John 7:1-53

The events recorded in John chapter 7 took place after those recorded in John chapter 6 and after many other events recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke (refer to Matthew 15:1 - 18:35; Mark 7:1 - 9:50; Luke 9:18-50).

John 7:1:

^7:1And after these-things Jesus walked in Galilee, for he did not intend to walk in Judea because the Judeans sought-after him to kill.

After the previous events, during that past time, historically, Jesus used to walk in Galilee. He was not intending (willing with active volition and desire) to walk in the area of Judea, which was south of Galilee - the cause being that the Judeans were looking for him to kill him.

[Reference: John 5:18.]

Verses 2-9:

^.2But the feast of the Judeans was near - the Tent-Pitching; ^.3therefore his brothers said towards him, "You must depart from-here and you must go into Judea in order that also your learning-disciples will view-with-attention your works which you do, ^.4for not-one-person does something in hiding and he seeks-after to be in boldness; if you do these-things you must manifest yourself to the world" - ^.5for neither his brothers believed into him. ^.6Therefore Jesus says to them, "The time, my (time) is not-yet present; but the time, your (time) is always prepared. ^.7The world is not able to hate you but it hates me because I witness concerning it that its works are evil. ^.8You must ascend into the feast; I do not ascend into this feast because my time was not-yet fulfilled²." ^.9But having said these-things he remained in Galilee.

The time of the Judean feast was close (the celebration of a certain festival) called Tent-Pitching (fastening, setting-up the covering or sheltering structures). This feast occurred in the year 27 A.D. and was also known as the Feast of Tabernacles, tents, or booths. It was celebrated as a memorial to the time when the children of Israel/Jacob dwelled in tents in the desert with Moses, around the beginning of October (15th Tishri in the Judean calendar), which was the time of gathering the final harvest produce from the earth (land, ground). This was one of the three feasts during which all the Judean/Israeli adult-males were obligated to be present in Jerusalem according to the law of Moses. Refer to Leviticus 23:34-43, Deuteronomy 16:13-16, II Chronicles 8:13, and Nehemiah 8:14-18.

Therefore his brothers said towards him (half-brothers because Mary was their mother also - Joseph was their father but God was Jesus' Father)...

• "You must depart from-here (change your direction from this location, move from being in this place)
• and you must go (it is imperative that you actively lead yourself under, in the sense of going without any argument, under cover, as animals go because they are under a yoke without going from side to side or intentionally stopping to do something else - go)
  • into Judea (the land of Judah, the region where the city of Jerusalem is located)
• for the purpose and result that also your learning-disciples (the students from all areas who will be in Jerusalem for the feast)
  • will view with attention (attentively view, contemplate in/with their minds)
  • your works (deeds, the things wrought, the end-products issuing from you, the effects produced with/by your actions expending your energy)
  • which you do (perform, make, produce),
• for nobody performs something in hiding (in a hidden manner being concealed from view by anyone else)
  • and emphatically he is seeking after (in Greek there is a definite word for “he” plus the verb meaning “he seeks-after” giving emphasis – he himself is looking)
    • to be within the sphere of action of boldness (freedom, frankness and openness of speech);
• if/since it is a fact that you do these-things
  • you must manifest yourself to the world (it is imperative that you evidence yourself, bring yourself to light, show yourself forth to/for the inhabitants of the world, not only those in this location but to everybody)"
    • - which may sound like a good idea or great advice, but John continues to explain why they said this to him -

...in truth, neither were his brothers believing into him (during that past time they were not having faith directed to Jesus, they were not trusting regarding what Jesus was saying and doing).

What did Jesus do after receiving such 'a good idea' or 'great advice' from his family? Did he immediately do what they suggested? Did he say, "Wow - thank you so much for telling me what I should do"? Let us read on and see how Jesus handled this situation.

Following-on logically from the previous verses, Jesus says to them...

• "The time (the specific time, precise period, opportune occasion, the season),
  • emphatically and specifically my time (mine),
  • is not-yet present (up until this moment my time is still not here, not being beside, near-by or alongside me);
• but the time,
  • emphatically and specifically your time (yours),
  • is always prepared (constantly your time is in the state of readiness, at all times it is ready - you can go to Jerusalem at any time).
• The world (referring to its inhabitants, as verse 4 above)
  • is not able to hate you (does not have the able-power, the capability to have active ill-will towards you, it is not capable of hating you)
• but it hates me because emphatically I witness (again there is emphasis by including a definite word for “I” – I myself attest with information, give the declaration of knowledge that I personally have and therefore can state and confirm it on the strength of my own authority)
  • about the world
  • that its works (deeds, the things wrought, the end-products issuing from it, the effects produced with/by the actions of the people who belong to the world expending their energy)
    • are evil (active with malignancy, exercising badness).
• Emphatically you must ascend (again there is emphasis by including a definite word for “you” – it is imperative that you yourselves mount, go upwards - Jerusalem is located on higher elevation than the surrounding areas)
  • into the feast;
• emphatically I myself am not presently and actively ascending into this feast (I am not going with you to manifest what I am doing to the world)
  • because emphatically my time (mine)
  • was not-yet fulfilled and continues not fulfilled (up until this moment the specific time for me to manifest myself to the world by going to Jerusalem is still not made-full, caused to be filled with the full-contents, filled-up, accomplished)."

After Jesus said these-things, emphatically he remained (stayed, continued) in Galilee.

[Reference: Leviticus 23:34-43; Deuteronomy 16:13-16; II Chronicles 8:13; Matthew 12:46, 13:55-58; Hebrews 8:1. Note: verbs with a superscript 2 (²) immediately following them indicate the "perfect" tense - details are provided in the "Relevant Notes" link of this study.]

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John Chapter 8