FESTIVALS, QUESTIONS AND DOUBTS

John 7.

There are three Pilgrimage feasts or Festivals tied to the agriculture cycle focus of Judaism.

First comes Passover- At the beginning of the Grain Harvest of Spring.

Next is Pentecost- Occurring 7 weeks after Passover, at the end of the Grain Harvest

Finally, The Feast of Tabernacles or the Ingathering. Celebrating the Autumn harvest of Trees and Vines.

Also because the Autumn crop needed to be protected, temporary shelters or Booths were built in the fields

Theologically- It served as a reminder of the ancient desert wanderings

In John Chapter 5, we are introduced to the Trial Motif, that John uses in several Confrontations Jesus has with the Jewish religious leaders.

In Chapter 5, Jesus heals the crippled man- On the Sabbath.

His accusers- The religious leaders of the day, hurl accusations and insults at Him.

Questions in regard to: His Authority, His Origins, and Witnesses in His defense...

And the final decision to be rendered.

All presented within the frame work of a modern court setting.

Chapter 7 focuses on the final point of this trial.

We will unfold this chapter following this outline:

1- Jesus’ Perfect Timing- God’s Perfect Plan

2- Messianic Teaching- Revelation of Divine Authority

3- Messianic Invitation- Divine Fulfillment

1- JESUS’ PERFECT TIMING- God’s Perfect Plan

John 7.1-13.

Jesus chose the moments of His confrontations.

Even His visit with Nicodemus and the Samaritan Woman were timed perfectly so as to have the maximum positive effect.

In spite of misunderstanding of His teachings, Jesus never wavered from His Divine Destiny.

The beginning of the Festival or Feast of Tabernacles, points to the hostility and cynicism that consumes many who still follow Jesus.

Jesus’ own brothers attempt to pressure Jesus into attending the Opening of the Feast is filled with Doubt and Sarcasm- They do not believe Him in His claims of Divinity.

In verse 3, they challenge Jesus to go to the feast to be seen, since one seeking to be known publicly does not stay hidden in the shadows.

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

The “If” says it all in regards to what Jesus’ brothers think of Him.

It is truly a dare on their part to “Put up or Shut up”

This also shows the condition of their Spiritual souls- The brothers recognize and accept that Jesus can do miracles- But as Jesus teaches in Ch 6, Miracles do not always lead to Faith.

The hardened heart of the unbeliever will see miracles and dismiss them out of hand or accuse the Miracle worker as possessed of a spirit of some kind (usually demonic)

It still takes the softened heart, led by the Holy Spirit to gain Divine insight of who the Son of God truly is.

The Greek term for “Going up” can refer to both the trek up to Jerusalem and also to Jesus’ Ascension.

Jesus is not refusing to engage with the people- He simply recognizes His “Going up” was directly tied to the “Hour” of His betrayal, Trial, Death, Resurrection and Ascension.

And it wasnt time for that, yet.

We can be encouraged in our difficult times to look to the example that Christ has already modeled for us.

Jesus faced great skepticism, False accusations, Threats of Bodily Harm,

Misinterpretation and misunderstanding of His teachings,

Yet He never wavered from His Divine Purpose- His Mission from God.

We can gain strength in our lives as Christians, today, we face a Culture and Society that is becoming more belligerent and hostile to the Word of God every day.

Jesus’ own teachings reveal to us his Divine authority and origin

2- Messianic Teaching: Revelation of Divine Authority

John 7:14-36.

Just as in a trial in a court of law, there are:

Statements made

Questions asked

Answers given.

About the mid point of the feast Jesus does make His way to the festivities and teaches in the Temple for the first time.

Jesus’ opening statements are clear- Questions follow...

Where did He get His schooling from?

Jesus’ answer- Heaven

Where did He come from?

Answer- Heaven

Where is He going?

Answer- Heaven

Jesus’ opening and followup answers tell so much about Him Vvs 16-19

“Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me.

If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.

He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.

Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law...”

Jesus is keeping the main thing- The main thing!

The crowds questions allow Jesus to expand on His core teachings...

But their questions reveal just how much they are not connecting with the message. (As with Nicodemus and his questions about being reborn)

The standard qualifications for being a 1st century Rabbi are well established.

Anyone proclaiming to be an authority of Jewish Scripture had already spent years sitting under the mentorship of another, already established, Rabbi.

Jesus has no such physical credentials, His Authority comes from God

His teaching and commissioning comes from God

Jesus then tells them all, that if their lives were truly aligned with the Scriptures, they would know where the teachings were coming from

Jesus chastises the people for lacking the Love of God in their hearts. Which would make seeing and hearing the teachings for what they truly were.

The very words of God.

Jesus’ mission was always to Honor His Father, deflect glory from himself to the Father- All the while reinforcing His Authority and the Truth of what He taught.

This moves Jesus’ words from simply encouraging to Life-changing in impact.

This opens up a difficulty in humanity that exists to this day-

How does the human condition handle the Authority and Truth of Jesus Christ?

Jesus’ confrontation with the Rabbi’s brings out a valid point.

The Sabbath traditions allow for a young boy to circumcised on the Sabbath if he turned 8 days old on the Sabbath.

In the continuing argument that Jesus violated the Sabbath by healing the crippled man on that day…Jesus rebuts that argument by challenging the Rabbi’s.

If a boy can begin to healing after a medical procedure done on the Sabbath- Then why cant a grown man be completely healed on the Sabbath?

Jesus is winning the crowd over while infuriating the Rabbi’s.

The crowd is intrigued by Jesus claim to be able to work on the Sabbath, just as God does.

Jesus, making a Messianic claim, opens an entirely new line of questions- Where did He come from?

The crowd is further intrigued by the Jewish leaders inability to stop Him from teaching. V-26, “Can it be that they really know this is the Christ?”

The crowd is now torn between choices...

They know where Jesus came from- He is the oldest son of Mary and Joseph OF NAZARETH

In that era, you were known by your given name and usually by the town you were born or raised in. (Joseph of Arimathea,)

The crowd is seeing Jesus from a physical viewpoint- And because they think they know Jesus, they, in large par,t dismiss His claims of Divinity.

They all knew the promised Messiah was NOT to come from Nazareth.

This is the same conundrum the world faces today.

The Jew of the first century expected their Messiah to Suddenly and almost- magically appear to free them from their current oppression from the Roman Empire.

If the Messiah were to be Supernaturally sent by God- Shouldn’t His appearance be just as dynamic?

The numerous common appearances of Jesus at events like the Feasts, Weddings and other things- Disqualified Jesus, In their eyes, of any chance of being the Messiah.

Even His birth and raisings were as commonplace as you could get.

The world, today, can accept Jesus as a good teacher- A knowing Rabbi, even.

A man who tried his best to change his world with some good thoughts, deeds and ideas.

BUT- He is roundly dismissed at the suggestion of His Deity and Spiritual Authority

The first century Jew’s were looking for a conquering hero

The 21st century world, sees no need at all for Saviour as the Humanistic mentality has taken over and declared, “We have done ok by ourselves- We dont need a saviour”

Jesus himself, does not deny His humble human beginnings,

John 7:28–29 “So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.”

The people are stymied by the fact that Jesus grew up in Nazareth- BUT WAS BORN IN BETHLEHEM.

A powerful man, a strong leader, commissioned of God, they could accept-

Much like Moses, who from humble beginnings, was raised in the palace of the Pharaoh in Egypt- Thats who they were looking for.

But they miss more that 300 OT prophecies that Jesus fulfilled, like:

Micah 5:2 “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”

Or John’s opening statement:

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Or Jesus’ own words:

Matthew 11:27 “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

Jesus, now is laying claim to a position that cuts against everything in the teachings of Judaism in the first century.

Jesus’ claim to actually KNOW God- AND be in special COVENANT with God as God’s SON!

This revelation of Jesus, by Jesus also speaks to the lack of understanding or knowledge of the God the Jewish leaders claim to uphold and defend.

It is a total disregard, if not plain ignorance, of the Personality and Character of the God of the Universe.

This creates a great rift in the crowd in-

John 7:30–31 “So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.

Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”

What a question- If this is not the Messiah, then when the Messiah does appear- What more could He do than what this Jesus has done?

In verses 32-36

The Pharisees and chief priests side, once again, with the wrong crowd.

They do not seek understanding, but to Regain their power and control over the people.

Jesus tells them he will only be with them for a little while longer (True)

The Pharisees hear this as he is running away- Maybe to hide amongst the Greeks. (Wrong)

The Grecian world is a place where any decent Jew WOULD not go

However, Jesus is speaking of a place they COULD not go- HEAVEN

John 7:36 “What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”

The crowds own questions allows Jesus to expand on His core teachings.

We can do the same today- Let those around us ask questions- Then be ready with concise Biblical answers.

3- MESSIANIC INVITATION: Divine Fulfillment and a Challenge

John 7:37–39 “On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”

Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

Each day of the Feast of Tabernacles, a water ceremony was performed by the Priests.

Water was collected in a Golden pitcher as the temple choir repeated

Isaiah 12:3 “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”

The crowd then returned to the celebration carrying Palm branches in their right hands and citrus branches in their left hand.

One representing the Desert Booths during the Exodus and the other the bounty of the Harvest.

The crowd would then sing the Psalms of 113-118

This took place once a day during the festival and on the last day of the festival it occurred 7 times.

Jesus used the imagery of the Last day of the festival to reinforce who this water really represented.

Vvs 37-38, Now completes the claim of Jesus to be One that provides for all of our needs- Our very existence.

At Passover He was the Bread of Life- as opposed to Manna from Heaven

Now He is the Living Waters of Life- The very essence of what is needed to sustain life-

It is noted in the text that, just as it is the natural need for sustenance, that drives men to eat and drink...

It is the spiritual need for communion with God that causes the hearts of men to seek Spiritual Food.

The eternal Sustenance of the Bread of Life and the thirst-quenching Living Waters.

But just as Nicodemus had missed the point about being born again, The people here do the same thing...

The crowd acknowledges that the Messiah must come from the Royal Lineage of David, and the city of Bethlehem.

John knows where Jesus was born, and assumes the crowd does as well...

Thereby recognizing how the crowd, with all the facts before them, still allow pre-conceived ideas, and personal bias cause them to stand just outside the grasp of the truth.

The chapter closes with a debate amongst the people and the religious leaders

Some in the crowd declared Him to be THE PROPHET

Even the temple guards could not bring themselves to arrest Jesus

John 7:45–52 “The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

They were so blinded by their own hatred, the Priest’s missed the fact that both Jonah and Nahum, Minor Prophets of the OT, both came from Galilee.

Today we are faced with the same issue.

With even more facts available to us today, both Biblical and extra-Biblical writings validated and verified-

Today the question remains- two thousand years later the world is faced with the issue of Jesus… As it has been quoted- He is either a lunatic, a Liar or

OR our LORD and Saviour, Blessed Redeemer and Intercessor to God the Father on our behalf.

Where do you stand with God- Today?