G-26. Is the FEAST in John 5:1 the PASSOVER?


G-26. Is the FEAST in John 5:1 PASSOVER?

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G-26. Is the FEAST in John 5:1 the PASSOVER?


Is the FEAST spoken of in John 5:1 the Feast of Passover? And WHY does it matter? These are the two questions I will show you HOW to answer with a correct sound Biblical interpretation. Let us first read John 5:1 out of its context and then I will explain WHY this verse of Scripture must be INTERPRETED to mean the Feast of Passover.


John 1:5.


“After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.” 


Now, any Christian can SAY, CLAIM, or even try to ARGUE that the feast in John 5:1 in the yearly Feast of Passover. But WHY would they try to argue that this feast of the Jews has to specifically be the Feast of Passover when they are seven Jewish feasts?

So let us start with the argument that the MINISTRY of Jesus MUST be 3 1/2 years long? Again, this is another argument that you should ask WHY must the ministry of Jesus be 3 1/2 years long? The short answer for now is that the ministry of Jesus does NOT have to be 3 1/2 years long. My point right now is that some seventh DAY of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians use John 5:1 to try to prove that the ministry of Jesus is 3 1/2 years long. It has to do with how they “interpret” the seventieth week of Daniel. The Seventh Day Aventist Christians teach that the first half of the seventieth week of Daniel was fulfilled by Jesus during his MINISTRY. And thus, they NEED John 5:1 to be the Feast of Passover in order to try to prove that the first half of the seventieth week of Daniel has already been fulfilled by Jesus during his so-called 3 1/2 year long MINISTRY. 

So, now that you know WHY let me show you HOW to study the Bible to find the CORRECT sound Biblical answer to the question, “Is the feast in John 5:1 the feast of Passover?” The short answer is NO! The feast in John 5:1 is NOT the feast of Passover! And here is HOW we can know for sure.

Let us read John 5:1 again, but this time look for CLUES that will help you “interpret” this verse CORRECTLY in the LIGHT of the whole word of Almighty God.


John 1:5.


AFTER THIS there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.” 


Here we see three clues. We already knew it was a feast, but WHAT feast?  There are seven feasts of the Jews. So which feast is John 5:1 referring to according to what the Bible ITSELF teaches? That question must be “interpreted”! For you see, we are not SPECIFICALLY told the name of the feast like we are in John 2:13, John 6:4, and John 11:55 through John 19:19. So let us begin with the clue that Jesus WENT UP to Jerusalem for the feast.

Under the Old Covenant written in the Old Testament there are THREE yearly feasts that are required for the Jewish men to travel to or to go up to the city of Jerusalem every year to keep. The city of Jerusalem sits up on a hill, hence the phrase “Jesus went UP to Jerusalem”. So then, the feast in John 5:1 must be one of those three feasts according to Exodus 24:14-16, and Deuteronomy 16:1-16? But which of the three yearly feasts is the feast in John 5:1?


#1. Is it the Feast of Passover?

#2. Is it the Feast of Weeks, also known in the New Testament as the Feast of Pentecost?

#3. Is it the Feast of Tabernacles?


We cannot just simply SAY that it is the Feast of Passover because some famous Bible scholar said so. We have to see what the Bible ITSELF says. So let us use the other clue that says “AFTER THIS” in John 5:1. After WHAT? Well, to know what “AFTER THIS” is referring to we need to read John chapter 4. For you see, after doing “something” Jesus went up to Jerusalem to the feast of the Jews. So what was Jesus DOING BEFORE he went up to Jerusalem to the feast of the Jews.


Please read John 4:1-3 first.


“When therefore, the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, (Whenever you see the words “therefore” and “wherefore” then look for the REASON for why. In this passage of Scripture, the questions are “How did Jesus know? What did Jesus know? What caused Jesus to leave AGAIN? And from WHERE did Jesus LEAVE to go back to his hometown in Galilee?)

2.  (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) 

3.  He left Judea, and departed again into Galilee.”


Here we find several more clues. Jesus perceived that the Pharisees did not like the attention that John the Baptist was getting from the people. And when Jesus perceived that the Pharisees were jealous of him having MORE disciples than John the Baptist, Jesus LEFT Judea. Now, the city of Jerusalem is in the region called Judea. And some other CONTEXT in John chapter four teaches us that Jesus was SPECIFICALLY in the city of Jerusalem before he LEFT Judea. But the larger context goes all the way back to John 2:1-25, which we KNOW for sure that Jesus was in the city of Jerusalem at the Feast of Passover. So you have to ask yourself the question, Did a WHOLE YEAR of ministry occur between John 2:23 and John 5:1?

But for now, let us now read John 4:45-54. Pay close attention while you read the Scriptures and ask God to reveal the answer to the question you are seeking to know the answer. And the question in this particular study in God’s word is “WHICH feast is the feast in John 5:1?”


John 4:45-54.


“Then when he had come into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him, having SEEN all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast. (So then, Jesus had just been in the city of Jerusalem at the Feast of Passover in John 2:13-23. So WHAT feast comes right AFTER the Feast of Passover? That is right, it is the Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Pentecost! The word Pentecost means fifty and the Feast of WEEKS is 50 days after the Feast of Pentecost. These Jewish Galileans had just SEEN the mighty works that God did through His Prophet, Jesus, while he was in Jerusalem at the Feast of Pentecost. And when Jesus came back to Galilee they RECEIVED him or they believed that he was the Messiah prophesied to come)

46.  So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. (Or Jesus returned to his hometown, Galilee. And it was at Cana where his disciples believed in him when they SAW the FIRST miracle that Jesus did, according to John 2:11, and his disciples believed in him) And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. 

47.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judaea (And now we know that Judea is another term referring to Jerusalem. So when Jesus left the city of Jerusalem after the Feast of Passover he came out of Judea) into Galilee, he (The certain nobleman who had a son that was sick and near death) went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death. (So obviously, this man also SAW the miracles that God did through His anointed Prophet Jesus in the city of Jerusalem before, during, and after the feast of Passover that just ended not too many days ago. For you see, the miracles Jesus did in Jerusalem were still FRESH in their minds)

48.  Then said Jesus unto him, Except you see signs and wonders, you will not believe. 

49.  The nobleman said unto him, Sir, come down or else my child will die. 

50.  Jesus said unto him, Go your way; your son lives. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. (Again, this teaches us that this man SAW the miracles Jesus did in Jerusalem before, during and shortly after the Feast of Passover in John 2:13)

51.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Your son lives. 

52.  Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. 

53.  So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in which Jesus said unto him, Your son lives: and himself believed, and his whole house. 

54.  This is again the SECOND miracle that Jesus did, when he had come out of Judaea into Galilee.”

 

Now this is a HUGE clue that NOT very much time had passed from the time that Jesus came out of Judea from the Feast of Passover in John 2:13-23 to the time of the Feast of WEEKS or the Feast of Pentecost in John 5:1.

So instead of the ministry of Jesus being 3 1/2 years long, the ministry of Jesus was actually only TWO year plus a short number of DAYS. I say PLUS a short number of DAYS because from the time of his baptism to the time Jesus said “This Scripture is FULFILLED” in Luke 4:1-24 was the time that Jesus actually BEGAN his MINISTRY. Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness, plus the number of days to travel to Cana, plus the number of days to travel to his hometown Nazareth. It was in the synagogue in Nazareth that he announced to the Jews for the FIRST time that he was the Messiah. For you see, Jesus said to his mother Mary that his hour was NOT YET, but he went ahead and did his FIRST miracle of changing water into wine. So you could say that the MINISTRY of Jesus was exactly TWO years.

So why do I say TWO years and NOT THREE years. I say two years because the FIRST Passover was in the SPRING of the year shortly after Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the River Jordan. You can follow the days in the four gospels to see that the FIRST Passover in John chapter 2 was the SAME Spring of the SAME year that Jesus was baptized. And thus, you cannot count that FIRST Passover as a whole YEAR of MINISTRY. So then, from that FIRST Passover to the next Passover in John 6:4 is ONE year. And from that second Passover in John 6:4 to the THIRD Passover in John 11:55 through John 19:19, is TWO years of MINISTRY. For you see, Jesus was CRUCIFIED at that THIRD Passover. It is only when Christians incorrectly interpret John 5:1 as being the Feast of Passover that THEY wrongly concluded the ministry of Jesus to be three years.

So why do the SDA Christians argue that the ministry was 3 1/2 years long? Again, they NEED the ministry of Jesus to be exactly 3 1/2 years long in order to TRY to prove that Jesus alone and by himself fulfilled the first half of the seventieth week of Daniel. So then, in order for the ministry of Jesus to be a full 3 1/2 years long, they needed to INTERPRET the John 5:1 as being the Feast of Passover to get three years. Then then needed to INTERPRET the Scriptures for the baptism of Jesus to be in the FALL of the year, which is when most Protestant Bible scholars say that Jesus was BORN. Please read the study called Ee-19. WAS JESUS BORN ON DECEMBER 25th?  

And now that we know for SURE that the Ministry of Jesus is just a matter of DAYS over TWO years or exactly TWO years depending how one interprets the BEGINNING of the ministry of Jesus, we can determine what YEAR Jesus was crucified and resurrected. Please read the study Ee-20. WHAT YEAR WAS JESUS CRUCIFIED?

I pray that this study has helped you learn a few more ways to read and study the Bible CORRECTLY. Simply paying ATTENTION while you read will help you find CLUES in almost every verse in the Bible. And the Holy Spirit will bring to our remembrance other verses of Scripture so that we can COMPARE those clues with the Scriptures that the Holy Spirit brings to our remembrance. Now if you are a new Christians and you have not yet read the whole Bible, you can use a Bible concordance and do word searches. For example, look up the word feast. And since the controversy on John 5:1 was concerning the Passover, then do a word search on the word Passover. And whatever interpretation you conclude, always remember that it must agree with every verse of Scripture in the Bible. So if your interpretation contradicts any other verse of Scripture, then it is NOT the CORRECT interpretation.

Thanks for reading, and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. And to me, the truth concerning who Jesus TRULY is, according to the Bible ITSELF, is the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus. So, for ALL of the studies on the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus, please click on the subject heading >>>D-0. THE BIBLICAL UNITARIAN VIEW of JESUS!<<<

And for the SUBJECT on the true foundation of the church, please click on the subject heading >>>C-0. THE TRUE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH!<<< This way you can just send ONE link to those who you want to share the TRUE sound Biblical FOUNDATIONAL teachings of the church that Jesus and his Apostles taught in the first century church.

 

Your brother in our Lord Jesus Christ,

Brother Mark.

 

My heartfelt prayer is that all Christians RETURN to the TRUE FOUNDATION of the church that is taught by the very Apostles of Jesus in the first century. So let us all come into the UNITY of the faith and return to what Jesus and his Apostles taught us in SIMPLICITY in the New Testament. 

 

To learn more TRUTH, then please return to

AMatterOfTruth.com

 

VERSES USED TO TEACH THAT JESUS PREEXISTED!

 

To me, the best way to know the ONE true God in ONE person is to know who Jesus TRULY is according to the WHOLE word of Almighty God. So please read ALL of the studies under the heading >>>N-0. WHO is JESUS ACCORDING to the BIBLE?<<< and you will see that the Bible itself teaches us that Jesus was CREATED by his God and Father. And if you have any questions related to the correct meaning of certain verses of Scripture on this subject of who Jesus is please read all the studies under the two headings >>>U-0. VERSES used for THE TRINITY!<<< and >>>V-0. VERSES used to TEACH that Jesus PRE-EXISTED!<<< These two headings have ALL of the studies that I have on who Jesus truly is according to what the Bible itself teaches us in simplicity. I compiled these three headings to make it easy for my readers to send just one, two, or three links to those you desire to help understand what the Bible itself teaches concerning who Jesus is in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. If you have any questions, please feel free to write to me. 

My contact email is MarkatAMatterOfTruth@Gmail .com.

Thanks again for reading and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the truth of the whole word of Almighty God.

 

Your Brother in our Lord Jesus Christ,

Brother Mark.

 

RETURN to HOMEPAGE at

AMatterOfTruth.com

 

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Always be faithful to share, to preach, and to teach the whole gospel of Jesus Christ!