John 7:10 – But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.
In today’s passage Jesus was not ready to reveal Himself but kept Himself hidden away. This reminds us of the humanity of Christ. God cloaked Himself in a human body as He walked among us. Only those whose eyes were opened by God’s grace could recognize who He was. He wasn’t fully revealed in until He took His place at the right hand of God. We are also hidden away in Christ as Christians here in this life. The world can’t recognize us because it cannot recognize Him. Paul said it like this, Col.3:3 – “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Here is how Martin Luther describes us being hidden away in Christ:
“But this good news no one grasps without faith. For this, as the apostle says here about the life and glory of a Christian in the resurrection of Christ, is not visible to the world. Yes, it is not recognized or perceived by the world, nor with external eyes and senses. Thus Paul says himself: “You have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” The world does not know him and does not glorify this; rather, they are hostile to him and are unable to suffer that you believe in Christ. [The world] does not want to live or have anything to do with you, since they live according to earthly desires. So it is rightly called a hidden life from the world, even from Christians themselves, from their external sight and feel. But nevertheless such a life is certain and definitely in safe-keeping; and after this life it will be revealed before the eyes of all the world. As he says: “When Christ, your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.”
In John 7, Jesus is hiding Himself from the public during the Feast of Tabernacles. This is quite interesting because that particular feast mirrored believers as being hidden away in Christ. The Jews lived in tabernacles in the wilderness during the exodus from Egypt, basically living in huts made of tree branches. They celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles by reenacting that event every year. Today we are hidden away in Christ. The glory in us is hidden until the great day of the Lord.
