Sermon Tone Analysis

*The Gospel of John XIV: Biblical Arrogance and Ignorance*

*John 7:1-52*

*/August 17, 2008/*

 

 

*Prep: *

·         Sermons: last week, HS sermon

·         Grudem: Spirit’s role in interpretation

·         Newbigin

 

 

*Intro *

 

Q   Can reading the *Bible* ever *lead* you *astray*?

Can study of the Bible ever take you *farther* *away* from where God wants you?

And if so, *how* can we *guard* against that.

·         Think about that while we pray.

*Prayer*

 

·         Our soldiers and Tommy going back to school

 

 

*Six month later...*

 

In the *last* *passage*, Jesus was *rejected* because he refused to be the *king* who would deliver them from earthly trials.

This passage centers on *two* *intertwined* *themes*:

 

1) Israel’s *rejection* of Jesus, not because of Messianic hopes, but because of their *doctrine*.

2) The Feast of *Tabernacles* and *Jesus* as its *fulfillment*.

*John 7:1-10 * After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life.

From the next passage, we know this covers about *six* *months*.

We also know that he is about *five* *months* from his *death*.

 2 But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near,  3 Jesus’ brothers said to him, “You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do.

·         *Everyone* that mattered would be in Jerusalem, the Superbowl of Judaism, and they assumed the messiah wanted publicity.

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.

That last statement is interesting: They certainly believed in his *miracles*, but they did not believe in his *true* *mission*.

·         A key theme in John is Jesus’ *rejection* by his *own*, as found in the “*overture*,” and his *family* is the prime example.

6 Therefore Jesus told them, “The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right.

7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil.

Simply put, it was *safe* for *them* to move about.

When Jesus says “*time* has not yet *come*” he means time for him to be crucified.

Jesus is always aware of his *purpose* to *die*.

8 You go to the Feast.

I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come.”

9 Having said this, he stayed in Galilee.  10 ¶ However, after his brothers had left for the Feast, he went also, not publicly, but in secret.

He had to wait in order to go incognito.

·         All of this *sets* the *stage* for the rest of the passage.

*The Feast of Tabernacles*

 

*Chapter 6* centered on *Passover* and its *nationalistic* tones, this on the Feast of *Tabernacles* and its *eschatological* tones.

·         Involved *pilgrimage* to Jerusalem (3-5 day walk).

·         It was one of the *three* most *important* Jewish *festivals* and was held late Sept. – early Oct.

·         It was also the *most* *popular*, which is not surprising since it was an 8 day party.

People would “*camp*” in little huts and celebrate the incoming *harvest* and remembered God’s *provision* in the *desert*.

It was basically a mix of *Thanksgiving* and *OKTOBERFEST*, but with wine (and lots of it) instead of beer, and instead of dancing on tables, they danced with torches.

·         It was just a lot of *fun*, which (as a side note), makes it interesting that Josephus called it the *most* *holy* festival.

·         *Fun* and *holiness* are not mutually *exclusive*.

*Streams of living water*

 

But it also had strong *eschatological* *meaning*.

During the festival they would *read* from *prophecies* that spoke of linked Succoth to a *future* *pouring* out of the Holy *Spirit* and God’s *presence*, which was *symbolized* by *water*.

·         *Every* *day*, a *priest* would draw water from the Pool of Siloam, and then *pour* it out on the base of the *altar*.

This ceremony was had two purposes: 1) a *reminder* of the future *promise* and 2) a *prayer* for *rain* in the upcoming year.

·         Living in Washington in modern times, it is hard to appreciate the *importance* of *water*.

Jerusalem gets a decent amount of water, about *25”* a year (halfway between LA’ 15” and our 36”), but other areas are much drier.

Additionally, they lacked the *technology* to *access* water, so *droughts* could be *devastating*.

·         *Water* was a *constant* *concern* to them, and *thirst* was a *poignant* shared *experience*.

*John 7:37-39 *  37 ¶ On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.

38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”

39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.

Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

·         This should sound very familiar, it is very much like what he said to the *Samaritan* *woman* in John 4.

As they are celebrating this festival, Jesus tells them that he is its *fulfillment* and that he would bring *true*, *lasting* *water*.

In the same way that *rain* *comes* and *goes* and must always be *replenished*, the Holy *Spirit* was came at times and places, but did *not* *remain*.

In a world that faced frequent *physical* and *spiritual* *drought*, this was a *powerful* *promise*.

·         Jesus offered the *everlasting* gift of the *Spirit’s* *filling*.

Later in John, we will learn a lot more about the Holy Spirit and his role in the believer’s life, but there is one *crucial* role that is very *important* in this *passage*:

 

*John 14:26 *  26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

The Spirit was *specifically* given to remind the believer of *Jesus* *teaching*.

Ä  The *lack* of this *Spirit*-*directed* study of *Scripture* helped lead to the *rejection* of *Jesus*, which is the *second* *theme*.

*Two types of blindness *

 

The *second* *theme* is Jesus again being rejected by his own people, this time because he didn’t *line* *up* with their *doctrine*.

The people of Jerusalem, especially the religious leaders, had been *mislead* by the *Bible*.

Of course I am speaking facetiously.

It was *not* the *Bible* that mislead them but their *interpretation*.

Q   How much *danger* are we of doing the *same*?

I am huge believer in *Biblical* *studies*, and *rightly* *dividing* the word of truth, so when I see these highly educated men so completely miss Jesus, I *get* a little *worried*, and look for *lessons* on how we can *avoid* their *fate*.

First thing I notice is that there are actually *two* *groups* here, with two different *misunderstandings* that highlight two *different* types of *blindness*.

First, you had the *masses*:

 

*John 7:26-27 * Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Christ?

27 But we know where this man is from; when the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.”

Second, you have the *Pharisees*:

 

*John 7:41-42 * Still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee?  42 Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David’s family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?”

What gives?

Some say that they can’t know where the Messiah is from, other say he is from Bethlehem.

It’s “*no*-*win*.”

There were *two* different *theories*.

Together, these two groups demonstrate the two blindness’s that I have seen regarding the Bible: The *blindness* of *ignorance* and the *blindness* of *arrogance*.

*Blindness of arrogance*

 

The *Pharisees* were *right*, the Messiah was supposed to come from *Bethlehem* and be from the line of David.

·         *Ironically*, was born in *Bethlehem*, and grew up in Galilee.

They had all of their *qualifications* and *requirements* laid out for what the Messiah should look like and *Jesus* *didn’t* *fit* it.

He was doing *amazing* *miracles* that could not be denied, but they *disqualified* him on a *technicality* before even listening:

 

*John 7:50-52 * 50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked,  51 “Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?”

52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too?

Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”

Hear that *arrogance*?

Galilee was Israel’s version of *Concrete*, the *redneck* area, and Jerusalem was Seattle.

The thought of the Messiah coming from there was laughable.

·         They were so *entrenched* in their *interpretations* that they didn’t even *bother* to give him a *chance*.

Understand that they were *not* *ignorant* of the Bible.