Chapter Seven
Jn. 7:1. After this Jesus walked in Galilee, for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.
Jesus withdraws from the murderous Jews not because He fears death, for He could have walked in their very midst and suffered nothing, but because if He had always acted thus, they would not have believed that He was a Man, but would have regarded Him as a phantom. Therefore He now withdraws and in this way confirms and attests that He is a Man, and strikes down all those who say that He was incarnate only in appearance, such as Manes, Marcion, Basilides, and the like. In other cases, when He is among the murderers who plot against Him and remains unharmed, He shows that He is God, and puts to shame Paul of Samosata, and assures all that He was not merely a Man, but also God.
Now He departs for Galilee. Since the time to suffer had not yet come, it was pointless and unnecessary for Him to move about among His enemies and thereby give occasion to intensify their malice.
Jn. 7:2. The Jewish feast was near — the setting up of tabernacles.
"It was," he says, "the feast of tabernacles." Concerning the feasts celebrated by the Jews, the following should be noted. There were three of them: one was the feast of Passover, which they celebrated in memory of the exodus from Egypt, and it was their first (chief) feast. Another feast was Pentecost, which they celebrated in memory of their deliverance from the hardships in the wilderness and their entry into the promised land. At that time they tasted the fruits of grain for the first time, which is why on this feast they also offered ears of grain as firstfruits. The third feast was the feast of tabernacles, which they celebrated in gratitude for the gathering of fruits, in the month of September by Roman reckoning. At that time they thanked the Lord for having gathered all the fruits. This is also why they set up booths or tents and made merry, as though living in the field. Some say that certain psalms of David (Ps. 80, Ps. 83) bearing the inscription "concerning the winepresses" were composed by David precisely for this feast. At that time they filled their wine presses, gathering grapes, and giving thanks for them, they used these psalms and others that serve as expressions of thanksgiving, for example, the eighth psalm (Ps. 8). For in it too the prophet mentions the blessings granted to man by God.
These feasts also had another meaning. Pascha signified our passage from unbelief to faith, Pentecost signified entry into the Church, as into another promised land, in which we also partake of bread, communing of the Divine Mysteries. We do not immediately partake of the Bread as soon as we believe and pass from unbelief, but must first be baptized and be deemed worthy of standing in the church together with the baptized, and only then partake of the Bread.
The Feast of Tabernacles signified the resurrection, when all the fruits of our deeds shall be gathered, and our tabernacles (bodies), destroyed by death, shall rise again. There are also other lofty aspects to these feasts, but now is not the time to express them. For we always choose what is more profitable for the many.
Jn. 7:3. Then His brothers said to Him: depart from here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see the works that You do.
So, when the Jewish feast called "the setting up of tabernacles" was approaching, and the brothers of Jesus saw that He was not preparing to go to the feast, they say to Him with envy: "Depart from here and go there, so that Your works may also be seen by Your disciples, that is, the people who follow You"; for they do not speak of the Twelve, but of His other followers.
Jn. 7:4. For no one does anything in secret, and seeks himself to be known.
His brothers, that is, the sons of Joseph, accuse Him of two dispositions: cowardice and love of glory. Therefore they also say: "no one does anything in secret" — this is a sign of cowardice, and "and seeks himself to be known" — this is a sign of love of glory.
Jn. 7:4. If You do such works, then show Yourself to the world.
"If," they say, "You do such works, then show Yourself to the world." By this they are saying, as it were: "We do not understand Your conduct in a favorable light. For if You do such works as good ones, then show Yourself; but if You hide, it is obvious that You hide because You do what is evil."
Jn. 7:5. For neither did His brothers believe in Him.
Why did the Evangelist, out of the five months of activity, recount nothing other than the miracle of the loaves and the Lord's discourse to those who were fed but ungrateful, and, passing over the rest, said: "the feast of the Jews was at hand, the feast of tabernacles"? That he passed over in silence the deeds performed during the five months is evident from the following. When Jesus performed the miracle of the loaves, it was then Passover, which is celebrated in the month called March by the Romans, and the first month by the Jews. But now it is the feast of tabernacles, which is celebrated in our September. Why then did the Evangelist do this? Because it was impossible to speak of everything in order. And otherwise the Evangelists endeavored to speak of those things on account of which some censure or contradiction arose from the Jews. Their love of truth is worthy of admiration. They are not ashamed to speak of that which seemingly brings upon their Teacher a certain disgrace. So also this Evangelist, passing over many miracles and discourses of the Lord, narrates the unbelief of the brethren and how they reproached Him. From where then did such unbelief arise in them? From willfulness and envy.
However, consider this. Before the crucifixion, although they see Him in glory and working miracles, they do not believe in Him, but after the crucifixion and His apparent disgrace, they bear witness for Him, having become apostles, preachers, and high priests. This means they indisputably saw Him risen. For if they had not received firm assurance of His resurrection, they would not have given themselves over to death for His sake.
Jn. 7:6. To this Jesus said to them: My time has not yet come, but for you the time is always ready.
Brothers, envying the Lord, accuse Him of cowardice and vainglory. What then does He say to them? Does He not answer them harshly? No, but gently. He did not say: "Who are you to give Me such counsel and to teach?" But what does He say? "My time has not yet come," that is, the time of suffering and death.
The words "My time has not yet been fulfilled" mean that it was not yet time to be crucified and die. "I must still live in the flesh and perform more miracles, and deliver more teaching in order to prepare more people for faith and to strengthen the disciples more through the manifestation of greater miracles and through teaching. Therefore," He says, "the time of death has not yet come for Me to deliver Myself to those who are hostile toward Me; for this reason I will not go to the feast."
"But for you it is always time." "You," He says, "although you will always be among the Jews, they will not put you to death, since you have the same aspirations as they do, but Me, as soon as they see that I have come to the feast, they will immediately resolve to kill."
Or this can be understood in another way as well. He who blesses those who mourn in the present age (Matt. 5:4) now also says something similar, which can apply to all the saints as well. "For Me," He says, "the time of the feast has not yet come, since I see that every kind of evil dwells in the Jews. For it is a time of weeping and sorrow when truth is banished and the will of God does not prevail. Therefore, for Me it is not yet a festive time. But for you, who live in agreement with the Jews and are attached to the world, it is fitting to celebrate together with those like yourselves."
Jn. 7:7. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me, because I testify concerning it that its works are evil.
"And the world, that is, those who care about worldly things, cannot hate you, as being the same as itself. But it hates Me, because I expose its works. For rebuke, when very bold, always gives rise to hatred."
Jn. 7:8. You go up to this feast; but I am not yet going up to this feast, because My time has not yet been fulfilled.