Festival, Faith, and Family

and open it up to the Gospel of John, chapter 7.

John 7 · chapter mention

We're going back to our series through the Gospel of John,

and it's been a few weeks since we were there,

so we're going to take a few minutes just to recap all that we've heard and seen in John's Gospel.

John's Gospel is the account of John of the story of Jesus.

As we said at the beginning of the series, if the Apostle John could be here with us this morning

and tell you the story of Jesus, this is what he would say.

This is what he saw, what he heard, what he experienced.

John began his account in a different place than the other Gospel writers did.

He tells us that Jesus' story goes back to the very beginning.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John tells us that back then, before all things were made,

this one, the Word, or the Son, he was with God, and he was God.

John tells us that all things that have been created were created by and through him.

And then he tells us that the Word, the Son, became flesh and lived among us.

And we celebrated that just a few weeks ago at Christmas.

And John said this, he said,

We have seen his glory, glory as of the only begotten Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

And so as we've been working our way through John, we've been looking to see,

What did you see, John?

What did you see of Jesus' glory?

How did you see that he was full of grace and full of truth?

From there, John took us to the shore of the Jordan River.

We heard about John the Baptizer and his little run-in with the Jewish leaders

that were sent from Jerusalem to see what was going on.

We heard a little of what John had been saying.

There's somebody great coming after me.

He stands among you, even now.

And we saw through John's eyes that moment when the Baptizer pointed to Jesus for the first time

and said,

Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

This is the one I've been talking about.

We heard about how some of Jesus' first disciples, as a result of that, began to follow Jesus.

Andrew and Peter, Philip and Nathaniel.

We heard a little of their expectation as they began to share the news with one another

that we found the Messiah.

We heard Jesus tell them,

You guys haven't seen anything yet.

Just wait.

From there, John took us to Jesus' first public sign,

the wedding at Cana,

where he, in the back room, did an amazing miracle

and turned a whole bunch of water into wine.

Then we followed Jesus up to Jerusalem,

where he marked the Passover with his disciples.

And we saw how Jesus began to cause a stir as he flipped the tables in the temple courts of the sellers

and drove the money changers out of the temple courts,

which brought him into conflict with the religious leaders.

We read about how Jesus did several signs during that visit to Jerusalem,

and how many people believed, and yet the faith of these people was also suspect.

Jesus wouldn't entrust himself to these people because he seemed to know things about them,

even what they were thinking.

John gave us the example of Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus,

a member of the Jewish ruling council.

And we listened as Jesus told this teacher of Israel about how he needed to be born again

by the Spirit of God in order to enter the kingdom of God.

From there we saw how there was this noticeable shift.

Many of the baptizers' disciples were now going to Jesus.

And the crowds were dwindling for John and increasing for Jesus.

John the baptizer was kind of fading into the background,

and Jesus was taking the spotlight and the attention of the whole nation.

We saw how Jesus made this quick stopover in Samaria on his way back to Galilee,

where he encountered the woman at the well

and revealed himself to her as the Messiah and to the townspeople,

and many believed.

Then we saw him again in Cana of Galilee,

and it was there that some tensions began to rise

as Jesus started to come face to face

with the unbelief of the people in his own region.

It was there that he healed the royal official's son from a distance.

After that, John skips ahead to another time

that Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a festival.

And we saw how Jesus healed the man who hadn't been able to walk for 38 years

at the Pool of Siloam.

And he did that on the Sabbath.

And we watched as this brought Jesus into a very sharp dispute

with the religious leaders.

In fact, John told us then that even before this run-in,

they had already been plotting to kill him.

But now this was intensified even more.

Jesus began to say some things to them

in the hearing of others that really bothered them.

He began to tell them about his unique, special relationship with God.

A father-son relationship unlike anything we've ever heard or seen.

Jesus said that the works that he's been doing are small beans

compared to the kinds of works that the Father is going to give him to do in the future.

Things like raising people from the dead to life

and calling people out of their graves to judgment at the end.

He said he will be the one who will judge on that day

on behalf of his Father.

He said those who believe in him will receive eternal life.

And he began to expose and challenge the unbelief

and the pride and the self-centeredness of the religious leaders.

From there, Jesus went back to Galilee.

He crossed over to the other side of the sea.

And John tells us that there was a massive crowd following him around,

numbering over 5,000 people.

And we saw how Jesus amazed them all by making bread and fish

enough to feed the whole lot of them out in the middle of nowhere

with nothing but a boy's lunch.

We watched as Jesus sent his disciples back across the lake

only to join them later on in the middle of the night

walking out to them on the water

in the middle of a storm.

Then when they were back on the other side,

we listened as many of the crowd from the previous day

caught up with Jesus.

And Jesus talked with them in the synagogue.

And he challenged them to really read and understand

the signs that he was doing correctly

and to believe in him.

He told them that he was the bread of life

that had been sent down from God,

from heaven to give life to the world.

And we saw as that conversation went from tense

to an all-out argument.

How can this man give us his flesh to eat?

Some said.

After that, we watched as many of Jesus' followers left him

and decided they were done following Jesus.

But even though many left him,

the twelve and probably a few more

stayed with him,

the faithful few.

So this is the story that we've heard from John

up until this point.

Let's turn our attention now to what happens next

in John chapter 7,

John 7 · chapter mention

starting in verse 1.

After this, Jesus went around in Galilee.

Galilee is that northern region

right up there.

He kind of has the towns of Cana

and Capernaum and Nazareth up there.

He was moving around there.

He was conducting his ministry there.

He was doing his signs.

All that he has been doing.

But up in this region in Galilee,

he did not want to go about in Judea

because the Jewish leaders there

were looking for a way to kill him.

So Jesus stayed up in this northern region of Galilee.

Judea is down here, of course,

where Jerusalem, the capital city, is.

That's the place where the temple is.

That's the place where all the religious leaders

and the ruling council are headquartered.

And that's the place where he is wanted the most.

So he's staying up here in Galilee,

conducting his ministry there.

And it might be a little bit tempting

to jump to conclusions here

or to make assumptions.

We might wonder,

is Jesus afraid of their religious leaders?

But of course, we can only guess

at what's going on in Jesus' heart and mind.

John only tells us that he didn't want to go there

because they were looking for a way to kill him.

Now, if it was me that they were looking for,

you'd bet I'd be anxious.

You bet I'd be afraid.

I'd be thinking of how to get out of the country real quick.

But we can't assume that Jesus feels

or even thinks just like we do

because as we've seen many times,

he often doesn't.

Verse two.

But when the Jewish festival of tabernacles was near,

John tells us that the festival of tabernacles was near.

Throughout the year, there were several festivals,

like this one, that they would have.

And people from all over the land

would go up to Jerusalem

and mark these festivals

just as God commanded the Israelites to do

back in the days of Moses.

And you can just imagine

with all these people going up to celebrate

and to worship, to mark the festival,

this is going to be interesting.

The tensions have never been as high

as they are now between Jesus

and the religious leaders.

Jesus is a wanted man.

They want him dead.

And so will Jesus head back down to Jerusalem

yet again for the festival

even while they're trying to kill him?

Verse three.

Jesus' brothers said to him,

leave Galilee and go to Judea

so that your disciples there may see the works you do.

No one who wants to become a public figure

acts in secret.

Since you're doing these things,

show yourself to the world.

So as the day of the festival is drawing near,

Jesus' brothers tell him to go down to Judea,

the very region that he's been avoiding.

Why?

They say so that your disciples there

may see the works that you are doing.

Now I'm not really sure

just what Jesus' brothers are thinking here.

At first it might seem like

they're just simply giving him

some good brotherly career advice.

Jesus, you should go back to Judea.

The festival will be starting soon

and you should try and reconnect

with some of your followers there.

They need to see the things

that you've been doing here in Galilee.

They say,

for no one who wants to become a public figure

acts in secret.

Since you're doing these things,

show yourself to the world.

On the surface,

it kind of seems like reasonable advice,

doesn't it?

And truly, it's not unlike the advice

that we might hear in our world today.

If you want to make a name for yourself,

you need to put yourself out there.

You need to connect with your followers.

But then John,

the one telling the story here,

says this,

for even his own brothers

did not believe in him.

So there's something else going on here.

The advice that they are

probably,

that they are giving

probably contains a hint of cynicism.

Perhaps they're saying these things

with a little bit of mockery in them.

To be honest,

I'm not really sure

what the tone of their voices is

or what they are truly meaning here.

But we kind of get a sense

that it's probably negative.

Like, come on, Jesus.

If you are the Messiah,

and you're doing all these amazing signs

and miracles

which confirm it,

go down to Jerusalem

and prove it.

Make it official.

Make it all happen.

Get onto the world stage here.

That's what the Messiah

is supposed to do.

Whatever they're thinking,

John tells us

that even though

they were his brothers,

they did not believe in him.

That's maybe a surprising thing,

isn't it?

We kind of expect

that if anyone would believe in Jesus,

it would be his own brothers.

The people who know him best.

The people that he grew up with.

And yet,

just because they were close to him

all those years,

didn't mean

that they believed in him.

And it kind of leaves us to wonder,

well,

what did they believe about him?

If they didn't believe

that he was the Messiah

sent from God,

what did they believe about him?

what are the alternatives?

Did they believe that he was a con artist?

Did he believe he had somehow perfected

the art of fooling people

with elaborate tricks?

Did they believe that he was making claims

that were not true?

A deceiver?

Or did they just think

that he was out of his mind?

We can't be sure here.

But one thing stands out to me

in all this,

and it's that Jesus was truly human.

So much so

that his own brothers

couldn't see past his flesh

and bones

to know that he was more than just a man.

I don't know how they explained

away the miracles that he did

or maybe in their own warped thinking

they kind of convinced themselves

that he was just some kind of

self-righteous older brother

who was always looking down on them

and exposing the things

that they didn't want

people to know about or see.

I got thinking about this

in terms of what's going on

in our world today.

With COVID and political upheaval,

we know all too well

how easily people can come

to polar opposite viewpoints

on things

and just get real dug in

about those things.

Well, somebody's got to be right.

There is truth and fact

in all that's going on.

But somehow,

as it often happens with people,

Jesus' brothers

are just not seeing straight.

Maybe they're just kind of,

you know,

putting up with him

and his grand delusions.

Or at best,

maybe they just don't really know

how he can do these miracles.

Maybe they are hoping

that he'll be successful,

but they just kind of have their doubts

and their reservations.

They don't believe in him.

How is it that Jesus' own brothers

do not see the glory

of the one and only Son

who came from the Father?

I think it harkens back

to what Jesus said earlier

to his followers

just before this in chapter 6.

John 6, verse 64.

John 6:64

Jesus said,

Yet there are some of you

who do not believe.

Verse 65.

This is why I told you

that no one can come to me

unless the Father has enabled them.

unless it has been granted to them

by the Father.

There's more going on here.

For some reason,

at least for now,

Jesus' brothers remain in the dark.

Blind to the reality

of just who their own brother is.

So they give their advice to Jesus.

The brothers do.

And then Jesus gives

his response to them.

He replies in verse 6 to 8.

Therefore Jesus told them,

My time is not yet here.

For you, any time will do.

The world cannot hate you,

but it hates me

because I testify

that its works are evil.

You go up to the festival.

I'm not going up to this festival

because my time has not yet

fully come.

So Jesus says a lot here.

And to be honest,

I'm not entirely sure

just what Jesus means

by all of it.

It's interesting.

What is clear

is that he tells his brothers

that he's not going

to this festival,

at least not yet.

Not now,

as they've been encouraging him to do.

And then he urges them

to go on ahead of him.

You guys go.

I'm not going yet.

And his reason

for not going yet,

it seems,

has to do with timing.

He says,

My time is not yet here.

For you,

any time will do.

What is Jesus referring to

by my time?

There are a couple

different ideas here.

One is that it's like

what he says in other places

when he says,

My hour has not yet come.

But probably the view

that makes the most sense to me

is that he's simply talking

about the time to leave

and go to the festival.

And there's a couple

good reasons for that.

First,

he doesn't use the word

for hour

like he does

in the other places.

Here he uses the word

for time

or it's a more general word,

appointed time

or season.

And in addition to that,

in the original language,

you can see

the clear emphasis

on his pronouns.

It kind of pops out to you

in the way

that it was phrased.

My time is not yet here.

For you,

any time will do.

In other words,

what I think Jesus is saying

is something like,

you guys can go up

to the festival anytime.

Whether you go today

or tomorrow,

doesn't matter.

But for me,

there is an appointed time.

And that time

is not yet here.

And this is maybe

more similar

to his statement

about,

in those other places,

about his hour

not yet having come.

I think what Jesus

is saying

is that he is under

a special constraint

that his brothers

are not.

just as Jesus

can't act

or speak

apart from what

he sees his father doing

and hears his father

saying

in some mysterious way

that we don't understand.

He is also bound

or constrained

to this certain time,

this timeline

by his father.

Father and son

acting in harmony

and synchronization.

And Jesus,

the son,

for his part,

is in the role

of submission

to his father.

So Jesus says,

you guys go on ahead.

My time to go up

is not yet here.

For you guys,

it doesn't matter

is what I think

Jesus is saying.

But then in the middle

of all this,

Jesus makes this statement

about the world

hating him.

Somehow this factors

into Jesus' timing

as well.

Jesus says,

the world cannot hate you,

but it hates me

because I testify

that its works

are evil.

Another statement

of comparison

and again,

the emphasis

is kind of on the pronouns,

you versus me.

The world cannot hate you.

Why not?

We're kind of left to wonder.

Perhaps Jesus is implying

that the world

cannot hate them

because they're a part

of the world.

I'm not really sure.

But what is clear

is why the world

hates Jesus.

He gives us the reason.

He says,

because I testify

that its works

are evil.

In other words,

there is a strong

current of opposition

to Jesus

that factors into

Jesus going into Judea

and when he will go up

to the festival.

There are some

who hate him

and we know

as we've heard

in the story

that this hatred

has been building

over the past while

both from the religious leaders

and now

it's building

amongst the people

in the crowds

that he's been talking to.

Why?

Why do they hate him?

Jesus says

they hate him

because he has been

testifying

that their works

are evil.

What does Jesus

mean by that?

Well,

it's maybe a little

more difficult to see

but this has been

happening all along

through the story

right from the beginning.

Jesus has been

exposing

the sinful thoughts

and attitude

and behaviors

of the people.

He's been,

in a sense,

shining the light

on them

and telling them

that what they're thinking,

what they're doing

here and there

is wrong,

is sinful.

In fact,

in the Gospel of Mark,

Mark just tells us

quite plainly,

right from the get-go,

Jesus' message

was this,

repent

and believe

the good news.

Repent,

turn from your

sinful ways,

your wicked ways,

and seek

God's forgiveness.

righteousness.

We saw Jesus

testifying

that people's

works were evil

at the temple courts

as Jesus

flipped the tables

and drove the sellers

and exchangers out.

Stop turning

my father's

house

into a marketplace,

he said.

In other words,

what you're doing

here in the temple courts

is evil.

We saw it

with Nicodemus

in a much

subtler

way

as Jesus

essentially

told him

that despite

how good

he thinks

he's been

or what

his position

is,

it's not

good enough

to enter

the kingdom

of God.

He told

Nicodemus

about the

unbelief

in Nicodemus'

own heart.

We saw it

with the Samaritan

woman

and how Jesus

said that he

knew about

her past

five relationships

and about

how she was

with a man

right now

that she

wasn't married

to.

He didn't

even have

to say

that's wrong.

She knew

it.

But Jesus

did bring

it up

and he

exposed it.

I testify

that its

works are

evil.

We saw

it with

the crowd

back in

chapter five.

Jesus

said there,

unless you

people see

signs and

wonders,

you will

never believe.

Again,

exposing

the evil,

the stubbornness

in their

hearts

as they

refused to

listen to

him.

We saw

it with

the man

from the

pool of

Siloam

that he

healed on

the Sabbath

day.

After Jesus

had healed

him,

Jesus

bumped into

him again

later that

day at

the temple

and he

said,

see,

you are

well again.

Stop

sinning or

something worse

may happen

to you.

I testify

that its

works are

evil.

We saw

it with the

religious leaders

that same

day as

Jesus told

them about

how they're

not seeking

God's

glory,

but instead

they're

seeking

glory from

one another.

I testify

that this

world's

works are

evil.

We saw

it with

the people

from the

feeding of

the 5,000.

When they

came back

across the

lake,

Jesus said

to them,

do not

work for

food that

spoils,

but for

food that

endures to

eternal life.

What you're

seeking is

all wrong.

You're

looking for

me not

because of

the signs

I did,

but because

you ate

the loaves

and had

your fill.

Again,

Jesus

testifying

that their

works are

evil.

It's not

always explicitly

talked about

in John,

but you can

see hints

of it all

throughout.

And it's

going to

happen even

more as

we go on.

This was

part of

Jesus'

ministry

from start

to finish.

He

proclaimed

that people

should repent

and turn

from their

sinful ways,

their wicked

thoughts,

attitudes,

and as

it says

here,

their

works.

He

testified

that

people's

works

were

evil

in

general

ways,

as he

taught the

people about

how they

should live

righteously

in the

Sermon on

the Mount.

And he

talked to

people about

how their

works were

evil in

very personal

ways,

as he

spoke with

individuals

about their

very specific

sinful

behaviors.

Jesus'

message was

not just

God loves

you and

I love

you.

His

message was

those things,

but it

was also

repent,

turn from

your sin,

believe in

me so

that you

will not

perish and

receive what

you deserve

for your

sins.

There are

many in

our world

today who

are trying

to hide

this little

phrase,

I testify

that its

works are

evil.

They're

trying to

say that

Jesus only

spoke about

how he

loved

people,

or that

he was

always

affirming

of people

no matter

how they

lived.

It's

simply

not

true.

Jesus

talked

about

sin all

the time,

and he

was not

afraid to

call people

out for

their sins.

That's why

they hate

him.

That's why

they wanted

to kill

him.

That's why

they did

go all

the way.

to taking

his life

when they

executed him

on the

cross.

They wanted

to get

rid of

this man

whom God

had sent

to shine

the spotlight

on their

sin,

on their

evil thoughts

and attitudes

and works.

God

John has

brought this

dynamic to

our

attention

back in

chapter 3

verse 19.

This is

the verdict.

Light

has come

into the

world,

but people

loved

darkness

instead of

light

because their

deeds were

evil.

Everyone

who does

evil

hates

the light

and will

not come

into the

light

for fear

that their

deeds will

be exposed.

That's what's

going on

here.

Jesus

not only

exposing

the sin

of a

couple

people,

he's

exposing

the sins

of everyone

in all

kinds of

ways

and people

don't like

it

because they

love their

evil ways.

And this

is not just

something that

happened back

in Jesus'

day.

This is a

dynamic that

describes what's

going on

even today.

The world

still hates

Jesus when

they hear

him expose

and testify

that their

works are

evil.

Now,

Jesus is not

here in the

flesh,

but whenever

we,

as Christians,

teach or

preach or

tell others

of what he

said about

sin,

they don't

like it.

They recoil.

And if the

light comes to

shine too

brightly on

something in

particular that

they've been

doing,

they can get

mad and

angry.

Don't you

dare tell me

that how I'm

living is

wrong,

is evil.

Don't you

dare tell me

that someday

I'm going to

face judgment

or go to

hell.

But the

truth is that

Jesus talked

a lot about

hell.

Why?

Because it's

a real danger

for sinners

like you and

me.

Unless we

repent.

and believe

in Jesus.

Back to

Jesus'

answer to

his

brothers.

He says,

I'm not

going up yet

to the

festival because

my time is

not yet

here.

You go

on ahead.

Verse 9.

After he

had said

this,

he stayed

in Galilee.

However,

verse 10,

after his

brothers had

left for

the festival,

it says,

he went

also,

not publicly,

but in

secret.

And this

is how

things started

to go.

Now,

at the

festival,

this is

verse 11,

the Jewish

leaders were

watching for

Jesus and

asking,

where is he?

Among the

crowds,

there was

widespread

whispering

about him.

Some said,

he's a good

man.

Others

replied,

no,

he deceives

people.

But no

one would

say anything

publicly

about him

for fear

of the

leaders.

Can you

feel the

tension here

in Jerusalem

as thousands

are gathered

for this

festival?

Tension

between the

people who

came up

to attend

the festival?

Tension

between the

people and

the leaders?

Fearing that

they might be

caught on the

wrong side of

things?

There's

whispering

going on?

And we'll

find out what

happens next

Sunday.

But for this

morning, let's

take a few

minutes to just

reflect on what

we've heard so

far.

How does this

all apply to

us?

How can we

respond to it?

How can we

relate to it?

There are a

number of

points in

which this

applies to

us.

First, there's

a big focus

here on the

simple question

of who is

Jesus.

Everybody in

Jerusalem is

talking about

him, whispering

about him, and

different people

have their ideas

about him.

He's a good

man.

No, he's a

deceiver.

Who is

Jesus?

Even Jesus'

brothers don't

believe that

Jesus is who

he has been

claiming to be.

All of this

really should

bring us to

consider for

ourselves, who

is Jesus?

Who do you

think he is?

Second, much

of this section

is focused on

Jesus'

relationship with

his brothers.

John shows us

that it is truly

possible to have

known, to have

known Jesus all

your life, and

yet not truly

know him.

That's kind of a

scary thought.

That was Jesus'

brothers.

I wonder if you

have any kind of

feeling that maybe

you can relate to

that.

Perhaps you've

known and heard

lots about Jesus

from the time you

were young.

You've been in the

church lots.

You're pretty sure

that you've got

Jesus figured out.

But do you see

him as a mere

man, like his

brothers did?

Or do you see

him as the one

who was sent

from God, the

son of God, the

Messiah, the king

who will someday

come back to

judge and to

rule our world?

This is really the

key issue here.

Do you believe

Jesus?

And I don't

mean just believe

that Jesus will

save you.

Many people

believe that.

But do you

really believe

Jesus and what

he said and

taught?

His brothers,

at least so

far, it says,

do not believe

in him.

Many of the

people in

Jerusalem think

that he's a

fraud and a

deceiver.

What about

you?

Do you

believe?

Jesus.

Fourth, do

you believe

what Jesus has

been saying to

everyone, to

the world?

Do you

believe him when

he says that

your works are

evil?

Do you

believe what

Jesus says,

that you are a

sinner who needs

to repent, to

turn from your

sinful ways, to

seek God's

forgiveness, or

else you will

perish?

Do you

believe that you

are guilty for

your sins against

God?

Do you believe

that you're in

real danger of

perishing in

hell because of

your sins?

Does this

message of Jesus

stir up hatred

for you in your

heart?

Or are you

ashamed of this

message of

Jesus?

Jesus?

Or do you

believe that

Jesus is

right and

that you

really are in

need of his

forgiveness and

saving?

Are you deeply

thankful in your

heart for what

Jesus did at the

cross to deal

with your evil

works?

I know I am.

finally, I

believe there's a

simple word of

encouragement here

for those of us

who have family

members who do

not believe in

Jesus.

Do you know

that Jesus knows

what it's like

to have family

members who do

not believe?

He has lived

with that reality.

And for him,

it was even more

personal because he

was the one that

they did not

believe in.

The Lord Jesus

hears your

prayers for

those in your

family who do

not believe.

His heart knows

deeply what you

are feeling for

them.

By God's grace,

there did come a

day when Jesus'

brothers came to

believe in him.

Acts 1,

Acts 1:14

verse 14,

talks about how

the church was

all gathered

together after

Jesus had

ascended.

And it says,

they all joined

together constantly

in prayer,

along with the

women and Mary,

the mother of

Jesus,

and with Jesus'

brothers.

Talks about

there,

in those days,

Peter stood up

among the

believers.

Jesus' brothers

were among the

believers.

By God's grace,

there came a day

when Jesus'

brothers had a

change of heart

and a change of

mind towards him.

A day when they

knew that he was

so much more

than just their

brother.

father.

So do not lose

heart for those

family members

that you have

who do not

know the Lord.

They may not

believe in Jesus

today.

They may seem

blind or hard

to what you say

about him.

They may even

disapprove,

mock,

or look down

on you for

believing in

Jesus,

but don't give

up on them

yet.

Keep asking

the Lord Jesus

for their

salvation.

The power of

God's grace

and mercy

can soften

even the

hardest

of hearts.

Let's pray.

Father in

heaven,

thank you for

your words

to us.

Please cause

them to sink

deep down

into our

hearts and

help us to

know what

we can do

with them,

who we can

share them

with.

We do ask

that you would

put in our

hearts those

in our

families and

in our

community who

don't believe

in you.

Show us how

we can reach

out to them

and continue

to love

them and to

speak the

truth with

gentleness and

respect to

them.

We ask this

in Jesus'

name.

Amen.