John 7:1 After these things, Jesus was walking in Galilee, for he wouldn’t walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him. 2 Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was at hand. 3 His brothers therefore said to him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that your disciples also may see your works which you do. 4 For no one does anything in secret while he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, reveal yourself to the world.” 5 For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.
The Feast of Booths was a weeklong fall celebration when Jewish families camped out in temporary shelters to remember God’s faithfulness in leading Israel through the wilderness as they fled from Egypt on their way to the Promised Land. Leviticus 23:40-43
Jesus’ brothers tried to persuade him to accompany them to Jerusalem for the feast. Although they had witnessed many of his miracles at this point they refused to believe that he was the Messiah that Israel had been looking for. They said to him, in effect, “Why are you hiding out in the dusty villages of Galilee? Come to the capital city of Jerusalem with us, and reveal yourself to the world!”
John 7:6 Jesus therefore said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. 7 The world can’t hate you, but it hates me, because I testify about it, that its works are evil. 8 You go up to the feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, because my time is not yet fulfilled.” 9 Having said these things to them, he stayed in Galilee. 10 But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly, but as it were in secret. 11 The Jews therefore sought him at the feast, and said, “Where is he?” 12 There was much murmuring among the multitudes concerning him. Some said, “He is a good man.” Others said, “Not so, but he leads the multitude astray.” 13 Yet no one spoke openly of him for fear of the Jews.
As Jesus had already explained, he always did the will of his Father in heaven. John 5:19 As Jesus worked on God’s timetable, he knew that his grand entrance into Jerusalem would be fulfilled, as prophesied by Zechariah, at the end of his ministry on earth.
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Zechariah 9:9
Jesus knew what awaited him at that time. Because he told the religious leaders the truth, they hated him and would conspire to kill him. So for now, he would lie low. He would not enter Jerusalem with an entourage. The religious leaders had no reason to hate his brothers, so he sent them on to Jerusalem ahead of him.
John 7:14 But when it was now the middle of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and taught. 15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How does this man know letters, having never been educated?” 16 Jesus therefore answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone desires to do his will, he will know about the teaching, whether it is from God, or if I am speaking from myself. 18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory, but he who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. 19 Didn’t Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill me?”
Once everyone was preoccupied with the celebrations in the middle of the feast, Jesus, without any fanfare, quietly went into the temple and taught. The leaders were incredulous. How does this guy know so much about the Scriptures and religious things? They had never met this guy in their accredited graduate schools; he didn’t have a degree, yet he taught with authority. Jesus answered, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.” In other words, Jesus is teaching the meaning of the words that God revealed to Moses at Sinai. Then Jesus challenged them with two questions, “Didn’t Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill me?”
John 7:20 The multitude answered, “You have a demon! Who seeks to kill you?” 21 Jesus answered them, “I did one work and you all marvel because of it.”
The crowd that had come to Jerusalem for the feast was listening to the religious leaders’ conversation with Jesus. They didn’t know that the rulers wanted to kill Jesus because earlier he had healed a man on the Sabbath. John 5:16 Not knowing the background of the conversation, they leaped to the conclusion that Jesus had a demon. Why else would he assume that their good rulers wanted to kill him?
John 7:22 Moses has given you circumcision (not that it is of Moses, but of the fathers), and on the Sabbath you circumcise a boy. 23 If a boy receives circumcision on the Sabbath, that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me, because I made a man completely healthy on the Sabbath? 24 Don’t judge according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”
Jesus points out to the rulers their hypocrisy and challenges them with a question. They wanted to kill Jesus because he had done the work of healing a man on the Sabbath yet they do the work of circumcision on the Sabbath. If a boy receives circumcision on the Sabbath, that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me, because I made a man completely healthy on the Sabbath?
Then Jesus instructs them, “Don’t judge according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” We can easily understand this statement of Jesus when we consider that in the United States, Lady Justice is always depicted wearing a blindfold. The blindfold illustrates that judgment is never to be based on appearance. Because appearance can be deceitful, justice is to be blind to appearance. Justice is to be based on truth. The leaders thought themselves righteous and believed Jesus to be a sinner but they were wrong. They judged based on appearance rather than on righteous judgment.
Of course, this is still a problem today. Many times, to our shame, we mistakenly judge people on appearance. Regardless of appearance everyone you meet is made in the image of God and therefore has intrinsic worth. And when our courts are prone to make the same mistake they see Lady Justice depicted wearing a blindfold to remind our judges that righteous judgment is to always be impartial.
John 7:25 Therefore some of them of Jerusalem said, “Isn’t this he whom they seek to kill? 26 Behold, he speaks openly, and they say nothing to him. Can it be that the rulers indeed know that this is truly the Christ? 27 However we know where this man comes from, but when the Christ comes, no one will know where he comes from.”
28 Jesus therefore cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, “You both know me, and know where I am from. I have not come of myself, but he who sent me is true, whom you don’t know. 29 I know him, because I Am from him, and he sent me.”
While those who journeyed to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of the Booths had been unaware that the religious leaders wanted to kill Jesus, some of the people of Jerusalem knew about the plot to kill Jesus asked, “Isn’t this he whom they seek to kill?” Hearing Jesus speak openly with authority they wondered if the rulers really thought that Jesus could be the Christ, the Messiah. However they quickly dismissed the thought because they knew that Jesus had come from Nazareth. John 18:5 They thought that they knew where he was from, but they did not realize his heavenly origin. Jesus states that he was actually sent to earth by God. “I Am from him, and he sent me.”
John 7:30 They sought therefore to take him; but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 But of the multitude, many believed in him. They said, “When the Christ comes, he won’t do more signs than those which this man has done, will he?” 32 The Pharisees heard the multitude murmuring these things concerning him, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest him.
Hearing his claim to be from God, the Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. However the people marveled asking themselves, “When the Christ comes he won’t do more signs than those which this man has done, will he?” In other words, they were beginning to believe that Jesus actually was the Messiah. After all they reasoned, look at all of the signs that we have seen and heard about, he made water into wine, he healed the sick, he fed 5,000, he walked on water, and in addition to all of the signs, he taught the truth of the Scriptures with depth, understanding, and authority.
Despite the Pharisees’ attempt to arrest Jesus, no one laid a hand on him because his hour had not yet come. Until his ministry was complete, Jesus was protected by God the Father. And after his ministry is complete, after Christ has ascended into heaven, they will seek [Christ], but they won’t be able to find him. Jesus tells them “You can’t come where I Am.”
John 7:33 Then Jesus said, “I will be with you a little while longer, then I go to him who sent me. 34 You will seek me, and won’t find me. You can’t come where I am.”
35 The Jews therefore said among themselves, “Where will this man go that we won’t find him? Will he go to the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? 36 What is this word that he said, ‘You will seek me, and won’t find me;’ and ‘Where I Am, you can’t come’?”
37 Now on the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink! 38 He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, from within him will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But he said this about the Spirit, which those believing in him were to receive. For the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus wasn’t yet glorified.
Part of the celebration of the feast was the daily ritual pouring of water at the altar. This commemorated how God provided water for Israel as they travelled through the wilderness. Exodus 17:1-7, Numbers 20:1-14 Paul taught the Corinthians that our ancestors … drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:4 Imagine the surprise of the people and the anger of the Pharisees when, on the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink! He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, from within him will flow rivers of living water.” Jesus was telling everyone that just as he was the living water that sustained ancient Israel during the wilderness journey, he would be the living water for all who would come to and believe in him. John tells us that this was a reference to the Holy Spirit who would be given to those believing in Christ after his ascension into heaven.
John 7:40 Many of the multitude therefore, when they heard these words, said, “This is truly the prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “What, does the Christ come out of Galilee? 42 Hasn’t the Scripture said that the Christ comes of the offspring of David, 2 Samuel 7:12 and from Bethlehem, Micah 5:2 the village where David was?” 43 So a division arose in the multitude because of him. 44 Some of them would have arrested him, but no one laid hands on him. 45 The officers therefore came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, “Why didn’t you bring him?”
46 The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this man!”
47 The Pharisees therefore answered them, “You aren’t also led astray, are you? 48 Have any of the rulers believed in him, or of the Pharisees? 49 But this multitude that doesn’t know the law is cursed.”
Hearing Christ’s amazing offer of living water many wondered aloud if he could possibly be the Christ. They actually knew and understood that Christ comes of the offspring of David and from Bethlehem but as Christ grew up in Galilee they were confused.
John 7:50 Nicodemus (he who came to him by night, being one of them) said to them, 51 “Does our law judge a man, unless it first hears from him personally and knows what he does?”
52 They answered him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search, and see that no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.” See Isaiah 9:1; Matthew 4:13-16
53 Everyone went to his own house,
Regardless of his wonderful signs and his authoritative teaching many concluded that since no prophet has arisen out of Galilee Jesus couldn’t be the Messiah.
This is not unlike many today who have preconceived notions of who Christ should be, and when he doesn’t meet their expectations, they walk away. Christ is God in human flesh. He is the embodiment of the truth that breaks the chains of lies that bind us. But many people, ignoring the revelation of the real Jesus, make up in their imaginations, their own personal Jesus. They prefer their preconceived notions to Christ’s authoritative teaching because their imaginary Jesus makes no demands. Their Jesus allows them to remain chained to the sins they are unwilling to give up. They surrender to their sins rather than surrender to Jesus. So they walk away from the true Jesus down the path to eternal death.
Everyone went to his own home.
The safest road to hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts. C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters