Jesus Teaches at the Feast

Jesus travels through Galilee while Judea remains hostile. His brothers urge him to show himself at the feast, but John notes their unbelief. Jesus answers that his time has not yet come, speaks of the world’s hatred for his testimony, and remains in Galilee.

A¹fter this, Jesus traveled throughout Galilee. He did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jews there were trying to kill Him. ²However, the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near. ³So Jesus’ brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go to Judea, so that Your disciples there may see the works You are doing. ⁴For no one who wants to be known publicly acts in secret. Since You are doing these things, show Yourself to the world.” ⁵For even His own brothers did not believe in Him. ⁶Therefore Jesus told them, “Although your time is always at hand, My time has not yet come. ⁷The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me, because I testify that its works are evil. ⁸Go up to the feast on your own. I am not going up to this feast, because My time has not yet come.” ⁹Having said this, Jesus remained in Galilee.

After his brothers leave, Jesus goes to the feast in secret. The crowds search for him and speak cautiously. Midway through the feast he teaches in the temple courts, answering amazement about his learning by pointing to the one who sent him and to the truthfulness of his own speech.

¹⁰But after His brothers had gone up to the feast, He also went — not publicly, but in secret. ¹¹So the Jews were looking for Him at the feast and asking, “Where is He?” ¹²Many in the crowds were whispering about Him. Some said, “He is a good man.” ¹³Yet no one would speak publicly about Him for fear of the Jews. ¹⁴About halfway through the feast, Jesus went up to the temple courts and began to teach. ¹⁵The Jews were amazed and asked, “How did this man attain such learning without having studied?” ¹⁶“My teaching is not My own,” Jesus replied. “It comes from Him who sent Me. ¹⁷If anyone desires to do His will, he will know whether My teaching is from God or whether I speak on My own. ¹⁸He who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory, but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is a man of truth; in Him there is no falsehood.

Jesus confronts the crowd with their failure to keep the law while they seek to kill him. He compares their acceptance of circumcision on the Sabbath with their anger over his making a whole man well, then calls them to judge justly rather than by appearance.

¹⁹Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps it. Why are you trying to kill Me?” ²⁰“You have a demon,” the crowd replied. “Who is trying to kill You?” ²¹Jesus answered them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed. ²²But because Moses gave you circumcision, you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath (not that it is from Moses, but from the patriarchs.) ²³If a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses will not be broken, why are you angry with Me for making the whole man well on the Sabbath? ²⁴Stop judging by outward appearances, and start judging justly.”