John 7:2-6,10-12

[alon]

John 7:2-6,10-12 (ESV)  Now the Jews' Feast of Booths was at hand.  So his brothers [and sisters] said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing.  For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.”  For not even his brothers believed in him.  Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. ... But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private.  The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?”  And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.”

I just had to sit and bite my tongue in a Sunday School class which I went with my wife to. The consensus they came to on this passage is that "Jesus" brothers wanted Him killed. They compared this to the incident when Joseph's brothers conspired to kill him, but then sold him into slavery. 

There was a much more obvious reason they were urging Him to go, of course. This was Sukkoth, one of the shalosh regalim! Every Jewish man HAD TO BE there in Yerushalayim or be cut off from his people. For someone with a claim to being HaMoshiach, it would be unthinkable for Him not to be there! That is why Yeshua did go, but in secret. It's also why many Jews were looking for Him; some holding to the truth of His goodness, and some apparently getting frustrated and thinking the worst. Since they couldn't find Him there, well then He must be leading the people astray by telling them not to come to the feast.

Usually that class is pretty good. But as Rav S always says, with poor understanding silly doctrine is just around the corner.

Dan C

[garrett]

Mar 6, 2017 7:10:03 GMT -8 alon said:

John 7:2-6,10-12 (ESV)  Now the Jews' Feast of Booths was at hand.  So his brothers [and sisters] said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing.  For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.”  For not even his brothers believed in him.  Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. ... But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private.  The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?”  And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.”

I just had to sit and bite my tongue in a Sunday School class which I went with my wife to. The consensus they came to on this passage is that "Jesus" brothers wanted Him killed. They compared this to the incident when Joseph's brothers conspired to kill him, but then sold him into slavery. 

There was a much more obvious reason they were urging Him to go, of course. This was Sukkoth, one of the shalosh regalim! Every Jewish man HAD TO BE there in Yerushalayim or be cut off from his people. For someone with a claim to being HaMoshiach, it would be unthinkable for Him not to be there! That is why Yeshua did go, but in secret. It's also why many Jews were looking for Him; some holding to the truth of His goodness, and some apparently getting frustrated and thinking the worst. Since they couldn't find Him there, well then He must be leading the people astray by telling them not to come to the feast.

Sometimes the easiest answer is the one that is most avoided...apparently. It looks like the very first sentence, which mentions the Feast of Booths, is something that just doesn't matter. Well, this is obviously the case. Otherwise, everyone in this class would have noticed that this Feast of Booths was, "at hand."

But coming up with some contrived idea that His brothers wanted Him killed is just ....lazy thinking? silly? There's no shortage of this.

 I recently heard a christian pastor on the radio mention that we are to follow Jesus' commandments. Really? What are they? If so, which ones does the pastor choose from? I was immediately reminded of the sentence where the Messiah said, "before there was Abraham, I AM." So Yeshua states that he is G-d, and G-d made the ("commandments"), and G-d is Torah, etc. It made me wonder what this pastor would really consider to be the things to be followed.

Things start to fall apart when the basic Judaism/Jewish context is removed from the entire Bible - like not noticing Sukkoth, or the fact that Yeshua very characteristically shows up when He thinks it's time, and nothing else.

garrett