John 7:14-36 Jesus: The Life of the Party

PARAGRAPHS
Verses 14-18 Jesus Amazes the Jews ... No Unrighteousness in Him
Verses 19-24 Crowd Misinterprets and Applies the Law
Verses 25-31 Ignorance Fosters Confusion
Verses 32-36 Pharisees: Where is He going?

COMMENTARY
14. But when it was now the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and began to teach. Verses 1-9 of this chapter have Jesus and His brothers planning the festival trip. Verses 10-13 tell of Jesus and His brothers arriving in Jerusalem but by differing avenues. Verse 14 picks up the story in the middle of the feast, the Feast of Booths or Feast of Dwellings. This feast was based on instruction given to Israel in Leviticus 23 to be observed 15 days after Yom Kippur. The Festival was established to commemorate the 40 year Exodus journey of the children of Israel through the wilderness living in temporary shelters. Gill's Exposition states that this was the fourth day of the Festival falling on the Sabbath. Therefore, Jesus is in the temple and teaching on the Sabbath. "In the Jewish sense of the term, a priest (kohein) is a descendant of Aaron, charged with performing various rites in the Temple, in connection with religious rituals and sacrifices. ... A rabbi is simply a teacher, a person sufficiently educated in halakhah (Jewish Law) and tradition to instruct the community and to answer questions and resolve disputes regarding (Jewish Law)" - http://www.jewfaq.org (Judaism 101). 15. The Jews then were astonished, saying, "How has this man become learned, having never been educated?" The Jews in the Temple listening to a uninvited yet wanted visiting teacher are struck by His content. The Greek word 'educated' is μεμαθηκώς () from μανθάνω meaning: learn or understand. The Liddell-Scott-Jones Lexicon (LSJ) adds the connotation of being 'under persuasion.' Jesus will address this issue of persuasion head-on. 16. So Jesus answered them and said, "My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me. 17. "If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself. 18. "He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. Jesus answers the persuasion (education) issue brought up by the Jews by deferring to His Father: 1. My teaching is from my Father; 2. I seek His glory, not my own. Those two methods allow Jesus to self-define a righteous teacher. A teacher is forthcoming with his sources and seeks no prestige of his own. Further, Jesus is willing to share His teaching. The Jewish religion was, and is, a closed circuit of privileges, but Jesus said that obeying God will give you access to His source, the Father.

19. "Did not Moses give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law? Why do you seek to kill Me?" By quoting Moses, on the Sabbath (?), Jesus clearly states that His 'persuasion is not inconsistent with the Law. Jesus presents the Sixth Commandment, through Moses, as authoritative before the Jews. The Jews misunderstood the Sixth Commandment during Jesus time and we have also propagated their confusion. They present their misunderstanding by their answer in the next verse, but what is Jesus allowing to surface here? He is opposing His adversaries by calling them hypocrites regarding the Law. They 'know' it, but they do not 'carry it out.' The Greek word, ποιεῖ from ποιέω, commonly means: to do, make, to keep. Other Greek usages reflect nuances of: create, produce, imply, effect a solution, compose, write, represent, describe, invent, bring about, cause, procure, make, render, deem, do, prepare, or act. 20. The crowd answered, "You have a demon! Who seeks to kill You?" Jesus is addressing 'the Jews' but the crowd answers. The response of the crowd sides with most common misconceptions of Jesus: He is a lunatic. The crowd, somewhat ignorant of the ruler's plan, is asserting His voiced paranoia as resulting from demonic activity manifested in a disordered mind. Keep in mind that Jesus finds Himself in a first person object of the rulers hypocritical profession and the common crowd would never level the charge of 'hypocrisy' against their religious rulers. 21. Jesus answered them, "I did one deed, and you all marvel. 22 "For this reason Moses has given you circumcision (not because it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and on the Sabbath you circumcise a man. 23. "If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath? 24 "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." Oh, the confidence of knowing that judges judge with righteousness. Jesus is capable of doing such. Why? Our text states that He is One who perfectly represents His Father.

25 So some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, "Is this not the man whom they are seeking to kill? 25 "Look, He is speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to Him. The rulers do not really know that this is the Christ, do they? 27 "However, we know where this man is from/ but whenever the Christ may come, no one knows where He is from." Confusion verbalized. The people, gathered near the Temple in Jerusalem during the Feast of Booths, are questioning their religious authorities regarding Him. The people are noted to wrestle with two issues. They seek to kill Him yet He speaks publicly and they do nothing for they do not know Him. We know where He is from and they, the religious rulers, say no one will no the origins of the Christ. They must not be serious about killing Him and He must not be the Christ. The people's confusion rose from one issue: they did not know the scriptures for themselves. This ignorance led them to subjugation by the religious rulers and to misinterpretation of the scriptures. If they had know the scriptures, they would not be confused. For they would identify the error or presuppositions of the religious rulers and know that the Messiah would not appear out of obscurity. 28. Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, "You both know Me and know where I am from and I have not come of Myself but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. 29. "I know Him, because I am from Him, and He sent" The way Jesus addresses the confused crowd, lets us know His priority. From the two issues He asserts in a positive manner, the paramount relation that the crowd must make between Him and the Father. The crowd might have known His genealogy (Line of David, Bethlehem, Mary, Joseph, Christmas, etc.) but He provides opportunity to make the connection of Him to His Father (YHWH, אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶֽהְיֶ֑ה, ὁ Λόγος, ἐγὼ εἰμι). Their inability to make this relational connection will continue their confusion. 30. So they were seeking to seize Him; and no man laid his hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. 31. But many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, "When the Christ comes, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will He?" Their confusion led to them wanting to 'seize Him' by 'lay(-ing) hands on Him.' The will of God easy trumps the will of man or the sheer madness of a crowd. Many make the relational connection of Jesus to His Father, but crowd remains confused. It is easy to extrapolate the crowd's confusion to validate their role in the future sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Greek word πιάσαι (Aorist Active Infinitive of πιάζω) translated 'seize' means: to lay hold of, seize, apprehend, take, catch. Liddell-Scott-Jones (LSJ) gives etymological nuances of: press, weigh down (heavy weight), press hard (victorious army), bare hardly upon, determine precisely, repress, stifle, outweigh, etc. The crowd, in their confusion, was pursuing to stifle Jesus which aligned their will with that of the rulers seeking to kill Him.

32. The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about Him, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to seize Him. The rulers follow the lead of the people by seeking to 'seize' Him. The difference is that the crowd wanted to handle the 'seizing' themselves while the Pharisees and chief priests send the officers to do their stifling. Some commentators believe that the Pharisaical action was in response the crowd's belief while some promote the view of the crowd leading the way of 'seizing' for the Pharisees and chief priests. The Greek word translated 'seize' is the same as in verse 30 above. The Greek word γογγύζοντος (Masculine Singular Genitive Present Active Participle from γογγύζω) translated 'muttering' means: murmur, mutter, grumble. LSJ traces this word also being used in the following Biblical texts: Numbers 14:29; Numbers 17:5; Matthew 20:11; John 6:41; and Numbers 11:1. Each of these Biblical citings place this verb in a negative context. Each cited text is illustrating a time of unbelief, mistrust and disobedience of man towards God. John 6:41 describes the crowd in Capernaum who 'grumbled' at Jesus proclaiming that He Is the Bread of Life. The Pharisees heard this believing to ride on the wave of the general populous tide, reported it to the chief priests, then summoned the officers to apprehend Jesus. 33. Therefore Jesus said, "For a little while longer I am with you, then I go to Him who sent Me. 34. "You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come." His time is not yet and where He is going only He can go. Many will not chose to follow Him. Some will chose to follow Him. All will end up abandoning Him. 35. The Jews then said to one another, "Where does this man intend to go that we will not find Him? He is not intending to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks, is He? 36. "What is this statement that He said, 'You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come'? The Jews thought Jesus was looking for a way of escape. No, He will continue to be with them, teaching them and in the midst of them, but His agenda is from and of the Father which man cannot thwart.

SUMMARY

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John 2:12-25 Expelling Twisted Worship

According to John

Chapter 2, Verses 12-25

12. After this He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother and His brothers and His disciples; and they stayed there a few days.

13. The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14. And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15. And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; 16. and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.” 17. His disciples remembered that it was written, “ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE WILL CONSUME ME.” 18. The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?” 19. Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20. The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22. So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.

23. Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. 24. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25. and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.

Commentary

Most harmonized or paralleled gospel accounts, putting all four gospels in chronological order, have John 1:19 through 4:42 uninterrupted with other events from Matthew, Mark or Luke.

Verse 12

(As we have verse designations in our translations, the original manuscripts did not contain chapter or verse designations, verse 12 is a paragraph in itself.)

After this He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother and His brothers and His disciples; and they stayed there a few days.

"Where is Capernaum? : Located on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum is a little over 2 miles from the Jordan river. The village was very close to the Via Maris, an important trade route between Syria and Egypt, and evidently levied taxes on caravans passing through. It was 85 miles from Capernaum to Jerusalem. Jerusalem stands on the crest of the Judean hills at an elevation of 2,577 feet above sea-level, 13 miles west of the Dead Sea, 32 miles east of the Mediterranean Sea, and roughly 80 miles south of the Sea of Galilee.

Why is Capernaum important? : Capernaum is important for the study of the New Testament because of its central role in Jesus’ ministry around Galilee. Various miracles, healings, and preaching are described by all four gospel authors as taking place there. Matthew even goes so far as to call Capernaum Jesus’ “own city.” Despite this, Jesus is described as cursing the town because of their rejection of him.

The town is mentioned in the New Testament: in the Luke’s Gospel it was reported to have been the home of the apostles Peter, Andrew, James and John, as well as the tax collector Matthew. In Matthew 4:13 the town was reported to have been the home of Jesus himself. According to Luke 4:31-44, Jesus taught in the synagogue in Capernaum on the sabbath days. In Capernaum also, Jesus allegedly healed a man who had the spirit of an unclean devil and healed a fever in Simon Peter's mother-in-law. According to Matthew 8:5-13, it is also the place where a Roman Centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant.

Verses 13-22

Verse 13

The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Passover is the most important festival event on the Jewish calendar. It marks Israel's deliverance from Egyptian captivity by the direction and provision of YHWH and the leadership of Moses (Exodus 12). Capernaum was 85 miles from Jerusalem. Jerusalem stands on the crest of the Judean hills at an elevation of 2,577 feet above sea-level, 13 miles west of the Dead Sea, 32 miles east of the Mediterranean Sea, and roughly 80 miles south of the Sea of Galilee. Whenever Jerusalem is the object of one's destination or perspective, it is always "up". Up does not a determining northward direction. Jerusalem may be north, south, east or west of your position but you will always go up to Jerusalem. This is due to its elevation especially when considering its close proximity to the Dead Sea and Jerusalem being some 2500 feet above sea level.

Verses 14-17

14 And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15 And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; 16 and to those who were selling the doves He said, "Take these things away; stop making My Father's house a place of business." 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, "ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE WILL CONSUME ME."

Jesus found two issues in the Temple that stirred His zeal. The challenge here is directly applicable to the modern Church. How do we complicate or over simplify worship of I AM, the Almighty God, YHWH, the ἐγώ εἰμι?

The two issues are animals for sacrifice and moneylenders. The oxen and sheep were animals of the fields. In the Jewish sacrificial system, with no lessening of this Passover occurrence, these animals were to be raised by the families and then presented as a sacrifice. Sheep were the most important sacrificial animal with the ram or the young male often being specified. It was intended for families to raise these animals and bring them to be sacrificed. Passover, however, posed a problem for the worshipers. Some having traveled great distances to Jerusalem for the Passover, Jesus, Himself traveling over 85 miles, found it difficult perhaps even dangerous to bring these blemish-less animals on the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Ultimately, we have the solution provided by the money changers. The money changers changed money. The exchanged currency so that the pilgrims could purchase the sacrificial ox or sheep that they did not bring themselves. This is worship done easy with the only price being that of potential extortion by the money changers. This is twisted worship. The only thing that the pilgrim needed was to make the trip to the worship center (Jerusalem) and bring money. For everything else will be provided for you. There was no investment on the pilgrim's part. They did not raise the ox or the sheep, they did not make the journey which may have necessitated a trust in God (see Psalm 121, A Song of Assents) and they ended up sacrificing that which they did not know. The issues of the sheep, the oxen and the money changers is that Jesus "drove them out." Why do you think that Jesus only gave a somewhat reserved verbal correction to those selling the doves? A pair of turtle doves, or two young pigeons was an offering sufficient for the poor, specifically for the poor woman that just gave birth (Leviticus 12:8). Therefore, you have the Law's allowance for the poor (mother) but with the overriding command to not make the temple, His Father's House, a place of business. as compared to those who should have brought their own sheep and oxen but did not. They, through a decisive act of their will, relied on the temple sales and the money changers to make their worship easy and less personal.

Worship is always personal and costly. It is simple but not easy. Jesus' zeal was manifested by the easy way in which this Passover was being observed in the Temple. What does He say about our worship, your worship, and my worship of HIM?

Verses 18-22

18. The Jews then said to Him, "What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?"

It amazes me that every time someone does or says something bold in contradiction to the norm, correct some deviate behavior, or speak the truth in a mislead company of folks, the issue of authority always rises to the top. The Jews, as we will see, had a foundation questioning of Jesus' authority. Of course, anyone that would upset their nice little religious money making enterprise would definitely be questioned. It is all about authority, control and money. John, this gospel's author, will address 'authority' throughout this gospel account.

19. Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." 20 The Jews then said, "It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?" 21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22 So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.

What is the authoritative answer to the question regarding authority for the Christian? ...the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. It appears by verse 19 that Jesus is foretelling of raising Himself from the dead. He may not desire to instruct about the role of the Father or the Holy Spirit in the resurrection. Irregardless, the life He lived that is characterized by a supreme example of righteousness, would make Him perfectly capable of deserving of resurrection. His righteousness was perfectly accepted before His Father. Therefore, His perfectly righteous condition warranted His resurrection. His resurrection was in His control due to His perfectly righteous standing before His Father. We will learn more of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit relationships as we move through John.

The world, family and work associates may not know of that which you speak, but they will eventually either remember to the point of belief or they will remember when they are forced to bow at the sound of His NAME.

Verses 23-25

23. Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. 24. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25. and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.

It was at this Passover that John tells us that many believed in His name. Their belief came as a result of the signs He did which include His zeal at the temple. When He did the act of over turning that which sets itself against worship, many believed in His name. Worship here can be described as anything that sets itself against a total dependency on God for His protection, His provision and His revelation. Worship is all about HIM.

"But Jesus..." It is amazing that Jesus exhibits a reserved control of His destiny. John will soon tell us to whom He yields. Jesus knows man. If anyone knows you, it is Jesus. Does that bother you? Or, is that comfort to you? Irregardless, creation cannot hide anything from the Creator (see John Chapter One). Man cannot hide anything from Jesus.

Conclusion:

How is your worship? Do you find it easy to pawn off the expense of your religiosity to those who are so-called professionals? Consider your worship experience, even of the Great I AM, are you a spectator or participant? To the degree that you are a spectator by not personally investing or personally participating, your worship is twisted and you will be ultimately driven out of His presence. It has the form of godliness but not the heart of righteousness. Only righteous will stand before and please God. Our righteousness is in Christ for He alone is our Righteousness. Finally, what does the "almightiness" of our God do to you? His is mighty to save. Turn to Him, for in Him is peace.

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