Jesus told his brothers He was not going down to the feast with them. Instead, He went privately. During the festival, Jesus taught in the temple & people were amazed at His knowledge. He was a carpenter from Nazareth, not a scholar from Jerusalem, so where did He learn these truths? Jesus tells them He learned them from the Father. A relationship with the Father is all you need to understand the Father.
Then He speaks of the Sabbath. Jesus was accused of breaking the Sabbath, and therefore a commandment, by healing a man on the Sabbath. But Jesus tells them, it is permissible to circumcise a child on the Sabbath because the greater law is circumcision. Therefore, isn't healing a man greater than not working? The point of the Sabbath is to take a break from our daily work & focus on God, resting in His peace. However, we are not to be so selfish as to not help a fellow human in need simply because we are "resting."
Then the people say, "Well, He can't be the Messiah because we aren't suppose to know where He comes from." This is an incorrect teaching by the rabbis. Malachi prophesies where Jesus would come from - Bethlehem.
Finally, people were seeking to kill Jesus. So, why didn't they arrest Him while He taught? Because it wasn't His time yet. God has a plan & a purpose. That plan & purpose will be fulfilled exactly as He promises. When you are in a close relationship with God, when you spend time in prayer talking to Him, when you listen to His voice & obey it - you too can follow along with God's plan. Isn't that a wonderful thought? To be sure in what you are doing? To know that everything will work out? It's all about trust & obedience.
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