7:1 The people spoken of here were the religious rulers of Israel.
Early in His public ministry, Jesus had driven out the money changers and the sellers from the Temple Mount area.
He had also healed a man on the Sabbath day, which the religious rulers considered unlawful.
It was after the healing of the lame man in John 5 that the religious leaders started plotting His death.
Jesus wasn’t afraid of these people, but to fight against their murderous purposes would interrupt ministry He had in the Galilee region.
Chapter 7 is about 5 months after chapter 6.
7:2 This Feast commemorated the forty years of wilderness wanderings and God’s provision.
They were told to build booths with branches outside their homes.
They were to sleep in the booths for one week, re-enacting and remembering their wanderings in the desert, and God’s daily provision for them of manna.
It was a week-long feast, and a time of rejoicing, usually in September or October.
Jewish males were required to attend; the population of Jerusalem would double or triple.
It was the most joyful and well attended feast.
7:3-5 His half-brothers did not believe in Jesus, and as a result, they mocked Him.
They suggested that Jesus go public and gain a following from the religious pilgrims in Jerusalem
Many had seen His miracles both in Jerusalem and in Galilee, but Galilee was less populated.
Some believed in Jesus, but many had left him after the teachings of John 6.
His followers were now in a sharp decline.
Their suggestion was motivated by unbelief and expressed in sarcasm.
NOTE- Jesus had family that didn’t believe in Him.
Many of us experience the same thing.
They thought He was crazy. (Mark 3:21)
That changed after the Resurrection. (Acts 1:14)
Eventually, two of His brothers would write New Testament epistles: James & Jude.
7:6 Jesus would not allow Himself to be manipulated by people.
The Kingdom of God is not subject to the manipulations of man.
My time- Jesus called it my hour. That would be the time of His death and resurrection.
My time has not yet come- It is not a suitable time.
He used this phrase frequently. John 8:20; 12:23, 27; 13:1; 17:1.
7:7 Jesus spoke of the world system that exists apart from the influence of God.
1 John 5:19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.
2 Timothy 2:24-26 24And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, 26and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.
But there is more to it than this.
Though mankind is under the sway of Satan, they are not just passive and ambivalent.
Darkness hates light, because light exposes darkness for what it is.
7:8, 9 Jesus did not allow Himself to be manipulated.
He refused to make the grand entrance that they prodded Him to make.
He would eventually go up to the Feast, but not at their prompting.
Jesus lived according to the father’s will and the Father’s schedule.
7:10 Jesus’ brothers prompted Him to go in a way that He might gain followers.
Instead, Jesus went up in a more quiet way.
Some would accuse Jesus of being deceitful and duplicitous.
Jesus never said that He wasn’t going to the Feast; He simply told them “not yet”.
7:11-13 The general public was divided in their opinions of Jesus.
People are always divided about Jesus.
Some were in favor of Him, but actually, they didn’t have a high enough view of Him.
They simply called Him a “good man”, whereas in truth, He was God in human flesh.
If Jesus was just a good man, then his words and actions could be argues against and second guessed.
If Jesus was just a good man, then you could admire Him without needing to surrender to Him.
The public knew that the leaders were against Jesus, so supportive opinions were kept private.
Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.
Some people wait to be vocal about Jesus until they determine what people near them think.
The people were divided over Jesus, but they were all afraid to give their opinion.
The religious leaders could excommunicate people for believing in Jesus. (John 9:22, 34)
To be excommunicated was a serious spiritual, social and financial setback for someone.
7:14 Jesus didn’t start his time of ministry with the start of the Feast.
Instead, after things were going, He began to teach in the Temple area.
7:15 Jesus didn’t have the standardized rabbinical training, and the leaders knew that.
Yet, they had to admit that He knew much about the Scriptures.
7:16, 17 NLT- 17 Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own.
Know- ginosko-to know by experience.
Henry Ironside- Now if you say, “I can’t believe the Bible”, I will tell you why. It is because you are living in some sin that that Book condemns. If you cannot believe the Bible, it is because you are living in sin. If you will face that sin honestly before God, He will give you light enough to be saved.