Jesus Is the Real Tabernacle

Jesus Teaches at the Feast of Tabernacles

Jesus' Brothers Try to Get Jesus to Go to the Feast of Tabernacles

At this point, it was close to the time of the Jew's feast of Booths, or what is also known as the "Feast of Tabernacles,"1 and so Jesus' brothers said to Him, "Leave here and go into Judea so that Your disciples will also see the works You are doing. For no one does anything in secret while he is looking for himself to be made known! (See Matthew 5:14-15, Luke 11:33, John 18:20).2 If You do these things, show Yourself to the world." For even His brothers did not believe in Him (5:89J 7:2-5).

2 Jesus told them, "It is not My time yet. . . . For you anytime is OK because the world cannot hate you, but it does hate Me. And it hates Me because I testify concerning it, that its works are evil. Therefore, you go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast because it is not My time yet." And having said this, He remained in Galilee3 (J 7:6-9).

Jesus Secretly Goes to the Feast of Tabernacles

3 Then once His brothers had gone up, He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were, in secret (J 7:10).

4 Now the Jews were watching and waiting for Him at the feast, saying, "Where is He?" And there was a lot of grumbling among the people concerning Him. Some were saying, "He is good," and others said, "No, just the opposite, He causes people to stray." Yet, no one would openly talk about Him because they were afraid of the Jews (J 7:11-13).

5 Then at around the middle of the feast, Jesus went up into the House of God and began to teach. The Jews marveled and said, "How does He know so much about the things that are written without ever having studied?"4 (J 7:14-15).

6 Jesus replied, "This – what I am teaching – is not My own. It is of the One who sent Me. And if anyone wants to do His will, he will know whether this teaching is from God, or whether I speak for Myself, because he who says things on his own is looking to glorify himself. But the one who is looking to bring the glory of the One who sent Him is true and there is no unrighteousness in Him. Now didn't Moses give you the Torah? Yet none of you do what the law teaches.5 Why are you looking for a way to kill Me?" (J 7:16-19).

7 The people answered, "You have a demon!6 Who is trying to kill You?" (J 7:20).

8 Jesus said, "I did one work, and you were all shocked. Moses, therefore, gave you circumcision (which wasn't even from Moses in the first place, but it came down from the fathers (Genesis 17:9-11) ) and you go ahead and circumcise a man on the Sabbath. So, then, if a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, are you mad at Me because I made a man entirely well on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with a judgment innocent of malice" (J 7:21-24).

9 Then some of them, who were from Jerusalem, said, "Isn't He the One they are seeking to kill? But look, He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Could it be that the rulers do know He is the Messiah? However, we know where this Man is from. And when the Messiah comes, no one knows where He is from"7 (J 7:25-27).

10 And so it was, He taught in the House of God, and raising His voice, He said, "You know Me and you know where I am from. I have not come of Myself, and the One who sent Me is true. But you do not know Him, and I do know Him. For I am from Him, and He sent Me" (J 7:28-29).

11 Then they tried to find a way to seize Him. But no one laid a hand on Him because His hour had not yet come. However, many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Messiah comes, will He do more signs than the ones this Man has done?" (J 7:30-31).

12 Now the Pharisees heard the people murmuring these things about Him, so the Pharisees and the chief priests sent security officers8 to seize Him. But Jesus said to them, "I am only going to be with you a little while longer, and then I will go to the One who sent Me. You will look for Me and not find Me, because where I am, you cannot come"9 (J 7:32-34).

13 Then the Jews said to each other, "Where does He plan on going so that we will not find Him, to the dispersion of the Jews among the Greeks? He doesn't plan on going out to teach the Jew dispersed throughout the Roman empire,10 does He? What does He mean when He says, 'You will look for Me and not find Me, and where I am, you cannot come?'" (J 7:35-36).

14 Then, on the last day, the great day – the highlight of the feast – Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, just as the Scripture has said, 'out of his inner-most being will flow rivers of living water.'"1112 (He was talking about the Spirit those who believe in Him were going to receive. For the Spirit, at that time, had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified) (J 7:37-39).

15 Therefore, when the people heard Him say this, many of them said, "This truly is the Prophet!" And others said, "This is the Anointed One!" (J 7:40-41a).

16 But some of the people said, "The Anointed One is not going to come from Galilee, is he? Don't the Scriptures say that the Messiah comes from the descendants of David, and from the village of Bethlehem, where David was from?" (J 7:41b-42).

17 So there was a division among the people because of Him, and some of them even wanted to seize Him. But no one laid a hand on Him (J 7:43-44).

18 Then the security officers13 came to the chief priests and the Pharisees. And the chief priests and Pharisees14 said, "Why didn't you bring Him here?" (J 7:45).

19 The officers replied, "No one has ever talked the way He does!" (J 7:46).

20 "You are not deceived, also, are you?" the Pharisees said. "Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? These people, who do not know the law, are cursed!" (J 7:47-49).

21 But then Nicodemus (the man who had come to Jesus by night – being one of the Pharisees) said to them, "Isn't it true that our law does not judge a man unless it first hears him and knows for sure what it is he is doing?"15 (J 7:50-51).

22 "Are you also from Galilee?" they answered. "If you go and check it out for yourself, you will see that no prophet has ever come out of Galilee" (J 7:52).

23 Then every one of them left, each to their own house. But Jesus went out to the Mount of Olives (J 7:53-8:1).

24 Early in the morning, however, He came into the House of God, again, and all the people came to Him. And there it was that He sat down and taught them (J 8:2).

Which One of You Will Cast the First Stone

25 While he was there, teaching, the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman who had been grabbed while committing adultery. And having her stand in front of Him, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone someone like this. What do You say?" They had said this to trap Him, so that they could make an accusation against Him (J 8:3-6a).

26 However, Jesus just stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as if He didn't hear them. But they continued to ask Him until He finally got up and said, "Whoever is without fault, you throw the first stone." Then He stooped down and went back to writing on the ground again (J 8:6b-8).

27 Having heard this, beginning with the elders, every single one of them left, one by one, until Jesus was the only One there (Jeremiah 17:13),16 the woman still standing in front of Him. Raising Himself up, He said to her, "Woman, where are they? Did none of them condemn you?" (J 8:9-10).

28 She said, "No, none of them, Lord" (J 8:11a).

29 Then Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on, do not sin" (J 8:11b).

Jesus and His Father Bear Witness of Him

30 Then, at another time, Jesus spoke to them again and said, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life" (J 8:12).

31 Therefore, the Pharisees said to Him, "You testify about Yourself!17 And so with you being your own witness, you are not true" (See, John 5:31) (J 8:13).

32 Jesus replied, "Even if I do testify about Myself, My testimony is true. For I know where I came from, and I know where I am going. But you do not know where I came from, and you do not know where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one" (J 8:14-15).

33 "But if I do judge, My judgment is true because I am not alone. For it is I, and the Father who sent Me, who judges. As well, it is written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. Well, I testify about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me" (J 8:16-18).

34 "Where is Your Father?" they said (J 8:19a).

35 Jesus answered, "You do not know Me or My Father. If you did know Me, you would have also known My Father" (J 8:19b).

36 These are the things He said while He was teaching at the House of God, in the area of the treasury, and no one laid a hand on Him because His hour had not yet come (J 8:20).

Jesus Proclaims His Death
(number three)

37 Then He said to them again, "I am going away, and you will be looking for and expecting Me. But you will die in your sin. For where I go, you cannot come"18 (J 8:21).

38 So then the Jews said, "Is He going to kill Himself? Is that why He says, 'Where I go, you cannot come?'"19 (J 8:22)

39 Then He told them, "You are from below, and I am from above. You are of this world, and I am not of this world. That is why I have told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins (See Exodus 3:14)" (J 8:23-24).

40 "Who are You?" they said (J 8:25a).

41 "I am exactly what I have been telling you from the beginning. And I have many other things to say and judge concerning you.20 For He who sent Me is true, and I tell the world those things I have heard from Him" (J 8:25b-26).

42 Hearing this, they did not understand that He was telling them about the Father (J 8:27).

43 Then Jesus said, "When you lift the Son of Man up to be crucified, then you will know that I am the One, and that I do nothing of Myself. But just as My Father has taught Me, that is what I talk about. The One who sent Me is with Me. He has not left Me alone because I always do what pleases Him" (J 8:28-29).

44 Having said this, many of the people believed in Him (J 8:30).

The Truth Shall Set You Free

45 Then Jesus said to the Jews who believed Him, "If you dwell in My word, you truly are My disciple. And if you are My disciple, then you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free" (J 8:31-32).

They Say, "We Are Abraham's Children"

46 But they answered, "We are the descendants of Abraham, and we have never been anyone's slave. So how can you now say to us, 'You will become free?'" (J 8:33).

47 Jesus answered, "I tell you, with absolute certainty, whoever is actively in sin is a slave to sin. And a slave does not live in the house forever, but a son does. Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you will truly be free" (J 8:34-36).

48 "I know you are Abraham's descendants, but you are looking for a way to kill Me because My word has no place in you. I speak about what I have seen with My Father, and you, therefore, do what you have heard with your father" (J 8:37-38).

49 "Abraham is our father," they said (J 8:39a).

50 Jesus said, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works Abraham had done. But as it is, you are looking for a way to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth, which I have heard from God. Abraham did not do this. Therefore, you are doing the deeds of your father" (J 8:39b-41a).

51 "We were not born of fornication," they said. "We have only one Father – God" (J 8:41b).

52 "If God were your Father," Jesus said, "you would love Me. For I am of God, and I came here from Him. I have not come of Myself, but He sent Me" (J 8:42).

53 "Why do you not understand what I'm saying? Why, because you cannot hear My word. You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and he does not stand in truth because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own heart. For he is a liar and the father of it" (J 8:43-44).

54 "But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. Which one of you can convict Me of sin?" (J 8:45-46a).

55 "So then, if I tell the truth, why don't you believe Me? He who is of God hears the words of God. This is why you do not hear Us (See Genesis 1:26), because you are not of God" (J 8:46b-47).

56 Then the Jews replied, "Are we not right when we say You are a Samaritan, and that you have a demon?" (J 8:48).

57 Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon, but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. I am not looking for the glory of Myself. But there is One who does seek, and He is the One who judges. And I assure you, if anyone keeps My word, he will never come into knowing death" (J 8:49-51).

58 In reply, the Jews said to Him, "Now we know You have a demon! Abraham is dead and so are the prophets. But You say, 'If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste death.' Are You greater than our father, Abraham, who is dead, as well as the prophets, who are dead? Who do You make Yourself out to be?" (J 8:52-53).

59 "If I glorify Myself," Jesus said, "My glory means nothing. But it is My Father who glorifies Me. The One whom you say is your God" (J 8:54).

60 "You say this, yet you have not known Him. But I do know Him. For if I say that I do not know Him, then I will be a liar like you. However, I do know Him, and I keep His word. Abraham, your ancestor, exalted his character21 to see My day, and he saw it – and he rejoiced!"22 (J 8:55-56).

61 So then the Jews said, "You are not yet even fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?" (J 8:57).

62 "With absolute certainty, I tell you, before Abraham even came into being, I AM!"23 (J 8:58).

63 Then they took up stones to throw at Him. . . . But Jesus hid Himself in the crowd and went out from the House of God24 (J 8:59).

Once I Was Blind but Now I See

Once I Was Blind but Now I See

64 After leaving His House, (See John 2:17) then, as He was passing by, He saw a man who had been blind from the day he was born. Seeing this, His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind?" (J 9:1-2).

65 "It is not because of his or his parent's sin," Jesus answered, "It was so that the works of God would be revealed in him. Now we must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is still day. For the night is coming when no one will be able to work. But while I am in the world, I am the light of the world" (J 9:3-5).

66 Once He said this, He spit on the ground and made clay with it. Then He put the clay onto the eyes of the blind man and said to him, "Go and wash in the pool of Siloam (which is a Hebrew word translated, 'sent')"25 (J 9:6-7a).

67 So he went, washed, and came back seeing (J 9:7b).

68 After he was healed, when his neighbors and the people who had previously seen that he was a beggar saw him, they said, "Isn't this the man who used to sit and beg?" (J 9:8).

69 "Yes, this is him," some said (J 9:9a).

70 Others said, "No, he just looks like him!" (J 9:9b).

71 But He said, "No, I am him" (J 9:9c).

72 So then they asked him, "Then how did your eyes get opened?" (J 9:10).

73 "A Man called Jesus, made clay, put it on my eyes, and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.' So I went, and washed, and then I could see" (J 9:11).

74 So then they asked him, "Where is He now?" (J 9:12a).

75 He said, "I do not know" (J 9:12b).

76 Hearing this, they brought him, who used to be blind, to the Pharisees (J 9:13).

77 Now it had been on a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes, so again, but this time by the Pharisees,26 the man was asked how he had received his sight (J 9:13-15a).

78 He told them, "He put clay onto my eyes, I washed, and now I can see!" (J 9:15b).

79 Then some of the Pharisees, said, "That Man is not from God because He does not keep the Sabbath." But other Pharisees said, "How, then, can a sinful man do signs like this?" So there was a division among them. Then they asked the blind man, again, "What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?" (J 9:16a-17a).

80 "He is a prophet!" he said (J 9:17b).

81 The Jews, however, did not believe this about him (that he had been blind once, and that he had now received his sight), until, finally, they called the parents of the one who had his eyes opened and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? And if so, how is it that he can now see?" (J 9:18-19).

82 His parents said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind. But how it is that he can see now, we do not know, or who it was that opened his eyes, we do not know. He is old enough, ask him. He can speak for himself!" (J 9:20-21).

83 His parents had said this, however, because they were afraid of the Jews. For the Jews had already agreed that if anyone verbally acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah,27 they were going to kick them out of the synagogue. And that is why his parents said, "He is old enough, ask him!" (J 9:22-23).

84 So then, again, they called the man who used to be blind, a second time, and said to him, "Give the glory to God! We know this Man is a sinner" (J 9:24).

85 He answered, "If He is a sinner or not, I do not know. What I do know is, even though I was once blind, now I can see" (J 9:25).

86 So then they said to him, "What did He do? How is it that He opened your eyes?" (J 9:26).

87 "I already told you, and you did not listen!" the man said. "Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?" (J 9:27).

88 From this, then, they verbally abused him and said, "You are His disciple.28 We are the students of Moses.29 We know God talked with Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from" (J 9:28-29).

89 "Well this is amazing!" the man answered. "You do not know where He is from and yet He has opened my eyes! Now we know God does not hear sinners. However, if anyone fears God and does His will, He hears him. And since the beginning of the world, it has never been heard of anyone ever opening the eyes of anyone born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could not have the power to do anything like this!"30 (J 9:30-33).

90 "You were born completely in sin, and are you going to teach us?" they said. Then they kicked him out of the Synagogue31 (J 9:34).

91 When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he went and found him, and said, "Do you trust32 in God's Son of Man?" (J 9:35).

92 "Who is He, Lord, that I may trust in Him?" (J 9:36).

93 Jesus said, "You have seen Him, and He is also the one talking with you now" (J 9:37).

94 The man declared, "Lord, I believe!" and then worshipped Jesus (J 9:38).

95 Jesus said, "It is for judgment that I have come into this world, so that those who do not see will see, and that those who do will be made blind" (J 9:39).

Jesus is the Good Shepherd

96 Then when some of the Pharisees who were with Him, heard this, they said, "Are we blind also?" (J 9:40).

97 "If you were blind" Jesus told them, "you would not have sin. But now that you say, 'We see!' your sin remains" (See Jeremiah 2:35) (J 9:41).

98 "And you can surely count on this:

99 This is the parable Jesus told them, but they still did not understand what he had just said to them. So then Jesus said it again, (J 10:6-7a)

104 So again, there was a division among the Jews because of this, and many of them said, "He has a demon," as well as, "He's crazy! Why do you listen to Him?" (J 10:19-20).

105 Others said, "No, these are not the words of someone who is demon-possessed. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?" (J 10:217:222).