, if you have heard the story and you know the story, then you can share the story.
A friend who tells your stories
For example, I have a friend that loves to hear my stories. We’ve spent a lot of time together over the years and he has heard my repertoire of stories a lot. In fact, once when I wasn’t around, he was on a trip and told me that the other people on the trip were kind of boring and conversation wasn’t going so well. So, he decided he needed to share my stories and he said they loved them.
Christians must be friends of Jesus, who know his story and will gladly retell his story.
But, sometimes the story, the narrative is a little too heavy for our tastes or the tastes of the audience. We are tempted to give them a “lite” version.
Is there a “lite” version of Christianity?
Lite food and beverages mean less or lower calories. Christians today are seeking a less heavy form of Christianity. The want all the pleasure of Christ, but without all the cost of Christ. They want to be his friend, but with very little work, effort or sacrifice.
After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jewsa were seeking to kill him. Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” For not even his brothers believed in him. Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. [John 7:1-6]
“For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly,” said Jesus’ brothers. By the way, these half-brothers were certainly James and Jude (authors of books of the New Testament). Jesus’ brothers were skeptics and probably antagonistic toward their older, gentler and, oh by the way, perfect older brother. Can you imagine living as Jesus’s brother? Some of us had older siblings (six kids in my family) who our parents acted like they were perfect (thankfully in my case this wasn’t the case), in James and Jude’a case these was actually true. Can you imagine Mary, their mother saying, why can’t you be more like your older brother?!
What Jesus’s Brothers Got Right
But, his brothers actually got this one thing right “For no one works in secret if he seeks to be openly known.” Jesus didn’t correct them, because they were right. But, they were wrong about his timing. He responds, “My time has not yet come…” He didn’t refute what was true. It’s true if you want to be known, then you don’t work in secret. If you want something to be known, then you’ve got to work openly, transparently and boldly. This is why church finances, marriages, relationships, businesses, organizations, teams and projects fail: they are conducted in secret.
To be known means to apprehend or understand with clarity and certainty. The brothers of Jesus didn’t know Jesus yet as he truly was–Lord of heaven and earth, the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world, etc. There time of understanding had not yet happened. Jesus was certain or clear to them yet. They were confused about who their half-brother really was, but they wouldn’t always be. James would become known as “camel-knees” because, tradition has it, he prayed so much and so fervently that his knees grew callouses like a camel. James and Jude would become leaders in the Church of Jesus Christ, but not yet. They had to move from unknowing to knowing.
Jesus wants to be known by his followers and made known by his followers. To know something is to grasp it, to understand it and to be fully aware of it. Sadly, this does not describe Jesus’s brothers or many of Jesus’s followers today. That’s why he tells them, “…but your time is always here.” Your time to believe, your time to understand and your time to know and make me known is always here is what he is saying. As long as you are breathing, you can know Jesus and make him known. This is our jobs Christians: make him known. He’s not a secret.
The Church of Jesus Christ, more specifically, people that are claiming to be Christians, have the responsibility to work openly to make Jesus known. We have to come out of our shadows and proclaim the story of the only One that can save men’s souls. This is a Christian’s duty, responsibility and it must become his conviction. Christians must work. Yes, work to make him know. Work openly, work publicly and work with conviction.
(c) Alexander F. Vann. 2016