John 10:22-26
It was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.
And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch. Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
MATTHEW POOLE (1624-1679): “The feast of the dedication, and it was winter.” This verse affords two questions, which have not a little troubled interpreters—What feast of dedication was this?
J. C. RYLE (1816-1900): This Jewish festival is nowhere else mentioned in the Bible. John Chrysostom and others think that the “feast of dedication” was appointed to commemorate the rebuilding of the temple after the Babylonian captivity, in Ezra’s time, Ezra 6:16. Some think that it was to commemorate the dedication of Solomon’s temple, 2 Chronicles 7:9.
A. W. PINK (1886-1952): No detail in Scripture is meaningless…The feast could not be in remembrance of the dedication of Solomon’s temple, for it had been dedicated at harvest-time, I Kings 8:2; nor was it to celebrate the building of Nehemiah’s temple, for that had been dedicated in the spring-time, Ezra 6:15,16. This “feast of the dedication” was celebrated every year for eight successive days in the month of December, and is mentioned by Josephus (Antiq. 12:7).
J. C. RYLE: The mention of “winter” goes far to prove that the feast of dedication must have been appointed in commemoration of the work of Judas Maccabeus…It is a matter of history, according to most commentators, that it was appointed by Judas Maccabeus to commemorate the purging of the temple, and the rebuilding of the altar, after the Syrians were driven out. Its appointment is recorded in the Apocrypha, in 1 Maccabees 4:52-59. The Apocryphal books are, no doubt, uninspired. But there is no reason to question the accuracy of their historical statements.
ALEXANDER MacLAREN (1826-1910): But now, turn to the other question.
MATTHEW POOLE: A second question is, whether dedications of places to the worship of God be warrantable or not?
J. C. RYLE: The passage before us is often referred to, as proving that our Lord recognized, and tacitly sanctioned, a man-made and man-appointed festival.
GEORGE WHITEFIELD (1714-1770): Now this was certainly a mere human institution, and had no divine image, had no divine superscription upon it; and yet I do not find that our blessed Lord and Master preached against it…on the contrary, He did go there, not so much as to keep the feast, as to have an opportunity to spread the gospel-net; and that should be our method, not to follow disputing.
JOHN WESLEY (1703-1791): So, our Lord observed festivals even of human appointment. Is it not, at least, innocent for us to do the same?
J. C. RYLE: “The Church has power to decree rites and ceremonies;” so long as it ordains nothing against God’s Word, its appointments deserve respect.
MATTHEW POOLE: It is not so much a question, whether it be lawful in a solemn decent manner to consecrate a house to the public worship of God, by such acts of worship as God hath appointed under the gospel, such as prayer, praise, reading, preaching, and hearing the Word—as to whether it may be done by such rites and ceremonies as Roman Catholics do it with, for which there is no institution…They do it by many superstitious ceremonies—none of which we know of the least warrant in holy Writ. Secondly, they plead for the holiness of the place when so consecrated—we cannot conceive how any consecration can imprint any character of “holiness” upon a place, or make prayers offered up in it more acceptable.
C. H. MACKINTOSH (1820-1896): So tenacious are many in regarding a certain character of building as the “house of God,” and so entirely has the spiritual character of worship and service been let slip, that it is not uncommon to find the very words used in reference to the temple of Jerusalem, and the Jewish worship of Jehovah, applied to ecclesiastical buildings on earth now—only, with the complete revelation of God in our hands, is it not more sad?
A. W. PINK: And this leads us to ask another question—a deeply interesting and important one: What is the force of “it was winter,” in the light of what follows?
J. C. RYLE: The season of winter is mentioned to explain why our Lord walked under cover “in a porch.”
ADAM CLARKE (1760-1832): It was winter— Χειμων ην, or, it was stormy or rainy weather.
A. W. PINK: There is a deeper meaning than the mere historical. The mention of “winter” at this point is most significant and solemn. It was winter-time—the season of ingathering was now over; the “Sun of righteousness” had completed His official circuit, and the genial warmth of summer had now given place to the season of chilling frosts. The Jews were celebrating “the feast of the dedication,” which commemorated the purification of the temple. But for the true Temple, the One to Whom the temple had pointed—God tabernacling in their midst—they had no heart. The Lord Jesus is presented as walking in the temple, but it is to be carefully noted that He was “in Solomon’s porch,” which means that He was on the outside of the sacred enclosure; Israel’s “house” was left unto them desolate! While here in the porch, “the Jews,” the religious leaders, came to Christ with the demand that He tell them openly if He were “the Christ,” saying, “How long dost thou make us to doubt?” This was the language of unbelief, and uttered at that late date, showed the hopelessness of their condition.
C. H. MACKINTOSH: Judgment was then at the doors of Jerusalem.
A. W. PINK: The Jews knew not their “day of visitation,” and henceforth the things which “belonged to their peace,” were hidden from their eyes, Luke 19:42. So far as they were concerned, the words of Jeremiah applied with direct and solemn force: “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved,” Jeremiah 8:20. For them there was nothing but an interminable “winter.”
MATTHEW HENRY (1662-1714): It was an instance of their impudence and presumption that they laid the blame of their doubting upon Christ Himself. Christ’s answer to this question? The Jews pretended that they only doubted, but Christ tells them they did not believe—He condemns them for their obstinate unbelief, notwithstanding all the most plain and powerful arguments used to convince them: “You believed not;” and again, “You believed not.”
A. W. PINK: Following this interview of the Jews with Christ, and their unsuccessful attempt to apprehend Him, John 10:39, the Lord retires beyond Jordan, “unto the place where John at first baptized, and there He abode,” John 10:40. Thus did Israel’s Messiah return to the place where He had formally dedicated Himself to His mission…In leaving Jerusalem, to which He did not return until the appointed “hour” for His death had arrived, and in going beyond Jordan, the Lord gave plain intimation that His public ministry was now over—He had presented Himself to Israel; now, shortly, He would offer Himself as a sacrifice to God. It is to this “the dedication” here points—That the Holy Spirit has here prefaced this final conversation between the Saviour and the Jews by mentioning “the feast of the dedication” is in beautiful striking accord with the fact that, from this point onwards, Christ was now dedicated to the Cross, as hitherto He had been engaged in manifesting Himself to Israel.
