Conflict and Controversy at the Feast of Tabernacles

John 7:14-31

 

INTRO: The brothers of Jesus had urged him to go with them to the Feast of Tabernacles.  They wanted Him there when the festivities started; they wanted Him to be an attraction, calling attention of Himself (vss 3-4).  Jesus knew all too well that the Jewish leaders were seeking an opportunity to eliminate Him.  As the feast of Tabernacles began, “The Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, Where is He?” (Vs 11).  Why did they want to know where He was?  Jesus knew they would seek Him, and He knew why they would (vs 19).  Even before Jesus arrived, there was conflict and controversy (vs 12).

If Jesus had gone when His brothers had wanted Him to, it would have given the religious leaders time to plan to kill Him.  As we see in vs 14, Jesus, by Divine wisdom, goes in God’s timing: “About the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the Temple.”

 

I.        VSS 14-18, CHRIST ANSWERS THE QUESTION OF THE PEOPLE

A.       Vs 14, The feast lasted for a week with the eighth day added as “the great day of the feast.”  In the midst of the feast, Jesus is found in the temple teaching.

1. As we shall see, word got around, and a good crowd of listeners soon gathered, many of them sympathetic to Christ.

2. “This time there was no miracle, as on the previous (recorded) occasion (chapter 5).  But the people will soon discover that whatever the Lord does is amazing, His teaching, as well as, his miracles” (Hendriksen 9).

B.       Vs 15, The Jews were astonished, impressed, and upset at the teaching of Jesus.

1. He had not been to the accredited Rabbinical schools, yet He spoke with authority, skill, and ease.  He knew what He was talking about!  He was not the student of an accredited teacher; yet here, He is expounding the Law instead of quoting someone else.

2. How could He, an uneducated man, without “letters,” having never sat under the teaching of a lettered man, be so authoritative and convincing?

C.      Vs 16, Here we have the Lord Jesus telling these Jews how He could do and say what He did.

1. “My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent me.”

a. “His was the mind of Omniscient genius, but on the purely human level, it wa a mind saturated with the Word of God” (Phillips 144).

b. Yes, He knew the Hebrew language, and He read the scriptures fluently and without error.

c. Jesus Christ not only knew the Law; He knew the author of it.

2. Jesus was God taught.  His doctrine was that of the Father, His Father in heaven.

a. He spoke under the authority and direction of God the Father (12:49; 14:10).

b. Jesus did not glory in being self-taught– He gave God the Father all the glory.  William Barclay said: “The very greatest people think not of the power of their own minds or hands; they think always of the God who told them what they know and taught them what they can do” (279).

c. We need to put II Timothy 2:15 into practice.

D.      Vs 17, Jesus says that there is a real connection between doing and learning.  Those who do the will of God will truly understand what He teaches.  We learn by doing.

1. True Christian teaching will produce godly Christian spiritual fruit (Gal 5:22-24).

2. What Jesus is saying here is very plain: “Put my doctrine to the test.”  The Gospel has been put to the test over and over gain, and it never fails.

a. II Corinthians 5:17 is true: “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.....”

b. True believers can testify of souls redeemed, homes mended, drunks becoming sober, lives changed– transformed by the power of Christ.  “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”   Trust Christ and you will be delivered (Gal 1:4).

E.       Vs 18, Jesus always gives credit to the one who sent Him, God the Father.  Truly we should say: “To God be the glory, great things He has done.”

1. Christians need to give all the praise and glory for salvation to God (Eph 1:3-12).

2. Beware of those who are always tooting their own horn, praising themselves, lifting up their name instead of the name of Jesus.

 

II.       VSS 19-24, JESUS IS JUSTIFIED IN HEALING ON THE SABBATH

A.       Vs 19, The conflict between the Jews and Jesus intensifies as the crowd stands around.

1. Jesus knows how these Jews studied, dissected, elaborated on and interpreted the Law.  He also knew that they failed to keep it.  We will see why Jesus said this as we look at the verses that follow.

2. Jesus knew that they sought to kill him.  He also knew that in God’s time they would be successful.

B.       Vs 20, This verse is evidence that the crowd did not understand the extreme hatred that their leaders had for Jesus.  They wanted Him to name names as to who wanted Him dead.

1. “Thou art a devil,” – this is a terrible and a fearful thing to say to Jesus Christ the Son of God.  They thought him insane or demon possessed.

2. The one thing that brought about much reaction was His claim of being the Son of God!

C.      Vs 21, The one work that continued to irritate them was the healing of the impotent man on the Sabbath.

1. Jesus did this miracle on purpose, without apology, and with Divine authority.

2. This particular Sabbath miracle was never forgiven by the Jews.

D.      Vs 22, Male babies are always circumcised on the eighth day because that is what Moses declared to be done as originated by the fathers, Abraham, etc.

E.       Vs 23, Eight days after birth, the male child was to be circumcised even if that fell on the Sabbath.  This is the conflict with the fourth commandment which forbids work on the Sabbath.

1. The rite of circumcision took precedence over the law of the Sabbath; it was done by the priest without sin.

2. If circumcision, minor surgery, could be carried out on the Sabbath, how much more fitting to heal a man on the Sabbath who has been paralyzed for thirty-eight years.  The merciful thing to do.