John 7:1-9 The
reference to Jesus' brothers suggests that there was some tension in the
family. His brothers did not believe in Him, and most likely in sarcasm, told
Him to go show Himself and His works to the world, or at least to the Jewish
nation that would assemble at the feast of booths. Per the command of Moses,
every devout Jew was to gather at this feast annually, one of the three
mandatory celebrations of the Jewish calendar. (Exodus 23:14-17, Deut 16:13-16)
However, Jesus' brothers said that Jesus should show Himself to the world. Jesus'
response was that the world hated Him because He testified that its deeds are
evil. So this discussion is not about the fulfillment of the type that is
embodied in the feast of booths. That feast is a picture of God tabernacling
with men. First the Jews all lived in tents in the desert for forty years, and
God traveled with them, showing His presence by the cloud by day and the pillar
of fire by night. (Leviticus 23:33-43) In Jesus, God tabernacled with mankind
by living in a human body and walking and talking with them. But Jesus is here
saying that the world hated Him because of His testimony that its deeds are
evil. There is little in the preceding part of John in which Jesus explicitly
passes judgment on the evil deeds of the world. At the preceding feast,
recorded in John 5, Jesus healed a crippled man, and then gave testimony that
He was the Son of God, that God was His Father. This caused many to stumble. So
it seems to be a bit of a mystery why at this time Jesus would say the world
hates Him because He testifies that its deeds are evil. When He said that His
time was not yet fully come, most likely He was referring to the pre-ordained
time when He would go to be offered as a sacrifice for the sins of the world,
which is identified in John 13:1. So He did not go up to Jerusalem with His
brothers to observe the feast of Booths, but stayed in Galilee.
John 7:10-13
After the preceding, it seems paradoxical that Jesus then went up to the feast
in Jerusalem, but secretly. There must have been sightings because some of the
Jews were looking for Him, and there was apparently some murmuring among them,
with differing opinions. Perhaps Jesus wanted to hear what the various people
within the crowd were saying.
One
has to wonder what people did for seven days at a feast like this. I'm sure
there were daily religious assemblies, but they couldn't have lasted all day
every day, so there must have been considerable time available for people to
relax and talk or play or take meals together. Something like a modern vacation,
except that this vacation was being taken in the presence of The Lord. Not
meaning specifically in Jesus' presence, but appearing before The Lord as
commanded by Moses, they spent seven days celebrating a feast to the Lord
according to the Law of Moses. (Leviticus 23:41)
The
feast of booths followed the day of atonement. (Leviticus 23:26-32) What better
picture could there be of the process of redemption and then salvation? On the
tenth day of the seventh month, they were to humble themselves and present an
offering by fire to The Lord. Atonement has only one meaning. Kippur (Strong's #3725) is derived from Kaphar
(Strongs # 3722) which means to cover over, to expiate. In modern English, it
has come to mean amend or reparation for a wrong, and implicitly reconciliation
between the parties. And all this is rolled up in a single day, Yom Kippur,
in the Jewish calendar of holy days. Five days later begins the seven day feast
of booths, from the fifteenth to the twenty-second day of the seventh month. The
atonement which Jesus paid for by His blood (Hebrews 9:7-14) is followed by a
celebration in the presence of The Lord, which likely prefigures the marriage
celebration of the Lamb. (Revelation 19:7,9).
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