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John 7: Chap 8

After this Jesus moved about within Galilee. He had decided not to travel in Judea because the Jews were looking for a chance to kill him.

However as the Jewish Feast of Booths drew near, his brothers had this to say: “ You ought to leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples there may see the works you are performing. No one who wishes to be known publicly keeps his actions hidden. If you are going to do things like these, you might as well display yourself to the world at large” ( As a matter of fact, not even his brothers had much confidence in him)

Jesus answered them:

“ It is not yet the right time for me, whereas the time is always right for you. The world is incapable of hating you but it does hate me because of the evidence I bring against it, that what it does is evil.

Go up yourselves to the festival. I am not going up to this festival because the time is not yet ripe for me.” Having said this he stayed on in Galilee. However once his brothers had gone up to the festival he too went up but as if in secret and not for all to see.

During the festival naturally the Jews were looking for him, asking: “ Where is that troublemaker?” Among the crowds there was much guarded debate around him. Some maintained: “ He is a good man,” while others kept saying , “ Not at all, he is only misleading the crowd!” No one dared talk openly about him, however, for fear of the Jews.

First Episode

The feast was half over by the time Jesus went into the temple area and began to teach. The Jews were filled with amazement and said, “ How did this man get his education when he had no teacher?” This was Jesus’ answer:

“ My doctrine is not my own; it comes from him who sent me. Any man who chooses to do his will, will know about this doctrine- namely, whether it comes from God or is simply spoken on my own.

Whoever speaks on his own is bent on self-glorification. The man who seeks glory for him who sent him is truthful; there is no dishonesty in his heart. Moses has given you the law, has he not?

Yet not one of you keeps it. Why do you look for a chance to kill me?”

“ You are mad! ”The crowd retorted.“ Who wants to kill you?“ Jesus answered:

“ I have performed a single work and you profess astonishment over it.

Moses gave you circumcision ( though it did not originate with Moses but with the patriarchs)

And so even on a Sabath you circumcise a man. If a man can be circumcised on the sabbath to prevent a violation of Mosaic law, how is it you are angry with me for curing a whole man on the sabbath? Stop judging by appearances and make an honest judgement.”

This led some of the people of Jerusalem to remark: “ Is this not the one they wanted to kill?” Here he is speaking in public and they don’t say a word to him. Perhaps even the authorities have decided this is the Messiah. Still we know where this man is from. When the Messiah comes, no one is supposed to know his origins. At this, Jesus, who was teaching in the temple area, cried out:

“So you know me and know my origins? . The truth is, I have not come of myself. I was sent by One who has the right to send, and him you do not know. I know him

Because it is from him I come: he sent me.”

At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a finger on him because his hour had not yet come. Many in the crowd came to believe in him. They kept saying, “ When the Messiah comes can he be expected to perform more signs than this man?”

The Pharisees overheard this debate about him among the crowd, and the chief priests and Pharisees together sent temple guards to arrest him.

Jesus then said to them:

“ Only a little while longer am I to be with you. Then I am going away to him who sent me. You will look for me but you will not find me; where I am you cannot come.”

This caused the Jews to exclaim among themselves: “ Where does he intend to go that we will not find him?” Surely he is not going to the Diaspora among the Greeks, to teach them? What does he mean by saying “ You will look for me but you will not find me? and, “ Where I am you cannot come?

Second Episode

On the last and greatest day of the festival , Jesus stood up and cried out:

“ If anyone thirsts, let him come to me; let him drink who believes in me. Scripture has it: “ From within him rivers of spring water shall flow.”

( Here he was referring to the Spirit whom those that came to believe in him were to receive. There was, of course, no Spirit as yet, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.)

Some in the crowd who heard these words began to say, “This must be the Prophet.” Others were claiming ”He is the Messiah.” But an objection was raised: “ Surely, the Messiah is not to come from Galilee? Does not scripture say that the Messiah, being of David’s family, is to come from Bethlehem the village where David’s lived?”

In this fashion the crowd was sharply divided over him. Some of them even wanted to apprehend him. However, no one laid hands on him.

When the temple guards came back , the chief priests and Pharisees asked them, “ Why did you not bring him in? “ No man ever spoke like that before,” the guards replied. “ Do not tell us you have been taken in! the Pharisees retorted. “ You do not see any of the Sanhedrin believing in him do you? Or the Pharisees? Only this lot- that knows nothing about the law- and they are lost anyway! One of their own number, Nicodemus ( the man who had come to him) spoke up to say, “ Since when does our law condemn any man without first hearing him and knowing the facts?” “ Do not tell us you are a Galilean too,” they taunted him. “ Look it up, you will not find the Prophet coming from Galilee”