Scripture Reading: John 7:1-32, 37-52
The Gospel of John has much to say concerning the Jewish feasts. In chapters 2, 6, and 12 we have the Passover; in chapter 5, the Feast of Purim; and in chapter 7, the Feast of Tabernacles. We have pointed out that the Feast of the Passover, the first of the Jewish annual feasts, implies the beginning of man’s life and that the Feast of Tabernacles, the last feast of the year, implies the completion of life. In the scene in chapter 6 there is the Feast of the Passover. In this chapter the Lord presented Himself as the bread of life to satisfy man’s hunger. In the scene in chapter 7 there is the Feast of Tabernacles. Here the Lord said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink” (v. 37). Furthermore, the Lord promised that the one who believes into Him will experience rivers of living water flowing out of his innermost being (v. 38). Here we have the living water to quench man’s thirst.
The Feast of the Passover is related to man’s hunger, and the Feast of Tabernacles, to man’s thirst. At the beginning of life we are hungry, but at the end of life we are thirsty. Therefore, we need the Lord Jesus as the living bread to feed us and as the living water to satisfy us. The Feast of the Passover signifies nourishment, and the Feast of Tabernacles signifies satisfaction. However, both the eating at the Passover in John 6 and the satisfaction at the Feast of Tabernacles in John 7 are shadows. Christ is the reality of both the Feast of the Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles. Therefore, we need Christ for our nourishment and satisfaction. Because He is the living bread within us and also the fountain of living water, He can feed us and satisfy us.
The Feast of Tabernacles, held at the end of the year with the ingatherings of the harvest, was for the people’s full enjoyment and satisfaction. However, those who attended this feast were not satisfied. This was the reason that “on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink” (7:37). The Lord cried out in this way because He realized that none of those attending the feast were satisfied. Year after year they came to the Feast of Tabernacles, but they were not satisfied. Hence, the Lord called the thirsty ones to come to Him and drink. The “last day” in verse 37 signifies that all the enjoyment of any success of human life will end. There is a last day to every kind of material thing in human life. But in eternity the Feast of Tabernacles in the New Jerusalem will never end. That is the only feast that will last forever.
It is actually quite difficult for us to grasp the thought in chapter 7 of John. It is easier to understand chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6 than it is to understand this chapter. In John 1 we see that the Lord Jesus is the Lamb with the dove. Concerning Him, John the Baptist said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (v. 29). John also testified, “I beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He abode upon Him” (v. 32). The fact that Jesus is the Lamb with the dove indicates that He is the One who redeems us and puts us into the Spirit. In chapter 2 the Lord Jesus changed water into wine. That was the beginning of signs (v. 11) and signifies life’s principle — changing death into life. In 2:12-22 we see life’s purpose — to build the house of God. Therefore, in John 2 we have the changing of death into life for the building up of God’s dwelling place. In 3:14 and 15 the Lord said to Nicodemus, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that everyone who believes into Him may have eternal life.” In this chapter Christ is the bronze serpent, having the form of a serpent but not its poisonous nature, lifted up to die for us so that we may be regenerated with the divine life in order to become part of His increase. In chapter 4 Christ is the fountain of living water and also the reality of all the offerings. In chapter 5 Christ is the One to whom judgment has been given and the One who gives life. Then in chapter 6 Christ is the bread of life, the true, living bread out of heaven, to feed hungry people.
In chapters 3 through 6 we are clearly told what Christ was doing or what He was about to do. The situation is very different in chapter 7. In this chapter we do not have the record of any kind of doing or activity. What we see here is a certain kind of life. Chapter 7 reveals a life that is restricted for God’s purpose. In this chapter we see that the Lord lived in such a way that He was restricted from doing anything for Himself. For example, the Lord’s brothers, who did not believe into Him, said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may behold Your works which You are doing; for no one does anything in secret and himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, manifest Yourself to the world” (vv. 3-4). The Lord’s brothers seemed to be saying, “Since You are able to do miracles, why not show Yourself openly and get a name for Yourself? Don’t do things in secret. Go to Jerusalem and do something in public. That will cause You to become a great leader.” The brothers of the Lord followed man’s way, the way of self-glorification. But the Lord Jesus followed God’s way and said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready” (v. 6). Although the Lord is the eternal, infinite, unlimited God, He lived here as a man, limited even in the matter of time.
In 7:7 and 8 the Lord went on to say to His brothers, “The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me, because I testify concerning it, that its works are evil. You go up to the feast; I am not going up to this feast, because My time has not yet been fulfilled.” The Lord Jesus seemed to be telling His brothers, “I cannot do things in the way of glorifying man. You may act that way, for you are worldly people living for yourselves. But because I am not a worldly person and I am not living for Myself, I cannot follow that way. Also, I need to be careful because the Jews are seeking to kill Me. But My time, the time of My death, has not yet come.” The Lord knew that what was written in the Scriptures would be fulfilled at the Feast of the Passover, not at the Feast of Tabernacles. Hence, it was necessary for Him to be careful until the time had come for Him to be crucified. He knew that He would be put to death on the Passover and then resurrected at the Feast of Firstfruits. After that, He would become the reality of the Feast of Pentecost for His disciples.
As the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus was crucified on the Passover. Then on the third day, the day of the firstfruits, He was resurrected. Following that, He remained with His disciples for forty days, after which He ascended to the heavens. Then the disciples prayed for ten days. This means that after a total of fifty days, there was the Feast of Pentecost, and the Lord became the full harvest. The point here is that the Lord Jesus lived a life restricted for God. Living such a restricted life, He knew that He was not to die at the Feast of Tabernacles but at the Feast of the Passover. For this reason, in chapter 7 He was very careful about going up to Jerusalem for the feast.
As One who lived a restricted life, a life restricted from doing things for self, the Lord sought the glory of God for God’s satisfaction. When the Lord Jesus taught in the temple, the Jews marveled and said, “How does this man know letters, without ever having studied?” (v. 15). The Lord Jesus answered, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone resolves to do His will, he will know concerning the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of Him who sent Him, this One is true, and unrighteousness is not in Him” (vv. 16-18). Here we see that the Lord did not seek His own glory, in that He did not speak from Himself. Rather, He sought the glory of the One who sent Him.
The Lord’s being a person who sought God’s glory for God’s satisfaction did not depend on what He did or on His works; it depended instead on the fact that He was of God, that He was sent by God, that He came from God, and that He spoke God. This chapter does not record any work done by the Lord Jesus. This chapter reveals that He was a person restricted by God, that He was of God, that He was sent by God and came from God, and that He did not speak His own word but spoke God. When the Lord spoke God’s word, God was expressed through His speaking. God came forth from Him through His words.
Because the Lord lived a life of restriction and a life of seeking the glory of God, He was fully qualified to be the burnt offering. In the book of Leviticus we have five basic offerings: the burnt offering, the meal offering, the peace offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering. The burnt offering was unique in that it was not mainly for redemption. The burnt offering was wholly for God’s satisfaction. According to Leviticus 1, this offering was burned to ashes as God’s food to satisfy God. In chapter 7 of the Gospel of John we see that the Lord Jesus is the reality of the burnt offering. He lived a life that was wholly restricted by God and for God. He was of God, He came from God, and He was sent by God.
Although John 7 does not record the Lord’s works, it does give us an account of His speaking. In this chapter the Lord seemed to be saying to the religionists, “You do not understand My word because you are not in My kingdom. In My kingdom I live a life that is restricted from doing things for the self. I live such a restricted life for God. I live a life of speaking God and of expressing Him for His glory and satisfaction. But you do everything for your own glory. This proves that you are in another kingdom. But if you have a will to do God’s will, if you have the desire to please God, then you will understand My word and know concerning My teaching whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself. If you decide to live a life for God, you will immediately understand My word.”
When the Lord Jesus was on earth, the religious people were busy doing things for their own glory. The situation is the same in principle among religious people today. In the religious sphere people are active; they are very busy doing all sorts of things. But who is living a life restricted by God and expressing Him? Who is seeking God’s glory for His satisfaction? It is rare to find such a living among Christians today. Because most Christians do not live a life of restriction and a life of seeking God’s glory for His satisfaction, they are not able to understand John 7. If we would understand this chapter, we need to be those who are willing to be restricted and seek God’s glory. This is a life for the burnt offering.
As the One who lived a life for the burnt offering, the Lord Jesus even seemed to be misleading in speaking with His brothers. First, He told them that He was not going up to the feast (v. 8). But “when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not openly, but as it were in secret” (v. 10). Some of those at the feast claimed that He was leading the crowd astray (v. 12). This indicates that He was criticized and accused of misleading people.
In John 7 the Lord Jesus was also slandered and persecuted. The Lord said to the crowd, “Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill Me?” (v. 19). Then the crowd replied, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill You?” (v. 20). Some even went so far as to slander the Lord by saying that He had a demon. Furthermore, according to 7:25, some were seeking to kill Him, and verse 30 says that they sought to seize Him. This proves that the Lord Jesus, the One who lived the life for the burnt offering, was slandered and persecuted.
In this chapter we see that the Lord Jesus is the One who satisfies the thirsty and overflows from within them as rivers of living water (vv. 37-39). Not only does He live for God and satisfy God, but He also satisfies the thirsty ones who come to Him and overflows from within them.
Many Christians can testify that when they were first saved they experienced the Lord overflowing from within them. However, after a period of time that flowing ceased. Do you know why? This flowing ceases in many Christians because they do not live a life that is qualified to be the burnt offering for God’s satisfaction. Only the kind of life that satisfies God can cause others to be satisfied. Because the Lord Jesus lived a life restricted by God and a life seeking God’s glory for His satisfaction, He can quench our thirst, satisfy us, and overflow from within us.
Now that we have the Lord within us as such a life, we need to live Him. This means that we should live a life restricted by God from doing things for ourselves and also live a life that seeks God’s glory for His satisfaction. When we live this kind of life, spontaneously the fountain of life will spring up within us and overflow.
In John 7 we see the persecution by religion of the life that is restricted by God and seeks God’s glory. Religious people cannot understand such a life. To them, such a life is nonsensical. The persecution in this chapter took place at the time of religion’s holy feast. While they were holding a feast for their enjoyment, they were plotting to kill the Lord Jesus, and this was done according to their Scriptures. They claimed that they wanted to act in a scriptural way, and they charged others to search and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee (v. 52). Furthermore, the religious ones who persecuted the Lord Jesus did so with the pride of knowing their holy law. Concerning this pride, verse 49 quotes the words of the Pharisees, who said, “This crowd which does not know the law is accursed.” They were proud of their knowledge of the law. In principle, the situation is the same today. Much of the persecution we have encountered has come from religious people who seek to act according to their regulations and according to their interpretation of the Scriptures.
In this chapter our emphasis certainly is not on religion’s persecution; it is on Christ, the reality of the Feast of Tabernacles. Today we are enjoying a foretaste of this feast. In the New Jerusalem we will enjoy the full taste with the unique tabernacle and the river of water of life. Today we enjoy Christ as the Passover, as the One who feeds us, and we are also at the real Feast of Tabernacles, enjoying Christ as the river of living water that satisfies us and overflows from within us. Therefore, we are fed and satisfied. But all this is simply a foretaste. In the New Jerusalem in eternity we will enjoy this feast forever.
Christ is the reality of all the feasts. He is our Feast of the Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. Christ is everything to us. Therefore, He is the fulfillment of the tabernacle and all the offerings. As the One we enjoy today, Christ is the fulfillment of all these types. How wonderful it is that we may enjoy such a Christ!
