Lesson 5

Rising Opposition and Rejection

"Healing of the man born blind" by El Greco

El Greco, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Synopsis

The plot thickens in this part of the Gospel as Jesus continues to reinterpret and renew important elements of the Old Testament. For example, in this section he reinterprets the meaning of the Sabbath, the manna, and the Feasts of Tabernacles and Dedication. He also begins to call God his Father and claims to be the good shepherd. Jesus’ actions and teachings begin to cause divisions among the people and his enemies begin to openly persecute him.

Learning Objectives

You will have successfully completed this lesson when you can:

Explain why Jesus worked on the Sabbath
Describe how Jesus presented himself as the new Moses who will give us the new manna
Describe how Jesus reinterpreted the Feasts of Tabernacles and Dedication
Explain the image of Jesus, the Good Shepherd

Introduction

In this section of the Book of Signs (chapters 5 to 10), Jesus continues to renew the old covenant institutions and traditions by fulfilling and reinterpreting them. And faith is still an an important theme.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (5:24)

“This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (6:29)

“He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” (7:38)

“For you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he.” (8:24)

“Do you believe in the Son of man?” (9:35)

“If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” (Jn 10:37–38)

However, the tension in the storyline increases dramatically as Jesus’ actions and teachings begin to cause divisions among the people. Some do respond positively to his invitation to believe in him.

Yet many of the people believed in him. (7:31)

As he spoke thus, many believed in him. (8:30)

And many believed in him there. (10:42)

But others, especially his brethren and those in authority, do not.

For even his brethren did not believe in him. (7:5)

The Pharisees answered them, “Are you led astray, you also? Have any of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, who do not know the law, are accursed.” (7:47–49)

Because of their lack of faith, they not only reject Jesus, but also begin to persecute him:

And this was why the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he did this on the sabbath. (5:16)

Try to arrest him:

The Pharisees heard the crowd thus muttering about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. (7:32)

And even attempt to kill him:

After this Jesus went about in Galilee; he would not go about in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him. (7:1)

This shouldn’t surprise us, though, as John had already warned us about this in the Prologue.

He came to his own home, and his own people received him not. (1:11)

We will now study the main parts of this section to understand how they contribute to the development of the plot.

The Sabbath Reinterpreted

Jesus’ third sign is the healing of the paralytic. By performing this miracle on the Sabbath, he was redefining the meaning and purpose of the Sabbath.

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Hebrew called Beth-za′tha, which has five porticoes. In these lay a multitude of invalids, blind, lame, paralyzed. One man was there, who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew that he had been lying there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is troubled, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your pallet, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his pallet and walked. Now that day was the sabbath. (5:1–9)

We don´t know when this sign occurred as John just says, “After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem”; that is, it happened after the previous sign—the healing of the official’s son—but we aren’t told how much time had passed between the two events. Nor are we told what feast it was but just that there was a feast of the Jews.

What feast could it have been? Several answers have been proposed. There are good reasons for believing it may have been Pentecost. First, the previous feast mentioned in the Gospel is Passover. According to the Jewish calendar, Pentecost is the feast the follows it, occurring seven weeks after Passover. Second, we are told that this third sign occurred on a Sabbath, and Pentecost always fell on a Sabbath. Finally, this would explain why Jesus, who had been ministering in Galilee, went up to Jerusalem. According to Jewish law, Pentecost was one of the three feasts in which Jewish males were obliged to go up to Jerusalem to offer the corresponding sacrifices. But this is just one among several opinions. Others claim it could have been Tabernacles, or Rosh ha-Shanah, or even the next Passover.

The truth of the matter is we can’t know for sure which feast it was, but it probably doesn’t matter. What is unique about this passage is that this is the only unnamed feast in the whole Gospel. It may be that John did not specify the feast to not distract us from another important detail that he wanted us to notice: this sign occurred on the Sabbath.

Jesus’ miracle sets the stage for the discussion that follows on the meaning of the Sabbath. It was commonly believed in Jesus’ time that the law prohibited healing on that day. We find this idea in Luke’s Gospel.

But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.” (Lk 13:14)

The Jerusalem Talmud (a compilation of Jewish traditions) contains a teaching that even prohibits the recitation of those parts of Scriptures used for healings and exorcisms. And other Rabbinic writings explicitly prohibit the carrying of one’s bed on the Sabbath. Although these texts were written down centuries later, it is probable that these rules already existed in Jesus’ time. That is why “The Jews said to the man who was cured, ‘It is the sabbath, it is not lawful for you to carry your pallet’” (5:10).

In fact, the Sabbath observance was so important that this was one of the main reasons why Jesus’ adversaries wanted to kill him. “And this was why the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he did this on the sabbath” (5:16). Addressing this issue to clarify the true meaning of the Sabbath must have therefore been a priority for Jesus because we find him constantly breaking it.

He allows his disciples to pluck grain (see Mk 2:23; Mt 12:1)
He teaches that the Sabbath was made for man and the Son of man is lord of the Sabbath (see Mk 2:27–28; Mt 12:8)
He heals a man with a withered hand (see Mk 3:5, Mt 9:13)
He heals a crippled woman (see Lk 13:10–17)
He heals the man with dropsy (see Lk 14:1–6)
He gives sight to the man born blind (see Jn 9)

In the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus defends his actions on humanitarian grounds.

Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger, and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?” (Lk 13:15–16)

But in John’s Gospel, his reasoning is more theological: “My Father is working still, and I am working” (5:17). What could he have meant by this? According to Genesis, God rested from his creative work on the seventh day of creation (see Gn 2:2–3). This is the reason for the Sabbath rest. All Jews accepted that they had to keep the Sabbath, but rabbis debated whether God also rested on that day. Most agreed that he did not completely cease from working because if he did, if he stopped providentially maintaining the universe, it would cease to exit. They also believed that God continued to give life and reward good and punish evil, even on the Sabbath.

Jesus refers to this idea in his answer. He works on the Sabbath because he is just following the precedent set by his Father. If the Father can give life on the Sabbath (children are conceived and born on that day, just as on any other day of the week), then the Son can also heal on the Sabbath. But this enraged the Jews even more.

This was why the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but also called God his Father, making himself equal with God. (5:18)

This was a second reason why they wanted to kill him. Breaking the Sabbath was serious enough but, by calling God his own Father, he seemed to eradicate the distinction between the divine and the human.

Jesus defends himself by calling on his witnesses: namely, John the Baptist, his own works, the Father (who spoke of him at his baptism), and the Scriptures, which point to him. Yet he also recognizes that the Jews won’t accept this testimony.

Moses and the Manna Reinterpreted

In the next chapter, John once again draws on exodus imagery to present Jesus as the new Moses giving us the new manna or bread from heaven. To understand this, we must first look at the original exodus. We see there how God called Moses to liberate the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt.

As soon as the Israelites left Egypt, Moses led them to Mount Sinai, to establish a covenant with God. After this, the people spent 40 years travelling on their way to the Promised Land. There, in the desert, God tested them severely, but he also sustained them. He gave them manna, the bread from heaven, as nourishment for their journey.

But, as Brant Pitre notes, the manna was much more than mere nourishment. It was also a foretaste of the Promised Land[1]. How? We read that it tasted “like wafers made with honey” (Ex 16:31). This corresponds to God’s description of the Promised Land: a land flowing with milk and honey. So, in a certain way, by eating the manna, the Israelites were already tasting the fruit of the land. In addition to nourishing their bodies, the manna, therefore, also nourished their hopes. Once they entered the land, God stopped giving them the manna, because they no longer needed to nourish their hopes; they were already in the land.

Coming back to Jesus, we see how he, like Moses, went up the mountain with his disciples, followed by a large crowd. And then, also like Moses, he fed the crowd. When the people saw this sign, they said: “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world!” (6:14). What prophet were they referring to? We have already seen in a previous lesson that whenever the Jews spoke of “the prophet” they meant the prophet promised by God to Moses. “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren” (Dt 18:18).

The people recognized that Jesus was revealing himself to be the new prophet—that is, the new Moses—and therefore wanted to make him king. But he escaped from them because this wasn’t what he wanted. They then went looking for him and when they found him in Capernaum, he began to teach what is called the “Bread from heaven discourse”. In it, he told them:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal.” (6:26–27)

The people want bread, but Jesus tells them to look for supernatural food. This is another example in the Gospel of how Jesus plays with words to lead people from the natural to the supernatural. He did this before with Nicodemus (born again vs born from above) and the Samaritan woman (natural water vs living water). After this, Jesus invites them to believe in him.

Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (6:28–29)

So, they ask him for a sign so that they can believe in him, and the specific sign they ask for is that he give them the bread from heaven, that is, the manna.

So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see, and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” (6:30–34)

Why this sign? According to the Bible, the original manna came down from heaven: “I am going to rain down bread from heaven” (Ex 16:4). Some interpreted this to mean that it had existed in heaven ever since the beginning of creation. They also believed that God continued to store it in heaven, even after the exodus. Because of these traditions, the expectation arose, that the Messiah, acting as the new Moses, would bring back the manna. We see this idea in the following extra-biblical writing:

And it will happen that when all that which should come to pass in these parts is accomplished, the Messiah will begin to be revealed… And those who are hungry will enjoy themselves and they will, moreover, see marvels every day… And it will happen at that time that the treasury of manna will come down again from on high, and they will eat of it in those years… (2 Baruch 29:3,6–8)[2]

This Jewish text was written around the same time as the later books of the Old Testament. Although it is not regarded as inspired by Jews and most Christians (however, it is part of the Bible in the Syrian Orthodox tradition), 2 Baruch is important because it contains traditions that could have already existed in Jesus’ times, such as this one about the manna.

Jesus had already performed many signs to show that he was the Messiah. But these didn’t suffice to convince the people. They ask instead that he always give them bread from heaven. Why this? Despite Jesus’ many miracles, they are still unsure whether he is truly the Messiah or not. This request puts him to the test. “Give us bread from heaven” they say. Because of their expectation that the Messiah would bring back the bread from heaven, this one miracle, more than any other one, would lay aside all their doubts.

Jesus responds by saying:

I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” (6:48–51)

That is, he is the true manna from heaven. But how can he tell them to eat his flesh? Is he promoting cannibalism? Despite this idea being abhorrent to the Jews, he repeatedly insists that his disciples must eat his flesh and drink his blood.

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.” These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. (6:52–59)

Jesus’ language is very physical. A more literal translation of the Greek in 6:54 would be “whoever chews (or masticates) my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.” Was he speaking literally or just symbolically? This question has been the cause of centuries of debate between Catholics and Protestants. Catholics claim Jesus meant this literally. Protestants, on the other hand, believe that he was only speaking symbolically. A complete analysis of this complex theological question would transcend the scope of this lesson. Here I want to look at this question from just one point of view: the typological relationship between the old and the new manna.

If Jesus really is the new Moses, then he must follow his example and give manna to his followers. This new manna, however, must be greater than the original manna. This corresponds to the logic of the Bible. If the types in the Old Testament are just images or shadows of the realities they point to in the New Testament, then these new realities (or antitypes as they are called in theology) must always be greater than their corresponding types. So, the new manna Jesus gives us must be greater than the old manna Moses gave.

Jesus, in fact, affirms that his bread is far superior to Moses’.

This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever. (6:58)

However, this does not mean that Moses just gave them ordinary bread. No. The manna Moses gave was wonderful and miraculous. How wonderful was it? The Bible calls it the “bread of angels” (Ps 78:25). It was so wonderful that the Israelites had never seen anything like it before or afterwards. It was so holy, that they kept it in the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies, together with the other holy objects: the tablets of the Ten Commandments and Aaron’s staff. But Jesus’ manna is even greater.

The typological argument in favor of the Catholic interpretation goes as follows: In the logic of the Bible, an antitype (the reality the type points to) must always be greater than its corresponding type, which is merely a sign and shadow which points to it. So as wonderful and holy the bread Moses gave was, the bread that Jesus gives must be even more so. Because of this, it cannot just be ordinary bread. Neither can it be a mere symbol of God’s presence because if it were just that, it would not be greater than the manna Moses gave. Therefore, in conclusion, the bread that Jesus gives us must be the supersubstantial bread that comes from heaven. This new manna truly is, as Jesus says, his body and blood, and his disciples must eat it.

The Jews find this very difficult to accept and murmur against this teaching:

Then many of his disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you?” (6:60–61)

But this should not surprise us. The Israelites also grumbled about the manna during the exodus:

The people of Israel also wept again, and said, “O that we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.” (Num 11:4–6)

Even the apostles, with their Jewish upbringing, have a difficult time understanding him. Yet, contrary to the others, they had already learnt to trust Jesus, even when he taught them difficult things.

Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. (6:67–68)

At the Last Supper, Jesus’ Passover meal, the apostles will learn how this will come to be. They won’t have to eat the flesh and drink the blood of Jesus’s dead corpse. That would truly be cannibalism. Rather, Jesus was speaking about the flesh and blood of his crucified and resurrected body. After the resurrection, his body was glorified and therefore no longer bound to space or time.

In the Bread of Life Discourse, Jesus says it clearly. In order to share in the life of his resurrection (this is the goal of the new exodus), we must eat his Body and drink his Blood.

The Feast of Tabernacles Reinterpreted

The Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkoth in Hebrew, is the next Jewish institution to be reinterpreted by Jesus. It was originally an agricultural fest, marking the end of the harvest time, like Thanksgiving. But in the Book of Leviticus, it was given a religious meaning. In addition to rejoicing in the abundance of God’s goodness and resting from the hard work of the harvest, this feast became a remembrance of God’s providential care during the exodus, when the Israelites lived in tents for forty years as they travelled through the desert.

On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall keep the feast of the Lord seven days; on the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. And you shall take on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. You shall keep it as a feast to the Lord seven days in the year; it is a statute for ever throughout your generations; you shall keep it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths for seven days; all that are native in Israel shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. (Lev 23:39–43)

The Feast of Tabernacles lasted for seven days during the months of September and October. It ended with a special celebration on the eighth day. It was a very popular feast and the law commanded all able men to pilgrimage to Jerusalem. During this time, the people lived outside the city in makeshift tents or tabernacles to remember the exodus; hence its name.

A water libation—or water pouring—ceremony was an important part of the festivities. On the morning of the first day, a procession of priests would go to the pool of Siloam to collect water in a golden container and then bring it to the temple. This was accompanied by great joy and celebration: animals were sacrificed and when the priests reached the altar, a musical horn was blown. Pilgrims would then wave date palm tree leaves and recite psalms. The priests would pour this water with some wine on the altar during the morning service on each of the seven days of the festival. On the last day, this ceremony reached its climax when the priests circled the altar seven times before pouring the water.

This ritual expressed the people’s hope that God would continue to bless them with the rain necessary to produce abundant harvests in the future. But it also had a more religious meaning. It recalled how God had miraculously provided water for the people in the desert and pointed forward to the eschatological rivers of living water, as foreseen by the prophets.

Then he led me back along the bank of the river. As I went back, I saw upon the bank of the river very many trees on the one side and on the other. And he said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah; and when it enters the stagnant waters of the sea, the water will become fresh. And wherever the river goes every living creature which swarms will live, and there will be very many fish; for this water goes there, that the waters of the sea[d] may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. (Eze 47:6–9)

On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness. (Zec 13:1)

This background information can help us understand the force of Jesus’ teaching during the festivities.

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and proclaimed, “If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (7:37–39)

He was also referring to Isaiah’s prophecy about the messianic times:

Ho, every one who thirsts, come to the waters. (Is 55:1)

Jesus was professing to be the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles and the source of this messianic water. In a similar manner, Jesus also proclaimed during the festival to be the light of the world.

“I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (8:12)

The light ceremony was another ritual that was celebrated during the Feast of Tabernacles. Throughout the festival, at nighttime, four huge menorahs, place in the court of women of the temple, were lit. The people danced throughout the night, holding torches in their hands and singing songs. It is said that the light was so bright that it illuminated the entire city. This ceremony recalled how God had led the Israelites through the desert and protected them by the pillar of fire.

Light is also an important motif throughout the Old Testament.

The Lord is my light and my salvation;

whom shall I fear? (Ps 27:1)

Thy word is a lamp to my feet

and a light to my path. (Ps 119:105)

I will give you as a light to the nations,

that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth. (Is 49:6)

With this background information in mind, one can better understand what Jesus had in mind when he claimed to be the source of water and the light of the world. He is the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles.

Rising Opposition and Rejection

John highlights how the Jews began to oppose Jesus because of this words and deeds. He tells us that Jesus avoided Judea because the people there wanted to kill him since he had cured a man on the Sabbath and claimed to be the Son of the Father, making himself equal to God. We also read how his brothers encouraged him to go up to Jerusalem for the fest of Tabernacles.

So his brethren said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples may see the works you are doing. For no man works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” For even his brethren did not believe in him. Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come.” (7:3–6)

Were they being sincere? It is difficult to know for sure. On the one hand, it appears that they want to help Jesus. They tell him he should go to Judea so that the people will see his signs. But they surely knew that this would lead to his arrest and since John tells us that even they didn’t believe in Jesus, it appears more likely that they were being deceitful or hypocritical. Jesus recognizes this and that is why he tells them that his time has not yet come. In John’s Gospel, Jesus’ time always refers to his passion and death.

We see now how the rejection of Jesus is now complete. He is not only rejected by the Galileans (see 4:44), and by the Jews of Judea (see 7:1), but also by his own family. Even one of the twelve will betray him (see 6:71). This fulfills what John wrote in the Prologue: “He came to his own home, and his own people received him not.” Although Jesus says he won’t go up to Jerusalem for the festival, he ends up going anyway during the middle of the feast and starts teaching in the temple.

Throughout this section we see the different ways the people respond to him. His actions and teachings have divided them. Some believe in him:

Yet many of the people believed in him; they said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?” (7:31)

When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This is really the prophet.” (7:40)

Others question his messianic pedigree. “Is the Christ to come from Galilee?” they ask. Some even try to arrest him:

So they sought to arrest him; but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come... The Pharisees heard the crowd thus muttering about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. (7:30, 32)

But in the end, no one dared lay their hands on him. Even the officers don’t arrest him because they say that no one has ever spoken like him (see 7:44). When Nicodemus tries to defend Jesus by saying that he cannot be judged without being given a hearing the other Pharisees accuse him of being a Galilean (see 7:50–52).

In chapter 8 we read how his enemies—the scribes and the Pharisees—attempt to lay a trap for him. They bring to him a woman caught in adultery.

They said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such. What do you say about her?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. (8:4–6)

They thought this would catch him because whatever answer he gave would lead to his downfall. If he said they should stone the woman according to the law, they could accuse him to the Romans. Roman law prohibited local peoples from enacting capital punishment. But if he said that they should let her go, they could accuse him of breaking the Mosaic law. Jesus, as usual, easily escapes from their schemes: “He stood up and said to them, ‘Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her’” (8:7).

Jesus then bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. Why did he do this? And what did he write down? We don’t know because John doesn’t tell us. Some think that he wrote the sins of the very people who were accusing the woman. This would have moved them to shame and repentance. That is why they leave her alone. Others say he was just scribbling in the dirt to waste time. A third opinion is that he was fulfilling a prophecy found in the Old Testament.

The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron… O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake thee shall be put to shame; those who turn away from thee shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living water. (Jer 17:1, 13)

The Feast of Tabernacles Reinterpreted (Continued)

We saw above how Jesus professed to be the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles. He taught that he was the source of living water and the light of the world. Now, in chapter 9, his actions confirm this teaching. He heals a man born blind.

We do not know when this miracle took place. The only hint we have is found in John’s statement: “As he passed by” in verse 1. This could mean that it happened on the same day or shortly after the preceding events, that is, the last day of the feast. The next time indication we find is in 10:22 when we find Jesus teaching once again in the temple during the Feast of Dedication. This feast occurred some three months after the Feast of Tabernacles. So, in any case, this miracle took place within this period.

As Jesus passed by, he saw a man who was blind from his birth. The apostles ask him whether he was born that way because of his own sins or that of his parents. The common assumption back then was that suffering was a direct consequence of sin. Jesus refutes this idea by saying that, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him” (10:3) and then goes on to say:

We must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day; night comes, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. (9:4–5)

By having Jesus state again that he is the light of the world, John is clearly telling us that this miracle is a continuation of his teachings during the Feast of Tabernacles. When the light shines in the world, some will see and come to faith, whereas others will be blinded by it. The blind man could symbolically stand for any one of us.

Jesus heals the man by spitting on the ground, making clay, anointing his eyes with this clay, and then telling him to wash in the pool of Siloam. By doing this, he once again violated the Sabbath, as we discover in verse 14. When we studied chapter 5, we saw that it was prohibited to heal on the Sabbath, even if no work was involved. Furthermore, some would have considered even the making of clay and the anointing of the eyes to be violation of the Sabbath. This repetition tells us that these two passages are thematically related.

Jesus then tells the man to go and wash himself in the pool of Siloam. Here, John interrupts the narration to tell us that “Siloam” means “Sent”. Why would he do this unless he was trying to tell us something important. John could be suggesting that this pool stands for Jesus, who is the one sent by the Father (see 20:21) and has just proclaimed “If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink” (7:37). Some have also seen in this a symbol for baptism. In any case, we read how the man went and washed and was healed.

As spectacular as this miracle was, the spiritual miracle is even greater. When the man returns, he is then interrogated three times: first by his neighbors, then by the Pharisees, and finally by Jesus. At first, he is still spiritually blind. “I do not know” (9:12) he says, in reply to their inquiries about Jesus. When the Pharisees ask him what he thinks about Jesus, he answers, “He is a prophet” (9:17). Finally, Jesus asks him “Do you believe in the Son of man?” (9:35). To this, he replies: “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” (9:36). Once Jesus says, “You have seen him, and it is he who speaks to you” (9:37), the man responds, “Lord, I believe” and worships him. The blind man has now fully entered Christ’s light because he started to believe in him.

John invites us to compare this to the blindness of the Pharisees. They stubbornly persist in rejecting Jesus and their spiritual blindness leads to an almost physical blindness in that they are no longer capable of even accepting the obvious: that this man was born blind but can now see. This brings to mind what John had already stated in the Prologue:

The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. (1:9–10)

Through this miracle, Jesus confirms what he had previously taught: He is the light of the world who gives light to the blind and leads people to true faith. He is the source of living water that heals us. And he continues to heal and give life on the Sabbath.

God’s Shepherd Reinterpreted

There are several reasons for thinking that chapter 10 is a continuation of chapter 9 (remember, the books of the Bible weren’t divided into chapters until the 13th century). First, John often gives us temporal transitions between sections. For example:

After this… (6:1)

On the next day… (6:22)

But after his brethren had gone up to the feast… (7:10)

However, there is no transition here that indicates the beginning of a new section.

Second, chapter 10 continues the themes found in chapter 9. In 10:1–5, Jesus uses a figure of speech similar to a parable. In the lesson on the use of parables in Mark’s Gospel, we saw that, in the Bible, this way of speaking was commonly used to respond to evil leadership. In this case, when Jesus speaks of thieves and robbers, he is referring to the Pharisees who have just cast the blind man he healed out of the local synagogue.

Third, verse 21 mentions the miraculous healing of the blind man.

Others said, “These are not the sayings of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

The events that take place in chapter 9 form, therefore, the immediate context for this chapter. To understand Jesus’ point, one must grasp the images he uses. The basic image is that of a sheepfold. It was common, in Jesus’ time, for shepherds to group together. They would build a stone enclosure with a single entrance to keep all their sheep safe together there at night. A gatekeeper would look after the sheep, protecting them from predators and thieves. In the morning, he would let the shepherds into the pen to collect their sheep. They did this by calling out their sheep, which would recognize his voice and then follow him. Instead of driving their sheep forward, as shepherds normally do today, they would lead the way and their sheep would follow behind.

As is typical with parables, Jesus taught here using images taken from everyday life. But that doesn’t mean that this was a simple way of teaching. On the contrary, John tells us that those listening did not understand him. But, Jesus doesn’t explain the meaning of this teaching as he did with the parable of the sower in the Synoptics (see Mk 4:13–20; Mt 13:18–23; and Lk 8:11–15). Instead, he takes the principal images he used—the door, the shepherd, and the sheep—and develops them further.

Jesus explains that he is the door, which serves a double purpose. As Fr. Raymond Brown states, (1) “He is the gate by which the shepherd goes to the sheep; therefore the only authentic pastors are those admitted by Jesus. The Pharisees, since they do not come through Jesus are thieves. [And (2)] He is the gate by which the sheep come into the fold and go out to pasture. Those who come through this gate will have life (Jesus is the water of life, the bread of life, and the gate of life).”[3]

Jesus also claims to be not just one shepherd among many, but the good shepherd. He gives two reasons for this: (1) Unlike the hirelings, he is willing to lay down his life for his sheep. And (2) he knows his sheep and they know him. “This intimate knowledge of his flock, which involves love, is his reason for laying down his life for them.”[4]

As Jesus taught this, he must have had in mind the numerous passages in the Old Testament that berate the bad shepherds of Israel. For example:

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ho, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the crippled you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered, they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill; my sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them…

“Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my sheep at their hand, and put a stop to their feeding the sheep; no longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.

“For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when some of his sheep have been scattered abroad, so will I seek out my sheep; and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the fountains, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture, and upon the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on fat pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the crippled, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will watch over; I will feed them in justice.” (Eze 34:1–16)

Notice how this prophecy states that God himself will shepherd his sheep. By claiming to be the good shepherd, Jesus is therefore revealing that he is the divine shepherd.

Finally, Jesus also explains that he has other sheep that are not of this fold (the Jews), but that he will bring these other sheep into the fold so they will form one flock. On the one hand, he is referring to the lost tribes of Israel. But how will he reunite the sheep of the lost tribes with the sheep of Judah? Remember, after being exiled in the year 722 BC, these tribes completely disappeared because they assimilated into the pagan cultures that received them. Therefore, to bring the lost tribes back, Jesus will also have to bring the gentiles into the fold. So, on the other hand, Jesus is referring not just to the lost tribes of Israel, but also to all the gentiles.

The Feast of Dedication Reinterpreted

The Feast of Dedication is the final Jewish tradition that Jesus reinterprets and fulfills in this section. It was celebrated about 3 months after the Feast of Tabernacles, beginning on the 25th day of the month of Kislev (which occurs during late November or early December). This feast is called this way because it commemorates the rededication of the temple after Antiochus Epiphanes, the king of the Seleucids, had desecrated it by sacrificing a pig on its altar and spilling its blood on the holy scrolls of Scripture. This was part of his campaign to suppress Judaism and forcefully convert all Jews to paganism. This led to the Maccabean revolt as we read about in 1 and 2 Maccabees. Under the leadership of Judas Maccabaeus, the Jews reconsecrated their temple to God after having defeated their oppressors (see 1 Mc 4:35–59 and 2 Mc 10:1–8).

Now, the people ask Jesus: “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly” (10:24). This is the same question the high priest will ask him during his trial (see Lk 22:67; Mk 14.61; Mt 26:63). Then, Jesus will give a clear answer that will be the cause of his death sentence. But since his time has not yet come, here he answers evasively.

Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. (10:25–28)

Note how he once again calls upon his witnesses, that is, his works that bear witness to him. They should be clear enough for those who are well disposed to see and understand. Those who don’t believe don’t belong to his sheep. Jesus will, however, give eternal life to those who believe in him. We see here how this passage is thematically connected to the previous one on the good shepherd.

As he has continuously done throughout the previous chapters, Jesus then moves from discussing his works to teaching about his relationship with the Father.

My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one. (10:29–30)

This, unsurprisingly, leads to another attempt to kill him. His adversaries try to stone him for blasphemy. This is the third time in the Gospel that they try to kill him (cf. 5:18 and 8:59). In all cases, the reason for Jesus’ apparent blasphemy was his claim to be equal to or one with God. He says in response to those who try to kill him:

“I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of these do you stone me?” The Jews answered him, “We stone you for no good work but for blasphemy; because you, being a man, make yourself God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came (and scripture cannot be broken), do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?” (10:32–36)

Jesus uses here a typical form of rabbinic reasoning that argues from the lessor to the greater. The passage of the Scriptures he refers to is found in the Psalms.

I say, “You are gods,

sons of the Most High, all of you.” (Ps 82:6)

It is unclear, to whom this psalm is speaking of, but that is beside the point. Jesus’ point is, if the Scriptures call other people “gods” and “sons of the Most High”, why should his adversaries object to him calling himself the “Son of God”? Especially since he has been consecrated and sent into the world by the Father.

This is the key to unlocking the meaning of this passage. As we saw above, the Feast of Tabernacles celebrated the reconsecration of the temple. Jesus, however, is the one who has been consecrated and sent into the world by God.

Jesus makes one final appeal. He invites the people to judge him based on his works because they testify that the Father is in him and that he is in the Father. But this just seals the deal. Instead of listening to him, they try to arrest him once again. This section of the Book of Signs ends with Jesus escaping from Judea by travelling across to the other side of the Jordan, to the place where John had once been baptizing.

Assignments

Explain why Jesus worked on the Sabbath
Describe how Jesus presented himself as the new Moses who will give us the new manna
Describe how Jesus reinterpreted the Feasts of Tabernacles and Dedication
Explain the image of Jesus, the Good Shepherd

Footnotes

[1] Pitre, Brant, JESUS and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist, Image, New York, p. 84.

[2] As cited in Pitre, Brant, JESUS and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist, Image, New York, p. 91.

[3] Brown, Raymond, The Gospel and Epistles of John, The Liturgical Press, Minnesota, 1988, p. 59.

[4] Ibid, p. 59.

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