John 7:1-24 - At the festival

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In John 7:1-24, we read about Jesus visiting Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. He went despite the fact that he'd been avoiding Judaea and had therefore stayed in Galilee, further north. He travelled to Jerusalem secretly after telling his brothers that he was definitely not going.

Did he lie to them? That seems out of character! Paul Young suggests that Jesus was just listening to the Father and being obedient. His brothers say, 'Come to the festival with us'. Father says to him, 'Don't go, your time has not yet come'. So he tells them, 'I am not going'. After they have left, Father says to him, 'Now go'. So he goes. He made this quite clear himself on other occasions when he said, 'I only do what I see the Father doing' and 'I only say what I hear the Father say'.

We would do well to follow his example. Sometimes we say, with pride, 'I am a person of my word'. But how much better to be a person of the Father's word, a person guided moment by moment by the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

Part way through the festival in Jerusalem he started teaching in the Temple courts and the religious leaders were amazed at his knowledge and wisdom. The subject of healing on the Sabbath comes up again, but at this point they seem not to have realised that he is the Galileean that they have been planning to kill.

Jesus' teaching is from the Father; he only says what he hears the Father say. [Tweet it!]

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