Describe the Feast Of Tabernacles
Contentions With The Religious Rulers
18He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.
If we are the origin of our message, then it is natural that we press our own agenda.
Jesus declared that His message was from the Father, for He desired to see His Father glorified.
19Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?”
The people had great reverence for Moses, but they did not obey the laws that God handed down to Moses.
They had a commitment to religion, but not a commitment to God.
Jesus knew that the religious leaders wanted Him dead.
20The people answered and said, “You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?”
The public did not know about the death wishes the religious leaders had against Jesus.
They then began to criticize Him and say that He had a demon.
21Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work, and you all marvel.
Jesus refers back to the healing of the lame man on the Sabbath day. (John 5)
Jesus knew that that miracle had started the great opposition against Him, with them wanting Him dead.
22Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.
23If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?
The reasoning of the rulers was that the Sabbath day should be kept holy, no work being done.
They declared that Jesus healing a man on the Sabbath was work, and therefore, forbidden.
At the same time, they would obey the Law of Moses, and circumcise baby boys on the 8th day, according to the Law of Moses.
They correctly believed that the cutting away of foreskin was allowed, but healing a lame man wasn’t.
It was a hypocritical double standard.
Religious hypocrisy is blind to its own wrongdoings.
They were more concerned with the letter of the law than the intent of the law.
Their hypocritical twisting of the law caused them to miss the intent of the law.
24Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
Jesus simply asked them to judge His actions the way they would judge their own actions.
25Now some of them from Jerusalem said, “Is this not He whom they seek to kill?
Some of the locals from Jerusalem knew the deadly intentions of the religious rulers.
To assassinate Jesus during this feast would be too risky with so many pilgrims who liked Him.
26But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?
Did they abandon their plot to kill Him because they finally determined that He is the Messiah?
27However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.”
Jesus was known to have grown up in Nazareth. He was called a Nazarene, but He wasn’t born there
The crowd seems to be uninformed, thinking that the origins of the Messiah’s life would be a mystery
The Old Testament prophesied where the Messiah would be born.
God told the nation ahead of time where their messiah would be born, and He did that so that they would recognize Jesus when He arrived.
Micah 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”
28Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, “You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.
29But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.”
Jesus raised His voice and deliberately addressed the masses.
You both know Me…Jesus assented that they knew His local parentage, but not His Heavenly Father
30Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.
This is a comfort to every Christian.
As much as they hated Jesus, they couldn’t touch Him unless the father allowed it.
The same is true for us. (Read Job 1 & 2)
31And many of the people believed in Him, and said, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?”
The signs (miracles) were done for two reasons.
To alleviate human suffering and to prove who Jesus was.
32The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.
The religious rulers did not like that some popular opinion was in favor of Jesus.
They wanted to stop that support from increasing, so they sent men to take Jesus.
33Then Jesus said to them, “I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.
34You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come.”
Jesus here spoke of His upcoming death and ascension into Heaven.
He claimed that he would return to Heaven, to His Father who had sent Him.
Because He would ascend from the Earth, no one would be able to find Him upon the Earth.
Even further, if they continued on in unbelief, they would never be with Him in Heaven.
35Then the Jews said among themselves, “Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?
36What is this thing that He said, ‘You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come’?”
The Dispersion was the Jews that lived in Greek lands.
The Greek were the non-Jews, the Gentile population.
37On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
38He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
See Psalm 1; Isaiah 58:11.
39But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
The Feast of tabernacles was the most joyous Jewish Feast, and the last day was the most joyous day.
Jesus purposely upstaged all the festivity and spiritual significance and pointed to Himself.
It was grandiose, flamboyant, and conspicuous.
Jesus purposely upstaged the most joyful moment in the Jewish faith and pointed to Himself.
The person who says yes to Jesus is indwelt by God the Holy Spirit.
This is the chronology:
1. Jesus would die for the sins of the world.
a. Those who believed in Him would be saved, and eventually receive the Holy Spirit.
b. Those who believe today immediately receive the Holy Spirit.
2. After Jesus’ death, he would ascend to heaven.
a. He would be raised from the dead (glorified), and then return to heaven.
3. 50 days after His death was the Day of Pentecost.
a. On that day, in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit came upon the believers and filled them.
b. The Christian both receives the Holy and Spirit, and from the Christian, the Holy Spirit flows out.
The Jewish priests poured out the water onto the pavement during the feast of Tabernacles.
It reminded the people of the physical thirst that God satisfied for them in the desert.
Jesus declared that He would satisfy the innermost thirst of man’s soul.
The ceremony looked backwards; Jesus invites us to look forward.
40Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is the Prophet.”
Cimino- True — but not entirely true! The prophet is one who foretells the will of God and tells forth the heart and mind of God towards man. That is true of Jesus — but there is this HUGE difference. The prophet says: “Thus saith the Lord.” His authority is borrowed and delegated. His message is not his own. Jesus IS God who became man — and as God with us He says: “I say unto you.” Jesus speaks, not with a delegated authority, but with the authority that He possesses by virtue of His divine nature. Again — Many are willing to concede or confer upon Jesus the title of “prophet.” By doing so they place Jesus in the same category as Mohammed or other prominent religious men. Again — By doing so — they relegate to Jesus mere humanity. But Jesus never claimed to be merely a prophet. He claimed to be God incarnate. The great proof of His claims hinged upon His resurrection. IF Jesus is a prophet — BUT He is not risen from the grave — THEN He is a false prophet, as He predicted not only His crucifixion, but also His bodily resurrection three days after His death.
41Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee?
Lack of spiritual understanding led to confusion about that which could save them and satisfy their soul.
They had ignored the available truth in their own scriptures.
As a result they were confused about the truth.
Isaiah 9:1b, 2 By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles. 2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.
42Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?”
43So there was a division among the people because of Him.
They knew part of the truth, but did not put all of the facts together.
44Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.
45Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why have you not brought Him?”
46The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this Man!”
47Then the Pharisees answered them, “Are you also deceived?
48Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?
49But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.”
Those who served the religious rulers (Temple Police) were radically impressed with Jesus’ words and authority.
They could not follow through in arresting Him.
They may have been intimidated also by those in the crowd that supported Jesus.
More importantly, it wasn’t yet Jesus time to be arrested.
NOTE- Notice what the religious leaders said about the crowd.
50Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them,
51“Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?”
Nicodemus had previously visited Jesus at night. (John 3)
He seems to be suggesting that the religious rulers are being hasty or imbalanced in their assessment of Jesus.
52They answered and said to him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.”
Galilee was considered an uneducated region.
It was rural, agricultural, and most of the common people lived there.
Because of their religious and social biases, the Religious rulers from Jerusalem automatically disqualified Jesus from being anyone important since He was known as a Galilean.
NOTE- Presumption and biases of any kind will keep people from coming to Jesus.
53And everyone went to his own house.