We begin chapter 7. As I have mentioned I love this opportunity to pause and reflect on His word and I actually do have thoughts sometimes of when we finish John what book we could do next. Then I realize That we have been doing this for close to a year and we now are a third of the way through. None the less we have these verses before us and I pray God keeps us focused and strips away any ignorance and presses in our hearts the truth.
Jhn 7:1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him.
Jhn 7:2 Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand.
Jhn 7:3 His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest.
Jhn 7:4 For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world.
Jhn 7:5 For neither did his brethren believe in him.
- What was the significance of the feast of the tabernacles and why did John make a point to mention it here?
- What were they trying to get Jesus to do in verse 4 what benefits would it have been to them?
When I read these passages I look first for the literal meaning of the lesson, then subtle other messages, symbols, or references to other scriptures. Occasionally things are simply what they say and are plain and need little explanation; sometimes I must dig deeper into the meaning and context. I also consider words and their meanings for many times words are very important in understanding and sometimes these words or a word jump out and cause me to pause and reflect.
This is one of those times when a word troubled me. In reading I could not get by verse 4 "IF". How ignorant and presumptuous they were to taunt God or believe they knew better than Him. A.W. Pink referred to this as the "Pride of life manifesting itself" (I John 2:16). They had a worldly image of their God in their minds that they wanted Jesus to fit into. They put limitations and conditions on His work. They felt they knew best and could guide the future better than Christ. Is this truly any different today? I tell you with much sorrow that this "IF" still rumbles from the synagogues and so called professing Christians today. ‘You can be redeemed IF….’, ‘IF you only….’, ‘You can only be blessed IF…’, or ‘Christ died and IF…’; blasphemy. They have a worldly image of their God in their minds they want Him to fit into. They place limitations and conditions on His finished work. They feel they know and could guide their future better than Christ. For neither did these brethren of today believe in Him.
