JOHN 7:1-13 FOR EVEN JESUS’S BROTHERS DID NOT BELIEVE IN HIM SUBTITLE (WHY AND FOR WHO DO YOU DO WHAT YOU DO?)

John 7:7 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the [a]Jews sought to kill Him. 2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. 3 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. 4 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.” 5 For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  6 Then Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil. 8 You go up to this feast. I am not [b]yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come.” 9 When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee. 10 But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. 11 Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, “Where is He?” 12 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.” 13 However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

 It is characteristic of many of the outstanding men of the Bible that they are convinced that they must do what they are doing, and say what they are saying, because they have received a divine commission.

 7:17 Jesus further claimed that the key to validating His claim that His teaching came from God was a determination to do God's will. The normal way that the rabbis settled such debates was through discussion. However, Jesus taught that the key factor was moral rather than intellectual. If anyone was willing to do God's will, not just to know God's truth, God would enable that one to believe that Jesus' teaching came from above (cf. 6:44). The most important thing then is a commitment to follow God's will. Once a person makes that commitment God begins to convince him or her what is true. Faith must precede reason, not the other way around. "His hearers had raised the question of his competence as a teacher.

He raises the question of their competence as hearers."

 His point was that submission to God rather than intellectual analysis is the foundation for understanding truth,

particularly the truth of Jesus' teachings. "Spiritual understanding is not produced solely by learning

facts or procedures, but rather it depends on obedience to known truth. Obedience to God's known will develops

discernment between falsehood and truth."

 You know how you can pick out the true Savior, folks? Check them all out. You know how you can pick out the true Savior? He's the one who doesn't seek His own glory, see. The phony ones want their own glory. You can pick out the true Savior; He's the one who doesn't want His own glory. He's the one who stoops down and washes the dirty feet of disciples. HE's the one who came not to be ministered unto but to...what?...minister and to give His life a ransom for many. He's the one who humbles Himself in love. He's the one who lies down flat on a cross while they nail Him there. That's the true Messiah. He's the one who makes no money, has no home, takes nothing, just gives, gives, gives, gives. False messiahs don't do that. He's the one who gives all the glory to God and takes none for Himself. The apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:31, "Whatever you do whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all... to the glory of God." And 1 Peter 4:11, Peter says, "If you're going to minister, minister to the glory of God. If you're going to speak, speak to the oracles of God in order that God might receive the glory through Jesus Christ." That's what we're to do.

Seeking your own glory makes belief in Jesus impossible. John 5:43–44:

“I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”

He is not merely saying you have to want Jesus in order to receive Jesus. He is saying you have to want your whole life to be shaped by the will of God in order to even recognize Jesus. To paraphrase the verse: "If anyone wills (wants, prefers, desires) to do the will of God, then and only then will that person be able to know the divine authority of Jesus—that his teaching is God's."

This is one of the most important verses in the whole Gospel of John

 “You cannot believe in Jesus if you your root desire is to be praised by other people.” Pride at its core is the craving for human approval. And Jesus is saying that if pride is at the root, faith can’t be at the root.

Faith at its core is humble gladness in the God of grace. It’s not driven by the need to deserve human praise. It is driven by a thankful joy that God is for us when we deserve no praise at all. “We have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. . . . And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (John 1:14, 16).

That is what the brothers of Jesus did not see and did not have. They had not yet been born again. The root of their joy was the praise of man, not the grace of God. That’s what John meant in verse 5 when he said that Jesus’ brothers did not believe in him.

The root of their unbelief is the same as Jesus’ brothers’ unbelief. For the brothers, the miracles of Jesus can get them human praise. For the crowds, the miracles of Jesus threaten their human praise. Written over both like a great indictment are the words of John 5:44: “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”

We have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. . . . And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (John 1:14–16).

Because pride, at its core, is the rejection of grace and the craving for human approval. And faith, at its core, is despairing of human approval and being glad in the God of grace.

The mark of his truth is a passion for God-exaltation, not self-exaltation. "The one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true." For me to see that as a mark of his truth, my will has to join him in that. I have to will God-exaltation over self-exaltation. And this is not what I will by nature. I am like the brothers of Jesus and like the Jewish crowds. I want him to do his miracles in a way that endorses my own love for self-exaltation. I want him to endorse my Sabbath-keeping, my law-keeping, in a way that confirms my self-exaltation.

Romans 8:7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

In other words, apart from the work of the Holy Spirit (v. 9), our wills are deeply, often unknowingly, antagonistic toward God and resistant to his authority, insubordinate to his law, and so unable to please him.

And my whole life, Jesus is saying, contradicts that way of willing. That is why you can't know me. You can't know me until your will is to do God's will—to do what the law most deeply demands, namely, to treasure (to love!) the glory of God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength, and your neighbor as yourself.

The great obstacle to recognizing the truth of Christ is not deficient resources but deep rebellion against God. People cannot see and recognize the truth of Christ's teaching because the prevailing tendency of their will is insubordination against the authority of God.

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