“My Time Has Not Yet Come” – God’s Sovereign Timing in John 7:1–5

In this episode, we move from John 6 into John 7 and watch the tension around Jesus begin to rise. After many false disciples walk away, Jesus continues His ministry under the Father’s timetable—not the crowds’, not the religious leaders’, and not even His own brothers’.

We recap the contrast between false disciples and true disciples from John 6, then step into John 7:1–5 to see Jesus refuse His brothers’ pressure to “go public” at the Feast of Booths. Along the way, we explore the theme of God’s sovereign timing, the danger of living by sight instead of faith, and how modern hopes in technology and AI echo the ancient temptation to trust anything but God. The episode also touches on the mystery of Christ being fully God and fully man, His pattern of slipping away to pray, and how all of this brings real comfort as we face uncertain futures, politics, economics, and personal plans.

Key Topics Covered

• Quick recap of false vs. true disciples in John 6

  • False: demand signs, grumble, take offense, look only at the physical, and ultimately walk away

  • True: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life… we have believed and come to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

• How what we know (doctrine, truth) should shape what we feel—not the other way around

• Transition into John 7 and the rising hatred toward Christ

• The six-month gap between Passover (John 6:4) and the Feast of Booths/Tabernacles (John 7:2)

• Deuteronomy 16 and the meaning of:

  • Passover – rescue from Egypt and the blood of the lamb

  • Feast of Booths – remembering God’s provision in the wilderness

• Jesus’ brothers’ unbelief and their pressure:

  • “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples may see the works you are doing.”

  • “If you do these things, show yourself to the world.”

• Seeing the works of Christ but not believing – seeing is not the same as faith

• Biblical faith as trusting what we cannot see (future glory, our place in the kingdom)

• Jesus’ answer: “My time has not yet come” – anchored in the Father’s will, not human PR or safety

• Jesus’ pattern of withdrawing to pray and staying locked on the Father’s mission

• The mystery of Christ: fully God and fully man, truly tempted yet without sin

• Why we must resist the urge to water down doctrine just so it fits our categories

• Modern parallels:

  • AI, abundance promises, and technology as a functional “savior”

  • How this mirrors Revelation-like dependence on systems instead of God

• Comfort in God’s timing: nothing—from world leaders to our retirement plans—sits outside His ordained purposes

Scripture References

Primary Text

• John 7:1–5

Context & Supporting Texts

• John 6:28–69 (false vs. true disciples)

• Deuteronomy 16:1–8, 13–17 (Passover & Feast of Booths)

• 1 Chronicles 29:11–12

• Romans 11:36

• John 2:3–4 – “My hour has not yet come”

• John 8:20 – “His hour had not yet come”

• Galatians 4:4–5 – “When the fullness of time had come…”

• Revelation 13:8; 1 Corinthians 15:3–4

Big Takeaways

1. Truth Over Feelings Our emotions swing, but doctrine is steady. What we know about God—His sovereignty, His character, His promises—must lead and correct what we feel, not the other way around.

2. Faith Is Trusting the Unseen Jesus’ brothers want proof in the public square; Scripture calls us to faith in what we cannot see yet. Our future glory, our place in the kingdom, and God’s timing are all realities we trust without visible evidence.

3. Christ Lived on the Father’s Clock, Not Man’s “My time has not yet come” shows us a Savior who is never manipulated by pressure, fear, or popularity. He is entirely governed by the Father’s will and timetable—an anchor for us in a chaotic world.

4. God’s Timing Rules Over History and Our Lives From the incarnation “in the fullness of time” to the cross “according to the Scriptures,” nothing is random. World powers, technological trends, economies, and our personal plans all unfold under God’s sovereign hand.