Chanukah in John Pt.7. The Fifth Light

The first four lights of John's hidden Chanukiah started with the beginning of Jesus' ministry. The second four lights belong to the closing part of His ministry on earth. This fifth light is lit on the day before His circumcision. Jesus was born at the beginning of Tabernacles, so it follows that He was circumcised on the eighth day according to the Law.

Psalms 113 - 118 inc. were sung after the Water-drawing ceremony. They comprise the Great Hallel. There was a great desire for the latter rains (Autumn rains) and for the Messiah. Furthermore at Tabernacles the Temple was brilliantly illuminated as a sign of God's light to the Israel and the Gentiles.

According to Edersheim's book, "The Temple", the Talmud states that the water drawing ceremony signifies the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Messiah, He is the Light of the World and He will baptise with the Holy Spirit. He could hardly keep silent as these prayers were being offered.

John 7:37-52

English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

Rivers of Living Water

³⁷ On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as^[a] the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” ³⁹ Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Division Among the People

⁴⁰ When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” ⁴¹ Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? ⁴² Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” ⁴³ So there was a division among the people over him. ⁴⁴ Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.
⁴⁵ The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” ⁴⁶ The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” ⁴⁷ The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? ⁴⁸ Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? ⁴⁹ But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” ⁵⁰ Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, ⁵¹ “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” ⁵² They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

Footnotes:

1. John 7:38 Or let him come to me, and let him who believes in me drink. As

The confession,  "This is the Christ" is almost swamped in the dispute, but nonetheless, some believed. The Enemy loves to try and swamp witness with dispute.

Copyright G. I. Goodson 2013

Jesus' claim, "I, I am  the Light of the World", will lead us to our next light, but more of that tomorrow.

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six