23  Following the Divine Timetable  (John 7:1–13)

After these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him. Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near. Therefore His brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing. For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” For not even His brothers were believing in Him. So Jesus said to them, “My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil. Go up to the feast yourselves; I do not go up to this feast because My time has not yet fully come.” Having said these things to them, He stayed in Galilee. But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as if, in secret. So the Jews were seeking Him at the feast and were saying, “Where is He?” There was much grumbling among the crowds concerning Him; some were saying, “He is a good man”; others were saying, “No, on the contrary, He leads the people astray.” Yet no one was speaking openly of Him for fear of the Jews. (7:1–13)

From the unbelieving world’s point of view, history is an unexplained succession of seemingly random events—a meaningless chain of causes and effects. In contrast, the Bible portrays history as the very opposite, the purposeful and perfect outworking of God’s eternal plan. As the “ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations” (2 Chron. 20:6; cf. 1 Chron. 29:11–12; Ps. 47:2, 8) and the “blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords” (1 Tim. 6:15; cf. Rev. 17:14; 19:16), God is in complete control of every situation, working all things together for His glory and the good of His children (cf. Rom. 8:28; 11:36).

Nebuchadnezzar, the arrogant ruler of the Babylonian Empire, learned the truth about God’s sovereignty in a most humiliating manner. Though he was warned in a dream that “the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes” (Dan. 4:25; cf. v. 17; 2:21), Nebuchadnezzar nevertheless “reflected and said, ‘Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?’” (v. 30). God’s judgment on Nebuchadnezzar’s prideful boast was swift and devastating:

After living like an animal for seven years, a humbled Nebuchadnezzar reflected on the lessons he had so painfully learned:

Years earlier Sennacherib, ruler of the feared Assyrian Empire, had also needed to learn that same lesson. His nation’s conquests, of which it so proudly boasted (cf. Isa. 10:12–14), were not a result of its own military strength, but of God’s sovereign design:

But Sennacherib’s attempt to conquer Jerusalem, God’s holy city, failed disastrously; his army was destroyed (Isa. 37:36), and he was later murdered by his own sons (v. 38). Moreover, when Assyria’s allotted time in God’s program had ended, the nation was judged and destroyed (Isa. 10:12–19; 30:31–33; 31:8–9; Ezek. 31:3–17; Nah. 1:1–3:19)—just as Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome were each destroyed after her (Dan. 2:31–45; 7:1–23). Throughout the millennia since, nations have risen to prominence, had their moment in the sun, and faded from the scene—all in keeping with their “appointed times,” which God has determined (Acts 17:26).

God’s sovereignty and providence extend beyond nations and governments to include all people and events. Everything happens according to His divine schedule. At the pinnacle of that schedule are the birth, death, resurrection, and return of Jesus Christ—history’s most significant events. Jesus was born “when the fullness of the time came, [and] God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law” (Gal. 4:4). His death also took place according to God’s perfect timing. Paul notes that “at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:6), having given “Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time” (1 Tim. 2:6). The Lord will likewise return at the precise moment chosen by God; Paul reminded Timothy of “the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time” (1 Tim. 6:14–15; cf. Mark 13:33; Acts 1:6–7).

Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus was always conscious of doing the Father’s will according to His divine timetable—a truth that is in the first thirteen verses of chapter 7 (cf. v. 6). Chapters 7 and 8 usher in a new, more volatile section of John’s gospel, as the smoldering resentment that Jesus encountered in chapters 1–6 finally burst into a blazing inferno of hatred. Chapter 8 even ends with an unsuccessful attempt on Jesus’ life: “Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple” (8:59). The hatred Jesus faced would reach its peak in 11:45–57, when the Jewish authorities made their final decision to kill Him—a plot that culminated in His crucifixion.

As chapter 7 opens, Jesus was still in Galilee, but preparing to return to Jerusalem at the time predetermined in God’s plan. The section obviously divides into two elements: the wrong time and the right time.

THE WRONG TIME

After these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him. Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near. Therefore His brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing. For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” For not even His brothers were believing in Him. So Jesus said to them, “My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil. Go up to the feast yourselves; I do not go up to this feast because My time has not yet fully come.” Having said these things to them, He stayed in Galilee. (7:1–9)

These verses recount Jesus’ decision to remain in Galilee until the timing was right to go to Jerusalem, His brothers’ request that He leave before the appointed time, and His response to their request.

THE REMAINING

After these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him. (7:1)

The phrase after these things refers to the events described in chapter 6, which took place around the time of Passover in April (6:4). Since chapter 7 opens at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles in October (7:2), there is a gap of about six months between chapters 6 and 7. John records nothing about that interval, except that Jesus spent it walking (traveling and ministering) in Galilee. The apostle’s purpose in composing his gospel was not to write an exhaustive biography of Jesus Christ, but to present Him as the Son of God and Messiah (20:21). The other gospel writers note that during those six months, Jesus traveled the length of Galilee, from Tyre and Sidon, northwest of Galilee (Matt. 15:21–28) to Decapolis, in the southeast (Mark 7:31–37). During that time He performed miracles, including healing (Matt. 15:29–31; Mark 8:22–26), casting out demons (Matt. 15:21–28; 17:14–18), and feeding the four thousand (Matt. 15:32–38).

Most of the six months, however, was spent discipling the Twelve. The Lord taught them extensively (Matt. 16:13–27; 17:19–23; 18:1–35), including telling them for the first time of His impending rejection, crucifixion, and resurrection (Matt. 16:21; cf. 17:22–23). He also revealed to the inner circle (Peter, James, and John) a glimpse of His divine glory (Matt. 17:1–8).

That Jesus spent only two days with the large crowd (perhaps 20,000 people) mentioned in chapter 6 but six months predominantly involved with the Twelve is highly significant. It shows that the primary focus of the Lord’s ministry was not on mass meetings, but on disciple-ship. He devoted His time and effort to the small core group of men who would carry on His ministry after He was gone. The Christian church is in large measure the legacy of those eleven men (plus Matthias [Acts 1:26] and Paul [1 Cor. 9:1]), who faithfully discipled their followers who discipled others and so on, down through the centuries to our own day.

Discipleship must also be a priority for the church. The Lord did not commission the church to attract large crowds, but to go and make disciples (Matt. 28:19). Likewise, Paul charged the young pastor Timothy, “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2). The measure of any church’s success is not the size of its congregation, but the depth of its discipleship.

In addition to discipling the Twelve, Jesus also remained in Galilee and was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were constantly seeking to kill Him. Feelings of hostility toward the Lord, at least in Judea, had already reached the point where the Jewish leaders wanted Him dead (cf. 5:18). Jesus was therefore unwilling to walk (that is, to conduct His life and ministry) openly there, because the time was not yet right in God’s plan for the events leading to His death. He was not, of course, unwilling to die; that was why He came into the world (John 12:27; cf. Matt. 20:28). As John Calvin wrote, “Although Christ avoided dangers, he did not turn aside a hair’s breadth from the course of his duty” (John, The Cross-way Classic Commentaries, Alister McGrath and J. I. Packer, eds. [Wheaton, Ill: Crossway, 1994], 180). Until His hour came, Jesus would not put God to the test (Matt.4:5–7).

THE REQUEST

Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near. Therefore His brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing. For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” For not even His brothers were believing in Him. (7:2–5)

The Feast of Booths, also called the Feast of Tabernacles or Ingathering, lasted for seven days during the Jewish month Tishri (Sept.-Oct.) with a special festival assembly on the eighth day (Lev. 23:33–36; Neh. 8:18). During the feast, the people built and lived in shelters made of branches (Lev. 23:42), as their ancestors had done after leaving Egypt (v. 43). City dwellers built their booths on the roofs of their houses, and in the streets and squares (Neh. 8:14–17). According to the first-century Jewish historian Josephus, the Feast of Tabernacles was the most popular of the three major Jewish feasts. It was marked by celebrations and parties, and featured water-drawing and lamp-lighting rites (cf. John 7:37–38; 8:12). In the millennial kingdom, the Feast of Tabernacles will again be celebrated, in honor of Messiah’s dwelling with His people, and the ingathering of the nations into His kingdom (Zech. 14:16–19).

Since that feast was near, and was one of the three that all Jewish males were required to attend (Deut. 16:16; cf. Ex. 23:14–17; 34:22–24), Jesus’ brothers assumed He would soon leave Galilee and go into Judea to celebrate it. Jesus’ brothers were His half brothers, the children of both Mary and Joseph. Matthew 13:55 lists their names—James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas (or Jude). Although they did not believe in Him at this time (see the discussion of v. 5 below), they would later come to believe in Him (Acts 1:14). Two of His brothers, James and Jude, penned the epistles that bear their names, and James became the head of the Jerusalem church (Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18; cf. Gal. 1:19; 2:9).

Jesus’ brothers challenged Him to perform His miracles openly, on the grand stage that Jerusalem would provide during the Feast of Tabernacles. Then, they reasoned, His disciples from both Galilee and Judea would see the works which He was doing—works which demonstrated that He was in fact the Messiah. Further, some of the disciples who had recently abandoned Him (6:66) might be won back. The Lord’s brothers were not, as some mistakenly think, zealous for Him to show His glory. On the contrary, they did not even believe in Him yet (v. 5).

Their comments appear to have had a dual motivation. First, they may have wanted to see Jesus perform miracles, so they could decide for themselves whether or not His works were genuine. Second, they were probably expecting a political Messiah, like the crowd Jesus fed (6:14–15). Thus, in their minds, the acid test of Jesus’ messiahship would be at Jerusalem (the political center of Israel), and not in Galilee. If the ruling authorities at Jerusalem signed off on Jesus, His brothers would also accept Him as the Messiah.

Their next statement to Him, “For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly,” would have made perfect sense if Jesus were the political Messiah they sought. For Him to remain relatively secluded in Galilee seemed inconsistent with His messianic claims. But like the crowd that wanted to make Him king (6:14–15), Jesus’ brothers completely misunderstood His mission, as He would soon point out. Their final challenge, “If You do these things, show Yourself to the world,” reveals their doubt and unbelief. The word if foreshadows the mocking unbelief that Jesus faced on the cross (Matt. 27:40), and is reminiscent of Satan’s challenge (4:3, 6) during Christ’s temptation.

The apostle John’s footnote, For not even His brothers were believing in Him, explains why they spoke to Him the way they did. Earlier in His ministry, their unbelief had led them to think He had lost His mind (cf. Mark 3:21, 31–34). Nothing the Lord had done since then had penetrated their hard hearts. It would take His resurrection from the dead to finally persuade them that He was the Son of God (Acts 1:14).

THE RESPONSE

So Jesus said to them, “My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil. Go up to the feast yourselves; I do not go up to this feast because My time has not yet fully come.” Having said these things to them, He stayed in Galilee. (7:6–9)

In reply to His brothers’ misguided attempt to force His hand, Jesus said to them, “My time is not yet here.” He would not allow His brothers’ skepticism to dictate His actions. His course of action was determined by the sovereign Father who orchestrated everything in His time.

The Lord had responded similarly to His mother at the wedding in Cana: “My hour has not yet come” (cf. the exposition of 2:4 in chapter 6 of this volume). There Christ also rejected pressure from His family to reveal Himself prematurely. But He would not manifest Himself before the right time, the moment chosen by the Father.

In its fullest sense, the divine time would not come until the next great feast, Passover, the following spring. Though He would minister in Judea for most of the intervening months (cf. Luke 9:51–19:11), the Lord would not enter Jerusalem publicly and openly declare Himself to be the Messiah until then (Matt. 21:1–11; cf. Luke 19:37–40). And just as He had predicted (Matt. 16:21; 17:22–23; 20:17–19; 26:2), that final manifestation would lead to His death.

In contrast, His brothers’ time was always opportune. As part of the unbelieving world (v. 7), they were not concerned with operating on God’s timetable. They knew nothing of His plans and purposes, and were indifferent to His providence. Any time would do for them to go to the feast. Leon Morris observed, “In this respect the brothers joined with the world. Since the world (and the brothers) have cut themselves off from the divinely appointed ‘time’ all times are alike to them” (The Gospel According to John, The New International Commentary on the New Testament [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979], 398).

Unlike Jesus, they would face no hostility at Jerusalem from the Jewish authorities. The world could not hate them, since they were part of it, and it loves its own (15:19). But the world, as Jesus reminded His brothers, “hates Me because I testify of (or against) it, that its deeds are evil” (cf. 2:14–16; 3:19–20; 5:30–47; 12:48; 15:22–25). Since it is controlled by Satan (1 John 5:19), the activities and priorities of the world are inherently sinful. When believers testify against the world and confront its wickedness, like Jesus did, they arouse its antagonism and hatred (cf. 15:18–19; 17:14; Matt. 10:22; 24:9; Luke 6:22; 1 John 3:13; 2 Tim. 3:12; James 4:4).

Because the time was not yet right, Jesus refused His brothers’ request, telling them, “Go up to the feast yourselves.” The Lord, for the reasons already noted, chose not to go with them in what would have probably been a large caravan of people (cf. Luke 2:44). Such a public journey would have risked another attempt to make Him king by force (as in 6:14–15), or perhaps have triggered a premature triumphal entry. Either might have sparked a confrontation with the Jewish authorities, resulting in Jesus’ death before the proper time, which was to be precisely at Passover.

The Greek manuscripts are about evenly divided between the reading ouk (not) and oupo (“not yet”; cf. the NIV). Ouk is most likely the correct reading, since it is unlikely that anyone would replace oupo with ouk, thereby introducing a seeming contradiction into the text (cf. v. 10). On the other hand, there is an obvious reason for scribes to have replaced ouk with oupo, since doing so removes the apparent contradiction with verse 10. In either case, however, the Lord’s meaning is clear. He was not saying that He would not attend the feast at all, but that He would not go with his brothers in the manner they expected. Nor would He allow the Jewish leaders to take His life because His time had not yet fully come. When Jesus did lay down His life, six months later, it would be at the very moment God had predetermined (cf. v. 30; 8:20). Thus, having said these things to His brothers, He stayed in Galilee for a little while.

THE WRONG TIME

But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as if, in secret. So the Jews were seeking Him at the feast and were saying, “Where is He?” There was much grumbling among the crowds concerning Him; some were saying, “He is a good man”; others were saying, “No, on the contrary, He leads the people astray.” Yet no one was speaking openly of Him for fear of the Jews. (7:10–13)

By delaying His departure until after His brothers had gone up to the feast Jesus was able to go to Jerusalem not publicly, but as if, in secret. The Lord’s caution was in marked contrast to the course of action His brothers had urged Him to take and, to them, inconsistent with Him being the Messiah. According to verse 14, Jesus did not arrive in Jerusalem until the middle of the feast. By the time He left Galilee most people would have already arrived in Jerusalem, and the roads would have been relatively deserted. The Lord also traveled through Samaria (New Testament scholars believe the journey through Samaria described in Luke 9:51–56 took place at this time), which few Jews were willing to do. Doing so allowed Jesus to avoid any unnecessary publicity and fanfare—attention that could have led to a premature confrontation with the Jewish leaders.

Meanwhile, events in Jerusalem confirmed the wisdom of the Lord’s caution. John notes that the Jews were seeking Him at the feast and were saying, “Where is He?” The phrase the Jews does not refer to the common people who made up the crowds (v. 11), but to the Jewish leaders who were seeking to kill Him (5:18).

The leaders were not the only ones discussing Jesus in His absence; there was much grumbling and disagreement among the crowds of worshipers concerning Him. On the one hand, some were saying, “He is a good man,” while others were saying, “No, on the contrary, He leads the people astray.” Actually, both views of Jesus were incorrect. He was not merely a good man, since good men do not claim to be God (5:18; cf. 8:24, 28, 58; 10:33). Nor was He one who leads the people astray, because deceivers do not perform the supernatural and authenticating miracles that Jesus did (10:25, 37–38; 14:10–11; cf. 3:2; 5:36).

Sadly, it was this second view of Jesus—that He was a deceiver—that eventually prevailed among the majority of the Jewish people. The second-century apologist Justin Martyr wrote that the Jews “dared to call Him a magician, and a deceiver of the people” (Dialogue of Justin with Trypho, a Jew, 69, cf. 108). Yet no one, whether they thought He was good or a deceiver, was speaking openly of Him for fear of the Jews (cf. 9:22; 12:42; 19:38; 20:19). Though it was clear that the authorities rejected Jesus, the Sanhedrin had not yet rendered a formal judgment regarding Him. Thus, the people were careful to guard their words, speaking neither for Him or against Him until they knew what the official response to Jesus would be. In any case, the crowds certainly did not want to publicly contradict their religious leaders. The consequences for doing so were severe and could include excommunication from the synagogue (9:22; cf. 16:2). That dreaded punishment cut a person off from all of Jewish life.

As this account in John’s gospel illustrates, Jesus followed God’s timetable perfectly. He always performed God’s will exactly as the Father wished. Those who are true followers of Christ also have the ability to follow God’s revealed will—because they have been given both His Word and His Spirit. His Word informs believers as to what His will is (Ps. 40:8), and His Spirit empowers them to obey that will with gladness (143:10; cf. 119:111).

Unbelievers do not have the capacity to understand God’s Word (1 Cor. 2:14) or the ability to obey His Spirit (Rom. 8:5–9). Nonetheless, for those who have not yet come to Him, the time is right to do so, “for He says, At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.’ Behold, now is ‘The acceptable time,’ behold, now is ‘the day of salvation’” (2 Cor. 6:2).