The Hatred of the World (John 7:1-36)
Why is it that the world seems to have a special hatred for Christianity?
The rise in fame of the Texas politician, James Talarico, has interested me. He’s a nice guy that claims Christianity but doesn’t believe in Jesus as He is presented in Scripture. He believes in a Jesus created by liberal churches in the last couple centuries. He has nothing bad to say about anyone but conservative Christians, and because of that, he is growing in popularity. The only people that seem wicked in his eyes are those that trust in the Jesus found in Scripture and really believe what is found in His Word.
News stations seem to be constantly railing against the “Christian Nationalism” boogeyman. And when forced to define that term, they generally say Christians that are against abortion and homosexuality. So, people that really believe what the Bible says about morality.
Jesus is King and you don’t get to choose what is right and wrong based upon your preferences. I believe that Jesus is King and in His Word has told us that homosexuality is an egregious sin, and has told us that a whole lot of other things are a sin as well. He has told us that marriage is between one man and one woman for life. And He has told us that we are to have children and we are to protect their lives. These are very basic things that we find in Scripture. And these very basic things make us the enemy of a lot of people in this world. The world hates Jesus.
But this is not some new development. It’s something that has always happened. As we will see, it is the very thing that happened to Jesus. From the human perspective, this hatred eventually sent Jesus to the cross.
But what we will see today is that the world hates Jesus, who laid His life down for the world.
Introduction:
As is often the case in the Gospel of John, it is a conversation that introduces an entire section. Here the conversation is between Jesus and His brothers at the time of the Feast of Booths.
The Feast of Booths was probably the favorite feast of the people of Israel in Jesus’s day. It was, at its heart, a celebration of thankfulness for the previous year’s harvest. This feast took place at the end of the harvest and the people would come from far and wide bringing a portion of their harvest to share with others in this massive celebration. The feasting lasted for 7 days, then there was a special even that happened on day 8 that we will look closely at later.
This feast was a commemoration of God’s provision for the people of Israel in the wilderness. The people came to town and lived in temporary structures called “succoth”, which simply means booths or a temporary dwelling place. Thousands of these temporary structures would be set up around Jerusalem as the people celebrated God’s faithfulness to their forefathers and His faithfulness in the year’s harvest. It was considered to be the most enjoyable of the Jewish festivals. Essentially, it was an 8 day party with ceremonies that took place every day along with a lot of ceremonies on day 8 before everyone went home.
This was a pilgrimage festival, so if a person was to attend, they had to go to Jerusalem. And so, Jerusalem’s population swelled. And rabbis taught all over Jerusalem.
The World Hates Jesus Because He Testifies That Its Works Are Evil (John 7:7)
The Jews were seeking to kill Jesus before the festival began (John 7:1). Jesus was aware of this and was being cautious, as we will see. Around 6 months had passed between the feeding of the 5,000 and this moment. And apparently they were still upset with Him.
Jesus’s brothers attempted to talk Jesus into going to the Feast of Booths. This as an incredibly public event. And, by their reckoning, Jesus needed to go make a name for Himself in Jerusalem at this massive event (John 7:3-5).
Their logic makes sense. This is not some sort of strange advice. In comparison to Jerusalem, Jesus’s work in Galilee was like working in secret. There would be a lot of eyeballs on Him at this festival. By their reckoning, Jesus could really make a name for Himself at this event.
Jesus’s response was to say that His time had not yet come (John 7:6). Because we know the rest of the story, we are very tempted to think that this is about when Jesus rode into town on a donkey. I believe that to be part of what Jesus is saying. But, more importantly for their discussion, it wasn’t the right time for Jesus to go to the Feast of Booths. If Jesus had left with His brothers, it is very likely that His arrival would have been in a parade of people and very public.
Jesus reason for not yet going to the festival is the focus of our message today. Like other portions of the Gospel of John, the main idea is introduced in a conversation. His reason for not yet going is that the world hates Him (John 7:8). And the world does not hate His brothers, therefore, they can go on up to Jerusalem as publicly as they desire. It is not so for Jesus. Remember, people are seeking to kill Him because He healed a man on the Sabbath.
Notice what is said here, for it is important. Why does the world hate Jesus? It is because He testifies that their works are evil (John 7:7).
Jesus’s brothers went on to the Feast of Booths, probably in a large crowd of people that fellowshipped along the way. But Jesus waited around and went in private.
Jesus’s suspicions were correct. People were looking for Jesus the feast (John 7:11). They assumed, as Jesus’s brothers did, that He would go. And Jesus had apparently made such a stir among the people, even before He showed up, that the people were quietly discussing their opinions about Him. But no one spoke openly, “for fear of the Jews” (John 7:13).
This is not the only time we are going to see something like this in the Gospel of John.
“”If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’” (John 15:18-25 ESV)
Here there is a strong emphasis on the reason the world hates Jesus. And the reason is that Jesus testifies that the works of the world are evil.
And as you can see from John 15, the world treats Jesus’s people the same way.
Remember, the very message that lies at the heart of Christianity is a message of grace and mercy to sinners, but it begins with a condemnation. The Gospel message begins with God creating the world good and mankind messing it all up.
God created all things good, including mankind. But our first parents rebelled against God and introduced corruption into the world. And all of mankind now is stained with the taint of sin. We now are inclined to sin and rebellion, inclined to hate God without a cause. But God didn’t leave us in that situation. He made a way for us to be brought to Him through His Son. God the Son lived a perfect life fulfilling all righteousness, died on the cross paying the punishment for sin, and rose from the grave accomplishing our justification. And all those that trust in Him are brought near to God, adopted into His family.
Notice that the message we proclaim is not all lollipops and unicorns. The message we proclaim is good because it proclaims the grace of God to wicked sinners. We call people wicked sinners when we proclaim the gospel.
Jesus called people wicked sinners repeatedly and proclaimed the goodness of His grace and mercy. And because of this the world hated Him.
And because of this the world hates us as well. The apostles and now we ourselves proclaim this message.
I know that I’m not the only one that’s noticed that any religion, but Christianity is considered acceptable today. Any belief but Christianity seems palatable to the world today.
I was shocked, along with a lot of you, to see a widespread applause to the storming of a church in Minnesota. And before that, the large number of people that seemed to rejoice at the death of Charlie Kirk.
But then again, as I think about the words of Jesus and their application to Christians today, should I have been shocked?
Should I be shocked when Christianity is mocked and scorned even as Islam with its widespread child brides and terrorism is called a “religion of peace”? When Islam conquers a region, which they still do today, the people are still told to convert to Islam, pay the Jizya (a tax levied on non-Muslims to ensure their safety), leave, or die. And there are pro-Islam marches in America’s streets today.
It’s difficult to fathom. But then again, it is what our Lord said would happen. It boggles the mind, but Jesus understood well the attitude of the world to Him and His people.
He understood that the world hated Him and would hate His people.
Why are we shocked when it happens just as Jesus said that it would?
The World Hates Jesus Because He Delivers God’s Word (John 7:14-24)
When the feast was going strong, Jesus showed up and began teaching. He was doing what rabbis did in times like this. And the people marveled at Jesus because He had never studied, but was obviously a man of learning. They marveled that He was not taught by one of their great teachers, but knew the Word of God and spoke it so well.
They were shocked, so Jesus took the opportunity to explain to them why this was so. Jesus was not making things up. He was teaching the Word of the Father, who had sent Him (John 7:16). He wasn’t teaching to stroke His own ego or seek His own glory. He was seeking the glory of the Father. And the person that seeks the glory of the One that sent Him is the person that speaks the truth (John 7:18).
We obviously know this to be true. We naturally recoil and become revolted by many of the pastors on television today for this reason. We can see through many of them and see that they are seeking their own glory and that they do not speak the truth.
But there is something about this discussion that is not often noticed and it is that it tracks along really well with Deuteronomy 18:15-19. And this should not surprise you because we have discussed this passage already in previous sermons. Jesus is the prophet like Moses who would one day come. When Jesus fed the 5,000, we discussed this passage because the people equated Jesus’s feeding with that of Moses. Now Jesus is drawing the comparison. It is Jesus saying to the people, “I am the one spoken of in Deuteronomy.
“”The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers–it is to him you shall listen– just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ And the LORD said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.” (Deuteronomy 18:15-19 ESV)
God would put His words in the mouth of this one who was to come. It is Jesus who speaks God’s Words. And the person who will not listen will be held accountable for their disobedience. God “will require it of him.” And this will be seen at the end of Jesus’s discussion today.
When speaking God’s Word, Jesus confronted the evildoers with their sin. Moses gave the Law but the people sought to kill Jesus (John 7:19).
This is a fun line of thought if you give it just a little thought. Not murdering is one of the Ten Commandments, yet they had God’s Word and were completely willing to break it hy murdering Jesus.
The crowd was shocked. Most of them had no idea that people were seeking to kill Jesus. And they were revolted at the thought of it. They actually told Jesus that He has a demon and could not believe anyone was seeking to kill Him (John 7:19). They were flabbergasted that Jesus would even say this. But Jesus knew there were people in the crowd that wanted Him dead, so He continued.
“I did one work,” Jesus said, “and you marvel at it.” (John 7:21 ESV) This is a reference to the last thing that Jesus did in this area, which would have been the healing of the man on the Sabbath.
Now, Jesus pointed out that they had no problem working on the Sabbath as well. Circumcision was to be done on the eighth day. This was a command of the Lord (John 7:22). And it was often the case that these circumcisions were performed on the Sabbath. So that the Law of Moses would not be broken, they performed circumcisions which were a work on the Sabbath. They cut off a portion of the flesh as a sign of cleansing on the Sabbath, but they sought to kill Jesus because He made a man’s whole body well on the Sabbath (John 7:23).
This is not a discussion of whether circumcision on the Sabbath is right or wrong. It is a discussion about how they are completely willing to work on the Sabbath because they understand the necessity of it and the real meaning of the Sabbath when thinking through circumcision but are not willing to think the same way about the healing. He is pointing out the hypocrisy of their anger. And He ends by saying, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” (John 7:24 ESV)
Jesus is hated because it is the Word of God that He delivers.
The youth were discussing this on Wednesday in connection to Deuteronomy 18. Jesus is the prophet like Moses that came to deliver the Word of God to His people. Understand this, that is the reason that the world hates Him.
Will you despise the person that comes along and says that all your inclinations are correct? Probably not.
Richard Neiburh, the Christian ethicist, once stated that the liberalism that people like James Talarico represent delivers to people this message.
“A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.”[1]
Of course, there is something appealing about the message of the rainbow flag waving church. Of course, Talarico seems like a nice guy in comparison to a lot of Christian preaching. It’s because Christian preaching is nothing like this. The message of the Bible is nothing like the message that sort of place delivers.
We believe, as the Bible teaches, that God’s wrath is poured out upon people because men are rebel sinners. We have earned God’s wrath and justice. And so, Jesus came for our redemption.
No wonder the world hates Christianity! As Paul put it,
“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?” (2 Corinthians 2:14-16 ESV)
We declare the message of Christ. We are the fragrance of Him to a lost and dying world. To those that reject Him, we are the fragrance of death. We proclaim to them that they are lost and dying. We proclaim to them that they have God’s wrath hanging over their heads because they stand condemned before a holy God.
But we are the fragrance of life to those that believe in Him.
There is no middle ground. Therefore, a whole lot of people hate what we have to say. But not those that find eternal life through the message we declare!
The World Hates Jesus Because He is God (John 6:25-32)
The questions then began to pour out of the people.
“Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? And here He is speaking openly, and they say nothing to Him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ?” (John 6:25 ESV)
But immediately the people begin to act foolishly. They think that, because they know Jesus’s earthly parents, they know everything about Him (John 6:27 ESV). Apparently, some among them believed that when the Christ came into the world, He would just appear. This seems ludicrous to us because of how often the Old Testament states where the Messiah would come from. But much like the crazy things people say today, sometimes people forget what their Bible teaches.
This causes a severe reaction from Jesus. The people claim to know who Jesus is because they know His parents and now this. “Jesus proclaimed” is too weak a translation of this Greek word. “Proclaimed” makes it sound as if Jesus just kept on teaching, maybe a little louder. But the word here means “croak, cry out, speak with a loud voice”. Jesus really began to let these people have it. He is angered, it seems, that these people think they know everything about Him and His mission because they know His earthly parents. But this is the furthest thing from the truth.
They know His parents, sure enough. They do not realize that God sent Jesus. As Jesus put it, “I have not come of my own accord.” (John 7:28 ESV) The Father, who sent Him, is truthful and faithful, but they do not know Him (John 7:28). Jesus knows Him because He came from Him (John 7:30). He is God the Son, who is one with the Father (John 1:1).
They do not love Jesus because they do not love the Father.
In one chapter we will read this,
“Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.” (John 8:42 ESV)
God the Son, Jesus Christ, was sent by the Father for the salvation of the world. If they loved the Father, they would love the Son.
Jesus is God the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity. He is one with the Father, so much so that the person that loves Him loves the Father.
Though a person will most often say that they love God, the person that hates Jesus does not love God.
There is a pretty straight line to be drawn from Jesus’s discussion to modern day Jews that reject Jesus. If we are going to agree with what Jesus said to the people here, we would have to say that a modern-day Jew that is not a Christian does not know God. They are dead in their trespasses and sins. If God were their Father, they would love Jesus.
The same should be said for many other people that claim to love God. If they do not believe that Jesus is God, they do not love God. Islam holds Jesus in high esteem, but they do not love God. We know this because they do not believe He is God. If they do not believe He is one with the Father, they do not love God.
The World Hates Jesus, But Cannot Thwart Him (John 6:30)
They sought to arrest Jesus, but could not do a thing about it because “His hour had not yet come (John 7:30).
The world can do nothing more than what God allows and in this case, it was not yet time for Jesus to die.
You should let this passage sit with you for just a few moments. You should consider well what it is that happened here.
The authorities sought to arrest Jesus and wanted to put Him to death. But they couldn’t. And it wasn’t because some wall went up around Jesus that kept people from getting to Him. It wasn’t because Jesus disappeared and found Himself elsewhere.
It was because God’s control over all things is so complete that God the Son would not be murdered before He went to the cross and paid the punishment for our sins.
God, who caused the plagues to fall upon the people of Egypt and hardened the heart of Pharaoh to achieve all that He wanted, is in complete control.
God, who parted the sea so that His people could cross and then unparted them to kill their pursuers, in in complete control.
God, who knocked down the walls of Jericho when the people blasted their trumpets, is in complete control.
God, who created the world ex nihilo (out of nothing), is in complete control.
“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,” (Ephesians 1:11 ESV)
Don’t listen to this message and think that you need to cower when you walk out this door. Understand that God is in control. Understand that He is working all things according to the counsel of His will. Walk confidently because God, who loves you and saved you is in control of all things!
Though the authorities of Jerusalem wanted to kill Jesus, they could not because God was in control.
“I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not move an atom more or less than God wishes – that every particle of spray that dashes against the steamboat has its orbit, as well as the sun in the heavens – that the chaff from the hand of the winnower is steered as the stars in their courses. The creeping of an aphid over the rosebud is as much fixed as the march of the devastating pestilence – the fall of leaves from a poplar is as fully ordained as the tumbling of an avalanche.” (Charles Spurgeon)
Jesus lived another 6 months, preaching and teaching God’s Word. In another six months they would kill Him because His time had come.
And when that time came, He would lay His life down as the sacrifice for sin. He would lay His life down for the sins of all who would believe in Him. And three days later He would rise from the grave having accomplished our justification.
The World Hates Jesus, But He is Their Only Hope (John 7:31)
If you’ve read along so far, it probably seems like everyone rejected Christ. In fact, as you read the passage it comes as a surprise that “many of the people believed in Him” (John 7:31 ESV). They simply could not see past the many signs that Jesus had done. And so, they could not understand the worlds’ rejection of Him.
Many people there saw and heard about the signs that Jesus did and believed. They knew that He was the Messiah. They understood He was the one sent from God, the prophet like Moses. They believed He was from God and spoke God’s Words.
When a person believes, they are plucked out of the condemned mass of humanity. They are made part of God’s people. Their sins are cleansed. They are given new life in Christ. They no longer hate God, now they love Him.
This is the only hope for lost people. Without Christ, they will die in their sins.
This is why we pray for loved ones that do not know Jesus.
This is why we are diligent to share the gospel with people.
This is why we teach our children God’s Word with great care and diligence.
Christ is their only hope.
The World Hates Jesus, but Must Repent and Believe in Him (John 7:32-36)
The crowd was giving a favorable mutter to Jesus and so, “the Pharisees sent officers to arrest Him” (John 7:32 ESV). And this leads to a warning from Jesus that is simply terrifying.
Jesus said that He would only be with them a little longer and then He would go back to the Father (John 7:33). Because we know the rest of the story, we understand that Jesus is here talking about the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.
But here is what is terrifying.
“You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.”” (John 7:34 ESV)
He tells them that their time is limited. Jesus will not always be there and there will come a time in which it is too late for them to come to Him.
It reminds us of the story of Esau in the Old Testament. Esau sold his birthright to his brother. And as the author to Hebrews tells us,
“For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.” (Hebrews 12:17 ESV)
It also reminds me of Lady Wisdom in the Book of Proverbs. The people had an opportunity, but wouldn’t listen.
“Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”” (Proverbs 1:28-33 ESV)
Jesus is telling the people that there will come a time when it will be too late for them (John 7:34). Like Esau or the fools that wouldn’t listen to Lady Wisdom, it will one day be too late. We don’t know if Jesus is speaking of the Jews that rejected Jesus at that moment, or the widespread rejection of Jesus and the judgment that fell upon Jerusalem in 70 AD. Either way, there came a time in which it was too late and judgment fell upon them for their rejection of Christ.
And again, notice what we read in Deuteronomy.
“”The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers–it is to him you shall listen– just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ And the LORD said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.” (Deuteronomy 18:15-19 ESV)
God did require it of them. And God requires it of all of us as well.
But the people didn’t heed the warning. They answered Jesus with mockery and derision, though it turned out to be quite the ironic statement.
Dispersion, or Diaspora, is the different locations scattered away from Israel where Jews were located. Would Jesus go teach the Greeks? They were mocking Him and saying that because they rejected Him, He would go to these lesser parts of the world.
Ironically, this is exactly what the Church did after the stoning of Stephen. This is how the Church expanded.
But in the end, they refused to understand that this was a word of judgment upon them that they needed to heed.
Today is the day of salvation. You are not guaranteed tomorrow.
Have you trusted in Christ? If you have not, then it is not too late for you. Trust in Him without delay.
Jesus has proclaimed His grace and mercy to you through His Word. And if you feel the Spirit moving in your life and wish to trust in Christ, come to Him without delay. Trust in Him before it is too late.
Whoever will not listen to the words of Jesus, will face God’s judgment. Do not flee from Him today! Trust in Him!
R. Dwain Minor
[1] Richard Nieburh, Kingdom of God in America, 1937, p. 193.