At the Feast of Tabernacles

4TH and 1
Part 14: Jesus and the Feast of Tabernacles

3 Arguments Against Jesus Claims

#1 If Jesus were the Messiah/Christ,
He would presently prove it to everyone

BUT  Jesus submits to the Father’s timing
 The world has the wrong wants

Sidebar Issue: The Sabbath

#2 If Jesus were the Messiah/Christ,
His origins would match with prophecy

BUT  Jesus’ origins did match with prophecy
 Jesus’ ultimate origins were heavenly

Sidebar Issue: The Spirit

#3 If Jesus were the Messiah/Christ,
Witnesses would validate his testimony

BUT  Jesus’ testimony is enough
 The Father testifies on Jesus’ behalf

Sidebar Issue: The Judge

The Woman Caught in Adultery (7:53-8:11)
1. The passage was likely not part of the original composition of the 4th Gospel, but that is not necessarily a reflection on the stories’ authenticity.
2. The presentation of the woman was a trap more than a quest for justice. Would Jesus ‘err’ on the side of the law or on the side of mercy?
3. We can only guess as to what Jesus wrote, but it was perhaps associated with Jeremiah 17:13b.
4. Jesus shows the woman mercy, but commands her to leave her life of sin.
5. The story provokes a lot of questions in the mind of its readers, but the main point seems to be to display the difference b/w Jesus and the authorities in the areas of integrity, law, and judgment.

Are we all God’s Children? (8:31-59)
1. This section begins with a classic example of the misunderstandings that mark the 4th Gospel, but ultimately turns into a flat-out disagreement.
2. First, the people insist they are free children of Abraham. Jesus insists that they are slaves to sin and that they don’t act like Abraham.
3. Second, the people insist that they are God’s children. Jesus insists that if they were God’s children then they would love the One God sent.
4. Third, Jesus insists that they are children of the devil and don’t even know God. The people insist that Jesus is a Samaritan and demon-possessed.
5. Jesus ends the section by claiming that He is greater than Abraham, even to the point of claiming deity.