Lesson 21: John 7:1-20 - The Feast of Booths (part 1)
1 After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him.
2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand.
3 So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing.
4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.”
5 For not even his brothers believed in him.
6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.
7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.
8 You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.”
9 After saying this, he remained in Galilee.
10 But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private.
11 The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?”
12 And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.”
13 Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him.
14 About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching.
15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?”
16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.
17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.
18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.
19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?”
20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?”
The Feast of Booths was being held in Jerusalem and all able-bodied males were required to attend (Deuteronomy 16:16). It was a celebration to remind them of their wilderness wanderings. You will notice how John tells much of what Jesus said at these feasts, because Jesus wanted to draw the people’s attention to the true meaning of the feasts and how He had come to fulfill them. God had intended them to be a picture of Jesus. His teaching touched the people’s hearts because so much of what they had seen in the rituals all their lives, with only their physical eyes, now suddenly made sense as Jesus preached to them. The leaders, who DID understand, wanted to silence Him because He was taking away their power over the people. The people listened and began to follow Him, making the leaders even more upset.
*Why do you think Jesus openly talked about the leaders’ plans to kill Him even though the people didn’t know about these plans?
1 After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him.
2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand.
3 So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing.
4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.”
5 For not even his brothers believed in him.
6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.
7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.
8 You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.”
9 After saying this, he remained in Galilee.
10 But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private.
11 The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?”
12 And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.”
13 Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him.
14 About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching.
15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?”
16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.
17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.
18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.
19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?”
20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?”
The Feast of Booths was being held in Jerusalem and all able-bodied males were required to attend (Deuteronomy 16:16). It was a celebration to remind them of their wilderness wanderings. You will notice how John tells much of what Jesus said at these feasts, because Jesus wanted to draw the people’s attention to the true meaning of the feasts and how He had come to fulfill them. God had intended them to be a picture of Jesus. His teaching touched the people’s hearts because so much of what they had seen in the rituals all their lives, with only their physical eyes, now suddenly made sense as Jesus preached to them. The leaders, who DID understand, wanted to silence Him because He was taking away their power over the people. The people listened and began to follow Him, making the leaders even more upset.
*Why do you think Jesus openly talked about the leaders’ plans to kill Him even though the people didn’t know about these plans?