Jesus, a Poor Salesman (7:1-13)

The people with the hardest job in America - the team that cleans up after President Trump’s social media post. I can only imagine the conversations that go on behind closed doors attempting to recover from the blustering, inappropriate, and often immoral posts.

Shortly, we will find that Jesus was a poor salesman. But we are going to take the long route to arrive at that reality.

Shortly, we will find that Jesus was a poor salesman. But we are going to take the long route to arrive at that reality.

Shortly, we will find that Jesus was a poor salesman. But we are going to take the long route to arrive at that reality.

The broad context leading to

The events of chapter 7 follow chapter 6 by about 6 months. As well, chapters 7-10 precede the events of Jesus’ Passion Week by about 6-7 months. As a result, these 3 ½ chapters find themselves somewhat isolated chronologically both in John’s Gospel and in contrast to the synoptic Gospels.

In attempting to understand John’s intent in chapters 7-10, I noticed that only John wrote about this week (or two) of interaction surrounding the Feast of Tabernacles. And even more specifically, I desired to understand why John included the interaction between Jesus and his unbelieving brothers in .

Only in John. John alone writes of this interaction and the following narrative about the Feast of Tabernacles. In contrast, the synoptic gospels focus their attention on three primary stages of Jesus life and ministry, (1) Jesus’ birth, (2) Jesus’ Galilean ministry, and (3) Jesus’ passion week. On the other hand, John includes a lot of information in his gospel that is not included in the synoptic gospels. Why?

John’s Purpose. To answer that question, we must be reminded of John’s purpose in writing his gospel. “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” ().

John’s goal is to prove Jesus is the Messiah and that in believing we will have life. Next question. How does he go about proving Jesus is the Messiah? He proves Jesus is the Messiah by means of 21 proofs – 7 signs, 7 witnesses, and 7 “I Am” statements.

The Seven signs. (1) Turning water into wine in Cana (2:1-11). (2) Healing an official’s son in Capernaum (4:46-54). (3) Healing an invalid at the Pool of Bethesda (or Bethsaida) in Jerusalem (5:1-18). (4) Feeding the 5,000 near the Sea of Galilee (6:5-14). (5) Walking on the water of the Sea of Galilee (6:16-21). (6) Healing a blind man in Jerusalem (9:1-7). (7) Raising dead Lazarus in Bethany (11:1-45)

The Seven Witnesses. (1) John the Baptist, “This is the Chosen One [literally, “Son”] of God” (1:34). (2) Nathaniel, “You are the Son of God” (1:49). (3) Peter, “You are the Holy One of God!” (6:69). (4) Martha, “You are the Christ, the Son of God” (11:27). (5) Thomas, “My Lord and my God!” (20:28). (6) John, “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (20:31). (7) Jesus, “I am the Son of God” (10:36; see also 4:26; 8:58).

The Seven “I Am” Statements. (1) “I am the bread of life” (6:35). (2) “I am the light of the world” (8:12). (3) “I am the door for the sheep” (10:7; cf. v. 9). (4) “I am the good shepherd” (10:11, 14). (5) “I am the resurrection and the life” (11:25). (6) “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (14:6). (7) “I am the true vine” (15:1; cf. v. 5).

Reason for including this section. John includes chapters 7-10 due to the Feast of Tabernacles including 4 of his proofs. One of the signs (healing of the blind man) and three of the “I Am” statements (Light of the World, the Door, and the Good Shepherd) can be found within these four chapters.

Context of Chapters 7-10

Brief transition. John writes, “After this, Jesus went about in Galilee,” and this brief sentence summarizes 6 months of Jesus’ ministry.

Feast of Tabernacles. The next 3 ½ chapters unfold the drama of Jesus’ visit to Jerusalem during the Fall of 29 AD. Likely these chapters summarize a week (or two) as Jesus goes to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles.

The Feast of Tabernacles commemorates the Israelites wilderness wanderings in which God shepherded his people through the wilderness, provided water and food for them, and led them with a pillar of fire. The Jews celebrated this festival by living in sukkahs (booths or tents) in similar fashion to their wilderness wanderings. As well, the celebration included a daily water “libation” (Mishna, Sukkah, 4:9) and a lamp-lighting rite which was commemorative of God leading the people with a pillar of fire.

Lexham Bible Dictionary. The Feast of Tabernacles commemorates the period of the wilderness wanderings directly following the exodus from Egypt. It lasted seven days, beginning on the 15th of Tishri. It is also called the Feast of Ingathering, since it gathered the people together after the harvesting season and was the final pilgrim feast of Israel.[1]

Carson. People living in rural areas built makeshift structures of light branches and leaves to live in for the week (hence ‘booths’ or ‘tabernacles’; cf. ); town dwellers put up similar structures on their flat roofs or in their courtyards. The Feast was known for a water-drawing rite and a lamp-lighting rite to which Jesus quite clearly refers (cf. 7:37ff.; 8:12).[2]

Water Drawing. The water-drawing ceremony was added to the Feast of Tabernacles to memorialize God’s provision of water in the wilderness and also to petition His ongoing provision of water for the harvest.[3]

Illumination Ceremony. Babylonian Talmud (Sukkot 5:2-3) And there were golden candleholders there, with four gold bowls on their tops, and four ladders for each candlestick. And four young priests with jars of oil containing a hundred and twenty logs, [would climb up the ladders and] pour [the oil] into each bowl. Out of the worn-out undergarments and girdles of the priests they made wicks, and with them they lit the candlesticks. And there was not a courtyard in Jerusalem which was not lit up from the light of bet hashshoebah.[4]

Brickner. the illumination ceremony was a symbol of an ever-present God who, during the wilderness wanderings, graced the Israelites with His provision and presence through the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. The Light stood for the Shekinah Glory of God. . . . When Jesus stood in the Temple claiming to be the Light of the World, He was making a radical statement. . . . To stand in the middle of the Temple in conjunction with the Feast of Tabernacles and say, “I am the Light” was like saying, “I am the Shekinah, I am the pillar of fire.” It’s hard to imagine a more graphic claim to deity.[5]

Jesus connects each of these various elements to himself during the Feast. He is the Good Shepherd (10:11). He is the light of the world (8:12). And, he provides living water (7:37-38). We will take several weeks to walk through the events of these four chapters. But, let’s now consider, in more depth, chapter 7:1-13.

Immediate Context of

Connecting the immediately preceding context. The connection to the preceding chapter seems mostly thematic. (1) The lack of belief on his brother’s part furthers the theme of abandonment discussed in chapter 6. The masses had left him. Even many of his disciples had left him. As well, only five verses into chapter 7, we come to realize that even his biological brothers don’t believe in him. (2) The backdrop of chapter 6 and the mass abandonment seem to be the impetus for Jesus’ brothers pragmatic desire for him to go to Jerusalem.

[Not sure if this assist in primary purpose.] Why don’t Jesus’ brothers believe? (1) Not divinely drawn. While overly simplified, Jesus’ brothers didn’t believe in him because they had not yet effectively been drawn by God the Father to Christ (, ). (2) Familiarity breeds contempt. Matthew writes in his gospel of how all those in Jesus’ hometown rejected him, primarily because they knew he was simply the son of the carpenter and Mary. He wasn’t anything special. Matthew concludes, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household” (). (3) Envy. Jesus had gained a lot of popularity up to this point. Large crowds following him and at times his family was marginalized. Matthew, as well, informs us of a moment in which Jesus’ family request him to come to them and he responds with, “who is my mother and who are my brothers” and then points to his disciples and declares “behold my mothers and my brothers!” (). (4) Incorrect preconceptions. Similar to the large crowds who desired to force Jesus to be king, maybe they misunderstood Jesus role as Messiah. Maybe their preconceptions blinded them to what He truly was.

We can’t conclude with certainty the reasons for their disbelief, but we can conclude that they did not believe in Him for who he truly was. Yet, encouragingly so, they did come to believe in him! Who knows what God used to draw them to Christ!? Maybe the resurrection. Maybe they finally just got it. Whatever the cause they came, and they came in a mighty way. James and Jude wrote two of our epistles, and that James is historically known to have died for the faith.

Brother’s push Jesus to Jerusalem (7:2-5). Jesus’ brothers attempt to persuade him to go to Jerusalem for the feast (7:2-4). What might be their motivation? We speculate, but there may have been a few reasons.

Satisfy the people before his cause is lost. Jesus popularity at this point was diminishing. John informs us in verse 1 that the Jews were seeking to kill Him. What better way to deal with this issue than to go to Jerusalem and perform a bunch of miracles and once again winsomely gather the crowds to Himself?

Spread his name in large and important crowd. The feast of Tabernacles drew countless thousands to Jerusalem. If Jesus were to perform his miracles at the Feast, countless thousands could see, and His name would spread quickly.

Convince the religious elite. Jerusalem was the center of the Jewish religion. Having followers in Galilee was not enough.

Good business sense. His brothers wanted Jesus to come to Jerusalem with a bang and amaze everyone. If He were to perform a great number of miracles and heal people, then probably more people would follow Him. They wanted to sell Jesus, and truth be told Jesus wasn’t doing a great job of selling himself. This was a market driven approach to winning the people over.

Jesus approach is very different. They want Him to come publicly or openly. He comes in secret. They want Him to perform miracles. He teaches at the temple and condemns people.

We still try to sell Jesus. How different is that from today? Still, people attempt to peddle Jesus everywhere. Believers want Jesus to be accepted, so they attempt to present Him as a physical healer, a mental healer, an economic healer, and the list goes on.

The reality is that Jesus may not heal your body, he may not heal your financial ills, and he may not heal your emotional and mental scars. Nevertheless, he is the only one that offers eternal life.

These religious peddlers likely have a genuine desire for Jesus to be accepted, so the gospel presentation is softened. Jesus’ expectations for believers are abandoned or manicured. Repentance often becomes neglected due to the discomfort it brings. Any demands Jesus has on our lifestyle are set aside if they cause people to shy away from Jesus. Eventually hell is dismissed and the ugliness and demands of the cross are abandoned.

Carson. Jesus’ brothers want Jesus to put on a display; John’s readers already know that such a display would pander to corrupt motives and in any case would not ensure genuine faith. The brothers want Jesus to show himself to the world, but in John’s most characteristic sense of the word, the ‘world’ is precisely that which cannot receive him without ceasing to be the ‘world.’[6]

There is a great contrast between what Jesus chose to do and what His brothers wanted Him to do.

Jesus responds (7:6-9). Jesus’ brothers didn’t believe; therefore, they were of the world and did not understand or know God’s will. In their unbelief, the timing of their departure for the Feast was irrelevant. It didn’t matter when they departed. Jesus needed to wait for his Father’s timing.

Jesus was not pragmatic (hence a poor salesman). This passage is a good example of pragmaticism being undermined. It is probably true that if Jesus had followed the advice of His brothers and even His disciples at times, he could have easily performed enough awe-inspiring miracles to result in even the most devout Jewish leader to embrace Him. If He had followed the advice of His brothers, He could have established Himself as King and been loved and adored by the masses. In one sense, if He had followed the advice of His brothers, He could have “succeeded.” But! He would not have succeeded in what God wanted for him, and he would not have succeeded in obeying the will of His Father.

This pragmatism has subtly crept into the church. Instead of following the will of God as outlined in Scripture, instead of acting in accordance with God’s Word, we can at times attempt to “succeed” through pragmatic means. We may wrongly conclude that we could sell Christ more effectively if we catered to people’s appetites.

There are countless reasons why someone might not believe in Christ. We could speculate all day long what those reasons might be. Sadly, too often churches and ministers do speculate and then unbiblically adjust their ministries accordingly.

In short, it is found anywhere the emphasis is removed from what Scripture says and where the emphasis is placed on expected or desired results. But, when pragmatism becomes a guiding philosophy of life or ministry, it inevitably clashes with Scripture. Spiritual and biblical truth cannot be determined by what works and what doesn't. “We know from Scripture, for example, that the gospel does not usually produce a positive response (; ). On the other hand, Satanic lies and deception often are quite effective (; ). Majority reaction is no test of validity (cf. ), and prosperity is no measure of truthfulness (cf. ).”[7]

Jeremiah as an example. Jeremiah preached forty years without seeing any significant positive response. His countrymen threatened to kill him if he did not stop prophesying (). His own family and friends plotted against him (12:6). He was not permitted to marry and so had to suffer agonizing loneliness (16:2). Plots were devised to kill him secretly (18:20-23). He was beaten and put in stocks (20:1-2). He was spied on by friends who sought revenge (v. 10). He was consumed with sorrow and shame—even cursing the day he was born (vv. 14-18). Finally, falsely accused of being a traitor to the nation (37:13-14), Jeremiah was beaten, thrown into a dungeon, and starved many days (vv. 15-21). In the end, tradition says he was exiled to Egypt, where he was stoned to death by the Jews.

By most people’s assessment, Jeremiah was not a very successful minister for God. Yet, that conclusion can only be drawn if we make assessments according to worldly wisdom, according to number of adherents, and according to positional advancement or worldly accolades. God assesses Jeremiah as faithful because Jeremiah did what he was told to do and he said what God desired of him, thereby making him successful.

Back to Jesus. At this Feast, Jesus takes a similar approach. He didn’t listen to the worldly-wise counsel of his brothers and winsomely attract more followers to himself by means of miracles and non-provocative speech. Instead, he enters the temple area and confronts everyone and claims to be divine.

Purpose Statement. God's leading, through His Word, rather than pragmatism, must guide our lives and ministry.

[1] John T. Swann, “Feasts and Festivals of Israel,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).

[2] Carson, The Gospel According to John, 305.

[2] Carson, The Gospel According to John, 305.

[3] David Brickner, Christ in the Feast of Tabernacles (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2006), 78.

[3] David Brickner, Christ in the Feast of Tabernacles (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2006), 78.

[4] Neusner, The Mishnah, 288–89.

[4] Neusner, The Mishnah, 288–89.

[5] Brickner, Christ in the Feast of Tabernacles, 102–3.

[5] Brickner, Christ in the Feast of Tabernacles, 102–3.

[6] Carson, The Gospel According to John, 307.

[6] Carson, The Gospel According to John, 307.

[7] John MacArthur, “What Is Pragmatism & Why Is It Bad?,” Grace to You, January 20, 2010, https://www.gty.org/library/questions/QA209/.

[7] John MacArthur, “What Is Pragmatism & Why Is It Bad?,” Grace to You, January 20, 2010, https://www.gty.org/library/questions/QA209/.