At the Festival

After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He did not wish to go about in Judea because the Jews were looking for an opportunity to kill him. Now the Jewish festival of Booths was near. So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples also may see the works you are doing; for no one who wants to be widely known acts in secret. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” (For not even his brothers believed in him.)  Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify against it that its works are evil. Go to the festival yourselves. I am not going to this festival, for my time has not yet fully come.” After saying this, he remained in Galilee.

But after his brothers had gone to the festival, then he also went, not publicly but as it were in secret. The Jews were looking for him at the festival and saying, “Where is he?” And there was considerable complaining about him among the crowds. While some were saying, “He is a good man,” others were saying, “No, he is deceiving the crowd.” Yet no one would speak openly about him for fear of the Jews.

About the middle of the festival Jesus went up into the temple and began to teach. The Jews were astonished at it, saying, “How does this man have such learning, when he has never been taught?”  Then Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine but his who sent me. Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own. Those who speak on their own seek their own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and there is nothing false in him.

“Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why are you looking for an opportunity to kill me?” The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is trying to kill you?” Jesus answered them, “I performed one work, and all of you are astonished. Moses gave you circumcision (it is, of course, not from Moses, but from the patriarchs), and you circumcise a man on the sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the sabbath in order that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because I healed a man’s whole body on the sabbath? Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” 

Now some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is not this the man whom they are trying to kill? And here he is, speaking openly, but they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Messiah? Yet we know where this man is from; but when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.” Then Jesus cried out as he was teaching in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I am from. I have not come on my own. But the one who sent me is true, and you do not know him. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.” Then they tried to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come. Yet many in the crowd believed in him and were saying, “When the Messiah comes, will he do more signs than this man has done?” – John 7:1-31

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At first glance today’s scripture reading looks like not much more than a bridge between John chapter six where Jesus is talking about the bread of life and John chapter eight which is about the woman caught in adultery; but this passage is important because it highlights the humanity of Jesus. It shows that he suffered, as a human being, in many of the same ways we do.

This chapter also shows the nature of crowds, and how being in crowds effects people’s thinking, and this hasn’t changed much in two thousand years. And this chapter shows Jesus being publicly loyal to God – and as he does, while some people take issue, others begin to catch on to what he’s saying.

Let’s take a look.

As the passage opens, Jesus is spending time in the region of Galilee in the north of Israel. The apostle John tells us Jesus is deliberately avoiding going to Judea in the south because the people in power are plotting to kill him. John says “the Jews” are trying to kill him, but he means the national leaders, because of course everyone in this story is Jewish including Jesus and the disciples. And the people in power in the south hold both political and religious power because there was no separation of church and state back then.

So Jesus is avoiding Jerusalem. But then the Festival of Booths comes around, which is an annual holiday when all Jewish people who are physically able are expected to travel to Jerusalem for a week-long religious celebration of the harvest.

So Jesus, being a healthy male, would have been expected to attend; but he chooses not to, and his brothers get on his case about it. They say to him essentially, “hey! If you really want to be famous you shouldn’t be hiding out. Go to the festival! Show yourself to the world!” And there’s an edge of sarcasm in their voices.

I’m sure some of us have known what it feels like to not be understood by the people close to us, or have known the pain of having family members not understand us. If we’ve ever felt this way – Jesus knows how it feels. He’s been there.

Jesus’ brothers don’t understand his calling, and they don’t believe he is who he says he is – at least not yet. After Jesus’ resurrection some of his brothers will believe in him, and one of them will actually become a leader in the church in Jerusalem. But right now they don’t get it, and they don’t really care that they don’t get it.

It’s weird that they bring up fame, accusing Jesus of wanting to be famous – because the thing is, Jesus’ brothers are the ones who are treating him like he’s a celebrity. They’re projecting their thoughts and beliefs onto him. Speaking as someone who makes a living in the public eye: throughout scripture I don’t see Jesus seeking fame. Jesus is often accused of seeking fame, but I don’t see him doing it. I see Jesus doing what God the Father tells him to do, and becoming famous as a result, but I don’t see Jesus seeking fame for its own sake. It’s an important difference. Someday I’ll give a sermon on how Jesus handles fame… but not today.

So after Jesus’ brothers take off for the festival Jesus decides to head down to Jerusalem quietly. He’s not sneaking, he’s just not blowing any trumpets.

Then the focus of the story shifts from Jesus to the crowd. We’re in Jerusalem now, at the festival, and we see the crowd muttering and whispering amongst themselves. The religious leaders have an eye out for Jesus and they’re asking “where is he?” as if they’re expecting him.  The general public are arguing among themselves like a bunch of voters disputing over a political candidate: “he’s a good man!” “No, he’s full of fake news!” But they’re speaking in whispers because the religious leaders have made it clear than anyone who believes in Jesus will be put out of the synagogue: an old-fashioned way of excommunicating people. So they’re keeping the talk in whispers.

So the festival begins, and somewhere in the middle of the week Jesus finally shows up… quietly… in the temple… and starts to teach.

The religious leaders are astonished, because Jesus is really good. Imagine a football player the first time they see Troy Polamalu playing on the field. Or a guitar player the first time they hear Eric Clapton play a live concert. They’re going “where’d he get all this? He’s never been taught! He’s never been trained! How does he know this?”

And Jesus answers them: “the words aren’t mine – they belong to the one who sent me. Anyone who decides to do God’s will recognizes the source of my words.”

And then Jesus confronts their sin: he says: “Moses gave you the law but you’re not keeping it. The commandment says ‘do not kill’ but you’re trying to kill me.” Jesus is referring to something that happened awhile back when he healed a blind man on the Sabbath – which was a powerful miracle – and some of the religious leaders believed in him but most of them didn’t because (they said) Jesus couldn’t be a real prophet because a real prophet wouldn’t heal on the Sabbath. And according to the law of Moses false prophets should be killed. So Jesus is right in saying they’re trying to kill him.

But they reply: “you have a demon! Who is trying to kill you?” (Talk about denial.)

So Jesus confronts them again. He says: “if you circumcise people on the Sabbath in order to keep the law of Moses, why is it wrong to heal the whole person on the Sabbath?”

And the crowd begins to catch on. They say: “isn’t this the one they’re trying to kill? But look! He’s standing right here talking in public and they’re not arresting him! Could he be the Messiah?  But… we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes no one will know where he is from.”

Public opinion, as so often happens, has latched on to a half-truth. Yes, this is the one they’re trying to kill. No, they’re not arresting him… yet. Yes, he could be the Messiah. No, they don’t know where he’s from: they may think they do, but they don’t. Some of the religious leaders might recall that Jesus was born in Bethlehem; but the general public thinks he’s from Nazareth. And none of them grasp yet that Jesus is actually from heaven.

So Jesus confronts this lie. He says: “You know me, and you know where I’m from? I haven’t come on my own. The one who sent me is true and you don’t know him, but I know him because he sent me.”

At which point the religious leaders say to themselves and each other “blasphemy” and try to arrest him, but the attempt fails. And the people begin to believe.

Next week we’ll find out why the attempt at arresting Jesus fails. For this week, as we look at this passage, three things I’d like to point out:

(1) We see Jesus standing truly alone. His brothers are poking fun at him. He doesn’t appear to be staying with anyone at the festival. His disciples for some reason aren’t with him. He’s surrounded by people whose knowledge of him is based on gossip at best, conspiracy at worst. And the religious leaders are trying to kill him.

For those of us who follow Jesus, we will most likely go through times like these at some point. We will most likely find ourselves standing alone for Jesus at some point. When we do, Jesus gives us a shining example. Jesus has courage without needing bravado. Jesus knows who he is and he knows whose he is. Jesus doesn’t offend anyone but at the same time he’s not shy as he confronts the errors in peoples’ thinking.

(2) The crowd thinks it knows more than it knows (which is a good thing to keep in mind in the run-up to an election.) They mutter amongst themselves but few ask questions of Jesus directly. As believers, we need to know it’s OK to ask questions. It’s OK to ask God questions. It’s OK to bring doubts to God – in fact it’s unwise to do anything else with doubts.

(3) As Jesus speaks, and as he does the miracles he does, he reaches the hearts of some of the people. And they say, “when the Messiah comes, will he do more than this man has done?” In spite of opposition, gossip, and unfaithfulness of family, some hearts hear Jesus and know him for who he is – and they know this man is from God and can totally be trusted.

So where do we find ourselves in this story? And where would we like to be?

Let’s pray.

Lord thank you that you were willing to stand alone and be misunderstood — by people who loved you, and by people who had never met you. Thank you for standing up for the truth. Thank you for healing the blind man and not just keeping the letter of the law. Thank you for keeping on reaching out to us even when we don’t understand. Help us to see you as you really are, and help us to love you as you really are. May all the glory and honor be yours. AMEN.