“After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem” (John 5:1 KJV).

Thrice, and only in John’s Gospel Record, we read the unique expression – “feast of the Jews.” What is it, and why is it significant?

In Leviticus chapter 23, some 15 centuries earlier, JEHOVAH God had instructed the nation Israel through Moses to observe seven annual feasts. These were holy days—holidays—meant to teach them doctrine. Focus on their collective title as it appears:

“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts…. These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons…. These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day: …  And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD” (Leviticus 23:2, 4, 37, 44; cf. 2 Chronicles 2:4; Ezra 3:5).

These are “the feasts of the LORD” (or “the feasts of JEHOVAH”). Now, let us make a stark comparison. Today’s Scripture speaks of “a feast of the Jews.” Turn to John 6:4 to read, “And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.” Finally, John 7:2: “Now the Jews’ feast of tabernacles was at hand.” Whose feasts had they become? Surely, they are not the LORD God’s feasts anymore! Now greatly watered down, God the Holy Spirit no longer wants association with these holidays.

The apostate Jews have made those feasts glorify themselves. It is nothing but empty religion, corrupted with the traditions of men. Years later, Paul, having escaped that evil system, writes in Galatians 1:13: “For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it….” This is not God’s religion but “the Jews’ religion!”

Indeed, if God the Holy Spirit spoke audibly today, He would say, “Christianity has been diluted to become Christendom!” The professing Body of Christ has gone the way of apostate Israel.

You have doubtless seen religious busyness. People are quite active in attending church services, participating in water baptisms, partaking of communion, walking aisles, knocking on doors and “proselytizing,” shaking preachers’ hands, listening to and uttering confessions, reciting prayers, reading denominational literature, singing and dancing, clapping and raising their hands, giving large donations to this group and that group, and so on. It all appears so decent and spiritual. Surely, God is pleased, right? Well, not exactly. How much of all that is done with an intelligent understanding of God’s Word to them? Frankly, very, very, very little!

Romans 14:23 concludes with, “for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” This concept is wise Christian advice regardless of the issue. What would God want us to do here or there, in this situation or that? The verse answers it. If we cannot point to a clear verse from the rightly divided Bible, and say on the basis of that verse that we are a taking certain course of action, it is best to reconsider our options. Faith is simply believing God’s Word to you. If that is the definition of “faith”—and it is—then there is actually almost no faith among most so-called “Christians.”

No matter the denomination, the average church member depends too heavily on clergy. It is far easier to let others think for us, and most convenient to say, “Let the preacher study the Bible. He can tell me what it says and what I am supposed to believe.” Hence, doctrinal confusion and Bible illiteracy are so pervasive within Christendom. The preacher is only interested in telling us what the denomination says, what the denomination says the Bible says, and not what the Bible really says. (Many have learned this “the hard way,” shocked to finally realize their denominational leaders withheld a great deal of Bible truth from them!!)

What is passed off as “Christianity” today is often anything but. Likewise, the religion in Israel during Christ’s day was not pure Judaism.

Judaism as it existed in Jesus’ day was certainly not the unadulterated Word of God given at Mount Sinai. During the 15 centuries since Moses, the rabbinical scholars had corrupted it. Ironically, what God had given to Israel to indicate her sin problem was now the very system she was using to advertise her “righteousness!” Take, for example, Matthew chapter 9:

“[10] And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. [11] And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? [12] But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. [13] But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Did you notice how the Pharisees considered others to be “sinners?” These religious leaders themselves were—they assumed—to be without sin! Such Old Testament “scholars” so totally void of Scriptural understanding! What had they been reading? They had the Hebrew Bible (our Genesis through Malachi) but they had read it through the lens of religious tradition. Hence, they could not see what they should have seen. Yea, they did not want to see what they should have seen.

Read this mocking rebuke the Lord Jesus had for Israel’s religious leaders in Matthew 23:23:

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”

They focused on dividing the tiny herbs and spices into tenths—their tithes as instructed by Moses!—but they ignored the more important principles of the Law. Judgment, mercy, and faith (!) were absent from these religionists’ hearts and lives. Indeed, it was no longer God’s religion.

Mankind always spoils the works of the LORD God, such as distorting His Word, the Holy Bible: Paul wrote: “For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God…” (2 Corinthians 2:17).

“And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more: for every man’s word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God” (Jeremiah 23:36).

Apostate Israel ruined God’s Jerusalem Temple with their flagrant dishonesty:

“And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written [Isaiah 56:7], My [that is, God’s] house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:12,13).

God’s house received a new name, for Christ later denounced Jerusalem (23:38), “Behold, your (!) house is left unto you desolate!” The God of the Bible wanted nothing further to do with the Temple; He was no longer inhabiting it. “And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple” (24:1). He gave them over to their false religion!

Why have people selected their particular local church?

To hear sound Bible doctrine there? Probably not. (Just ask them if you doubt it.)

A friend of mine likes to say, “They want food, fun, and fellowship!” (I like to add a fourth reason—foolishness!)

Organized religion and denominations have replaced God’s work with their own. It is not the Holy Spirit working in them because they believe His words to them (for they are ignorant of His principles of grace).

Rather, they are striving to duplicate Christ’s life by using man’s fallible interpretations.

Furthermore, they want material food, not the bread from heaven. They crave amusement, not truth. They seek to be friends with the world, not friends of God. They have childish wishes, not mature desires. This is Christendom, not Christianity.