Tag Archives: The Festival

JOHN’S GOSPEL… A LINE IN THE SAND – 14

Bible Study,

The final day of the festival had come, the final ceremony of the high priest performed, a jar of water poured onto the ground, slowly disappearing into the dusty ground of the temple courtyard… What did it mean?

Google says

“During the Jewish festival of Sukkot, a water libation ceremony took place where water was drawn from the Gihon Spring and poured out on the ground in the Temple courtyard, accompanied by great joy and music. This symbolized drawing water from the “wells of salvation” and rejoicing in God’s mercy.”

However, like the Old Covenant, the water poured out did nothing to quench the thirst of the thirsty souls of God’s people.

Jesus stepped forward and began to shout, above the buzz of the crowd…

John 7:37-38 NLT
[37] “On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! [38] Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”

What was Jesus doing? In the face of growing hostility? In the glare of dangerous hostility… In the threat of arrest by the temple guards? They were already there, in the crowd, poised to strike…

John 7:32 NLT
[32] “When the Pharisees heard that the crowds were whispering such things, they and the leading priests sent Temple guards to arrest Jesus.”

Jesus didn’t care…Opportunity! He had a message for His people they needed to hear, and a perfect moment to declare it. The source of the” living” water His people so desperately craved was right there, standing among them, and He must tell them.

This symbol of God, the fountain of living water, was well known to God’s people. Isaiah, the great prophet who foretold, centuries before, the coming of Messiah, predicted…

Isaiah 12:1, 3-6 NLT
[1] “In that day you will sing: “I will praise you, O Lord! You were angry with me, but not any more. Now you comfort me. [2] See, God has come to save me. I will trust in him and not be afraid. The Lord God is my strength and my song; he has given me victory.” [3] With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation! [4] In that wonderful day you will sing: “Thank the Lord! Praise his name! Tell the nations what he has done. Let them know how mighty he is! [5] Sing to the Lord, for he has done wonderful things. Make known his praise around the world. [6] Let all the people of Jerusalem shout his praise with joy! For great is the Holy One of Israel who lives among you.”

Despite His many promises, God’s people had rejected His offer of living water. He lamented, in the words of Jeremiah…

Jeremiah 2:13 NLT
[13] “For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me— the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!”

So, Jesus called out, “Come to me. I will give you the true, living water that will quench your thirst forever.”

What a stir His words caused in the crowd! Their opinions were divided…

John 7:40-41, 43-44 NLT
[40] “When the crowds heard him say this, some of them declared, “Surely this man is the Prophet we’ve been expecting.” [41] Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others said, “But he can’t be! Will the Messiah come from Galilee?…
[43] So the crowd was divided about him. [44] Some even wanted him arrested, but no one laid a hand on him.”

The temple guards returned to the religous leaders empty-handed. “Where is He?” they demanded. Their answer enraged the leaders. So impressed with His words were the guards that they had no stomach to arrest Him.

John 7:46 NLT
[46] “We have never heard anyone speak like this!” the guards responded.”

So, the religious leaders drew their line in the sand. They made their choice. They fell into the category of those who rejected their own God, treating with contempt His offer of living water. True to His righteous judgment, God gave them the choice and they judged themselves worthy of the consequences.

The scene was set for the showdown… They plotted their trap with mathematical precision. This time, their plan was watertight. They had Him! How would He be able to wriggle out of this one…?

To be continued…

JOHN’S GOSPEL… FAMILY CONFICT – 13

Bible Study, ,

John 7:1-5 NIV
[1] “After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him. [2] But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, [3] Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. [4] No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” [5] For even his own brothers did not believe in him.”

Jesus was no stranger to conflict. It had begun in His own home at a young age. Jesus was different. Of course He was different! In a family of many siblings, He stood out like a sore thumb. As the eldest son, He was responsible for His younger brothers and sisters, according to Jewish culture. He took the rap for their misdeeds, He made decisions for the family, yes, and He inherited a double portion of His father’s estate, a reward for His role…and He dud it all with excellence!

In His early adulthood, Jesus must have been head of the family since there is no Biblical evidence of His father’s presence. Imagine, the sinless Son of God having to take the rap every time a sibling stepped out of line…and He always did it with grace!

This “goody-goody” brother must have really got under His brothers’ skin. He was too nice, and they hated Him for it. Imagine how they must have ganged up against Him and deliberately done things to get Him into trouble. What an opportunity for Him to practise what He preached and to face what was to come!

So, when it was time to go to Jerusalem for the festival, they taunted Him. “Go to Jerusalem, brother. Don’t hide away. You are so popular that everyone’s waiting for you!”

Jesus ignored their taunts. He was used to them. When it was His time, He would go.

John 7:6-8 NIV
[6] “Therefore Jesus told them, “My time is not yet here; for you any time will do. [7] The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil. [8] You go to the festival. I am not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.”

However, He eventually went to Jerusalem without fanfare, to watch and listen to public opinion about Him. True to form, people were divided. Some were for Him, others were skeptical. He was, the focus of attention and people were continually discussing and bickering about Him.

When the festival was in full swing, Jesus was noticed. A crowd began to gather around Him. Opportunity! Knowing full well that He was in danger if His presence was known, He did what He did best…He began to teach. Truth was His message and every time people gathered around Him, He taught them truth.

Why did Jesus need to teach truth? His people were in bondage to the false teaching of their teachers…forced to obey endless laws they couldn’t keep. They needed to know the truth that would set them free from their cruel taskmasters. True freedom, not from Rome or any other oppressor lay in believing in Him, the only one who could set them free from sin, the worst of their slavedrivers.

Now, let’s go back to the siblings. They thought Jesus was crazy. The things He was saying and doing! Mark records…

Mark 3:20-21, 31-32 NIV
[20] “Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. [21] When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”…
[31] Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. [32] A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”

So much for family unity! Jesus distanced Himself from their petty sibling rivalry. He was about a much bigger family than hostile brothers and sisters. He was about a global family loyal to a loving Father through faith in Him.

This antagonism continued until… something so dramatic happened that all the early skepticism and false notions about Him exploded! His ememies finally killed Him but He didn’t stay dead! How could these unbelieving brothers ever deny this fact? So, everything He said about Himself and everything He did proved that He was, after all, the Son of God. Just imagine, for 30 years before He left home, the Son of God was living in a normal family, doing ordinary things…and they missed it!

Acts 1:12-14 NIV
[12] “Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. [13] When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. [14] They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.”

The disciples and Jesus’ family finally came together in faith…the nucleus of the church to be born! Traditionally, even James’ letter, written by one of His brothers, was included in the canon of Scripture.

What a revelation! Their own brother, alive from the dead! What a transformation! From skeptics to believers! Don’t you love what James wrote…gone the taunting and disrespect! Gone the hatred! Gone the jealousy!

James 1:1 NLT
[1] “This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ…” A slave? Of his own brother? His Lord and Saviour? How did this happen? A light-bulb moment, an “aha” awakening, when Jesus rose from the dead, changed everything.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 7 NLT
[3] “I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. [4] He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said…
[7] Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. “

Seen by James…

It all happened in a flash when Jesus walked out of the tomb. In the unforgettable event, faith was born!