This morning we come to John 7. In John 7:1-2, the gospel writer John interjects a kind of editorial comment. He says, “After this, Jesus traveled in Galilee, since he did not want to travel in Judea because the Jews were trying to kill him. The Jewish Festival of Shelters was near.” The festival of the shelters commemorated the Israelites’ pilgrimage in the wilderness 40 years. Remember, God led them with a pillar of fire by night, cloud of presence by day. He gave Moses elaborate instructions to build and maintain a Tabernacle or Tent in which God’s presence would reside.
Everything in the gospel of John is echoing back to Genesis-Creation. In the beginning God created. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and Word was God. All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life and that life was the light of men. The Word became flesh and dwelt (tabernacled) among us. We observed his glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God, and is at the Father’s side—he has revealed him!
Everything is echoing back to Genesis-the Father of faith… Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. But now one greater than even Jacob is here!
Everything is echoing back to Moses and Exodus. But now one greater than Moses is here—the one Moses wrote about in the Law! Just as the Father has always worked… he’s still working but now he’s working in Jesus, through Jesus! They professed allegiance to Moses, but now weren’t willing to obey Jesus.
During the festival of the shelters… which is also called festival of the tabernacles… every able-bodied male was to make his pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem to appear before God. It was like the ultimate camping trip! Just as God tabernacled among his people in Exodus, during this festival people (men) were to tabernacle in booths before God! Think about this. The tabernacling people were to appear and camp or tabernacle before the tabernacling God!
But the extreme irony of John 7 is… little did the Jewish leaders realize, but they were plotting and trying to kill the tabernacling God (Jesus) before he even showed up at the Festival of Tabernacles! They were plotting to kill the Lamb of God before the Passover. They were plotting to kill the bridegroom of Israel before the wedding day. They were plotting to kill the Author of Life, the One who could cause springs of living water to flow from their souls, the One who could give them true Bread from Heaven—true eternal food—true eternal life. . . The one who could heal the sick, save the dying, and raise the dead.
They don’t know who they are messing with! They are about to tabernacle before the tabernacling God in the Temple… but now one greater than the Temple was about to show up!
Alright, here is what you need to know. At the end of John 6, the marginal crowds, and many of Jesus’ disciples, abandon him. They refuse to believe Jesus “is” the God of Genesis, of Exodus, of Patriarchs, of Moses, or Prophets. Even Jesus’ own disciples are tested. In John 6:70 Judas abandons Jesus, but Peter holds firm. But earlier in John 6:68-69 Peter says, “Lord, to whom will we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God!” And of course, in John 7:1, the Jews through Judea are trying to kill Jesus. And in John 7:5 we discover that Jesus’ own brothers didn’t believe him and were trying to sabotage him! Jesus own brothers hate him so much they issue the same temptation to Jesus that Satan did in the wilderness—they said, “Jesus go to that festival and make a spectacle of yourself. Work your signs and wonders. Become a public figure. Get the recognition you seek. Take the stage and show yourself to all the world!”
As I’ve preached John, I’ve noticed some peculiar editorial language. Here in John 7:2, the Festival of the Tents or Tabernacles was “near.” Back in John 2:13, it was the Passover that was “near.” That was right before Jesus showed up and cleansed the temple and reestablished it as house of prayer for all nations. In John 5:1 when Jesus healed man on the Sabbath but also while a Jewish festival was taking place. In John 6:4 the Passover is again “near” whereupon Jesus feeds the 5000 and walks on water… which is all reminiscent of Moses parting the waters, and God providing manna or bread for God’s people.
The gospel writer John is telling us exactly what the Apostle Paul so eloquently declares in Colossians 2:16-17, “Therefore, don’t let anyone judge you in regard to food and drink or in the matter of a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of what was to come; the substance is Christ.” The festivals are shadows. Even the signs and miracle are shadows. The substance is Christ Jesus. The Lord of the Sabbath is tabernacling among us! But do you know him?
The Jews celebrated all these festivals, not just in a commemorative, past, backwards looking way. They celebrated them in a celebratory, future, anticipatory way. What is “near” in John isn’t just another commemoration, nor anticipatory festival. What is “near” is God Himself! The reality, the substance. It’s like communion. We reflect, we long… but one day we will commune with the Lord himself in his very presence! They were tabernacling at the thought of one day camping with God in his presence again… and now the tabernacling God was in their midst, and his name is Jesus, but do you recognize him!
In John 6-7-8 we find four anchor points for believing in Jesus. The first anchor point for faith are the seven signs in John. We’ve only talked about five of them so far. But all the signs we’ve seen thus far
. . .the water into wine (Jesus is the bridegroom of Israel)
. . . the healing of the officials dying son (In Jesus is life)
. . . the healing of the man on the Sabbath (Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath, God of Creation who created in six days and rested on the seventh who can heal)
. . . the feeding of the 5000 (Jesus is the God of heaven who sent real bread, and provided streams of water)
. . . the walking on water (Jesus is one even greater than Moses, in Jesus we can pass through death itself into life).
**The signs are going to keep building, and becoming more amazing, and the climax isn’t just Lazarus’ resurrection in John 11… it’s going to be Jesus’ resurrection from the grave! Don’t forget what Jesus says to Thomas in John 20:29, “Because you have seen me you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” The resurrection out deepest thirst for signs and wonders, our deepest curiosity about who Jesus is. The Seven Signs of John are sufficient to inspire full faith!
The second anchor point for faith in Jesus are the words of Jesus. In John 7:1-9, Jesus refutes the unbelief of his own brothers. Jesus points out that worldly people are motivated by public recognition. They seek instant popularity. Social media is proof enough that worldly people will mimic just about anyone and anything that gains them popularity. Oh, how we long to be loved. What we won’t say and do to pander to multiply “like” and “heart” emojis. People are so predictable. They instantly seize on anything that makes the world love them.
In stark contrast, in John 7:6-7 Jesus says, “My time has not yet arrived, but your time is always at hand. The world cannot hate you, but it does hate me because I testify about it—that it’s works are evil.”
Jesus is savage here. See how many likes and hearts you get when you speak the truth. But testify to a man’s evil nature, evil behavior. Testify to his need for a redeemer, a savior, his need for the blood of lamb to atone for him, and he will cancel you faster than a New York second.
No matter what threat Jesus faces. No matter how much anger and vitriol, how violent the crowd, how diabolical the plot… Jesus never wavered, nor flinched. I’ve been reading a book on the history of American Fundamentalism, and I find it inspiring that so many early preachers were utterly hated by their communities because of their unwavering commitment to speaking the truth about evil. They considered the praise of men an insult, because no one ever praises the truth tellers, they crucify them. So many Christians want to be loved… but when are we ever hated?
In John 7:10-15 the tabernacling Jesus, the tabernacling God in the flesh, appears in the temple teaching among all the tabernacling Jewish pilgrims! John 7:15, “Then the Jews were amazed and said, ‘How is this man so learned, since he hasn’t been trained.’” John 7:16-18, “My teaching isn’t mine but is from the one who sent me. If anyone wants to do his will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own. The one who speaks on his own seeks his own glory; but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is true, and there is no unrighteousness in him.” And by the way… in John 7:19 Jesus points out that all of them are trying to kill him!
In John 7:21-24 Jesus says (and I summarize), “you [Jews] are all amazed by one sign I worked.” You need to learn to make a right judgement. You are angry I healed on the Sabbath, but you are missing the fact that only the Lord of the Sabbath could do such a thing… and you are trying to kill him! Killing me!
At this the crowd does exactly what Jesus accuses them of. They try to seize him and kill him. They alert the Pharisees, who send men to seize and kill Jesus. They’d rather kill Jesus than believe on his signs and believe on his words. But Jesus offers a third and final anchor point for faith.
The third anchor point for faith is Jesus’ destiny. Several times in John 7 Jesus alludes to his imminent departure. John 7:33-34, “I am only with you for a short time. Then I’m going to the one who sent me. You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.” They don’t know what to make of this, but Jesus is referring to his death, burial, resurrection, ascension. They will see Jesus return to the very place he said he was sent from… the FATHER!
The fourth anchor point for faith is Jesus’ Spirit. They were all being baptized why? For forgiveness of sin, repentance. But also, for freedom from sin, to be set free, sanctified of sin by the Holy Spirit. You must be born again, of water and Spirit Jesus told Nicodemus!
In John 7:37-39 we read, “On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.” He said this about the Spirit. Those who believed in Jesus were going to receive the Spirit, for the Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified.”
Here is the craziness and irony of this text. What warrant did these Jews, and for that matter, what warrant do you and I have, to believe Jesus is truly God and Savior?
>> If tabernacling in your tents, in the temple, in the very presence of the tabernacling God-in-flesh Jesus doesn’t persuade you…
>> if sitting there listening, in the temple, to the very words and testimony of Jesus speaking in full graciousness, and full truthfulness, and fully fearless doesn’t persuade you…
>> if seeing the Son of God Jesus crucified, buried, and raised on the third day, ascending to the right hand of God (sign of all signs) doesn’t persuade you…
Then only one other testimony remains…
>> What if the very Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ were to take up residence and tabernacle and camp out in your soul just like God’s Spirit did in the Tabernacle and later the Temple of Old… and what if Christ’s Spirit were to cause streams of living water flow from within you welling up to eternal life. This is the Pentecost miracle of Acts 1-2!! The Spirit of God filled their meeting place, their very lives
If you blaspheme the Holy Spirit of Christ, no other testimony remains, and you are truly accursed, cut off from the life of God. But if you would repent in water and allow God to baptize and fill the tabernacle of your body with his own Holy Spirit. . . Maybe in obeying Jesus’ command to repent and believe and be baptized… you would come to know something of the reality and the substance (not just shadow) of God. God wouldn’t just be “near” but “within” “forever.”
Peter had it right:
John 6:68-69 Peter says, “Lord, to whom will we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God!”