Untitled Sermon (4)

Intro.

This evening, we are entering chapter 7 of John’s Gospel. After spending considerable time in two of Jesus major dialogues in 5-6, this lesson enters a bit of different territory.

This evening, to set the stage for the happenings, we are going to look at what’s happening contextually, we are going to look at one particular interaction of Jesus’ with his own kin, and (time permitting) we are going to see something that has stricken many as quite peculiar in the words of our Lord.

As a refresher, what do we remember about John 6?

Jews wanted Jesus to be king after feeding 5k

Jesus’ teaching on being Bread of Life

Eating flesh/Drinking blood = faith in the Son of God

Those who believe will be raised and receive eternal life

Peter confesses Jesus has the Words of eternal life

Judas is a devil

Jesus knew those from the beginning who did not believe — Judas listed by them (???)

Now, one thing about Hebrew literature that makes reading difficult for western thinkers such as ourselves, is that the writings are not necessarily linear.

For example, Isaiah and Ezra are not chronologically written books; rather, they are written in such a way as to communicate the story and point of the book.

Likewise w/ John, what we see is not events which happen one right after the other. They are probably chronological in nature, but one event may be days, weeks, months after the preceding account. It is written this way for John’s purpose — remember his purpose statement?

Our text this evening will be John 7.1-13

John 7:1–13 CSB

1 After this, Jesus traveled in Galilee, since he did not want to travel in Judea because the Jews were trying to kill him. 2 The Jewish Festival of Shelters was near. 3 So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples can see your works that you are doing. 4 For no one does anything in secret while he’s seeking public recognition. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 (For not even his brothers believed in him.) 6 Jesus told them, “My time has not yet arrived, but your time is always at hand. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it does hate me because I testify about it—that its works are evil. 8 Go up to the festival yourselves. I’m not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.” 9 After he had said these things, he stayed in Galilee. 10 After his brothers had gone up to the festival, then he also went up, not openly but secretly. 11 The Jews were looking for him at the festival and saying, “Where is he?” 12 And there was a lot of murmuring about him among the crowds. Some were saying, “He’s a good man.” Others were saying, “No, on the contrary, he’s deceiving the people.” 13 Still, nobody was talking publicly about him for fear of the Jews.

Sukkot — Setting the Stage

John 7:1–2 CSB

1 After this, Jesus traveled in Galilee, since he did not want to travel in Judea because the Jews were trying to kill him. 2 The Jewish Festival of Shelters was near.

So, after all the events of chapter 6, we have the Lord staying in the area of Galilee, because the Jews (remember that is the religious officials and not the general religious public) were trying to find and kill Him, but, as He often says in the Gospels, His time had not yet come.

Now, what time of year does John tell us these events are taking place?

Feast of Tabernacles/Tents/Booths

We’ve looked at this particular festival of the Jews before, but it has been awhile. Does anyone remember what this particular festival was for?

Thanksgiving for the crops; Reminder of their wandering in the wilderness

It occured in the same season as the Day of Atonement and the Passover. This particular feast was celebrated at the time of the annual harvest.

The Lexham Bible Dictionary Purpose and Date

During this festival Israel gathered luxuriant boughs and built booths in which to live for the span of the festival. These acts were meant to remind them of the time spent wandering in the desert. The Feast of Tabernacles is the last of the seven feasts described in the Pentateuch, starting four days after the Day of Atonement. It begins after the completion of grain threshing and pressing grapes

We find a detailed account of the institution of this festival in the Book of Leviticus,

Leviticus 23:33–36 CSB

33 The Lord spoke to Moses: 34 “Tell the Israelites: The Festival of Shelters to the Lord begins on the fifteenth day of this seventh month and continues for seven days. 35 There is to be a sacred assembly on the first day; you are not to do any daily work. 36 You are to present a food offering to the Lord for seven days. On the eighth day you are to hold a sacred assembly and present a food offering to the Lord. It is a solemn assembly; you are not to do any daily work.

Leviticus 23:39–44 CSB

39 “You are to celebrate the Lord’s festival on the fifteenth day of the seventh month for seven days after you have gathered the produce of the land. There will be complete rest on the first day and complete rest on the eighth day. 40 On the first day you are to take the product of majestic trees—palm fronds, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook—and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 You are to celebrate it as a festival to the Lord seven days each year. This is a permanent statute for you throughout your generations; celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You are to live in shelters for seven days. All the native-born of Israel must live in shelters, 43 so that your generations may know that I made the Israelites live in shelters when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.” 44 So Moses declared the Lord’s appointed times to the Israelites.

So, we see that this is supposed to be a time when the people of Israel are assembled in celebration before the LORD God and worshipping as they remember what God had done for them in their wandering. In our study in Nehemiah chapter 8 from quite a while ago, we looked at the fact that Israel had in fact not celebrated this feast from the time of Joshua til their return from Babylonian exile!

It seems at least til this point since then, about 400 years, they had kept the ordinance in at least a strict sense. But something is wrong, right?

The men who are supposed to be leading the People in their worship and rejoicing in the Lord are preoccupied with their vendetta to kill this Jesus Who had been causing them some problems.

Now, we will return to the importance of this feast being the setting as we come to places where it is specifically important to Jesus’ own words — but, for now, just keep that in the back of your mind.

Jesus’ Brothers

John 7:3–9 CSB

3 So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples can see your works that you are doing. 4 For no one does anything in secret while he’s seeking public recognition. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 (For not even his brothers believed in him.) 6 Jesus told them, “My time has not yet arrived, but your time is always at hand. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it does hate me because I testify about it—that its works are evil. 8 Go up to the festival yourselves. I’m not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.” 9 After he had said these things, he stayed in Galilee.

What assumption are Jesus’ brothers making here?

That He wants to be a public figure/famous/be acknowledged by men

“If you do these things,” said they, “let Your disciples see them if you want people to know Who You are!” Yet, they were not saying these things genuinely, were they? “For not even His brothers believed in Him.”

Now, we know that Jesus’ disciples did in fact see His miracles, yes? But, because His brothers were not among their number they would not know that.

Why might His brothers have been speaking this way in their unbelief?

In ridicule of His claims of Himself? (most of Nazareth took this attitude)

Envy?

Wanting a different kind of Christ?

No matter the specifics we see that the reason at the end of the day was their unbelief!

Accepting the Ridicule

Now, there is something very important that we need to learn here, which many Christians have yet to.

In one word, what are the brothers of the Lord doing here?

Persecuting/Ridiculing

Matthew 5:10–12 CSB

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. 11 “You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. 12 Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

One poll found something that, to me, is as saddening as it is unsurprising. The question was asked of why people don’t evangelize. This particular poll found that most people don’t evangelize because of fear.

That could be fear of the unknown, fear of rejection, fear of not “knowing enough” or anything else — but the biggest hindrance is fear.

I’ve found personally that it usually will come down to either feeling as if we don’t know enough to evangelize — which is either untrue or entirely fixable — or fear of being rejected and persecuted.

I know of a Chinese brother who said once that it is more dangerous to be a Christian in America than in China, because in America you don’t have any reason not to be one, and therefore can easily become lazy and complacent in the faith.

Family, this mustn’t be the attitude of the Church! Our Lord says we are blessed by God when we are persecuted!

Jesus Himself knew, and promised, that persecution would come our way. Paul even says that if anyone wants to live a godly life then persecution and trial will come their way.

I understand that anxiety and that fear. I understand the desire to not have close relationship fractured. I understand the anxiety of overcoming the potentially awkward territory we will go through to tell people about Jesus. But, if I may be so bold as to say, if these things keep us from evangelizing — we need to get over ourselves and get about the work of our King and His Kingdom.

Jesus, God incarnate, was persecuted by even His family — who then are we to believe that we should escape ridicule on the ground of our most holy faith?

Inventory

Truth is, I think we over complicate evangelism in our own heads most of the time as well.

When you think of evangelism what comes to mind?

Many times we think of door knocking, we think of intellectual back-and-forth quoting a hundred passages, we think of telling people the reality of hell...

Inasmuch as, at least, this last one is necessary at some point in your evangelism, it doesn’t have to be that we jump off the diving board to get there!

Now, it also has to be more than just getting people to come to church.

Evangelism needs to look different ways depending on the setting and the person, but in all settings there is one thing that is appropriate — Your story of Jesus in your life!

What did Jesus tell the Demoniac to do? (Tell of God’s mercy)

This week, that is our challenge. You know what God has done for you — so go forth and tell at least some one about God’s mercy in your life!