Whose Teaching?

Whose Teaching? John 7

The context of the teaching of Jesus in John 7 during the Feast of Tabernacles. Jesus tended to use the Feasts as teaching tools. He explained the meaning of the Feasts as related to the Kingdom of Heaven and His fulfillment of the plan of God. In other words, what He taught explained the Feast. Therefore, what He taught has to be understood in the context of the feast. If we don’t know about the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles, we don’t know what Jesus taught. We may not even understand the language He used. If we don’t understand the language, there is a chance we will be misunderstanding or even misrepresenting His words.

BUT FIRST

-- Jesus was home with His brothers who were taunting him. (Nothing like being a prophet at home..)

-- "Hey big brother, you want to be famous -- take your act on the road." (Nothing like sibling rivalry.)

-- Jesus’ brothers, James and Jude and more, did not believe in him. (Nothing like family for support.)

-- It may well have been Jesus birthday was coming during the Feast of Tabernacles.

John 7:6-9 Therefore Jesus told them, "The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. 8 You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come." 9 Having said this, he stayed in Galilee.

Later, He went up secretly. Sometimes we have to do spiritual things in secret; even from our family.

FEAST OF TABERNACLES

Exodus 23:16 ..."Celebrate the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.

Leviticus 23:33-43 The LORD said to Moses, 34 "Say to the Israelites: 'On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the LORD's Feast of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. 35 The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. 36 For seven days present offerings made to the LORD by fire, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present an offering made to the LORD by fire. It is the closing assembly; do no regular work.

37("'These are the LORD's appointed feasts, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing offerings made to the LORD by fire — the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings required for each day. 38 These offerings are in addition to those for the LORD's Sabbaths and in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings you give to the LORD.)

39 "'So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the LORD for seven days; the first day is a day of rest, and the eighth day also is a day of rest. 40 On the first day you are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars, and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. 41 Celebrate this as a festival to the LORD for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 Live in booths for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in booths 43 so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.'"

Features of the Feast:

-- first day get fruit and palm branches and celebrate

-- make booths out of branches and live in them for seven days

-- offerings by fire every day (burnt offerings, grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings)

-- Mosaic law was read every seventh year

What is the purpose or occasion? This really is the First Thanksgiving. It was tied in with the harvest and a celebration of the harvest.

Deuteronomy 16:13-15 Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress. 14 Be joyful at your Feast — you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites, the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns. 15 For seven days celebrate the Feast to the LORD your God at the place the LORD will choose. For the LORD your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.

From Numbers 29, we find some details:

Every day for the first seven days:

2 rams with 2/10 ephah flour and oil,

14 male lambs with 1/10 ephah of flour and oil,

1 male goat with its grain offering and drink offering

AND

Day 1 13 bulls with 3/10 ephah flour and oil,

Day 2 12 bulls with 3/10 ephah flour and oil,

Day 3 11 bulls with 3/10 ephah flour and oil,

Day 4 10 bulls with 3/10 ephah flour and oil,

Day 5 9 bulls with 3/10 ephah flour and oil,

Day 6 8 bulls with 3/10 ephah flour and oil,

Day 7 7 bulls with 3/10 ephah flour and oil,

Day eight was yet another festival.

Day 8 1 bulls with 3/10 ephah flour and oil,

1 rams with 2/10 ephah flour and oil,

7 male lambs with 1/10 ephah of flour and oil,

1 male goat with its grain offering and drink offering (called wine)

THIS IS A BIG BARBECUE. 71 bulls, if I counted right for both festivals. "In addition to what you vow and your freewill offerings, prepare these for the LORD at your appointed feasts: your burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings and fellowship offerings.'" Quite the Thanksgiving Feast. Lots of steak.

And every seventh year the Law was read.

Deuteronomy 31:10-13 Then Moses commanded them: "At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts, during the Feast of Tabernacles, 11 when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing. 12 Assemble the people — men, women and children, and the aliens living in your towns — so they can listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and follow carefully all the words of this law. 13 Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess."

To this scriptural declaration, Jewish tradition added things that applied to Jesus as He was at the feast. And it is in this context that He started teaching half way through week.

"The Jews, at a later time, introduced two appendages to the original festival, viz., (1) that of drawing water from the Pool of Siloam, and pouring it upon the altar, as a memorial of the water from the rock in Horeb; and (2) of lighting the lamps at night, a memorial of the pillar of fire by night during their wanderings."

Besides the barbeque, the party is even bigger

-- a priest with a jubilant band of music went to the pool of Siloam and got a golden pitcher full of water.

-- another priest met him back at the altar with a pitcher of wine..

-- they poured each into a respective silver basin by the altar; both emptied at the same time

-- another group jubilantly went out and got willow branches they brought to the altar to the blasts of trumpets

-- they decorated the altar with the branches

-- Psalm 118 was chanted and when verses 1, 25, and 29 were heard, everyone shook their branches.

Psalms 118:1, 25, 29

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. ...

O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success. ...

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

-- Four huge golden candelabra were placed in the center of the court; each of these candelabra had four-golden basins and four ladders, on which stood four lads from the rising youths of the priests with jars of oil wherewith they fed the basins, while the cast-off garments of the- priests were used as wicks. The lights of these candelabra illuminated the whole city. Around these lights pious and distinguished men danced before the people with lighted flambeaux in their hands, singing hymns and songs of praise; while the Levites, who were stationed on the fifteen steps which led into the woman's court, and corresponded to the fifteen psalms of degrees=steps (Psalms 120-134), accompanied the songs with harps, psalteries, cymbals, and numberless musical instruments. The dancing, as well as the vocal and instrumental music, continued till daybreak. Some of these pious men performed dexterous movements with their flambeaux while dancing for the amusement of the people. Thus it is related that R. Simon II (A.D. 30-50), son of Gamaliel I, the teacher of the apostle Paul, used to dance with eight torches in his hands, which he alternately threw up in the air and caught again without their touching each other or falling to the ground.

-- torch juggling

-- people "lived" in booths with thatched roofs to see the stars and sun; booths all over the place decorated with fruit.

-- hospitality.

-- and they have been up all night religious partying

JESUS STARTS TEACHING

Half way through the feast, Jesus started teaching. All night parties with dancing and torches and parades and bands and singing, this is the environment Jesus started teaching in. In the State-fair-like environment -- religious celebration at a peak -- the people were saying various things.

"Where is that man?"

Jesus’ reputation as a miracle worker had preceded him. The people, along with his brothers, wanted to see some of this gospel show along with the religious party they were in the middle of. There is nothing quite as much fun as a religious party with miracles.

"How did this man get such learning without having studied?"

The people had just been hearing the books of Moses from the priesthood. Jesus was not a priest and had better understanding than they did. He gets his knowledge from God. He points out that the people know the Law and even the leaders know the Law about murder, yet they are trying to kill him.

"You are demon-possessed. Who is trying to kill you?" And out of another corner:

"Isn't this the man they are trying to kill? Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Christ? But we know where this man is from; when the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from."

What had Jesus done for all this interest? Healed a man on the Sabbath.

Meanwhile, people are waving branches, chanting in processions, pouring out water and wine, sacrificing animals and grain, making vows to God, juggling torches, singing and dancing with a band -- a big celebration.

"When the Christ comes, will he do more miraculous signs than this man?" Had they heard about the water into wine? Had they heard about the feeding of the 5000? Had they heard about the walking on the water?

"Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? What did he mean when he said, 'You will look for me, but you will not find me,' and 'Where I am, you cannot come'?"

"Surely this man is the Prophet."

The water and wine had been poured out. Jesus said He is the source of living water. John explains that Jesus was referring to the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was explaining the symbolism of the feast -- and it was fulfilled at Pentecost a year later.

"He is the Christ."

"How can the Christ come from Galilee? Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David's family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?"

The torches are lit. The young men are pouring oil into the lamps. The sun is coming up to displace the lights of the lamps. The trumpets are blasting. Jesus says, "I am the light of the world." (John 8)

Nicodemus to the rescue, "Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?"

WHOSE TEACHING?

In our religious celebrations -- with bands, drums, lights, dancing, candles, clowns, puppets, visual shows and all of the performance we have -- do we wonder where Jesus is? Do we wonder where He came from? Do we even have time for his teaching and his water? After all, we have slick well trained preachers who are all to willing to give highly polished sermons with even Mosaic teaching. But do these preachers tend to kill the simple message of Jesus? Let’s dance down to the water and pour the symbol in the trough, but don’t be filled with the Holy Spirit with his gifts. That’s not for today. We don’t need that. We have scripture now. We have programs. We have buildings and building programs. Jesus is not needed or wanted in our religious celebrations. Turn the sound up.

In this carnival atmosphere Jesus stated a few simple things:

-- His message is from the Father

-- His miracles are because of the Father

-- He will be the sacrificial Lamb from the Father

-- He will give living water: the Holy Spirit

-- He is the light of the world

Have we clouded our Christianity with torch juggling while trying to effectively kill Jesus because of the miraculous? Have we chosen not to hear what he has to say because we don’t like: the denomination, his family, his hometown? Have we refused to take the Gospel to the basics so that everyone can understand it? Paul said it simply:

Romans 10:8-10 But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.