During a recent fireworks display, my wife and I ate at one of the food trucks and later waited in a long line for some elephant ears. There were a lot of people there. There is something electric about being in a big crowd. You feel like you are part of something big. But there were also some things that were different about the individuals who were there. Their dress, attitudes, and focus seemed to reveal something about their character and interests. We were all there for a fun evening watching the fireworks, but it was apparent that not all of us had the same life interests. The same things happened when Jesus traveled to the annual Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. There weren’t any fireworks but there were a lot of people there. But not all of them had the same values. And some of them had very bad intentions. What would happen when Jesus arrived?
- What does it say? (John 7:1-13)
After these things, Jesus was traveling in Galilee because he did not want to travel in Judea since the Jews were trying to kill Him. This happened around the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles. Because of that, His brothers said to him, “Depart from this place and go into Judea so that Your disciples will see the works that You are doing. For nobody does anything in secret and seeks to be in public. If you are doing these things, reveal yourself to the world.” Not even His brothers believed in Him. In response, Jesus said to them, “My time is not yet here, but your time is always ready. The world is not able to hate you. However, it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. You go up to the feast. I am not yet going up to this feast because my time has not yet been fulfilled.” When he had said these things to them, he remained in Galilee. But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He also went up not openly but secretly. Because of that, the Jews looked for Him at the feast and said, “Where is He?” And there was a lot of muttering about Him in the crowds. Some said that He was respectable, but others said, “No, He leads the people astray.” However, no one spoke freely about Him because of the fear of the Jews. - What does it mean?
During his earthly ministry, Jesus did many good things. To this point, he had saved a wedding celebration by turning water into wine. He had cleansed the temple of those who were treating it like a marketplace. He had talked with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman at the well. He had healed the nobleman’s son and the man at the Pool of Bethesda. He had also miraculously fed five thousand people, walked on water, and publicly taught the people. You would think that the people would have responded positively to Him, but most did not. In this chapter, we will discover four ways that people responded to Jesus.
They wanted to kill Him (John 7:1).
What we read in chapter seven is not new. Look back at chapter five and you will remember that the Jewish leaders had wanted to kill Jesus for two reasons (John 5:16-18). They thought He had “broken” the Sabbath by healing the man and then telling him to carry his bed home. They also didn’t like Him saying that God was His Father. These thoughts about Jesus were still brewing in their minds, and they actively sought for a way to kill Him. This caused Jesus to stay away from Jerusalem where these religious leaders were more active. But He continued walking through Galilee and ministering to the people there.
Later in the chapter, Jesus confronted them about their murderous thoughts (John 7:19-24). He compared what He had done (healing on the Sabbath) to a practice done by the priests on the Sabbath Day. He noted that if the priests were not guilty while working on the Sabbath, then He too was not guilty for healing a man on the Sabbath. He then asked them why they were trying to kill Him. Their reply was deceptive. They told him He was demon-possessed and acted as if nobody wanted to kill Him. But those who were from Jerusalem recognized Him as the One they wanted to kill.
The problem with the Jews was that they had become so focused on their erroneous interpretation of the law that they had forgotten the real purpose God had given it. They had turned the Jewish religion into a shell of what God had intended. Now, with a zealous adherence to the traditions of the elders, they were willing to kill anyone who tried to point out their sinful behavior. Instead of recognizing the Son of God, they hated Him and wanted Him dead.
They didn’t believe Him (John 7:2-5).
Every year, the Jewish people celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles. It was a seven-day feast designed by God for their enjoyment and to remind them of the time their forefathers spent in the wilderness after God brought them out of Egypt (Lev. 23:33-43). Jesus’ family was planning to attend the feast along with many other Jewish people in the area. When His brothers1 were ready to make their way from Galilee to Jerusalem, they invited Jesus to go with them. Their thinking was that His disciples would want to see Him do these “reported” miracles out in the open. From their perspective, nobody who wants to be believed does things in hiding. Their advice would have been good for a political figure who was wanting to become well-known. However, the truth behind their statement was that they didn’t believe what they had heard about Him.
Sadly, the brothers who had grown up with Him had not believed Him to this point.2 They had probably been at the wedding where Jesus turned water into wine. But there is no mention that they saw the miracle take place. They had probably heard the rumors about the other miracles Jesus had done. But as far as we know, they weren’t there to verify what happened. They weren’t disciples of Jesus, but they knew of His disciples as they and their mother had visited them at one point (Matt. 12:46-47). The truth was that these men who were part of Jesus’ family had rubbed shoulders with Him but never been convinced that Jesus was the Son of God. To them, it made no sense for their brother to act like the Messiah but not reveal Himself to the world.
The problem with Jesus’ brothers was that they had trouble believing that someone from their own family could be the Messiah. Although they had grown up with Him, they were skeptical of the way Jesus was acting. It didn’t make any sense to them. And so, Jesus had to explain what the real problem was.
They hated Him (John 7:6-9).
The advice given by Jesus’ brothers was good as far as it went. If Jesus wanted to be known by everyone, He would have a good opportunity to speak to the crowds in Jerusalem. But Jesus knew more than His brothers. As the Son of God, He knew His Father’s timing and the ultimate purpose for His life and ministry at that exact point. Jesus came as the Lamb of God who would be the final sacrifice for the sins of the world. But it wasn’t time for that to take place yet. His brothers were free to go about doing whatever they wanted, but Jesus had to live His life according to His Father’s timing. And arriving in Jerusalem with the rest of His family could have led to His death before other important things had been accomplished.
But why would the people want to kill Him? It was because the world hated Jesus and what He said about them. Jesus knew that their works were evil and exposed them for what they truly were. But can you think of a time where Jesus pointed out the evil of their works? If you go back to the second chapter, you will remember that Jesus cleansed the temple of those who had made the temple into a marketplace. While you might be able to think of reasons for keeping sacrificial animals in the temple yard and providing money services, Jesus noted them as evil. The religious leaders were seemingly more interested in making money than praying to God. They had also changed the Sabbath day from a restful day to one filled with anxiety for anyone wanting to be able to please God.
The problem with these worldly people was that they wanted to continue in their sin and not be bothered with someone telling them to repent. This admonition to repent was directed toward even the religious leaders. Jesus had pointed out their sin and for that reason, they hated Him. But there were still some who were considering what He was saying.
They were undecided about Him (John 7:10-13).
Although Jesus had not chosen to go with His family, He eventually went on His own. The religious Jews who hated Jesus were watching for Him but didn’t see Him arrive with those who came from Galilee. But there were others who were undecided about Jesus. Some said that He was a respectable man. In other words, they thought that He was doing some good. Others thought He was a deceiver. Perhaps His teaching about the Sabbath, true worship, or His body and blood had turned them away. The people were undecided on what they thought about Jesus. But there is one thing that was certain. Nobody was willing to speak openly about Him because they feared the response from the Jewish leaders.
Later in the chapter, the religious leaders sent officers to arrest Jesus (John 7:32, 45-52). He had been teaching the people in the temple and there were several altercations. When the officers returned without Him, the Jewish leaders asked them why. The officers told them that they had never heard a teacher like Jesus. This caused the Pharisees to become angry. They asked the officers if they had been deceived. Had they seen any of the Pharisees believing in Jesus? They also accused the officers of being ignorant of the Law. At this point, Nicodemus spoke up. He was the Pharisee who had talked with Jesus at night (John 3:1-21). He asked the other Pharisees if they were judging the man without a proper trial. This only made them more angry.
The problem with these undecided people is that they were afraid to have an unpopular opinion about Jesus. If they chose to believe Him, the majority of the religious leaders would call them ignorant. They might even kick them out of the temple. The people were under a lot of pressure and so they chose to not make their opinions known. - How does it apply?
After looking at the responses of the people in this chapter, do you think people are any different today? Back then, some wanted to kill Jesus, some didn’t believe Him, some hated Him, and some were undecided. But what about you? What is your response today?
Do you hate Jesus?
Jesus often went straight to the issue. He told religious Nicodemus that he wasn’t fit for God’s kingdom. He needed to be born again. He told the Samaritan woman at the well that she was ignorant about God and had been living in sin. He told the religious leaders that they were wrong about what the Bible taught. These straightforward conversations with people led some of them to hate Jesus. But what about you? Have you been convinced of your own sinfulness from God’s perspective? Or have you begun to hate being told you are a sinner? At some point, you will need to address your attitude toward God.
Do you believe Him?
Jesus’ brothers had grown up with Him and had seen His perfect life. But even after all they had seen and heard, they did not believe Him. The Pharisees were also like this. They asked the officers if any of the Pharisees had believed Jesus. The fact of the matter is that Nicodemus was the only Pharisee that might have believed Jesus at this point. But for the most part, the Pharisees were united in their disbelief. But what about you? Have you believed Him? In the first chapter, John tells us that “as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” As you have heard what Jesus said and did, have you believed Him?
Are you still undecided?
Some of the people who saw Jesus during the feast were undecided about whether to believe Him or not. Some viewed Him as a respectable teacher. Others thought He was a deceiver. The officers who were sent to arrest Jesus were amazed at the way He spoke. These people were undecided about what they thought about Jesus. And they were also affected by their fear of the religious leaders who opposed Him. This made their decision that much more difficult. If they believed Jesus and followed His teaching, there would be consequences. They would have to repent of their sins and begin to follow Jesus. Because of these things, they remained undecided. But what about you? You have been thinking about what Jesus has done and said, but have you made your final decision?
Conclusion
Large crowds are filled with a variety of different people. Each of those people must make a decision about what they will do with Jesus. The crowds in Jerusalem faced that decision. Some believed while others did not. Not much has changed since then. People all around our community must decide whether they will put their trust in Jesus or not. In the end, it doesn’t matter how short or tall, attractive or plain, dark or light, educated or ignorant, rich or poor, religious or atheistic, loud-mouthed or quiet they are. Each individual must respond to Jesus while he has the opportunity.
Bibliography
Blum, Edwin A., “John” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary New Testament, USA: SP Publications, 1983.
Kent Jr., Homer A., Light in the Darkness, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1974. Reprint 1986.
Laney, J. Carl, John, Chicago: Moody, 1992.
Plummer, A., The Gospel According to St. John, Cambridge; University Press, 1923, orig. 1880.
Footnotes
- Matthew 13:5 identifies his brothers as James, Joses, Simon, and Judas. Plummer suggests that they may have been older brothers related to Joseph from a former marriage (p. 161). His only evidence for this is the bluntness of their conversation with Him. This makes him think that they were older brother telling Him what to do. ↩︎
- “Many Christians are troubled by unbelief within their own households. There may be parents, siblings, or children who do not believe. There is some comfort in knowing that Jesus experienced the same difficulty in His earthly family.” Laney 139. ↩︎