It is approximately the year 30 A.D. and the seven days of rejoicing during the Feast of Tabernacles is about to commence. Let's look at what Jesus was doing during this Feast, as seen in the Gospel of John, chapter 7. But first we must lay out the scene and speak of things that happened prior to the Feast.
The Temple was still standing in Jerusalem at that time and so all Jews were required to go to Jerusalem to the Temple for the services that were held each day of the Feast. They came from all over the nation and from various parts of the world. They arrived early enough to have constructed the sukkahs that they would live in during the Feast, none of which were more than a little over a half mile from the Temple, so that they would not be in violation of the Sabbath rules and regulations.
Prior to this Feast Day had been another of the Fall Feasts, the Feast of Trumpets, followed immediately by the seven days of affliction (searching for sin in one's life), and ending on the Day of Atonement. Somewhere in the midst of these Feast Days, Jesus, on the Sabbath according to John 5:1-16, healed a lame man. This " one work" will be the thing marveled at, and at the same time causing a major upset, in the scripture passage of John 7 that we will get into in this posting. (The words of this uneducated Galillean named Jesus, spoken with boldness in the Temple during the Feast of Tabernacles, will also cause men to marvel.)
The "brothers" referred to in the first part of this 7th chapter of John are the actual blood brothers of Jesus, part of his own family, the sons of Mary and Joseph that followed after the virgin birth of Jesus.
The "things" being referred to by the brothers of Jesus were the miraculous works of Jesus, including not only the lame man who was healed, but also the feeding of five thousand with only five barley loaves and two fishes (John 6:9-13).
The word "Jews" refers to the Judean Jews, those who resided in Jerusalem and surrounding areas of Judea, and is rather misleading as ALL the people who arrived at the temple for the celebration of this feast were either Jews or converted Jews from various parts of the country and elsewhere; Jesus himself, and all of his family, were Jews, but they are not included in this usage of the term "Jews".
John, Chapter 7, beginning at verse 1:
After these things, Jesus walked in Galilee: for he did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him. Now the Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. His brothers therefore said to him, "Depart from here, and go into Judea that your disciples also may see the works that you are doing. For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world." For even his brothers did not believe in him.
Then Jesus said to them, "My time is not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify of it that its works are evil. You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come." When he had said these things to them, he remained in Galilee.
But when his brothers had gone up, then he also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and said, "Where is he?" And there was much complaining among the people concerning him. Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, he deceives the people." However, no one spoke openly of him for fear of the Jews.
Now about the middle of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and taught. And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this man know letters, having never studied?"
Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not mine, but His who sent me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on my own authority. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but he who seeks the glory of the One who sent him is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill me?"
The people answered and said, "You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill you?"
Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel. Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If a man receives a circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."
Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not he whom they seek to kill? But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? However, we know where this man is from, but when the Christ comes, no one knows where he is from."
Then Jesus cried out, as he taught in the temple, saying, "You both know me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of myself, but He who sent me is true, whom you do not know. But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent me."
Therefore they sought to take him; but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.
And many of the people believed in him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more than these which this man has done?"
The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him.
Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent me. You will seek me and not find me, and where I am you cannot come."
Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does he intend to go that we shall not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What is this thing that he said, 'You will seek me and not find me, and where I am you cannot come'?"
On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." But this he spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet."
Others said, "This is the Christ."
But others said, "Will the Christ come out of Galillee? Has not the scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"
So there was a division among the people because of him. Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on him. Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought him?"
The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this man!"
Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."
Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?"
They answered him and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galillee."
And everyone went to his own house.
Now, if you were observant, and if the Spirit of the Lord spoke to your heart, you saw in this passage of John that it was on the last day of the feast, that Jesus cried out and made an amazing statement. The last day of the feast is the day when God's provision of the coming rain is in everyone's thoughts; that which will bring nourishing water so that the people will be have life and not perish from starvation and thirst. It was on this very day, that Jesus proclaimed himself to be the source of "living water" and issued the invitation: "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink!"
Of course, there is great significance to ALL the words Jesus spoke during this Feast. He was declaring their hypocrisy because they accused him for healing on the Sabbath, when they themselves circumcised on the Sabbath. He was declaring them to be blind hypocrites when they marveled at this one work of His (healing the blind man on the Sabbath), but did not recognize His miraculous works as coming from God; and instead judged him according to the superficial measuring standard of a man-made Sabbath rule rather than according to the righteousness that was demonstrated by the healing. He was declaring that He had been sent from God to do these works. He was declaring Himself to be the very answer to their prayers to God for provision and for the water of life that this Feast of Tabernacles was all about!
We also know now that Jesus most likely stayed in a sukkah somewhere in or around Jerusalem, during the Feast of Tabernacles, rather than going home each night to Galillee...or staying at an inn or whatever other accommodation might have been found.
In the next posting, we will observe Jesus rescuing the woman caught in adultery; all of which happened on the 8th day, the day AFTER the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles - the day known as Simchat Torah ("the Rejoicing of the Law").
The Temple was still standing in Jerusalem at that time and so all Jews were required to go to Jerusalem to the Temple for the services that were held each day of the Feast. They came from all over the nation and from various parts of the world. They arrived early enough to have constructed the sukkahs that they would live in during the Feast, none of which were more than a little over a half mile from the Temple, so that they would not be in violation of the Sabbath rules and regulations.
Prior to this Feast Day had been another of the Fall Feasts, the Feast of Trumpets, followed immediately by the seven days of affliction (searching for sin in one's life), and ending on the Day of Atonement. Somewhere in the midst of these Feast Days, Jesus, on the Sabbath according to John 5:1-16, healed a lame man. This " one work" will be the thing marveled at, and at the same time causing a major upset, in the scripture passage of John 7 that we will get into in this posting. (The words of this uneducated Galillean named Jesus, spoken with boldness in the Temple during the Feast of Tabernacles, will also cause men to marvel.)
The "brothers" referred to in the first part of this 7th chapter of John are the actual blood brothers of Jesus, part of his own family, the sons of Mary and Joseph that followed after the virgin birth of Jesus.
The "things" being referred to by the brothers of Jesus were the miraculous works of Jesus, including not only the lame man who was healed, but also the feeding of five thousand with only five barley loaves and two fishes (John 6:9-13).
The word "Jews" refers to the Judean Jews, those who resided in Jerusalem and surrounding areas of Judea, and is rather misleading as ALL the people who arrived at the temple for the celebration of this feast were either Jews or converted Jews from various parts of the country and elsewhere; Jesus himself, and all of his family, were Jews, but they are not included in this usage of the term "Jews".
John, Chapter 7, beginning at verse 1:
After these things, Jesus walked in Galilee: for he did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him. Now the Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. His brothers therefore said to him, "Depart from here, and go into Judea that your disciples also may see the works that you are doing. For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world." For even his brothers did not believe in him.
Then Jesus said to them, "My time is not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify of it that its works are evil. You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come." When he had said these things to them, he remained in Galilee.
But when his brothers had gone up, then he also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and said, "Where is he?" And there was much complaining among the people concerning him. Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, he deceives the people." However, no one spoke openly of him for fear of the Jews.
Now about the middle of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and taught. And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this man know letters, having never studied?"
Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not mine, but His who sent me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on my own authority. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but he who seeks the glory of the One who sent him is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill me?"
The people answered and said, "You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill you?"
Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel. Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If a man receives a circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."
Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not he whom they seek to kill? But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? However, we know where this man is from, but when the Christ comes, no one knows where he is from."
Then Jesus cried out, as he taught in the temple, saying, "You both know me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of myself, but He who sent me is true, whom you do not know. But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent me."
Therefore they sought to take him; but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.
And many of the people believed in him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more than these which this man has done?"
The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him.
Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent me. You will seek me and not find me, and where I am you cannot come."
Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does he intend to go that we shall not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What is this thing that he said, 'You will seek me and not find me, and where I am you cannot come'?"
On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." But this he spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet."
Others said, "This is the Christ."
But others said, "Will the Christ come out of Galillee? Has not the scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"
So there was a division among the people because of him. Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on him. Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought him?"
The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this man!"
Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."
Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?"
They answered him and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galillee."
And everyone went to his own house.
Now, if you were observant, and if the Spirit of the Lord spoke to your heart, you saw in this passage of John that it was on the last day of the feast, that Jesus cried out and made an amazing statement. The last day of the feast is the day when God's provision of the coming rain is in everyone's thoughts; that which will bring nourishing water so that the people will be have life and not perish from starvation and thirst. It was on this very day, that Jesus proclaimed himself to be the source of "living water" and issued the invitation: "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink!"
Of course, there is great significance to ALL the words Jesus spoke during this Feast. He was declaring their hypocrisy because they accused him for healing on the Sabbath, when they themselves circumcised on the Sabbath. He was declaring them to be blind hypocrites when they marveled at this one work of His (healing the blind man on the Sabbath), but did not recognize His miraculous works as coming from God; and instead judged him according to the superficial measuring standard of a man-made Sabbath rule rather than according to the righteousness that was demonstrated by the healing. He was declaring that He had been sent from God to do these works. He was declaring Himself to be the very answer to their prayers to God for provision and for the water of life that this Feast of Tabernacles was all about!
We also know now that Jesus most likely stayed in a sukkah somewhere in or around Jerusalem, during the Feast of Tabernacles, rather than going home each night to Galillee...or staying at an inn or whatever other accommodation might have been found.
In the next posting, we will observe Jesus rescuing the woman caught in adultery; all of which happened on the 8th day, the day AFTER the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles - the day known as Simchat Torah ("the Rejoicing of the Law").
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