John: Chapter 7
And after these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he
would not walk in Judaea, because the Jews sought to kill
him. 2 Now the feast of the Jews, the feast of tabernacles,
was at hand. His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart
hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may
behold thy works which thou doest. 4 For no man doeth
anything in secret, and himself seeketh to be known openly.
If thou doest these things, manifest thyself to the world.
5 For even his brethren did not believe on him. 6 Jesus
therefore saith unto them, My time is not yet come; but
your time is always ready. 7 The world cannot hate you; but
me it hateth, because I testify of it, that its works are
evil. 8 Go ye up unto the feast: I go not up unto this
feast; because my time is not yet fulfilled. 9 And having
said these things unto them, he abode still in Galilee.
10 But when his brethren were gone up unto the feast, then
went he also up, not publicly, but as it were in secret. 11
The Jews therefore sought him at the feast, and said, Where
is he? 12 And there was much murmuring among the multitudes
concerning him: some said, He is a good man; others said,
Not so, but he leadeth the multitude astray. 13 Yet no man
spake openly of him for fear of the Jews.
JESUS WAS DEVELOPING His spiritual nature, which is under spiritual law. The Pharisaical Jews followed the letter of the law, which resists and seeks the destruction of the Christ. The Christ usually moves in secret. It does its spiritual work quietly instead of showing off. Some of the multitude thought Jesus was a good man; others thought He had led the people astray. This represents the quibbling of the lesser mind.
14 But when it was now the midst of the feast Jesus went up
into the temple, and taught. 15 The Jews therefore
marvelled, saying, How knowest this man letters, having
never learned? 16 Jesus therefore answered them, and said,
My teaching is not mine, but his that sent me. 17 If any
man willeth to do his will, he shall know of the teaching,
whether it is of God, or whether I speak from myself. 18 He
that speaketh from himself seeketh his own glory: but he
that seeketh the glory of him that sent him, the same is
true, and no unrighteousness is in him. 19 Did not Moses
give you the law, and yet none of you doeth the law? Why
seek ye to kill me? 20 The multitude answered, Thou hast a
demon: who seeketh to kill thee? 21 Jesus answered and said
unto them, I did one work, and ye all marvel because
thereof. 22 Moses hath given you circumcision (not that it
is of Moses, but of the fathers); and on the sabbath ye
circumcise a man. 23 If a man receiveth circumcision on the
sabbath, that the law of Moses may not be broken; are ye
wroth with me, because I made a man every whit whole on the
sabbath? 24 Judge not according to appearance, but judge
righteous judgment.
25 Some therefore of them of Jerusalem said, Is not this he
whom they seek to kill? 26 And lo, he speaketh openly, and
they say nothing unto him. Can it be that the rulers indeed
know that this is the Christ? 27 Howbeit we know this man
whence he is: but when the Christ cometh, no one knoweth
whence he is. 28 Jesus therefore cried in the temple,
teaching and saying, Ye both know me, and know whence I am;
and I am not come to myself, but he that sent me is true,
whom ye know not. 29 I know him; because I am from him, and
he sent me. 30 They sought therefore to take him: and no
man laid his hand on him, because his hour was not yet
come. 31 But of the multitude many believed
on him; and they said, When the Christ shall come, will he
do more signs than those which this man hath done? 32 The
Pharisees heard the multitude murmuring these things
concerning him; and the chief priests and the Pharisees
sent officers to take him. 33 Jesus therefore said, Yet a
little while am I with you, and I go unto him that sent me.
34 Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am,
ye cannot come. 35 The Jews therefore said among
themselves, Whither will this man go that we shall not find
him? will he go unto the Dispersion among the Greeks, and
teach the Greeks? 36 What is this word that he said, Ye
shall seek me, and shall not find me; and where I am, ye
cannot come?
Jesus' disciples wanted Him to go up to Jerusalem for one reason: to prove that He was the Christ, but He realized that He had not yet attained the necessary power. After they had departed He got more spiritual consciousness and was moved to go under the protection of Spirit, and in this state of mind the Jews could not lay their hands on Him or injure Him in any way. Jesus, like all persons who are growing spiritually, felt the power within Him to be much stronger than He could manifest without. He wanted to prove to His friends that He was the Christ but doubted His ability.
He was not speaking from Himself for His own glory, but He was seeking the glory of Him that sent Him.
The all-knowing Christ Mind can easily handle the Pharisaical mind that is following the letter of the law. The intellectual mind cannot understand the claim of the spiritual that it can go where it
cannot be found by those present. The mind that functions in matter cannot comprehend a state in which matter can pass through matter.
37 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus
stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come
unto me and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the
scripture hath said, from within him shall flow rivers of
living water. 39 But this spake he of the Spirit, which
they that believed on him were to receive: for the Spirit
was not yet given; because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Jesus realized that man's real thirst is for Spirit and that this thirst can only be quenched through an outpouring of the Holy Spirit within the soul, which thrills one with new life and energy and vitality.
If we have understanding faith we know that there is no cessation of life and that we have only to open our consciousness more and more to the Spirit of life in order to realize that from within flow rivers of living water.
The Holy Spirit was in evidence before the time of Jesus, but He gave a new impetus to this indwelling helper and promised that the holy Comforter would be with us throughout all time.
40 Some of the multitude therefore, when they heard these
words, said, This is of a truth the prophet. 41 Others
said, This is the Christ. But some said, What, doth the
Christ come out of Galilee? 42 Hath not the scripture said
that the Christ cometh of the seed of David, and from
Bethlehem, the village where David was? 43 So there arose a
division in
the multitude because of him. 44 And some of them would
have taken him; but no man laid hands on him.
When one is in a mixed state of consciousness there is always dissension and questioning. However when one is born anew into the Christ consciousness all things are made clear.
"For all shall know me,
From the least to the greatest of them."
45 The officers therefore came to the chief priests and
Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why did ye not bring
him? 46 The officers answered, Never man so spake. 47 The
Pharisees therefore answered them, Are ye also led astray?
48 Hath any of the rulers believed on him, or of the
Pharisees? 49 But this multitude that knoweth not the law
are accursed. 50 Nicodemus saith unto them (he that came to
him before, being one of them), 51 Doth our law judge a
man, except it first hear from himself and know what he
doeth. 52 They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of
Galilee? Search, and see that out of Galilee ariseth no
prophet.
The "chief priests" of the Pharisaical consciousness are the highest thoughts in authority in the Pharisaical hierarchy. The "officers" are thoughts that execute the law. However, when it reaches a certain state of unfoldment even the Pharisaical mind, which believes in the strict letter of the law, is open to conviction if it can entertain a higher truth safely. This is proved by Nicodemus' spiritual conversion. The Pharisaical side of man's mind in its faithful adherence to religious forms eventually
becomes aware of the presence of divine power. This truth was in evidence when the officers replied, "Never man so spake," revealing that the higher light of the Christ had found entrance into their consciousness.