John 7 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

John 7

Jesus at the Feast of Booths

7:1 After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews¹ were seeking to kill him. 2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. 3 So his brothers² said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For not even his brothers believed in him. 6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. 8 You go up to the feast. I am not³ going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” 9 After saying this, he remained in Galilee.

10 But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. 11 The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?” 12 And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.” 13 Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him.

14 About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning,⁴ when he has never studied?” 16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s⁵ will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” 20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” 21 Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. 22 Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well? 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

Can This Be the Christ?

25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? 26 And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? 27 But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” 28 So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. 29 I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” 30 So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”

Officers Sent to Arrest Jesus

32 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. 33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34 You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” 35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”

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, as⁶ 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.”

[The earliest manuscripts do not include 7:53–8:11.]⁷

The Woman Caught in Adultery

53 [[They went each to his own house,

Footnotes

[1] 7:1 Or Judeans; Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time
[2] 7:3 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 5, 10
[3] 7:8 Some manuscripts add yet
[4] 7:15 Or this man knows his letters
[5] 7:17 Greek his
[6] 7:38 Or let him come to me, and let him who believes in me drink. As
[7] 7:53 Some manuscripts do not include 7:53–8:11; others add the passage here or after 7:36 or after 21:25 or after Luke 21:38, with variations in the text

Commentary

v1: A time of teaching in Galilee, not recorded in any detail in John.

v2: The feasts provided an opportunity got Jesus to speak to the people. This time it was the Feast of Tabernacles, see v10, 37.

In 2.13, Passover in Jerusalem; in 5.1, another feast (Pentecost or Tabernacles) in Jerusalem; in 6.2, Passover in Capernaum.

v3-5: Unspiritual advice from unspiritual men. Jesus' brothers had the audacity to tell Jesus the right way to fulfil His ministry. These were men who did not believe in Him.

v6-10: There was no reason for Jesus' family not to go to the Feast. Jesus went separately, so that He might be there in secret. His timing and decision were not subject to human opinion.

v11-13: Jesus had already gained some 'popularity.' There was some division already; for Christ does bring division; no one can have no opinion.

v14: Jesus did go to the Feast, although partway through.

v15-16: Christ's teaching clearly carried an authority, with deep knowledge. Since wisdom comes from knowing God, Christ's wisdom was perfect.

v17: Obedience and truth go together; understanding God's truth is a fruit of obedience. In contrast, we cannot grow spiritually and increase our understanding if we tolerate disobedience in our own lives. The person who wants to justify his own sins will simply deny the truths of Scripture, or deny its accuracy ('It doesn't really mean that!').

Putting it another way; 'We know Jesus the truth by following Jesus the way.' (Alonysius Pieris

v18: Jesus speaks of Himself, true and righteous, willing to have His life and testimony examined.

v19-23: Jesus referred to Moses; he spoke to Jews who would acknowledge Moses as an important man. His words here refer back to the healing of the man at the pool (5.16,18), where Jesus healed him on a Sabbath day, and also spoke of God as His Father.

Jesus spoke of circumcision as good, part of God's covenant with the people; how much better, He said, that a man be made completely well.

v24: The Jews were guilty of breaking the law (v19) by having someone circumcised on the Sabbath, see Lev 19.15; Prov 24.23; the Lord challenges their hypocrisy and double standards.

v25: Contrast v20; there were those who sought to kill Jesus.

v26-27: The discussion about Christ reflected their unwillingness to believe in Him.

v28-29: Jesus cried out, 'Will you not believe?' Ignorance of the Father is ignorance of the Son; away with your doubts and ponderings, believe in Him and worship Him!

v30: There were several attempts to seize Jesus, but He escaped from them. He could not die prematurely.

v31: The fresh challenges brought some to faith. But others held back, thinking that He should perform more signs. The evidence of the gospels is that Jesus performed fewer miracles in Jerusalem.

v32: See v12-13; Christ's appearance at the Feast became a discussion point; the chief priests and Pharisees became concerned.

v33-34: Jesus points forward to His death, at the next Passover, some 8 months later. His departure was imminent; His mission and person unique. He uses words that can only apply to Himself.

In the other gospels, Jesus' prediction of His death began around the transfiguration, which John does not record.

v35-36: The Jews did not understand what Jesus meant.

v37: The end of the Feast, people would be physically thirsty; Jesus' offer is therefore very appropriate; His offer is also greater than anything the Feasts could deliver. Jesus also taught about drinking in chapters 4 and 6.

See Lev 23.33-44, the Feast of Tabernacles, a time of joy, remembering the deliverance from Egypt. This was the final Feast in the Jewish calendar.

The offer, "come to me" is a staggering claim; unless Jesus is God, this is an arrogant but empty promise. As it is, Christ is fully able to deliver what He has promised.

v38: The promise of v37 is dependent upon people believing in Christ, another clear claim to deity. The alternative is that He is blaspheming.

"Heart," lit. 'womb;' streams of living water flow from a fruitful womb; here is spiritual reproduction, implying blessing for others.

"Streams," or 'rivers' imply satisfaction and abundance in Christ.

v39: The wonderful future promise; the blessing of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Those who heard Jesus would later share in His life and ministry.

The reference is to the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost; Jesus had then been glorified in returning to Heaven.

v40-43: The people were divided because of Jesus; this is important, Matt 10.34-36. His words sift His hearers. Their response is the evidence of sifting.

Since the Messiah's background is predicted in the O.T., some of the Jews rightly looked to the O.T. to answer the question of Jesus' Messiah-ship.

v44: See v32; there were those who wanted to arrest Jesus and silence Him, but He remained unmolested; 10.39; Luke 4.30. It was not the time for Jesus to die, so the people could not arrest Him.

v45: The temple guards returned to the chief priests and Pharisees; they had been sent to arrest Jesus, but had failed to do so.

v46: The realisation that no one could improve on Jesus' words; it was not just what He said, but the power and authority by which He spoke.

v47-49: The Pharisees' aggressive reaction;

further reasons for rejecting Jesus;
the half truth that 'nobody important has believed in Him;'
"this mob" is presumably a reference to the common people, who did listen to Jesus; they, it is alleged, were ignorant of the law.

v50-51: Nicodemus was fair and reasonable; 'Should we not at least consider this man's claims?' Such reason was rejected by those who were prejudiced.

v52: The argument of Galilee, v41-42; Matt 2.5-6; they did not know the whole story, and were probably unwilling to hear it.

v53: Following their unfinished discussion, the leaders dispersed.