John 7:1-8 - The Christian and the World
Have you ever experienced the discomfort of being somewhere you knew you weren’t welcome? I’m talking about a place where you clearly didn’t fit in, weren’t accepted, and, to be honest, didn’t even want to be.
Maybe you caught dirty looks directed your way, or you overheard whispering and muttering, all of which you assumed was about you.
Perhaps you tried to fit in—made conversation, attempted to relate—just to make the time pass more bearably, only to realize it was a hopeless effort. Despite all your attempts, it becomes painfully obvious: this is not your place, and these are not your people.
In moments like this, you become acutely aware of the differences between yourself and those around you. It’s enough to make you wish you could be transported somewhere else—somewhere you know you are welcomed and loved.
As difficult as situations like these are, what we will learn this morning is that every follower of Jesus will likely experience something very similar...
Let’s read John 7:1-8.
John 7:1-8 After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. 2 Now the Jews' Feast of Booths was at hand. 3 So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For not even his brothers believed in him. 6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. 8 You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.”
This passage takes place about six months after the events recorded in John 6. Notice verse 2: “Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand.”
If you study the structure of the Gospel of John, you’ll see that John emphasizes Jesus’ ministry in connection with four major Jewish feasts or festivals. In chapters 5–10, John highlights the Passover, the Feast of Booths, the Feast of Dedication, and places significant focus on the Sabbath.
Here in John 7, the Feast of Booths takes centre stage.
The Feast of Booths, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or the Feast of Ingathering, was celebrated immediately after the harvest of grapes and olives. It served both as a time to thank God for the provision of the harvest and as a memorial of how God provided for the children of Israel during their wilderness wanderings.
This was one of the three pilgrim festivals, during which every Jewish man within 15 miles of Jerusalem was legally obligated to attend. Yet, it wasn’t considered a burden—quite the opposite. The Feast of Booths was the most anticipated of all the pilgrim festivals.
We find the Lord’s institution of the festival in Leviticus 23:
Leviticus 23:39-43 “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate 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. 40 And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid 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. 41 You shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 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.”
All the Israelites would gather branches and build themselves tents, booths, or huts, and they would camp out in them for an entire week! This was meant to remind them of the Exodus and how their ancestors had to dwell in tents.
Now, I don’t know how you feel about camping. For some of you, this probably sounds awful—seven days in a hut made of branches? Sleeping under the stars? A whole week without the conveniences of home?
For others, it might sound incredible—the challenge of building your own shelter, spending time outdoors, seeing the stars, hearing the wildlife, breathing fresh air, and gathering around a campfire. It all sounds like a great adventure!
For the Jews, the Feast of Booths became the most anticipated and most enjoyed of all their festivals.
Imagine the scene: large caravans of people arriving from surrounding villages and even foreign countries, singing and celebrating with joy. Families would gather branches and get to work building their shelters. The sense of community would be tangible as thousands upon thousands of fellow Jews set up camp, preparing to spend a week in worship and celebration.
At sundown on the first night, a horn would sound, marking the official start of the Feast. As darkness fell, fires would spring up across the fields, and the sounds of talking and laughter would fill the night air. The sights, sounds, and smells of the festival would create lasting memories for everyone who attended.
Of course, all of this was meant to stir up thankfulness for the goodness of God—who delivered Israel from captivity and provided for them as they dwelt in tents during their wilderness wanderings.
In our passage, we find Jesus’ brothers preparing to go to Jerusalem from Galilee for the festival and urging Jesus to attend as well. (Yes, Mary had other children—at least six, according to Matthew 13:55–56.)
Look at their words in verses 3-4:
John 7:3-4 So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.”
According to verse 1, Jesus had been spending much of his time in Galilee, avoiding Judea because the Jewish leadership was hostile toward him, and seeking to kill him. His brothers urge him to go to Jerusalem so that everyone at the festival might see his miracles and believe in him.
What we learn from verse 5 however is that his brothers weren’t actually saying this for Jesus’ benefit, but because they were skeptical of him.
John 7:5 For not even his brothers believed in him.
It’s as if they were saying: “If your miracles are genuine and your words really are from God, then put yourself to real scrutiny. Go up to Jerusalem and subject yourselves to the massive crowds and the Jewish leadership.”
Jesus responds in verse 6:
John 7:6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.
My Time is Not Yet Come
What does he mean by “My time has not yet come?” Some other passages can help us understand this.
John 12:23-24 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
In that passage, Jesus speaks of the hour of his glorification and specifies that this glorification would happen through his death. He says similarly in:
John 12:27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.
Again, he spoke of the hour of his suffering and death. Likewise in John 13:
John 13:1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
In John 17, as Jesus anticipated his approaching crucifixion, he prayed to the Father and said…
John 17:1 … “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,
His hour was the hour of his death. Through his death he would be glorified by God. Lastly, consider verse 30 of John 7:
John 7:30 So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.
It was not time for Jesus to be glorified via his crucifixion, and so God did not allow him to be arrested at this time.
When Jesus says to his brothers, “My time has not yet come,” in response to their urging that he go to the Feast of Booths in Jerusalem to make his miracles known, he is making it clear that it is not yet time for him to enter Jerusalem with such public fanfare. Why? Because the appointed time for his crucifixion and glorification by the Father has not yet arrived.
When that time does come, he will enter Jerusalem on a donkey, allowing his followers to cry, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”
At that moment, he will receive open praise—just before his rejection and crucifixion. But now is not that time.
But then, Jesus says something curious to his brothers in verse 6:
John 7:6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.
What does this mean? Although the time was not right for Jesus to make himself known openly and to thus receive open praise from the world, such praise was always available to his brothers. We need more clarification. He continues in verse 7:
John 7:7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.
Jesus knows that when his time comes, there will be a powerful popular movement that believes he is the Messiah. He will receive praise from the masses, but this will trigger a climax of hatred from the Jewish leaders and persecution from the Roman authorities. Therefore, when the hour of his glorification by the world arrives, his death will soon follow. In an ironic twist, it is through his death that the Father will truly glorify him.
When he makes himself known in this way, despite the brief praise heaped upon him by the world, it will become clear that the world actually hates him and would rather see him dead.
So why not go to Jerusalem and reveal himself with miracles and fanfare, as his brothers suggest? The Feast of Booths seems like the perfect opportunity to make himself known to the world! Jesus’ answer is clear: I will not go up because the world hates me. When I make myself known to the world, they will kill me, and the time for my death has not yet come.
The World
But then Jesus says something remarkable to his brothers: “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me…”
What does this mean? Does it imply that Jesus’ brothers were especially popular or well-liked? No. Jesus is using the term “world” here differently than his brothers did in verse 4. In verse 4, they use “world” to refer to the masses, the crowds, the people. In verse 7, Jesus uses it to refer to the world-system—the prevailing culture and all that stands in opposition to God.
This is how the term “world” is often used in John’s writings.
1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Here John is describing the societal system, or the prevailing culture. He offers three perpetual features of it. He says, “For all that is in the world…
The Desires of the Flesh
The “flesh” speaks of human nature as corrupted by sin and hostile toward God. So then, what does the flesh ultimately desire? Whatever is sinful and self-indulgent.
The prevailing societal system is fixated upon, celebrates, and seeks to feed fleshly passions. It promotes the indulgence of every human lust, with a focus upon the sexual and sensual.
Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
That’s what we see all around us, isn’t it? Division, anger, strife, jealousy, rivalries, self-indulgence, impurity, and sexual immorality? That’s the world system indulging in the desires of the flesh with no regard for what is of the ultimate good for society, or for what is to the glory of God.
Then John says that the world is known for not only indulging in the desires of the flesh, but in the desires of the eyes.
The Desires of the Eyes
From sexual sin to material possessions, our desire to have is insatiable. The world-system is built upon human covetousness. If this were not the case, marketing would not work. If you want to sell a product, you must advertise it in a way that stirs up the buyer’s desires—make him want it, make her feel like she needs it. In other words, appeal to the “desire of the eyes.”
Since the prevailing culture, as John describes it, is godless, it seeks satisfaction and fulfillment in things and possessions rather than in God. The eyes are constantly scanning for the next object, experience, or pursuit that might bring a fleeting sense of happiness, well-being, or fulfillment.
That the world-system is built upon the “desire of the eyes” also reveals its obsession with the temporal and earthly. It fixates on what can be seen: the physical rather than the spiritual, the earthly rather than the heavenly, the fleeting rather than the eternal.
Without God and the hope of eternal life, the focus shifts to whatever can be gained from this life: “Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”
Lastly, John says that the world system is built upon the pride of life.
The Pride of Life
The “pride of life” literally means “pride in possessions” or “pride in living.”
Since the world focuses on the fleshly, the sensual, and the material, it measures success and meaning by possessions. Human pride is fuelled by what someone has—the measure of a person becomes defined by materialism.
Jesus explicitly warned, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15).
The “world” refers to the prevailing societal system, built by and for mankind’s fallen nature. It is designed to indulge human lust while simultaneously rejecting God’s will for humanity. It loves what God hates and hates what God loves. It denigrates what God celebrates and celebrates what God abominates.
Consequently:
The world teaches human philosophies which exclude God, elevate man and encourage iniquity.
The world challenges the concept of absolute truth while replacing it with absurdities.
The world invents conscience-soothing moralities which are entirely foreign to the holy standards of God.
The world celebrates and enshrines perverse sexual expressions as the unencroachable right of every human being, no matter how self-destructive they may be.
The world seeks to destroy every divinely designed institution by rejection, redefinition, or perversion, whether it be marriage, family, gender, the home, the church, or human government.
It’s no wonder that John says in 1 John 5:19, “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” Or that Jesus, on multiple occasions, stated that this world system is ruled by Satan himself (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). Or that John declares in 1 John 4:3 that the “spirit of the antichrist… is in the world already.”
The world system—the societal structure—lies under the power of the evil one. The spirit of antichrist saturates its philosophies, morals, priorities, and ideologies. As you observe the corruption of our society, have you ever wondered if there is an organized force pulling the strings behind the scenes?
Paul gives us insight into this in Ephesians 6:11–12:
“Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
The ruler of this world system is still at work, and his handiwork is evident all around us—especially in the arenas of ideas. Schools, media (particularly social media), government, and even religion are prime targets for infiltration by the spiritual forces of evil. And that is exactly what we see happening all around us.
* * *
The World Will Hate
But, we learn something else about the world from Jesus in John 7. We learn that along with promoting all that is godless, the world also hates whatever, and whoever is godly.
John 7:7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.
Remember that in verse 5 we are told Jesus’ brothers were not believers. In verse 7, Jesus points out that while the world hates him, his brothers fit right in with the world.
They are part of the world-system, while Jesus stands as an outsider to it. The world will love and accept his brothers, but it will hate and reject him. Why? Because of all that Jesus represents. He “testified about it that its works were evil.”
That’s why we began by asking, “Have you ever had the unfortunate experience of being somewhere where you knew you weren’t welcome?”
While his brothers urge him to go to Jerusalem to show himself to the crowds, Jesus knows he does not belong to this world. Because he is from God, and because the world is saturated by human sinfulness and ruled by Satan, it will hate him. He is not welcome.
But what does this have to do with us? Jesus would later say this in John 15:
John 15:18-20 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 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. 20 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.
Before we came to Christ, we were part of the prevailing cultural system, but when Jesus saved us, he called us out of the world. We no longer belong to this world. We no longer fit in. Our values, philosophies, and priorities have all changed.
Whereas we once indulged in the lust of the flesh now we, “walk by the Spirit, [so that we] will not gratify the desires of the flesh. (Gal 5:16).
Whereas we once chased after the lust of our eyes, now we have “Set [our] minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. (Col 3:2)
Whereas we once found pride in possessions, now we “count everything as loss because o the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus [our] Lord. (Php 3:8)
Do you know how Peter says the world will respond to this change in us? He says:
1 Peter 4:4-5 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; 5 but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
The world hated Jesus, and so the world will hate those who belong to Jesus. The more like Jesus we become, the more like Jesus we will be treated.
1 John 3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
So, what does this tell us about the follower of Jesus who seems to get along just fine in this world? It tells us that either he is not growing in the faith and so remains a lot like the world, or he so fears men that he is afraid to make his faith known, or perhaps that he is not a genuine follower at all.
What did Jesus say:
Matthew 5:13-16 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Our calling is to come out of the world, be different from the world, and bring the person of Christ to bear upon the world. Yes, this will incur hostility from the world, but God will also use us to call others out of the world, who will then give glory to him.
Followers of Jesus stand as salt in the midst of societal decay, and light against the impending societal darkness. As much as we’d hope that our role as salt and light would cause men to flock to us while experiencing societal collapse, that is not the case.
John 3:19-20 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.
Even while experiencing the consequences of their rejection of God’s design, they will cling to darkness rather than come to the light. Notice why Jesus said the world hates in him John 7:7, “because I testify about it that its works are evil.”
Because Christians stand apart, representing and living like Jesus, our lives serve as a condemnation of the sinfulness of society. Because men love their sin, they will hate us.
So, what are some takeaways?
1. As followers of Jesus, we must not have a love for the world.
Philippians 4:8-9 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
To what degree are you still indulging in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of this life? To what degree are you still holding to the world’s philosophies, values, morality, and priorities? In what areas are you holding on to a love for this world, so that you feel right at home in it?
2. As followers of Jesus, we must not have a desire to be loved by the world
Jesus’ brothers held out the allure of being accepted by the masses to encourage Jesus to go into Jerusalem during the Feast of Booths. In their minds, it was the perfect time for him to get the fame and notoriety that they thought he wanted.
However, the last thing Jesus wanted was love from the world, on the world’s terms. If he wanted the world’s acclaim he would not have gone about testifying that its works were evil. Instead, he would have smiled upon their sin, remained silent in the face of it, and went along with it.
a. We must love him more than we fear men.
b. We must be willing to bear the world’s rejection, in favour of his acceptance.
c. We must be content feeling out of place now, so that we can feel at home then.
If we love Jesus more than we fear men, then we will be willing to incur whatever earthly consequence comes as a result of that love. We will be willing to bear being rejected by the world, knowing that we are accepted by him. We will tolerate loosing out on the comforts of this life, knowing a better one awaits us.
Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Hebrews 13:13-14 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. 14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.
3. As followers of Jesus, we must distinguish between the world as a system, and the world as its people.
In all of this talk about the world and it’s wickedness, it’s evil, and it’s control by Satan, we must remember that there is a difference between the societal system and the people who are held captive by it.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
1 John 4:9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
1 John 4:14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
1 John 2:2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
We could say:
Don’t act like your partying coworker, but love your partying coworker.
Don’t accept the same morality as your gay neighbour, but love your gay neighbour.
Don’t affirm the lifestyle of your trans classmate, but love your trans classmate.
Don’t adopt the same philosophies as your atheistic family member, but love your atheistic family member.
The same Jesus who testified about the world that its works were evil, gave his life, bearing the consequences of that evil in order to deliver them from the world. Likewise, we must be willing to pay the price of love in order to rescue some from the world, while never becoming like the world.
IN CONCLUSION
As Jesus’ brothers prepared to join the caravan to Jerusalem for the Feast of Booths, Jesus chose to stay back and go up later, with less fanfare. He knew he would be entering hostile territory and did not want to provoke the Jewish authorities or stir up the messianic hopes of the crowd before the predetermined time for his crucifixion had arrived.
He understood that the world-system was so saturated with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life that it had no appetite for his call to faith and righteousness. He came as light, but the world loved darkness and resented being told they were captive to it.
When his time did come, he would offer himself as a sacrifice to rescue men and women out of the world. Consequently, all who believe in him would remain in the world as a place but no longer belong to the world as a system.
This is exactly what Jesus prayed would happen in John 17:
John 17:14-16 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
And so, here we are – in the world, but not of the world. Our responsibility now is to live like Jesus in the world, with a willingness to suffer at the hands of the world, so that we can win some out of the world, while we await Jesus’ return when he will usher in a new world.