John 7:6,7 - Its works are evil

7:6

“My time has not yet come, but your time is always here”. Various words are translated time or hour. hora  is translated “hour”, and refers to the crucifixion. Chronos refers to the extent of time, and kairos  refers to a particular event or point of time, i.e. to a significant time, but unlike hora, does not refer specifically to the crucifixion. Kairos is the word used here, so Jesus is saying that now is not the time for His glorification, now is not the time for Jesus to be attracting all people. There is a time and a place for everything, and Jesus was here to carry out a particular plan. His brothers had no such plan. (All this is based on my understanding of Carson’s comments on this verse).

7:7

“The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil”. This verse teaches us an awful lot. The fundamental truth is that the world is in rebellion against God. So often we think that if only we are nice enough and winsome enough then our evangelism will be successful. This view is deeply mistaken, and can lead us to abandoning God’s truth in order not to offend. This is not a Biblical approach, and it is not Jesus’ approach. Now this does not mean we should be as obnoxious as we can, and does not mean we are not to exercise wisdom, but we do need to be realistic, and to understand the true situation. Jesus’ brothers were “of the world”, and so the world was quite happy with them, and the world’s wisdom seemed sensible to them. Sometimes we ask the world how we can be more effective in evangelism, this is a ridiculous thing to do. The world is in rebellion against God. Jesus, of course, was not in rebellion against God, but lived in perfect obedience to the Father, so the world hated Him. Jesus also testified to the world that its ways were evil. Jesus was not “nice”. Too often the church thinks it needs to be nice, and not offend sinners.