John 7 (2) — Stuart Thompson

Jesus’ Deliberate Timing in Galilee

Chapter 7 of John's Gospel, verse 1, begins,. After these things Jesus walked in Galilee, for he would not walk in Jure, that is in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him. So just quickly, I might make a few comments as we go through the first half, just to give a bit of a review of what we saw yesterday.

The background of this circumstance that finds the Lord Jesus lingering in Galilee is the event in chapter five, when he healed the man there at the Pool of Bethesda, and it was on the Sabbath day that he had healed that man, and the religious leaders took great offense at that occasion, and right from that time, looked for an opportunity to put this man that they would have known as none more than Jesus of Nazareth, it was their desire to see him dead.

And so we just sought to note yesterday, yes, the Lord Jesus, in his eternal person, was omniscient. He knew all things. So he would understand the hearts of these men, the circumstances there in Judea, and yet, too, there is that example of human responsibility, if you would.

Knowing what it was like there, he stayed in Galilee. And as chapter six concludes, very clearly, Judas was identified as the one that would betray him, and so practically speaking, remaining in the north, rather, in Galilee, rather than going into Judea again, would keep Judas, among the other disciples, away from the religious leaders, and restrain his liberty, if you would, to initiate his act of betrayal, and the Lord Jesus would be, humanly speaking, free to step out and to do things in his time and in his purpose, according to the occasion.

Jesus’ Brothers Mock His Messianic Claims

So verse two, now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand. His brethren, therefore, said unto him, "'Depart hence and go into Judea, "'that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest, "'for there is no man that doeth anything in secret, "'and he himself seeks to be known openly.

"'If thou do these things, show thyself to the world.'". And we suggested that it seems fairly evident that this was pure mockery on the behalf of the brothers, that is, the siblings of the Lord Jesus, and they were dismissing his works and his words that indicated who he was, that he was truly the Messiah, but they made little of it, and they were challenging him to go up to the feast of tabernacles, and not only to make himself known to his disciples, but as verse four concludes, show yourself to the world.

And to my mind, it indicates that they had some understanding of what the prophetic scope concerning the come of the Messiah was, so that in mockery, he said, well, you go up and show yourself to the whole world.

Messiah is not only gonna benefit the peoples of Judea, but the whole of mankind. And you can see them just with curled lip almost speaking to him in this way, and verse five makes it evident to my mind that they were mocking him, for John clarifies, they did not believe in him.

Jesus’ Time Had Not Yet Come

Verse six, then Jesus said unto them, my time is not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but me it hates, because I testify of it that the works thereof are evil. Go ye up unto this feast.

I go not up yet unto this feast, for my time is not yet full come. Quickly, we saw that the word here in our English Bible, time is the one then that opens up a fair duration of time, as we would use the word season.

And so the characteristics of an era, if you would. And the Lord Jesus says, in keeping with the occasion of the Feast of Tabernacles, that looked both backwards to be reminded of their deliverance from Egypt, their wanderings in the wilderness when they lived in temporary shelters, and then arriving in the land where a kingdom would be established, it would make them look forward to the coming of the Messiah when he will reign.

And that Feast of Tabernacles, by mocking brethren would say, well, this is the time to make yourself known. And the Lord Jesus said, no, this isn't my season of recognition. For you, your time's always, you can pursue success and human recognition in this world anytime, but this is not my season to reign.

Verse nine, when he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee. But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. So commonly the families would go up almost in caravan style, as they did when the Lord Jesus was 12 years old, they're back in Luke's gospel.

They went up as a group, he went on his own and just slipped into Jerusalem in a secretive manner. But verse 11, then the Jews sought him at the feast and said, where is he? And we've seen that the label, the Jews, isn't just a term that envelops all the peoples of that area of Judea, but really indicates those that are particularly opposed to him.

They're introduced in chapter one, when they sent out the priests and the scribes, was it? To interrogate John the Baptist as to who he was and why he was preaching like he was. And we'll see more of that in our chapter here.

They were looking to get their hands on him. Where is he? He should be here. He proclaims to be a faithful Jew. The three primary feasts, the Passover, the Feast of Weeks, chapter five, Passover, chapter two, Feast of Weeks, chapter five, we suggest, and now chapter seven, the Feast of Tabernacles.

He ought to be here. Where can we find this man? Verse 12, and there was much murmuring among the people concerning him. For some said, he is a good man. Others said, nay, but he deceives the people. Albeit, no man spake openly of him for fear, and there it is, of the Jews, these people that had tremendous power, and their opposition was evidence against Christ.

Jesus’ Authority and the Will of God

Now about the midst of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and taught, and the Jews marveled, saying, how knows this man letters, having never learned, never been trained by the rabbis? How can he teach with such knowledge and efficiency?

Jesus answered them and said, my doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself. He that speaks of or from himself seeks his own glory, but he that seeks the glory, his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is found, is in him.

Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me? The people answered and said, thou hast a devil or a demon, who goes about to kill they? Quickly, that verse that we so aptly use, verse 17, the principle of learning the will of God by doing the will of God, as we understand it being revealed step by step, great principle, we can teach it that way, we can use it that way, but in the immediate context, I would suggest to you it was the Lord Jesus, as it were, setting the argument against the, and there I used the word argument, and I told you he never argued with people, setting the point that he was about to make with these opposing religious people to show them the reason they didn't understand who he was and the teaching that he had was because what God had already veiled through the law of Moses and which they didn't obey, they broke the commandment, they were seeking to kill him, that was the reason why they wouldn't recognize who he was, they weren't doing the will of God that was already revealed to them, therefore they did not have the capacity to receive his word that he taught.

So verse 21, Jesus answered and said to them, I have done one work and you all marvel. Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision, not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers, and you on the Sabbath day circumcise a man.

The man on the Sabbath day receives circumcision that the law of Moses should not be broken. Are ye angry at me because I have made a man every whit hole on the Sabbath day? Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

Judging With Righteous Judgment

So if you have a copy of the outline in front of you, you will see that that is the concluding statement, if you would, of his first message and the interchange of points with the religious leaders, with the Jews that were seeking to kill him.

Don't judge according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment. And if there's nothing else that we as believers can learn from that, it's this, that the attitude that we live by inevitably will be the attitude by which we will judge others.

And the Pharisees, known as the hypocrites back in Matthew six in the Sermon on the Mount, they lived to be seen by others. We noted those verses in the early part of Matthew six, three or four times over, for to be seen of men, for glory from men.

And so the way they lived inevitably affected the manner in which they judged others. And that's true about us as believers too. If we live with that idea of just doing what looks good, we will in the end find ourselves judging people because what they're doing just doesn't seem to look right.

Judge righteous judgment, the Lord Jesus said. Then said some of them of Jerusalem, "'Is not this he whom they seek to kill? "'Below he speaks boldly, and they say nothing unto him. "'Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ?

"'Howbeit we know this man whence he is, where he is from, "'but when Christ comes, no man knows whence he is, "'where he comes from.'". And so this is where we left off yesterday afternoon. And so we're looking at this section that I referred to as the conflicted response, that there is this group of people, some adamantly are denying who he is, others are wondering if he is who he is claimed to be and demonstrated himself to be.

Is he the Christ? Do some actually recognize this? And then you get this answer as we're gonna see tonight that really, well, it shows that sin either distorts or blinds rather people who are sincerely ignorant of the truth or sin even distorts truth that a person has received if they refuse to obey it.

And so we're gonna see that on the one hand, they said, we don't even know where Christ comes from and then we're gonna see tonight that they had that one real clear when they wanted it, when it was convenient for their argument and for their side of the debate.

When there's willful unbelief, there's no winning the argument, if you would. As we suggested yesterday, the Lord never really argued with people. He didn't need to. It wasn't a question of winning the argument with him.

And if you wanna just put a theme title over this second half tonight that makes it more relevant to you and to myself, it's simply this. When you can't win the argument, just speak the truth. When you can't win the argument, just speak the truth.

In the first half, we tried to emphasize the thought that overrides not only this setting, but every occasion when there was very pointed opposition, the Lord Jesus faced the conflict, if for no other reason, with the hope of winning at least one soul.

He didn't wanna go. He didn't choose to go. He stayed in Galilee because of their desire to kill him. And yet he decides eventually to go, and we'll see that there was a particular invitation given for souls that would hear him in that occasion.

So he faced the conflict, if for no other reason, for the sake of souls. And then tonight, we could learn from it ourselves in a relevant way, even today. When you can't win the argument, just speak the truth.

And I'm not saying the Lord Jesus didn't win the arguments. He didn't seek to. He just spoke the truth and left that responsibility with those that had heard. So we pick up then tonight around verse 27 or thereabouts, this confusion, or is it just simply unbelief among the people?

The People’s Confusion and Willful Unbelief

How be it? We know this man whence he is, where he's from, but when Christ comes, no man knows where he's coming from. How in the world they would introduce that as a viable component in their argument?

Well, I'm confused by it myself. And either they're confused or it demonstrates willful unbelief. Then cried Jesus, verse 28, in the temple as he's taught, saying, you both know me and you know whence I am, where I'm from.

And I would just take it simply as we read this, what he's saying is, you know that I am Jesus of Nazareth. You know me for the man that I am and where I have come from. That's not to be questioned. But then he adds, and I am not come of or by myself that is promoted by self, but he that sent me is true whom ye know not.

But I know him for I am from him and he has sent me. Then they sought to take him, but no man laid hands on him because his hour was not yet come. We'll come back to that. Verse 31, let's continue. And many of the people believed on him and said, when Christ comes, will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done?

Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him. And the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him. Then said Jesus unto them, yet a little while am I with you. And then I go unto him that sent me.

You shall seek me and shall not find me. And where I am, thither you cannot come. Then said the Jews among themselves, whither will he go that we shall not find him? Will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles and teach the Gentiles?

What manner of saying is this that he said, you shall seek me and shall not find me. And where I am, thither you cannot come. 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.

And he that believeth on me as the scriptures have 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.

Many of the people, therefore, when they heard this saying said of a truth, this is the prophet. Others said, this is the Christ. But some said, shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said that Christ comes of the seed of David and out of the town of Bethlehem where David was?

So there was a division among the people because of him. And some of them would have taken him, but no man laid hands on him. Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said unto them, why have you not brought him?

The officers answered, never man spake like this man. Then answered them, the Pharisees, are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers of the Pharisees believed on him? But this people who knows not the law are cursed.

Nicodemus saith unto them, he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them, doth our law judge any man before it hear him and know what he doeth? They answered and said unto him, art thou also of Galilee?

And he searched and looked, for out of Galilee arises no prophet. And every man went unto his own house. So we have tried to just intersperse there little comments of what we covered yesterday, some measure of review.

The Structure of the Remaining Passage

And so we'll pick up somewhere around here now just at say verse 28. The confusion or unbelief of the people. Following that there's another charge from the Lord Jesus, another pointed charge to those that oppose him.

And then we've used that same word again and with an apology and it's not feeling sorry and saying I did something wrong, but rather than the technical term sense, he will give reason for his charge. Then we'll look at the verses that follow.

It's either it's a logical faith or an illogical reaction. Then we'll see Christ's response and their confusion. There'll be two more sections to look at after that as we pursue the close of the meeting.

The last day of the feast with his second message and then the fifth section verses 45 to the end, verse 53. The Pharisees really are thwarted and Nicodemus steps in and gives his legal defense, if you would, or his legal challenge to their actions.

And we see how that plays out with really the willful unbelief of the Pharisees at that time. The conflicted response and the attempts then to apprehend him. Some said then that it's possible that there are those who believe that this is the Christ because he's speaking so boldly and yet they're not doing anything about it.

It's like hands off. But we see time and again that even when they attempted to apprehend him, they couldn't. And that was summarized by the words of the Apostle John in verse 30, when he said, no man laid hands on him because his hour was not yet come.

And we sought to note the distinction yesterday. We've talked about the idea of the time, the season of his glorious reign. Wonderful thing to look forward to. But the Lord Jesus said, what the Feast of Tabernacles depicts as far as its future blessing, it's not happening yet.

This is not my season for recognition and reigning. But it also wasn't the hour when they could apprehend him. It was outside of God's time and God's schedule, the hour when they would apprehend him, abuse him, crucify him.

But then that would lead as chapter 13, we looked at it a little yesterday, to the hour when he would actually head home. And that was just a brief spell, suffering and yet glory that would follow when he would ascend to heaven.

Just a little timeframe of his earthly experience, but a little hour really. But the wonder of the time, the season of display, that's something for us to look forward to, because we're going to be with him.

The Future Vindication of Christ

At times I tell you, I long for the vindication of the Lord Jesus. In a world that really in our society, it's almost like any talk of Christ, any sense of even historical legitimacy is, it's a non-issue.

It's like he never even existed. People maybe still use his name in vulgar and blasphemous ways, but any sense of the genuine existence of such a person is really not even considered anymore, let alone made light of.

There's a day coming when he will be vindicated. That's the time of his revelation. Thank God for each one here that's saved tonight, we'll be with him. We will be with him. We won't be on those on the other side, among those on the other side that will be almost in a sense erased by his very revelation.

We'll have to flee, calling upon the mountains and the hills to cover them, hiding them from the face, from the wrath of the lamb and the face of him that sits on the throne. So this confrontation continues to unfold and the Lord Jesus makes his points about his legitimate relationship with the one who sent him.

And then pointedly, as we said, another charge, verses 28 and 29, he says, you don't even know him. You don't know him. And again, he's not trying to berate those that oppose him, to dismiss them as just ignorant and real, you know, willful sinners, which they were.

He's longing to awaken them. As we said, he went into the conflict, faced the opposition. If for no other reason, he will win some, if at least one from among them. And so these people that claimed to know God, he is showing them and by their reaction to him, they are making it very evident that they didn't know the one who sent him.

Verse 29, but I know him for I am from him and he has sent me. And at that, verse 30, again, they seek to take him. Why? Because that claim is really a statement of being the eternal son of God. He's in a relationship that no other man could claim.

And he's in a relationship with the God whom the savior very pointedly says, you do not know. Then they sought to take him. But his hour of suffering was not come. Verse 31 then, I've questioned, is it a logical faith only?

You remember back at the close of chapter two, when the Lord Jesus had been up to Jerusalem at the Passover and it says in verse 23, when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover and the feast day, many believed in his name when they saw the miracles which he did.

But then John clarifies what happened. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them because he knew all men and needed not that any man should testify of man for he knew what was in man. So there was a sense in which people could see miracles were done.

And if you allow me to use expression, they did the math. A plus B equals C. And so they saw the miracles that he did during that Passover visit. And so it says they believed on him because of those miracles that they saw.

But the Lord Jesus in his omniscience, he knew what was in man. He knew there was something missing. And I would have to believe that the thing that was missing was the awakening concerning sin and the conviction of sin against God.

It was one thing to be persuaded that man was doing amazing things and it indicated something of who he was. But it was another thing to know that you needed to know that man is your savior and your sins to be forgiven.

So when we look at verses, at verse 31, many of the people believed on him and said, when Christ comes, will he do more miracles than these, which this man has done? Again, very similar. I would take it to the close of chapter two.

They did the math. Look at all the miracles he did. A plus B, C, this must be the Messiah. So we really aren't sure, at least I'm not sure where these people stood at this time. But the Pharisees didn't like it.

Christ’s Promise of Living Water

Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him. And so the Lord Jesus responds with these words. Chapter eight, he will speak very similar manner.

We'll see that tomorrow, God willing, or in the next two nights. He says to them, a little while I am with you and then I go unto him that sent me, but you'll seek me then and you shall not find me where I am.

Thither ye cannot come. Another statement about his legitimate claim to being related to the God of heaven. And he was heading in that direction. That's where I'm going and you're not gonna be able to find me.

Where I will be, you will not come. So the darkness of unbelief has these men asking the next question. He go where? To the dispersed among the Gentiles? So the idea I would take it was this, when he said, you can't go where I'm going.

And they step back and think, well, he's going someplace where we just can't go. Would it be to the believers, the believers rather, the Jews who had been spread out among the Gentiles? Is this the aftermath of the likes of the captivity in Babylon?

They didn't make it all the way back in. They're still out there in those Gentile regions, a dispersed people. Because one thing's for sure, we're not going there. We're too holy for that. We're faithful Jews, the Pharisees would think.

And if he goes out there, well, so be it, we're not going there. That would defile us if we would go to such a place. And you can just see this reasoning of the self-righteous hypocrite. And yet they still wondered, verse 36, what manner of saying is this that he said then, you shall seek me and shall not find me.

And where I am, fither, you cannot come. Is that the end of the conversation? It's not. We'll see how the chapter wraps up as time unfolds here, God willing. But a very similar statement, an argument, debate, if you would, will open up again the next day.

And the response from the Lord Jesus will be even more pointed. Their response then will be even more, if I could use the word, ridiculous. And it just demonstrates to us this elite mindset of those that oppose truth are beyond, as it were, persuasion.

And that's why I've sort of put a theme over this section. If you can't win the argument, just speak the truth. And that's exactly what the Lord Jesus was doing. No intent to win any arguments, just the intent of speaking what was true with the hope that some will respond.

So verse 37 introduces a very precious section that we often refer to. Gospel preaching and even instruction to us that are saved, tremendous words. The last day of the feast, his second message. I've noted in the outline there's a significance.

I would take it to the timing of this message and the audience that is addressed. We need to note John's statement, his footnote, if you would, about the truth of what the Lord Jesus said in this invitation.

The Feast of Tabernacles and Its Corrupted Rituals

And then verses 40 to 44, we see how the debate continues, division is very evident, and they make another attempt to detain him. In the last day, that great day of the feast. On the outline, there's that chart that we borrowed from Rose Publishing about the Feast of Jehovah, and noting even under year 2018 how some of it's very relevant to our actual calendar date right now.

September 10th was the start of the new year for them. And the Feast of Trumpets there, September 19th, which was, or is, today's what, the 17th, so two days from now, rather, is Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement.

Tremendous day. But then the Feast of Tabernacles, the context of this chapter, is just coming up in a few days. Seven days particularly then related to the Feast of Tabernacles when they would put up their booths and they would dwell in them.

Whether they had them at their home, some historians will say some were even spread around the precincts of the temple in the heart of the city. So whichever place the people would be. But comes the end of the seven days, there was, the eighth day was added.

We appreciate that, don't we? Just another picture of the start of something new. So on that eighth day, booths would be taken down. There would be final celebration on that eighth day and then the people would just disperse and go off to their homes.

There's a note that I have shared there from Barnes, the commentary writer, Mr. Barnes. You know, one thing you'll find if you start looking at the Feast of Tabernacles, and this is an interesting point to pick up on, there was quite a variation of how they defined the setting that seems relevant to why the Lord Jesus uses this call to thirsty people and the picture of the outflowing river of water, of living water from within.

But this helps us understand why at the beginning of the chapter, it's called the Feast of the Jews. Back there in verse two, now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. Because the feast had really degenerated degenerated in its clarity, in its distinction.

Because when we go back and we read in Leviticus and in Numbers where the feasts are defined as God delivered it to Moses, there's not a thing said relative to water. But the historians, and again, I said, this is where you get the variance because you can't clarify this because it was an instruction that was given by God through Moses.

The Jews introduced this aspect, this ritual of going, as Mr. Barnes says, to the pool of Siloam. It might've been another body of water, but they would go with their big jugs and they would dip these jugfuls of water and bring them in and pour them out at the altar.

Some have suggested that on the eighth day, they actually walked around the altar seven times. You kind of get the Jericho picture thrown in here too. So there's such a discrepancy from one commentary to the other, from one historian to the other.

It's because it was manmade. It wasn't God's instruction whatsoever. So the feast had deteriorated to the point where the spirit of God through John calls it the feast of the Jews, the Jews' feast of tabernacles.

It wasn't what it was originally intended to be. It was a time, yes, of recognition and celebration. But the sad thing is that when the people left that, the bulk of them that we're gonna say, just generally, we use the expression, look, going to a conference, hope you go home a different way than how you arrived.

And that's a good thing when a conference affects us that way. But people were arriving at the feast of tabernacles and they were going home the same way they arrived, not satisfied, not clearly instructed, not having the word of God in clarity work for their blessing.

Jesus’ Invitation to the Thirsty

And so under that circumstance, and this was an example for us, and I'm saying this carefully because we just don't throw things wide open and we can grab any old situation out of culture or whatever and use it as a basis to build a message on.

But the Lord Jesus, I take it, took advantage of a manmade dimension in the feast of tabernacles that depicted people leaving unsatisfied, still spiritually lost in their sins. And on that basis, he can stand up.

I love that picture, the way the spirit of God presents this through John, because the others, he just went into the temple and he taught, that's all it says. But when it comes to this tremendous call to the thirsty souls at the feast of tabernacles on this last day, the great day, on the eighth day, the day of new things, the day of a new beginning, the potential of a person going home totally different than they had arrived at the feast of tabernacles, leaving the ritual and the folly behind of unbelief and going home a new soul, one to Christ, he stands up.

The spirit of God is recorded here. He stood up that day. He couldn't be missed. It says back there earlier, which verse was that? Just verse 28, then cried Jesus in the temple. That's all it says. It says he was there, but just what his actual physical stature, standing or whatever, but here he stands and you can't miss him.

And he cries out, it says, if any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. Some suggest that they even spoke the words of Isaiah about drawing waters of salvation. That's quite a picture. Even has scripture for the man-made ritual that they introduced.

But the Lord Jesus says, if any man thirst, let him come unto me. Let him come unto me and drink. He that believes on me as the scriptures have said. So they would claim some relevance to their practice that it had a basis in the scriptures.

But he says the scriptures have taught, maybe not in specific words in any one passage, but this tremendous permeating theme that salvation was like waters that quench the thirst of the soul. Come to me.

And those words ring even for each one of us in the meeting tonight. Have you ever come to Christ? The Lord Jesus said, him that comes to me, I will in no wise, in no way cast out. You say it's too simple.

You know, salvation can be a very hard thing. But I want to tell you the hard thing about salvation as best as I understand it, in my own experience and after years of seeking to preach the gospel in some way and deal with individual souls, hard thing about it is going through the matter of conviction of sin.

That's a bitter, dark, dark experience. Learning that you are a sinner, unjust, unacceptable in your condition before God. You know, children in Christian homes sometimes really struggle with this idea.

And it was Mr. Jim Smith that years ago we picked up on this little perspective and it's, I believe, very, very well put. Asking sometimes a youngster, why are you not going to be in heaven? And the immediate answer comes back, because I'm not saved.

Well, that's true. Not being saved keeps a soul from heaven. But that's not really the issue. The issue is our sins. Why are you not going to be in heaven? Because of my sins. Isaiah the prophet said so effectively, your sins are separated between you and God.

And the moment your sins are forgiven, then your soul is saved. And heaven is wide open for you. So these people would have this thirsting of soul, what had been, as it were, polluted by man-made ritual in the seven days of that celebrating feast, leaves them unfulfilled, still lost in unbelief.

And the Savior says, let him come unto me. Just come to me and drink. Obviously, it's figurative language. Drinking then was depicting the idea of receiving him wholeheartedly as a thirsty soul, longing for peace with God.