In John chapter 7, Jesus leaves the peace and relative quiet of Galilee to walk amidst the busy streets of Jerusalem again. I wondered why He kept returning to Jerusalem. When I did some research, I found that in Exodus 23:14-17 there were three main feast days called Pilgrimage Feasts where Jewish men were required by Mosaic Law to go to Jerusalem: Passover (beginning of the year), Feast of Harvest (roughly May/June) and the Feast of Ingathering or Tabernacles (roughly October). So it was the Feast of Tabernacles now and, though it was no longer strictly required, many Jewish men and their families made the journey to Jerusalem. Jesus went too, but not openly (v.10)
As I think over the chapter, I see a recurring theme of "judgement". It starts with Jesus' brothers. They want to know why Jesus doesn't show Himself more openly, they question His claims to be the Messiah because He doesn't flaunt His talents. "If you are what you say you are, why not get some fame and glory out of it?" Their judgement of Jesus was based on selfish desires I think, for if Jesus were famous, wouldn't some of this rub off on His family?
Then when Jesus arrives clandestinely in the city, He finds people are already judging His case. Some say "He is a good man!" Some say "He is just a trickster, deceiving people". When in the middle of the feast week, Jesus begins to teach, people hand down another judgement. He came to them this time with no crowds of followers and people weren't sure who this young teacher was. But apparently they judged him to be an uneducated country bumpkin (perhaps by the way he was dressed?) "How does he know so much, having never learned?". Then He states that the Jewish authorities want to kill Him and some people begin to question His sanity, "He has a devil inside him!" When He reminds them of the man he healed on the Sabbath day, they openly doubt that He is Jesus the miracle worker. They judge Him to be a liar, "How can he go about openly and they do not try to stop him?"
But there are some in the crowds who begin to see the power in His words "Think of the miracles He has done!" "This is the Christ!". Perhaps the best judgement came from the officers that were sent by the Sanhedrin to capture Him. When they came back empty handed and were asked why they had not brought Him, they said "Never a man spoke like this Man!"
Jesus urges the people in the verse above "Don't judge by appearances but judge using righteous judgement". He was not just talking of judging others but judging Himself as well. This chapter reminds me of the two questions Jesus asked His disciples in Matthew 16:13-15. The first question was "Whom do men say that I am?" and the second question was "Whom do you say that I am?". .
I feel like Jesus was asking me the same question this morning. "After reviewing all the facts, and reading this account, Who do You say that I am, Julie?" There are so many different thoughts and doctrines out there to sift and sort between but it all comes down to that One Very Personal Question....