The wavering between these two opinions is no longer a matter of public discussion. Publicly no one dares to speak about Jesus at all. People talk about anything: about how bad or good everything is in the church, about how and what should be done, about what someone thinks of the most important universal human problems, about who distorted history and how. But not about Jesus. The attempt to find out who He is and what He is like gives rise to fear, exposing our superficiality and inadequacy in the most important question of life.

The fear of answering these questions openly and directly takes us back 2,000 years. Only then people discussed this at least among themselves, secretly perhaps, but they argued. Now this dispute goes on implicitly, in the depth of each person’s soul. Is He good or a deceiver? Who is He? What is He like? Why did He come to me? However frightening it may be to be laughed at, to be thought an oddity or a madman, sooner or later everyone will have to answer these questions honestly.

Today's reading helps us see more clearly the influence that religiosity has on a person's soul and consciousness. The account begins with mention of the feast of Sukkot ("the Feast of Booths"), to which Jesus' brothers are going to go in Jerusalem (vv. 2-3). Sukkot was one of the four main feasts of the Jewish religious year, and as usual a great gathering of pilgrims was expected in Jerusalem. It is no surprise that Jesus' brothers, who did not believe in His messiahship, wanted Him during the feast to proclaim Himself publicly as the Messiah and to give the proofs that those around Him had already demanded of Him more than once (vv. 3-5). Evidently, they expected to see the Messiah as the majority of believing Jews of the Gospel period imagined Him - as a Messiah-king, proclaiming an independent Jewish state and driving out the Romans. It is no surprise that Jesus refuses such a demonstration (vv. 6-8); He does come to Jerusalem, but secretly, trying not to draw attention to Himself (vv. 9-10).

Meanwhile, in the city, very different rumors about Him are circulating: some consider Him a man of God, others a deceiver (vv. 11-12). But everyone looks anxiously over his shoulder at those whom the evangelist calls "the Jews," meaning, as we can see, the spiritual leaders of the Synagogue and of the Pharisaic movement (v. 13). At that time Jesus again speaks to the people gathered in the temple court about the main thing - about His mission (vv. 14-18). And also about the true meaning of the Sabbath, whose meaning had long been lost behind numerous ritual prescriptions (vv. 19-24). Then some of those present recognize in the Speaker the One who had already been accused of breaking the Sabbath law, a violation punishable by death. And perhaps He is right? After all, no one appears to be intending to apply any sanctions to Him. But He cannot be the Messiah, for the Messiah must appear in some completely different way (vv. 25-27).

Here before us, as if on the palm of a hand, are all the questions that religion produces in the consciousness of a person who finds himself face to face with Christ and with the Kingdom that He brought into the world. No one has ever done such miracles as He has, and, perhaps, no one ever will (v. 31), but... why did He come not as religious tradition says of Him? And why do the religious leaders not receive Him? Where is the truth - in the religion that rejects Him, or in that evident reality of the Kingdom which bears such bright witness to Him? Each person answered this question for himself, and on this answer depended the acceptance or rejection of the Savior and of the Kingdom He brought into the world.

When Jesus says that they want to kill Him, He means not only the concrete situation unfolding at that moment before the eyes of those listening to Him. Here the issue is His ministry as a whole and people's attitude toward it - not only those who heard Him at that specific moment, but also all who considered themselves zealots for orthodoxy. Of course, on that very day when He spoke these words, no one was actually planning to kill Him. But Jesus understands: what He is doing can either be accepted or rejected - there is no middle ground here. And if it is rejected, then it can only be rejected together with Him, which means that those who reject it will have to try to get rid of Him - to kill Him.

They have no other way out: rejection of His words and of Himself must be carried through to the end, just as acceptance of both must be. For this is not about a new teaching and not even about a new religion; here is a new reality that He has brought into the world. One can refuse to accept a religion and ignore its adherents; one can decline to share a teaching and pay no attention to its followers. But it is impossible to pay no attention to the reality of the Kingdom and ignore it completely. Or rather, it is possible only if one can somehow get rid of that reality. And the first thing that comes to mind is to get rid of the One who brought this new reality into the world, since a conflict arises that cannot otherwise be resolved.

Jesus describes the problem very precisely by comparing healing on the Sabbath with circumcision on the same day. The first is unacceptable, the second quite permissible, although circumcision is only a sign of the covenant made with God, a tradition that in itself does not carry the spiritual component but only points to it, like every sign.

But here religion, this sign and its acceptance, has become a ritual prescription. And the Sabbath prohibitions over time also became ritual prescriptions, losing their original meaning: to give a person the opportunity to spend the day in rest, so that inward stillness might be added to outward quiet. In this case two rituals collide, and the collision is entirely resolvable. But healing on the Sabbath is a return to the spiritual foundations, to the original meaning of the Sabbath, which is precisely to spend the day with God. And now a healing takes place, a manifestation of the power of God and His Kingdom; and this is what turns out to be, for the zealots of orthodoxy, a violation of the religious norm.

This conflict is truly irresolvable. Here one must choose: either religious ritual or the Kingdom. And if ritual is chosen, then the Kingdom must be gotten rid of - as must the One who brought it into the world. That is why they want to kill Him, sometimes without even realizing it themselves. And He knows this, but such is His earthly path.