The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil

 

 After these things 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.

 

- John 7:1–13 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued His discourse to the religious leaders, giving them four witnesses to His identity as the Son:  "I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.  If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.  There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  You have sent John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.  He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.  But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?  Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings how will you believe My words?"

 

  After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  The lectionary skips over chapter 6 of John's Gospel, in which Jesus taught about Himself as the Bread of Life, giving an extensive foundation for the Eucharist.  It will return to chapter 6 after next week.  So these things is a reference to the many events in chapter 6 which further alienated Christ from the religious leaders, and even from many of His followers.  Once again, the term the Jews here, as is most often the case in John's Gospel, is a reference to the religious leadership and not to the people.  The author of this Gospel was also a Jew, as was Jesus, His disciples, and indeed all the people we read about, with exceptions which are usually clearly specified.

Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  The Feast of Tabernacles (called Sukkot in Hebrew) is an eight-day autumn harvest festival.  It is a commemoration of the time when Israel wandered in the wilderness of Sinai, and the people lived in tents, or tabernacles, sometimes referred to also as booths. Together with Passover and Pentecost, my study Bible explains, this was one of the three most important festivals of the ancient Jews.  It included many sacrifices and celebrations (Leviticus 23:33-43).  In later times, it also included on the final day of the feast the drawing of water from the pool of Siloam (referenced in this chapter).  This water was mixed with wine and poured at the foot of the altar, both as purification and in remembrance of the water flowing from the rock that Moses struck (Exodus 17:1-7).  Additionally on the final, eighth day, there was the lighting of the great lamps in the outer court of the temple, commemorating the pillar of light that led the Israelites, and illuminating the whole city of Jerusalem.  All of these will be reflected in Jesus' preaching and the events of this chapter, which will cover eight days during this festival.  It is now the final year of Christ's earthly life.  Throughout this festival, He will teach in the temple and attract a great deal of public attention, as we will see. 

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. Jesus' brothers could be any number of extended family or kin.  In Scripture, and still today across the Near and Middle East, "brother" is used this way.  Abram called his nephew Lot "brother" (Genesis 14:14); Boaz spoke of his cousin Elimelech as his "brother" (Ruth 4:3); and Joab called his cousin Amasa "brother" (2 Samuel 20:9).  My study Bible explains that Christ Himself had no blood brothers, for Mary had only one Son: Jesus.  These "brothers" are either stepbrothers (sons of Joseph by a previous marriage), or they are cousins.  As further evidence of this, we look to Jesus committing the care of His mother to John at the Cross (John 19:25-27).  In the context of the culture, had Mary had other children to care for her, this would have been unthinkable.  

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.   Not openly, my study Bible explains, means not with a grand, public entrance as on Palm Sunday (John 12:12-16).  We can see already the effects of Jesus' public appearance at the festival.  We see that right from His arrival, the religious leaders seek Him.  There are those who think He is good and others who believe that He deceives the people.  But no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the religious leaders, among whom there are those who already sought to kill Him (verse 1, above).

 

 What a controversy Jesus stirs up!  It is now the final year of His life, but already His preaching and teaching -- even before He arrives at this festival -- has stirred an enormous amount of controversy and extreme opinions, from those who are devoted to Him as disciples to those who already seek to kill Him among the religious leaders.  From the text of this Gospel, we may deduce that such opinions run the gamut of interest and passionate debate.  Note that such discussion among the people must be done in a hidden or secret way, for fear of the religious authorities, adding to the atmosphere of controversy and danger.  This tells us something important about truth, related to what we read in the beginning of John's Gospel.  John 1:4-5 tells us about the Son, the Logos (or Word), "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."  That darkness that neither understands nor can fully "take in" or overcome the light of truth and life also resists, and it does so voraciously.  If we think about this in these metaphoric terms, we know that light extinguishes darkness altogether, and makes it disappear.  So it is with those who resist or fight Christ's truth.  So identified with whatever darkness cannot stand in that light are they, that they must fight tooth and nail, even to the death, to extinguish the light for their perceived survival.  So much so, that they feel they must seek to kill Him because He poses a threat to their way of life.  We can see this with truth of different levels in our world, society, communities, and families.  Secrets that some wish to keep hidden, because they cover up things that are wrong, become a type of shibboleth -- depending upon how dearly we cling to lies we think are necessary for us.  There have been elements in my own life that the light of Christ has exposed to me, made necessary for me to identify, and change, and from which to distance myself.  Some of these have been very hard and painful processes, but in the end there is the necessary trade off for what Christ offers instead.  So it is with those who seek to kill Christ.  We also see the depth of controversy that inescapably surrounds Him, which include rumors, misunderstandings, and in the long dynamic of the Church and religious controversy, a host of heresies that continually come to light and must be addressed.  This is a process that began long ago in the earliest Church and continues now. Jesus says to His brothers, "The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil."  Sometimes, simply by bearing His light as best we can, we also give such testimony.  St. Paul compared discipleship with the struggles of an athlete competing for victory in a race.  Let us be prepared for our own race, our own good fight of faith.