Trusting in God’s timing is not always easy, but it is always best. The Bible and especially the Old Testament show us time and time again that God is faithful to his word always, and that his timing is perfect. A few notable examples that most of you would be familiar with. God promised Abraham when he was 75 years old that he would have a son with Sarah and he waited 25 years, but God in his timing kept his word. Moses spent 40 years in Midian until God called him to lead his people out of Egypt when he was 80 years old. Then there is Joseph and Kind David and their stories of God’s timing in their lives for when they would serve him. For us God’s timing is often hard to wait for and not aligned with our lack of patience. However for the Lord Jesus he knew that the Father’s timing was perfect, and he willingly trusted and followed God’s timing to the second. And we see this beautifully displayed in today’s passage.
1. God’s Timing (Verses 1-10 Timing and Publicity)
Last week we saw that many rejected Jesus after he taught at the synagogue in Capernaum and more than a few of his disciples left. However, Peter on behalf of the 12 disciples showed that they trusted Jesus when he said
“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
As we come to chapter 7 we see that Jesus went around, walked, or as I would say was now hanging out in Galilee and in so doing was staying away from Judea as the Jewish leaders were working out a way to try and kill him. (Put verse 1 up on the screen). Jesus was deliberately avoiding Judea as it wasn’t yet time. When Jesus says it wasn’t yet time, I can’t help but see the imminent and the cross. That cross was coming, in fact it was about 6 months away when the passover festival would be held, and as we read in Acts 2:23 Peter states:
23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.
But for right now the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was coming, it is also known as the Festival of shelters or booths. This Festival commemorated Israel’s journey in the wilderness. You can read more about it in Leviticus 23:33-43.
So as we come to verses 2 to 4 Jesus’ brothers show that they had seen his miracles, but not his identity. They didn’t believe in him. Have a look at verses 2-5:
John 7:2-5
2 But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, 3 Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. 4 No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For even his own brothers did not believe in him.
Look at the language. Hey brother the festival is coming, you need to do these works in public so you can become a public figure, so that you can become someone famous. You need to show yourself to the world. They treated Jesus like a politician or a celebrity. They wanted the public recognition for him, or maybe for themselves? They wanted him to come with them to the festival of tabernacles not for God’s glory, and definitely not in God’s timing, but to please the world. They did not yet understand that he was the Messiah and what that meant. They were indeed thinking only in human/worldly terms. So we read those words in verse 5 For even his own brothers did not believe in him. Well not yet, not at this time. But feel free to look at ACTS 1:14 to see the end result.
Jesus’ response now showcases the different priorities. Read with me verses 6-9 and we can break down the differences.
6 Therefore Jesus told them, “My time is not yet here; for you any time will do. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil. 8 You go to the festival. I am not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.” 9 After he had said this, he stayed in Galilee.
Jesus begins his response to his brother’s invitation with the words “my time has not yet come.” This was not the first time Jesus has said these words, and not even the first time he has said similar words to his own human family. If you flick back to John chapter 2, where we read about Jesus’ first sign, first miracle as recorded in John’s Gospel of turning the water into wine, there is the exchange between Jesus and his mother when she urges him to get involved after the wedding party runs out of wine and Jesus replies in John 2:4 “My hour has not yet come.”
Jesus would indeed let himself be seen, but only at the correct time and only for the correct purpose. Not to be famous in the world, but to save the world. Jesus now talks in pairs. He says that his time has not yet come and this is because he is waiting on God’s go ahead. Jesus knows the times that the Father has set and going with his brothers would not fit into God’s timing. Unlike his brothers for whom there is little difference if they go to the festival now or later. The second pair is related to the first. The world cannot hate his brothers at this time for they belong to it. They don’t accept that Jesus is the Messiah. They have not in mind the things of God. Yet Jesus is hated by the world, that is clear from our passage today and from the whole of John’s Gospel. And Jesus spells this out, that he testifies that the works of the world are evil. So for the time being he stayed in Galilee.
Now an answer in a sense to the question in verse 8 about whether Jesus tells a lie, is that what he is really saying is that he is going in God’s timing and not his brother’s timing. The whole section says that anytime will do for them, but not for God, and ergo for Jesus. This was all about timing.I think though one of the most compelling reasons for me to understand that Jesus would go is
Deut 16:16-17
16 Three times a year all your men must appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the Lord empty-handed: 17 Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.
Jesus would definitely keep the law. It was just the timing and when he would appear that meant he didn’t go with his brothers. I see no incongruence in Jesus’ words and actions. He said no to going with his brothers to be paraded around in public and then a few days later he went in secret because he knew the Jews were waiting and watching for him, most probably to arrest him, just as we see in verses 10-11.
10 However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. 11Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus and asking, “Where is he?”
2. Who is this man? (verses 12 and 13)
After John has given us insight into the mindset of both the brothers of Jesus and the Jewish leaders, our attention is diverted for a few moments to the crowds at the festival, and we see that Jesus was definitely the topic of conversation, and the question on everyone’s lips was who is this man?
12 Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.” Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” 13 But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders.
The Jewish leaders were waiting, everyone was talking about him. But opinions were divided. Some said he was a good man and some a deceiver. Now it is interesting at this stage that John has these two divisions, for in a couple of verses time the division will be Messiah or not. For right now though the crowd were all worried about the Jewish leaders. So they whispered, in secret.
God’s timing followed
Then halfway through the festival it was time and Jesus went up to the temple courts and began to teach.
3. God’s Teaching, God’s Glory (verses 14 and 15)
14 Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. 15 The Jews there were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having been taught?”
It was time for teaching. And while we don’t have the words that Jesus taught, we have an account of the reaction to Jesus’ teaching. And friends it must have been incredible teaching, we know this firstly because it was Jesus teaching, and secondly because of the words of the Jewish Leaders, that is what The Jews is shorthand for. Not only were the Jewish Leaders amazed at the teaching, they asked how it was possible that this non-trained rabbi could have the knowledge and skills that he had. And we need to understand that 2000 years ago there really was only one way to be trained and that was under the guidance of a senior rabbi, as their disciple for a long period of time. Jesus’ words, his teaching, like his miracles were there staring everyone in the face. They were amazed, but still didn’t understand. So Jesus explains that his teaching is God’s teaching. It comes directly from God the Father. Have you ever heard someone speak and thought that what they said and how they said it was just so well done. I think that Dr John Lennox who is one of the best Christian apologists alive today is someone who I would put in this class. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to him or read his books, then I highly recommend him. For you see when I listen to John I don’t hear a man saying I, what I hear is a man saying God, He, Jesus and Grace. He doesn’t debate with people to win the argument, he speaks and debates to win people to Christ, to speak God’s truth. Please don’t hear me saying that Dr Lennox is perfect or without fault for that is simply not true. But when he speaks we see his heart. And Jesus here explains that His teaching is God’s will and God’s words. For he only seeks God’s glory. Have a look at verses 16-18
16 Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. 17 Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18 Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.
Jesus is saying, here is the basis on which you are to judge me. The words that I am saying, do they bring glory to God, are they His words? Jesus has been sent by God to save the world. He is being obedient to the Father in everything. In his timing, in his words and in his deeds. The answer to the Jewish Leaders question about how did Jesus have such learning without being taught is in the end a misunderstanding. For Jesus had indeed been taught, and he had been taught by God the Father himself. That is the point that Jesus makes.
4. Judge Correctly (John 7:19-24)
Jesus after defending himself against their misunderstanding of his teaching and who he is, now goes on the attack and questions them. Now in this section we need to have in mind the Jewish Leaders persecution of Jesus that began after he healed the invalid by the pool in Bethesda in John 5. For that is where Jesus now returns in this section. They had accused Jesus of breaking the Law of Moses, and now Jesus sets them straight. They are the lawbreakers. They are the ones looking to murder him and break the 7th commandment, you shall not commit murder.
19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”
But once again John brings us back to the reaction of the crowd and their lack of understanding. For Jesus knows that the Jewish leaders are looking for a way to kill him. We read that in John 5:18 and John 7:1. And we read the crowds reaction in verse 20:
20 “You are demon-possessed,” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?”
The crowd would not have known about the Jewish Leaders plans to kill Jesus, and so to them this would not have made sense, perhaps they thought that Jesus was paranoid, for these must have seemed like crazy words, however we know from Scripture that Jesus wasn’t paranoid, he just knew the truth. Jesus now shows how they have a wrong interpretation of the law of Moses. They are not concerned for God’s glory, but for their own rules. Jesus indeed healed a man on the sabbath. And he now not only shows their hypocrisy with the law, but also shows them up for their condemnation of him. Have a look at verses 21-23.
21 Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed. 22 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. 23 Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath?
Jesus shows them the ridiculous irony of them accusing him of breaking the law of Moses. Jesus is fully God and the ultimate author of the law who fulfilled it perfectly. The Jewish leaders accept that it is fine to have a baby boy circumcised on the 8th day to keep the covenant, but they decided that Jesus healing a man’s whole body, restoring him on the sabbath was an even greater act of covenant keeping and God’s compassion, yet they accused him of breaking of the law. So Jesus finished this section with a verse which is not the easiest verse in the bible.
24 Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”
Now in this section we see that the Jewish leaders and many of the crowd thought that Jesus was a sinner, and that they were righteous. Jesus had supposedly broken the sabbath. He had sinned according to many. Yet they couldn’t have been more wrong. Here before them was God’s own Son who had come to earth, lived a perfect life and was heading toward the cross to die for the sins of the whole world. And showing everyone through miraculous signs and teaching exactly who he was. Yet many judged him because he didn’t fulfil their expectations. Jesus was the son of Joseph and Mary, how could he be the Messiah? They judged by mere appearances. And Jesus instructed them to judge correctly. In the end I believe when Jesus says “but instead judge correctly” it is an invitation. An invitation to follow Peter’s example and say the same words “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” That friends, is the correct judgement. Let’s pray.
