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John: |
From the pulpit at Pilgrim's
Rest |
The Feast of
Booths
For the
Lord’s Day: the 16th of October 2005
John 7: 1-24
Introduction: Our text here at the beginning of Chapter seven contains several issues. First, the historical record understood by the Apostle John begins with the preparations for the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles, which “was one of the three most important festivals of the Jewish year and was celebrated for eight days in Jerusalem.” This was done in remembrance of how the Israelites had lived in the wilderness during the exodus from Egypt. Especially remembered, as part of this celebration, was the great fact of God’s faithfulness to His people.
Second, given the spiritual opposition of the Jerusalem authorities, Jesus plans on slipping into Jerusalem incognito rather than arriving at the head of a vast delegation of Galilean followers. And third, the people, even many of His own followers and family are not yet certain just who and what the Son of Man is and represents?
Development: The final claims of Jesus in the New Testament are to the thinking of the world absolutely incredible. Anyone who comes to the Gospels especially, is faced with choosing between three possibilities:
1. Jesus Christ is exactly who and what He says He is.
2. He was completely insane.
3. He was a charlatan who would deceive any and all who might fancy His claims.By your presence here today you give evidence that you have chosen to believe the first probability. And my calling is to encourage you to hold fast to that belief which you have from the Holy Spirit. Let’s begin our meditation with: John 7: 16b-17. “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.” John Calvin comments upon this verse in these words: "that right judgment flows from the fear and reverence of God; so that if our minds are disposed to the fear of God they will easily see whether what He preaches is true or not." Yet, the worldly are perishing because they cannot receive these and other words from Jesus Christ. The worldly cannot accept the true religion of God's grace of the finality of God's Word. It is when we are finally ready to follow the will of God and leave our own point of view behind that we begin to make progress in this wonderful faith freely given to us in Jesus Christ. But the suppositions, training and education of the world makes our progress in faith difficult.
I am reminded of an advertisement for one brand of beauty cream on the television some years ago. The models asserted her determination that she was not going to be a push over for old age. She vowed to fight old age every step of the way. In the same way the world and its secular thinking are hostile to the Lord of Creation and any spiritual progress is fought every step of the way. Jesus too was faced with opposition, even unto death. In our seventh chapter of John we can see the nature of such opposition. But we, who have the knowledge given to us through the Holy Spirit, can also hear His teaching and we can find in the sacred record some certain assurance that Jesus is indeed the Christ, which the worldly for all their education and opinions cannot.
Look carefully over John 7: 1-13 In this section John reports that Jesus stayed for a while in Galilee because it was unsafe in Judea. There is evidence that this stay is somewhat lengthy because the Harvest Thanksgiving feast is now at hand. Jesus' relatives have urged Him to go up again to Jerusalem because His miracles in Galilee will not convince the rich and powerful. If Jesus is the Christ, they believe He should convince the people in the Capital City. Yet this unsolicited advice is not given in the right spirit. Those who give it are still unbelievers. To these family and friends Jesus states that the right time has not yet come. This reference here does not respond to His coming death, whenever Jesus talks about that time, He uses the word hour. Here He is simply stating that while they are all free to go, because the worldly Capital is friendly to them, His time to appear must be more circumspect.
The time in Jerusalem described here is very similar to the time of the Reformation in France. Very many young pastors came to Geneva to be trained as Reformed ministers. However, once they were well schooled, there was a problem for them to return to France. The government and Church of France were very unfriendly to their teaching. These men traveled by night, lived in attics, barns and sheds. Even their congregations had to meet in secret; all because the true nature of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was hated in France during the Reformation years. In a similar situation, Jesus must travel quietly to Jerusalem.
When the feast had begun, the crowds began to discuss Jesus. There was spirited argument both for and against Him and His teachings. But these arguments were quietly held for fear of the Jewish leaders. This situation was very much like the Russian society during the Stalin years. Until he died people had to be very careful of what they said. Even to tell a joke about Comrade Stalin could get one twenty-five years in prison. Certainly, it was not so bad in Jerusalem. Yet, for one's social standing in the Jewish nation, one had to be careful! We see in verse twelve the charge that Jesus was “leading the people astray”. In the Old Covenant, verses in Deuteronomy 13 insist upon the death penalty for such a terrible sin. However, while “false prophets were technically to be executed, [a] prophet like Moses was to be followed.” (Deuteronomy 18: 9-22)
In John 7: 14-24 we learn that by mid-week everyone was wondering if He would appear and perhaps the authorities had relaxed their guard somewhat. Finally Jesus does appear in Jerusalem and His timing is found to be most appropriate. Immediately He was questioned by the Temple intellectuals. Since it was the custom of the age for all teachers to quote from their own masters, the Jews wondered from whom His knowledge came. Once, someone told me that I shouldn’t quote other theologians, but simply report what I believed and understood. A very worldly custom in our day and age! By contrast – I have always understood that it is not my thinking that is important. Rather, it is my responsibility to pass along that information which was revealed in the scriptures and to share only those ideas and understandings that we understand to be orthodox in every sense of the Word. There is always danger in that commitment, since we all need the spirit of truth to ascertain which fathers in the faith to quote and defend from scripture. It was in the very false schools of Jewish tradition that the leaders of Christ’s time failed to grasp the purpose and revelations of their own religion.
When He appears, Jesus began with a discussion about keeping the Law of Moses. By this methodology, He refers the ongoing discussion back to the problem in an earlier chapter where He had healed the cripple on a Sabbath. Jesus asked “the crowd to reason consistently: why was it wrong for him to heal supernaturally on the sabbath, when circumcision was permitted on the sabbath.?” In addition to the primacy of the 8th day circumcision ritual, there were also several other practices at the festivals which took precedence over the sabbath: like killing the Passover Lamb and waving palm branches in celebration!
In verse nineteen Jesus asked publicly why the Jews sought to kill Him? This question the crowd considers incredulous! What on earth are you talking about Jesus, why would anyone want to kill you they ask? Jesus must be imagining things! The worldly cannot accept the possibility of death for ideas that they do not accept. Just a few decades ago, one General Juraliski of Poland proposed this same preposterous question: "Who would ever consider having to die for an idea in our modern era." Within weeks of that declaration, his own secret police rubbed out a Catholic Priest who was working in opposition to the Polish Communist Party. The only surprise in the Poland of that decade, was that a culprit was actually put on trial!
In the same way, the crowd in Jerusalem thinks they are too civilized to murder someone for their teachings. But, Jesus reminds the people of the healing at Bethesda and He explains that this is the reason His life is at risk. Why, He asked, was there a selective judgment? If the Jews were going to judge, He asked them to judge fairly.
Application: This is all that Jesus asks of any interested party in any time or place, look at the Gospel record, consider the claims of Christ and judge the person and the issues at stake fairly, and then decide. At the time of this festival, very many in Judea and Galilee were in the process of deciding just exactly who Jesus was. Family, friends and followers, even some of the Jewish leaders were considering the nature of the Son of Man who stood before them. Even the disciples had a long way to go before they became Apostles. Even after His death and resurrection, Thomas doubted until confronted personally. Paul, the future Apostle, was untimely born, but when Christ claimed him for the Kingdom, he believed and served along side the other eleven.
So here we are some twenty centuries later, there are many of us who already believe, there are family and friends who do not. Some even, like the Pharisees and Sadducees believe that they believe, but they are distracted with their own theories and spiritual interests. In our day and age, it is vitally important that we cut through all of the spiritual clutter, the sloppy thinking and dwelling upon sin – all the more so that we can consider Jesus Christ, Him crucified, raised and ascended. Knowing Him in that order of history must lead us on to ponder the purpose of what He accomplished? Was it not for our own souls? Here is the crux of all history – the Son of God came down and died for you and me! Isn’t that an incredible historical event? Have you decided who He is and why He came?
Yes, we may worry about others too distraction, but until we comprehend fully who He was and what He accomplished – all our petty religious speculations fade into insignificance. May the Lord Jesus Christ be yours, even as He has decided to make you His. Amen.
Rushsylvania
United Presbyterian Church 3 Feb 74 – Logan County Mission PCA 17 Feb 85
Christ Covenant Reformed (PCA) 12 Feb 89
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PREACHING RESOURCES
Barclay, William. Daily Study Bible: The Gospel of John.
(Historical Analysis only)
Brown, Raymond E. The Anchor Bible: The Gospel According to John.
Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary (New Testament).
Parker, T.H.L. Calvin’s Commentaries: The Gospel According to St John.
The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version.
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Permission granted to redistribute unedited versions with this notice.
http://www.tulip.org/trf/Jhn/Jhn07a.htm
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