John 7:2 — Community Reflections

JOHN 7:2 — KING JAMES VERSION 0

“Now the Jews’ feast of tabernacles was at hand.”

Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand — the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), one of the three great pilgrimage festivals, commemorates Israel's wilderness wandering and God's protective presence in the tabernacle. John's deliberate mention of 'the Jews'' feast' marks the festival as belonging to the opposition; it will become the setting for Jesus to present himself as the true locus of God's presence and the true 'living water' of which the feast's rituals spoke. The feast's focus on water (daily water-drawing ceremonies) and light (temple illumination) will frame Jesus's self-revelation in chapters 7-8.

Church Fathers on John 7:2

As the believer in Christ would have in time to, come to hide himself from persecution, that no guilt might attach to such concealment, the Head began with doing Himself, what He sanctioned in the member; After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill Him.
Augustine · 4th century

The connection of this passage admits of much taking place in the interval previously. Judea and Galilee are divisions of the province of Palestine. Judea has its name from the tribe of Judah; but it embraces not only the territories of Judah, but of Benjamin, all of which were called Judea, because Judah was the royal tribe Galilee has its name, from the milky, i.e. white, color of its inhabitants; Galilee being Greek for milk.
Bede · 8th century

That is to say, He displayed the attribute both of divinity and humanity. He fled from His persecutors as man, He remained and appeared amongst them as God; being really both.
Chrysostom · 4th century

Read all 20 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain

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