1. Why is Jesus called "the Heavenly One" in this chapter? He made three heavenly claims. His message was from heaven, His mission was from heaven, and He as a gift from God was from heaven. Jesus talked about His preexistence, but the Jews did not understand that He would return to heaven. He also taught that His doctrine was from God.
2. Describe the Feast of Tabernacles. The feast was held in October outside Jerusalem. The people stayed in tents as a way to commemorate God’s care for Israel while they wandered through the wilderness for forty years. The feast lasted eight days and signified the coming kingdom.
3. Why did Jesus' half-brothers want Him to go to Jerusalem? His brethren did not yet believe in Him. They said they wanted Him to go so His disciples could see His works and so that He could show Himself to the world. Some commentators have suggested they knew of a trap and were actually trying to lead Him into it.
4. Who were these brethren (vs. 3-5)? Jerome called them His cousins. Most probably, they were the children born to Mary and Joseph after Jesus was born.
5. Why did Jesus go up to this feast? Many commentators say that He was not yet ready to go to the Feast of Tabernacles because He had not yet done His kingdom work. He had not yet gone to the cross. When He went to Jerusalem, He went secretly. Arriving secretly identified the nature of His walk with God in contrast to a more natural inclination to identify with the crowds.
6. What time of year was the Feast of Tabernacles? Passover was in April. It lasted eight days, with the Feast of First Fruits being on the final day which was Sunday. Fifty days later came Pentecost. This feast was the least attended, and the last day of it was on Sunday. The Feast of Tabernacle was a symbolic picture of the Kingdom harvest. It was held in October and lasted eight days, with the final day again on Sunday. All three of the major Jewish feasts ended on Sunday.
7. What did Jesus mean by the word "belly"? The word translated "out of" in Exodus 17:6 shares the common root word used for "belly." Jesus was probably referring to the rock which had supplied water to the children of Israel in the wilderness. Jewish tradition held that the rock from which Moses had gotten the water was a theophany, or type of Christ, which traveled with them throughout the wilderness.
8. What was the response of the multitude to Jesus' action at the Feast of Tabernacles? Jesus divided the multitude. Some saw Him as Christ and prophet. Nicodemus challenged the crowd to listen to Him.
Tom of Spotswood"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (I John 5:12)
"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)
Index to Selected Essays And Book Reviews
Lesson 10 - Christ - The Light Of The Word
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