Jesus Teaches at the Feast

Scripture

John 7:14-24

Commentary

A number of issues come out as Jesus teaches at the feast.  The first involves His teaching.  Other rabbis spent their time quoting from more famous previous rabbis.  What they taught was not their own ideas but instead someone else's.  When Jesus taught, He didn't quote previous rabbis. 

Jesus points out that His teaching is that of God the Father.  When He taught, He didn't do so with the expectation that everyone would marvel at His great learning like the other rabbis.  Instead He simply teaches what God has given Him.

Jesus knows that the people are conspiring to kill Him because of healing on the Sabbath but most people think that He is crazy and demon possessed for saying this.  In His defense, Jesus points out that circumcisions are performed on the Sabbath according to tradition.  The healing of a person should be all the more acceptable on the Sabbath because it is not a matter of ritual but instead it is important to a person's well being.