He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him

 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up to the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.   Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of your keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"  The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill?  But look!  He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?  However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from."  Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."  Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.  And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"

The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."  Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?  Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"

- John 7:14-36

Yesterday we read that after the confrontations in Capernaum over His "hard saying" regarding His Body and Blood (see chapter 6), Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.  But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews. 

Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up to the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him."  We recall that Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles (Hebrew Sukkot), an eight-day festival.  The Jews is a term used to refer to the leadership, not all the people.  Regarding this passage, my study bible comments that the simple desire to know and follow God's will is the key to understanding it.  Spiritual blindness comes from unwillingness to know God or to recognize His authority.  St. John Chrysostom paraphrases Christ's teaching as follows:  "Rid yourselves of wickedness:  the anger, the envy, and the hatred which have arisen in your hearts, without provocation, against Me.  Then you will have no difficulty in realizing that My words are actually those of God.  As it is, these passions darken your understanding and distort sound judgment.  If you remove these passions, you will no longer be afflicted in this way."

"Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of your keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"  The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."  Jesus speaks of Moses as one who sought the will of God above his own, whose law they claim to keep.   The Law makes certain allowances for the Sabbath (Jesus gives an Old Testament example here), and these men practice circumcision on the Sabbath -- and yet they refuse to acknowledge the same allowance for making a man whole on the Sabbath.  This would be righteous judgment.   Instead they are rigid in their legalism.  (See this reading for Jesus' previous encounter with the leadership in Jerusalem, and the healing He did on the Sabbath).

Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill?  But look!  He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?  However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from."  Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."  These crowds who claim they know where this Man is from are mistaken in both an earthly sense and in a divine sense.  As a human being, they think Jesus is from Nazareth of Galilee.  But they don't know that He was actually born in Bethlehem (see Luke 2:1-7).  Moreover, they cannot comprehend that He has come from the Father in heaven, eternally begotten before all ages.  Therefore His divine "origin" remains unknown to them as well.

Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.  And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"  According to my study bible, His hour is the time of Christ's suffering and death.  He is the Lord over time, an authority which is possessed by God alone.  Jesus comes to His Cross of His own free will and in His time, and not according to the plots of human beings (see also 8:20; 10:39).

The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."  Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?  Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"   Jesus refers, in His statements here, to His death, Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven.  This is where they cannot come.   They think perhaps He's speaking about going among the diaspora; among the Greeks means among the Gentiles, or Greek-speaking populations.  My study bible calls this an unwitting prophesy (and it will not be the last) which points to the time after Christ's Ascension, when His name will be preached among the Gentiles by apostles.

What does it mean that Christ would go among the Gentiles, that this is an unwitting prophesy?  In the position of these men who are leaders, particular that of the chief priests, is a certain type of authority that exceeds individual identity.  That is, in their role as chief priests, "unwitting" prophesies come regarding Jesus.  Here is one such example in today's passage, in which as they discuss among themselves they prophesy what will indeed happen.  Caiaphas, as high priest, will make another such prophesy when plotting Christ's death after the raising of Lazarus, when He says to the Council, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish" (see 11:49-52).  John's Gospel gives us transcendent meanings and values that exist side-by-side, even within the daily, "earthly" understanding of events and expressions.  It teaches us to look more deeply at words and sayings, to understand Jesus as One who gives us meanings -- imparts them to the substance of creation, of which He is Lord.  As such, to be both divine and human teaches us about the truth of creation, of the world around us, and what it is made for.  The sacraments He teaches us link the world and God together, link us together with the divine from which we also came as creatures, giving us adoption by God as children, as heirs.  In today's passage, Jesus points to the central way of knowing and living this truth, to seek and to try to live the will of God.  This involves humility, but also tremendous joy and even glory in God's love.  It will be exemplified in His own sacrifice, but in our own lives and the experience of countless faithful, it is an exchange of fulfillment, joy, exultation.  When Jesus says, "He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him," He gives us a formula for our own growth and fullness of personhood.  Moreover, He teaches us how we find discernment, when He says to the leaders, "If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority."  Jesus sets the example, but we are to follow and find this experience in our own lives, within ourselves, in prayer, in a lifetime of practice and growth in the virtues of humility He teaches.