The Feast of Tabernacles

(John 7)

The problem in this passage is that Christ appears to say something that was not the truth. Thus we have: " Jesus therefore says to them, My time is not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but me it hates, because I bear witness concerning it that its works are evil. Ye, go ye up to this feast. I go not up to this feast, for my time is not yet fulfilled. Having said these things to them he abode in Galilee. But when his brethren had gone up, then he himself also went up to the feast, not openly, but as in secret." (verses 6-10). Some ancient authorities have the word yet after "I go not up" and the word appears in the AV. However, it is almost certainly an interpolation to get rid of the problem as stated above. If it was really what Christ said Why did not his brethren ask him when he was going ? and Why he was not going with them ? J.N. Darby does not include the word yet in his translation quoted from above and neither do at least some other modern translations.

One explanation for the apparently misleading statements is that the going up as in secret was something different from the going up overtly. Certainly Christ went up in secret for the reason given at the beginning of the chapter: "And after these things Jesus walked in Galilee, for he would not walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him." (verse 1). However, the manner of his going up to the feast, whether overtly or in secret doesn't alter the fact that he went up.

Some translations have "to the feast" after "But when his brethren had gone up" rather than where Mr. Darby has it after "then he himself also went up". However, the meaning is not really altered, for we know he did go up to the feast from what is found in the rest of the chapter (see verse 14). Based on the translation that only says as to Christ that "then he himself also went up" without the "to the feast" following, the argument is put forward that "to the feast" has a technical meaning and that therefore just going up was something different (Mgr. Knox translation). However, we know that in fact Christ appeared at the feast and therefore the explanation for the problem seems forced. In verse 6 we have Jesus saying: "My time is not yet come". It could be argued that this means that his time to go up to the feast had not yet come. However this seems forced because it appears that when his brethren had gone up, He himself went up (see verse 10). There does not seem to have been a significant interval between them going up and He himself going up. Further, the expression "My time is not yet come" (verse 6) appears to mean: "My time is not yet come to manifest myself to the world" (see verse 4). This would be in accord with his statement in verse 8: "I go not up to this feast, for my time is not yet fulfilled". Christ effectively manifested Himself to the world when He came into Jerusalem riding on a young ass in chapter 12 verses 12-19. He then says: "The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified" (verse 23). Timing was an important matter with Christ (see for instance chapter 11 verse 6). It could be argued that Jesus did not intend to go up to the feast at all, but at the last minute changed his mind. However, no reason is given for a change of mind and the idea that Christ was one who had the habit of changing his mind is something foreign to Scripture - there is no evidence that He did so elsewhere.

It may be noted that the Gospel writer John shows no qualms about saying what He does. He does not attempt to counter the fairly obvious criticism that Christ did not tell the truth. In view of what he records in chapter 8 verses 43-45 it is inconceivable that he would have accepted any suggestion that Christ did not always tell the truth. However a question does arise as to the sense in which he went up. His brethren no doubt went up to the feast to have part in it; make offerings and so on. However, there is no suggestion that Christ did this. He himself only went up to teach (see verse 14 et seq.). His brethren went up, so to speak, to have part in the party; Christ went up to meet the needs of those who found the party unsatisfying (see verses 37-39). Today when there is a children�s party the parents often do not go to the party except to bring home their children at the end. In one sense they go to the party, but in another sense not, for they only go for the purpose of collecting their children.