John 7:7-12
 
John 7:7 (KJB)
The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.
 
Jesus is addressing His earthly brethren at this time. Here they are unsaved so the world will accept them. (John 15:19 KJV) If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Since they are of the world, the world will have an affinity for them and they for the world. Jesus states that the world will hate Him because He is not of the world and He truthfully testifies to the fact that works in the world are evil. To the world, religion is fine, but as soon as it starts interfering with the world’s fun, then it has to go and will not be tolerated. The fleshly brethren of Jesus did not testify to the evilness of the world because they were of the world. Religion likes to make its own path and when the truth challenges it, then the truth must be extinguished. When Jesus came on the scene the Jews were not worshipping in the same manner as in the time of Moses nor did they follow the Scriptures. They had adopted the Babylonian Talmud as their source for living and teaching. It had overtaken the Scriptures in usage and popularity because it could be changed and updated for the purpose of keeping the people in line and increasing the power of the leaders. This is why religion hates Christianity because it exposes the frauds. Christianity has two enemies on this earth, the world system and religion.
 
John 7:8 (KJB)
Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast: for my time is not yet full come.
 
Jesus is commanding His brethren to go up to the feast at an earlier time, then He will go to the feast when the time is come. His brothers had probably attached themselves to a festive caravan and Jesus did not want them missing it. In those days people traveled in groups for the purpose of hopefully avoiding the possibility of being attacked or robbed by thieves who waited along the roads. Jesus may have done this for the purpose of separation from His brethren knowing what was ahead. He did not want them to be arrested and killed because of their family relationship to Him, so He chose to go it alone at the appointed time.
 
John 7:9 (KJB)
When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee.
 
Jesus had stayed in Galilee a few more days before He began to head to the feast. By sending His family ahead, they would be known as being His relatives but if they do not see Him with them, then they would not be thronged by the crowd in Jerusalem. If He had come with them, then the crowds would have sought Him for healing and other things and there would have been utter chaos at the feast to the point that the Romans may have broken it up.
 
John 7:10 (KJB)
But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.
 
Openly - Publicly
Secret - Concealed
 
Jesus had attempted to not be the cause of a riot or an over-zealous crowd. So instead of going to the feast publicly, He had gone up to the feast out of sight so He would not be recognized. His family was already there and no doubt were already spotted by the leaders and by now they knew that Jesus is not with them, which would have caused the leaders to relax but I am sure they had their spotters keeping an eye on them in case Jesus joined up with them. They knew that as a good Jew He would have to show up at the feast since this was one of the three times that all males would have to appear before the Lord in Jerusalem.
 
John 7:11 (KJB)
Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he?
 
Sought - Looking for or seeking for
 
This is what Jesus sought to avoid. He knew they would be looking for Him and in that crowd which was in Jerusalem they obviously had their people looking for Him. There must have been many who were engaged by the leaders because there would have been thousands assembled in Jerusalem and with that many people, they needed a large crew to search. No doubt they searched every caravan which came into the city to find Him.
 
John 7:12 (KJB)
And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people.
 
Murmuring - To mutter with a low voice and partially closed lips
 
Murmuring was one of the classic traits of the Israelites. The people who were there definitely had formed opinions on Jesus. Some stated that He was a good man while others claim He was a deceiver. Those who claimed He was a good man had probably been recipients or witnesses of His miracles. Those who claimed He was a deceiver probably heard Him speak about being the Bread of Life coming down from Heaven and His association with the Father as being His Father, making Him the Son of God. So there was probably tension among the people at this festival. Those who opposed Jesus were probably under the influence of the leaders who had set out to discredit Jesus.

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