Lesson 20

Feast Fight

John 7

"Who do men say that I am?" "Who do you think that I am?" These are questions that Jesus asked. The central issue of life, the most important question that has ever been asked and could ever be answered is the question, "Who is Jesus?" Jesus cannot be ignored! That question - "Who is Jesus?" - is the question which John addresses in his account of the gospel.

John wants us to know who Jesus is. John answers the question by giving us some selected images of Christ - His words both in public and in private conversations, His miracles, the testimony of those who knew Him. Through the first six chapters of John, we have heard John the Baptist, a well-respected prophet of God say that Jesus is the Lamb of God, the Son of God. We have heard common men like Andrew and Philip say with excitement, "This is the Messiah, the King of Israel, the son of God." Even skeptic, like Nathaniel have met Jesus and concluded that indeed He is the Son of God.

John has allowed us to learn about His miracles, turning water to wine at a wedding, healing a man's son at long distance, raising us a crippled man who had been like that for 38 years, feeding the 5000, walking on water. Jesus is no ordinary man.

John has enabled us to hear what Jesus has to say in private interviews with Nicodemus and the woman of Samaria - in public discourse before the Jews. Jesus himself has claimed to be the ladder to heaven, the temple of God, the serpent lifted up in the wilderness, the water which forever satisfies the longings of men's heart, the son of the heavenly father, the manna which God sent down from heaven. Jesus has said again and again that men must believe in him.

We have seen the response of the people toward Jesus - curiosity, skepticism, popularity, hatred, rejection. All of this in the first six chapters of John. Today, we arrive at chapter 7. Chapter 7 is not so much concerned with who Jesus is (although that element is present) as it is concerned with allowing us to discover the various public opinions about Christ. Who do men say that I am? John 7 tells us what the people were saying about Jesus? Perhaps in the opinions and reactions of the people of that day we can find the opinions and reactions of people of our day toward Jesus.

John begins by introducing the setting, vs. 1-2. Jesus is in Galilee purposely, for the moment, avoiding Jerusalem and Judea because he knows the motives and intents of men's hearts. We also learn that it is at the time of the feast of tabernacles, v. 2. This means that six months have transpired between the end of chapter 6 and the beginning of chapter 7. It also means that in another six months, Jesus will be crucified.

We are going to meet several groups of people in this passage. One group is referred to as "the Jews" (vs. 1, 11, 13, 15, 35). We also read in this chapter about "the Pharisees" (vs. 32,45,47,48). Still another group is referred to as "the people" (vs. 12, 20. 31, 32, 40, 43, 49). But the first group which John 7 introduces us to are "his brethren" (vs. 3,5.10).

The Response Of The Relatives: Animosity, 7:3-9.

After the birth of Jesus, Joseph and Mary had a family. Mary was not a perpetual virgin. She was a wife and mother. That means that Jesus had half-brothers and sisters, see Matthew 13:55-56. It is his brothers that are the subject of these verses. They advise Jesus to go to Judea (v. 3). There is a certain degree of sarcasm in their words, "If you are who you say you are, why are you wasting your time in backwoods Galilee? You need more publicity? Take the show on the road and in a very public way, go to Judea. Verse 5 make an amazing statement. "For neither did his brethren believe in him." They had lived in the same home, been brought up by the same parents and yet did not believe. His miracles failed to convince them. His teaching did not stir them. His claims did not impress them. His character did not interest them. How could this be? It would seem that if anyone would know who Jesus is, it would have to be his brothers! But they did not, at least not yet. Later, they would come to believe. But right now there is only sarcasm and animosity. It only goes to show the blindness of unbelief. Growing up in a family with one so perfect and good, one so wise and wonderful had led them not to belief but perhaps to bitterness.

Their privilege had become their problem. The privilege of being raised near Christ, had made them too familiar with Him. And familiarity can bred contempt. It can happen today. You can be raised in a Christian atmosphere - you know the Bible stories, you've heard the sermons, you've sang the songs and your privilege has become your problem. Christ and Christianity are so familiar. I know a number of PK's whose response toward Christ is not belief but bitterness, resentment toward the things of God.

Verses 6-9 contain Jesus answer to his brother's advice. His answer is really to show the difference between Him and them. Their steps were not ordered by the Lord, but His were. The world did not, could not hate them (because they were of the world) but it hated Jesus because He testified of its evil nature. They could go on up to the feast, but the time was not right for Him to go.

The Reactions Of The Religious: Arguing, 7:10-24.

Jesus did go to the feast of the tabernacles. It was one of three Jewish feasts which brought people annually to Jerusalem. The feast of tabernacles happened during the fall - September/October. (Jewish months do not correlate exactly with our months because they are lunar. The new moon marks the first day of the month.) This was sort of a harvest/thanksgiving kind of feast. It commemorated the wilderness wandering time in Jewish history when the Jews dwelt in tabernacles. Once each year, in obedience to the command of God, Jews left their homes and dwelt in tabernacle for 8 days, the duration of the feast.

Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem was none done in any public sort of way, v. 10. In the crowd created by the feast, Jesus quietly entered the city. Large crowds would have gathered in the Temple area. It would seem that among those crowds, the talk was not about sports or the weather or politics or taxes, it was about Jesus, vs. 11-13. There are two groups which need to defined - "the Jews" and "the people." At first, we might assume that both phrases refer to the same people. However, just by reading vs. 11-13 helps us to see that they are not the same. "The Jews" refers to the Jewish religious leaders who lived in Jerusalem - the Pharisees, the Saducees and others. "The people" would refer to the festival crowd who had come to Jerusalem for the feast.

Among these various groups of people there are several different reactions to Jesus. Among all the interest about Jesus, with the Jews asking, "Where is he?" and among the "much murmuring" (arguing) some were saying "he is a good man" and others said, "No way, he is a deceiver." There is much discussion and even debate about Jesus. The opinions were mixed.

But some things were consistent. Fear seemed to be widespread, v. 13. Everyone was talking about Jesus, but no one was speaking openly about Jesus, because of fear. It was religiously dangerous to identify with Christ. The murmuring was mixed and muted. They were afraid

Another reaction is mentioned in verse 15. It is amazement. About four days into the feast, Jesus went to the temple and began teaching. It was unannounced and unexpected. He had come to Jerusalem quietly and privately but now he speaks out publicly and boldly, vs. 26. This is actually a fulfillment of Malachi 3:1 which predicted that "the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts." His words amazed the people He spoke with knowledge and authority but he did not have the proper credentials of having attended the rabbinical schools. At first, the crowd questioned his character (vs. 11-13); now they question his doctrine, his teachings. His teachings, he explained to them beginning in v. 16, is not just a quotation of other men's scholarship, nor made up by Jesus. It came directly from the one who had sent Jesus. In verse 17, Jesus tells them who that is. Jesus did not work on His own timetable, vs. 6,8; He did not teach His own doctrine, vs. 16-17; He did not seek His own glory, v. 18.

There is another reaction represented within this crowd. Jesus brings it up, confronting them with anger, hatred and murder, vs. 19-20. These feelings lie hidden below the surface, no one will admit it, but Jesus knows that it is there and says so. These Jews verbally honored Moses and the Law but in truth they did not keep the law and, in fact, they were already plotting to kill Jesus. Of course, when Jesus confronted them with these motives, they denied it, accusing Jesus of being demon-possessed and daring him to name names. Such a reaction reveals that they are angry with Jesus.

The thing that had really set off their anger to begin with had been Jesus' healing of the paralyzed man on the sabbath, 5:16. Jesus speaks directly to this issue. His logic is this: If the law of circumcision took precedence over the law of the sabbath, doesn't the total healing of a man also take precedence over the law of the sabbath? The conclusion and application that Jesus draws from this is that judgments must not be made on the basis of outward appearance but on the basis of genuine righteousness, v. 24.

Here, then, are the religious - afraid, amazed, some of them angry, all of them arguing about Jesus, see vss. 25-27; 40-44. They were divided. some them thought that he was the Christ, the Messiah. Others thought not.

The Rejection Of The Rulers: Antagonism, 7:25-53.

The remainder of this chapter is mostly about how the rulers reacted and responded toward Jesus. (We've have already covered verses 40-44 and there is a little scene in verse 37-39 which we will save until next time but everything else applicable.)

There was confusion, vs. 26-27. Jesus did not fit the mold of their imagination of who Messiah would be. Maybe this is Messiah, v. 26. But he came the wrong way, v. 27. They expected Messiah to burst suddenly on to the scene but Jesus had been known for some time, vs. 28-29. And he came from the wrong town, vs. 41-42. Incomplete information led them to a wrong conclusion.

There was conversion, v. 31.

There was contempt, v. 30, 32-36; 44-52. The Pharisees feel threatened by Jesus - especially when men believe in Him. They sought to take Him into custody, even sending officers to arrest Him. But they unable to lay hands on Him. In fact, the officers, when questioned, answered, "Never man spake like this man." According to the chief priests and Pharisees the people were ignorant of the law and thus, cursed. The officers were deceived by Jesus. And maybe, Nicodemus had become one of the Galileans because he mentioned that they might want to give Jesus the right to a fair trial. Everyone was wrong about Jesus, except them of course! In truth, they were wrong. They assumed without asking or investigating that Jesus was a native of Galilee. No prophet came from Galilee, they said. Wrong again. Elijah was from Galilee and so was Jonah.

We have met Nicodemus before and we will meet him again before we finish John. Perhaps Nicodemus was feeling conviction. And so, the feast ends and with it the discussion and the debate about Jesus comes to a close, at least for now. Nothing has been resolved. There are still those who feel afraid or amazed or even angry about Jesus. There is still confusion and contempt and conviction.

And when it was all over, (v. 53) "every man went to his own house." Everyone went home, everyone, that is, except Jesus. (8:1).Jesus went to the mount of Olives because Jesus didn't have a home to go to. Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests but the Son of man hath not where to put his head.

In a few minutes, another worship service at Dearborn Baptist Church will end and we will turn off the lights and lock the doors and all go home, too. but if there is anything that John 7 teaches us, it is that Jesus Christ cannot be ignored. Who do you say that Jesus is? It is a question which every one of us must face.

Let me close with these words of Jesus from John 7:37-39. It is the last day of the feast. historians tell us that on this day, the priest a huge throng of people would take water and after a long walk through the city, would pour the water on the brazen altar - symbolic of the provision of water for Israel during their wilderness wandering. with threat even the feast of tabernacles official ended. John 7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) If you thirst today, if there is some lacking, some longing in your heart, come to Jesus, and drink. The result will be salvation, satisfaction and saturation.