John 7:1-10, Who is Jesus to You?

Jesus spent time in Galilee rather than Judea because there was a plot among the Jews in Jerusalem to kill Him.  “The Jews” refers not just to the nation but the leaders of the nation.  According to 7:23, the leadership was primarily the Pharisees (the largest religious party in Judaism at the time) and the chief priests (leaders appointed and recognized by the Romans). 

This is vital background on the conversation Jesus had with His brothers.  Of the four brothers mentioned by name elsewhere, two of them, James and Jude, have their names attached to NT epistles.  His brother James was not the same as the James who was one of the Twelve, the brother of John, the first of the Twelve to die in Acts 12:2. Jesus met His brother James after His resurrection, 1 Cor. 15:7, and His brother became the leader of the Jerusalem Church, Ac. 15:13-21.  The brothers of Jesus are trophies of God’s grace: in John 7 they ridiculed Jesus; in Acts 1:14 they, with their mother, were praying in Jerusalem as they awaited the outpouring of the Spirit.

Let’s ask a couple of questions I have heard from this passage.  First, was Jesus a coward for not being willing to stay in Judea, even though there were people out to get Him?  After all, wouldn’t His Father protect Him?  The answer to that question is, first, no!  And second, the answer is, “You shall not tempt the LORD your God.”  That was Jesus’ answer to Satan in Matt. 4:7 when he tried to get Jesus to make Himself famous by jumping off the pinnacle of the temple.  Jesus was not about to tempt His Father, but He would go to the feast when it was the right time.

Second question: did Jesus lie to His brothers?  Again, the answer is “no!”  To begin with, for Jesus not to share His plans with His unbelieving brothers doesn’t make Him a liar.  Remember: God who commanded, “You shall not bear false witness” (Ex. 20:16) also commanded Moses and Joshua to send spies into the land.  A “spy” is, by definition, a living lie!  As the command, “thou shalt not kill,” does not deny death by execution or war, so “thou shalt not bear false witness” does not rule out espionage or following the king’s orders (Jer. 38:24-27). 

But Jesus didn’t even twist the truth.  He spoke clearly: “My time has not yet come” (some manuscripts omit the word “yet”).  Jesus had a proper view of things, that He was hated by the world “because their deeds are evil.”  It was not wise for Jesus to join the masses on the road to Jerusalem, as He did later on His final trip to Jerusalem when He knew the time had come for Him to die.  He was secretive, but eventually went, not to get famous, but to fulfill His Father’s will. 

There are at least half a dozen opinions of Jesus in John 7 that show unbelief.  The first one was seen in the ridicule of His brothers, that Jesus was all about getting famous.  That is not Jesus.  Jesus was out to reveal the hearts of men (Luke 2:35).  Thus, He said, “I testify of it (the world) that its works are evil.”  If your aim in life is to be liked by a lot of people, then you would go up to the feast.  But Christ will not be with you.  That’s not what He’s about.