Chapter Introduction
As we left off last chapter, we heard Jesus declare Himself as the Bread of Life. The words He spoke were hard words, things the crowd didn't want to hear. They came to Jesus so He could serve them, give them goodies, grant them an easy life and throw down the rule of Rome. Because of the hard words, many walked away. It was after this Jesus asked His disciples if they too would leave Him. John records Peter’s profession of faith.
We get a glimpse at the social situation Jesus was in. Huge crowds followed Him seeking healing and food, yet most didn't believe. When it was decision time they walked away. And lurking out there were those who wanted to kill him. The lines were being formed. The invitation went out to everyone, but few would receive it. While a great multitude sought Him, public opposition was mounting.
In this chapter, we see the response of the people toward Jesus as characterized by disbelief, debate and division. The first few verses provide a transition from chapter six. While many Galileans were unwilling to become disciples, we are shown another perspective when we see the Judeans want to kill Jesus.
John 7:1-5
“After these things” alludes to a timeline or sequence of events. Chapter six was the Passover season which was in the spring. Verse two tells us that John is now speaking of the autumn festival of Feast of Tabernacles. About six months passed between chapters.
Galilee and Judea were under separate jurisdictions. Somone in trouble in one part of the country could escape to the other jurisdiction. Jesus walked in Galilee. He didn’t want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. Jesus was always in control of the timing.
Jesus avoided the trouble of the Jewish leaders upset at Him for healing on the Sabbath. He was never at the mercy of these people who sought to kill him. They sought this death for selfish reasons, Jesus would soon offer His life for all men.
“The Feast of Tabernacles was one of the three most important festivals of the Jewish year and was celebrated for eight days in Jerusalem. Jewish pilgrims from throughout the Roman and Parthian world would gather. The men would live in booths constructed on rooftops or elsewhere, commemorating God’s faithfulness to his people when they lived in booths in the wilderness (women and children were not required to live in the booths). This feast was known for its joyous celebration.”
Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary:
New Testament (Jn 7:2). InterVarsity Press.
Jesus’ brothers urged him to go into Judea so that He could be seen and known by His disciples. This appears to be mockery rooted in their unbelief. The half-brothers of Mary and Joseph mistook Jesus as someone seeking fame, encouraging Him to go to Judea so His works could be seen by all. Large crowds would gather. To promote yourself, you needed to openly teach or speak to the large crowds. To do things in secret were seen as deceitful or questionable. They thought Jesus was seeking popularity and a greater following.
The brothers did not believe. They grew up with Jesus and saw His humanity and had not realized He was the Son of God. The brothers were James, Joseph, Simon and Jude as listed in Matthew 13:55.
54 When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? 56 And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” 57 So they were offended at Him.
But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” 58 Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
NKJV: Matthew 13:54-58; 1982, Thomas Nelson
David wrote in the messianic Psalm:
I have become a stranger to my brothers,
And an alien to my mother’s children;
NKJV: Psalm 69:8; 1982, Thomas Nelson
John 7:6-9
The time Jesus spoke of is the fixed point in time when He would be crucified. His life and ministry is always pointing to the cross and beyond. Jesus answered their mockery by saying it wasn’t His time but it was theirs. Some are bothered by this passage, seeing that Jesus spoke a lie to His brothers. However, it’s clear Jesus would not go openly and publicly with them at the beginning. It was time for them to go to be there for the feast. Jesus was on His own time-table. He would go later, by himself.
The multitude is notable absent on this journey. The Jews were no doubt looking for Jesus leading a large multitude to the city. Traveling alone allowed Him to blend in more easily with the crowds.
This is the third trip to Judea as recorded by John. Jesus would stay there several months. Chapters 7-10 provide the details of this visit.
Jesus sent His brothers on to the Feast of Tabernacles. This is an interesting picture. These religious men were going to the Feast to worship God, yet God in the flesh, God the Son, stood there before them. They had become familiar with Jesus, their brother, and could not see Jesus their Messiah. While they sought God, they reject Jesus.
The world could not hate these men because they were of the world. They are presented as an example of the world. They were running in the world. The world hated Jesus because He set himself apart from the world and testified that the ways of this sin-fallen world are evil. The world hated Jesus.
And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil
NKJV: John 3:19; 1982, Thomas Nelson
If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
NKJV: John 15:18-19; 1982, Thomas Nelson
The bible says you were created in the image of God (imago dei). But because of Adam we inherited a flaw. Now, by nature, we are sinful. Your sin offends a sovereign and perfect God. You cannot earn you way to God by your goodness. You can't coerce God to overlook your sin because He is just. It's a loving God who sent His son to pay your sin debt that you might be clothed in His righteousness. This incredible offer is for those who come to with a broken and contrite heart.
John 7:10-13
The Jewish leadership were watching for Jesus. He was a threat to their power and authority. Jesus went on to the feast secretly, blending with the crowds. John records the words of the Jewish leadership asking where Jesus was to be found. How did John know these words? Had they been told to him later by Joseph of Arimathea or Nicodemus? We don’t know for sure.
Jesus seemed to be on everyone’s mind. The “complaining” is actually murmuring that can be either good or bad. This was the rumor mill. They all whispered about Him, some in agreement considering Him good while others thought He was a deceiver. This was a serious charge of “one who leads astray the multitude.” The charge is a reference to Deuteronomy 13.
But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst.
NKJV: Deuteronomy 13:5; 1982, Thomas Nelson
This was a serious accusation of being evil and leading people away from the Lord. This was something that had happened from time to time. Joseph told us of one incident. In Acts 5 Gamaliel was speaking to the Sanhedrin about the apostles preaching Jesus. He reminded them that they’d seen deceivers previously.
For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him.
NKJV: Acts 5:33; 1982, Thomas Nelson
Josephus wrote about this same incident.
Now it came to pass, while Fadus was procurator of Judea, that a certain magician, whose name was Theudas, persuaded a great part of the people to take their effects with them, and follow him to the river Jordan; for he told them he was a prophet, and that he would, by his own command, divide the river, and afford them an easy passage over it; (98) and many were deluded by his words. However, Fadus did not permit them to make any advantage of his wild attempt, but sent a troop of horsemen out against them; who, falling upon them unexpectedly, slew many of them and took many of them alive. They also took Theudas alive, and cut off his head, and carried it to Jerusalem. (99) This was what befell the Jews in the time of Cuspius Fadus’s governmentJosephus, F., & Whiston, W. (1987).
Josephus, F., & Whiston, W. (1987).
The works of Josephus: complete and unabridged. Hendrickson.
Antiquities 20.5.1
Josephus also wrote of another incident among many in the land.
Upon Festus’s coming into Judea, it happened that Judea was afflicted by the robbers, while all the villages were set on fire, and plundered by them. (186) And then it was that the sicarii, as they were called, who were robbers, grew numerous. They made use of small swords, not much different in length from the Persian acinacae, but somewhat crooked, and like the Roman sicae [or sickles] as they were called; and from these weapons these robbers got their denomination; and with these weapons they slew a great many; (187) for they mingled themselves among the multitude at their festivals, when they were come up in crowds from all parts to the city to worship God, as we said before, and easily slew those that they had a mind to slay. They also came frequently upon the villages belonging to their enemies, with their weapons, and plundered them, and set them on fire. (188) So Festus sent forces, both horsemen and footmen, to fall upon those that had been seduced by a certain impostor, who promised them deliverance and freedom from the miseries they were under, if they would but follow him as far as the wilderness. Accordingly those forces that were sent destroyed both him that had deluded them, and those that were his followers also.
Josephus, F., & Whiston, W. (1987).
The works of Josephus: complete and unabridged. Hendrickson.
Antiquities 20.8.5
Everyone had an opinion about Jesus. Some thought He was good, some thought He was a deceiver, a fraud or charlatan. We live in a time of widespread indifference toward Jesus.
“If you ask the average person, What is the biggest problem in America? Is it ignorance or is it apathy? They will probably respond, ‘I don’t know, and I don’t care!’”
Chuck Misler
The people whispered their opinions so as to not to set themselves in opposition to the Jews. The same is true today. The people of God whisper about Jesus because we don't want the world mad. If we agree with Jesus and declare the works of the world is evil then the world won't like us.
John 7:14-15
The feast was seven days long. It was about the third or fourth day that Jesus went to the temple and began to teach. There was nothing odd about this. Many teachers would speak in the temple courts, sometimes drawing large crowds.
The people marveled at the teaching He provided. They knew He had never formally studied the scriptures under a teacher. Normally when a teacher spoke like this, he would reference other sources, invoking the traditional authorities and attributing specific Rabbis. However, Jesus didn’t do this. He spoke with authority. He didn’t have to quote anyone since He was the original inspiration of the words.
In essence, He spoke as if He wrote the scriptures!
Here was Jesus, God in the flesh, standing before them. He had healed many people. He had fed thousands with a little bit of nothing. He had changed lives. The apostles were a testimony of the power of Jesus Christ. Yet, among all that, these people marveled that He could read!
John 7:16-19
Jesus made the claim to the Jews there that His teaching came from the authority of God the Father. Learning by doing, including imitating your teacher, was a standard part of Jewish education. If anyone willed to do the will of the Father, they would see that the doctrine Jesus taught came from the Father.
“Sometimes this may have been taken too far. One disciple was said to have hidden under his rabbi’s bed to learn the proper way to perform the marriage act. When the rabbi caught him, however, he did not commend this disciple for his thorough aspiration to learn.”
Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary:
New Testament (Jn 7:16–17). InterVarsity Press.
The teaching of Jesus was not for His glory but for the glory of God. False teachers were identified by witnessing who got the glory. When they glorified themselves, they were to be executed as deceivers. But the One sent from God, to glorify Him, was to be followed. He is true. No unrighteousness is found.
If these Jews truly studied the law of Moses, they would recognize Jesus. They were coming after Him for a breach of the law. Yet, because they didn’t keep the law, including plotting murder, it was obvious they didn’t know it.
Looking into their heart, Jesus asked why they were trying to kill Him. He wasn't trying to get something out of them. He wasn't taking up offerings, selling something or trying to get them to start going to His church. He was simply glorifying the Father. If they had issue with Him, they had a problem with God. Their issues ran far deeper than the issue they had with Jesus.
The fundamental spiritual error of the human heart is to think that a person can please God by his own natural efforts.
Boice, J. M. (2005).
The Gospel of John: an expositional commentary
(p. 565). Baker Books.
John 7:20
Telling a lie is one thing, but accusing the Son of God of having a demon is a whole other level of sin. They stood before their creator and denied the very thoughts that were running through their head. The crowd may not have known of the plot to kill Him. The Jews didn't want their murderous plot advertised. It was bad for business.
John 7:21-24
The one work that they marveled at was likely the Sabbath healing at the pools of Bethsaida. Jesus healed the man and the response of the Jews was not one of jubilation over the healing. Instead, they were appalled that He had healed on the Sabbath.
Jesus reasoned in a traditional way called “light to heavy.” It was reasoning from the lesser to the greater. The lesser was circumcision on the Sabbath. This was regularly done. It was viewed as necessary and therefore trumped the Sabbath. Breaking the lesser law of Sabbath was acceptable to satisfy the greater law of Circumcision. While there was a violation of the letter of the law, there was no violation to the heart of the law. In a similar argument, Jesus asked why they would be angry with Him when He completely healed on the Sabbath. The healing was the greater thing, accomplished in violation of the lesser.
The command to judge with righteous judgment is a call for consistency. Using the same standard in all their judgments. They Jews carried this Sabbath to the extreme and became very legalistic about it. They made hundreds of rules regarding what you could and could not do. Yet, the law was set aside at their convenience. They even plotted murder without a thought to their law.
They plotted killing Jesus for violation of the Sabbath when they had also violated the Sabbath.
It's fascinating that the Feast of Tabernacles they were in the midst of was a celebration of God delivering them from 38 years of wandering in the wilderness. They were plotting Jesus death for healing a man who had been lame for 38 years.
John 7:25-29
Why was no one doing anything? Did the leaders think this Jesus character really was the messiah? Is that why they failed to get rid of Him? But in their mind they reasoned that Jesus couldn’t be the messiah because they knew who He was. Their belief was that no one would know the Messiah. The Rabbis taught that no one would know where messiah came from.
Jesus answered these questions as He taught at the temple. He declared He was not hidden. They knew Him and where He was from. He stood right before them, an agent of the Father. Jesus was the commissioned, authorized representative of God the Father. They knew where He was from since He had told them He came from the Father.
They didn’t know the Son because they didn’t know the Father.
John 7:30-31
We can a narrative playing out. The leadership heard the people. If the leaders did nothing, the people thought this was because they were acknowledging Jesus as Messiah. This was forcing their hand to deal with Jesus as a false prophet. The problem is they found nothing false about Him. All they had on Him was Sabbath violation and that was the restoration of a man’s life.
They decided to take Jesus. However, Jesus was in control of that timing and He said, “Not yet.” I'd like to see a replay of this. The determined leadership couldn’t lay a hand on Him. Did Jesus disappear or walk away? Or could they simply not muster the courage? It’s not clear if this was some supernatural deterrent.
Many believed in Him. This added to the pressure the leadership felt to arrest and kill Him before this got any further along. Most Jewish tradition did not expect the Messiah to be a miracle worker but to only do those of the new Moses type prophet. This would be to validate His claim to lead the people. However, these folks seem to see the miracles as confirmation that He is the Messiah.
John 7:32-34
All the way through these passages we see the Jews who opposed Jesus and the multitude that tried to control Him and make Him king. Many simply wanted Jesus to serve them. But also, all along the way, there were people who believed in Him. They saw the signs He had done and the signs pointed to Him, the One they were waiting for.
In general, though, the belief of the crowd is superficial and easily swayed. It is characterized by murmuring, some saying this and some saying that. The Pharisees had no authority to arrest anyone. The chief priests did through the use of the officers that were temple guard. The long-awaited messiah was right before the eyes of these religious leaders, but they failed to recognize Him. These are the teachers who taught the people about the coming Messiah. They were supposed to be the experts in the scriptures.
We see Jesus’ control of the timing of the displayed. He knew He would only be around a little longer. Then He would return to the Father who sent Him. This was something for these people to consider. There would be a time when they would seek Him and not find Him. We can see that happening today to the Jews who still await their Messiah.
Where was Jesus going? He would be at the right hand of the Father. They could not go there.
John 7:35-36
John again employes the motif of misinterpretation. They missed the context of what Jesus spoke of. They didn’t have the Spirit or context to comprehend. They took the words literal and were confused.
These brilliant and educated leaders called a time out and huddled up. They asked amongst themselves if anyone had a clue what Jesus was talking about. Someone suggested Jesus was going to hide in the Gentile lands and teach them. They were closer to be right then they knew, just not for the right reasons.
The “dispersion” is a reference to the Jewish settlements in Gentile lands scattered across the Roman Empire.
Note: John again tells us of these side conversations among the Jews. Is he speculating? Or, did he later hear of their actual thoughts and words from one of the leaders who came to Christ?
John 7:37-39
This feast of Tabernacles was a huge festival that went on for a week.
On each morning of this feast, great multitudes gathered at the Temple carrying a citrus fruit called an ethrog in their left hands. The ethrog was a reminder of the land to that God brought them to and of the many blessings they enjoyed. In their right hands they carried a lulab, which was a combination of leaves from three trees: a palm, a willow and a myrtle. This is emblematic of the stages of their ancestors’ journey through the wilderness.
Each morning the people would gather with the ethrog and the lulab in their hands. The crowds then followed the priest as he carried a golden pitcher to the Pool of Siloam. All along the way he chanted psalms and waved their lulabs. When they got to the pool, the priest would dip his pitcher into the water and the people would say:
“Therefore, you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation” (Isa. 12:3).
The crowd then marched back to the temple. They entered the Water Gate and the priest’s blasted their trumpets. The priest leading this parade then circled the altar once, and with accompanying priests ascended to the platform, and poured out the water.
On the seventh day, the priest would circle the altar seven times in succession—as the people of Israel had encircled the walls of Jericho. When he came around for the sixth time, he’d be joined by another priest carrying the wine. They would ascend the ramp to the altar of holocaust where they were together to pour out the water and wine on the altar. When they were in place, there would come a pause as the priest raised up his pitcher. Always the crowd shouted for him to hold it higher and he would do so. It was considered to be the height of joy in a person’s life if he could see the water being poured out onto the altar (Hughes, p. 139).
Gangel, K. O. (2000). John (Vol. 4, p. 148).
Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
At the pouring of the water, they sang Psalm 118:
Save now, I pray, O Lord;
O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.
On the last day the priests returned with an empty pitcher. The crowd was silent as the empty pitcher was turned to reveal it had not contents. This was symbolic of God delivering them from the wilderness and that they no longer had to rely on this supernatural provision of water but that God had given them provision in the Promised Land.
The Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills.
NKJV: Deuteronomy 8:7; 1982, Thomas Nelson
Within this context of this great day of the feast, Jesus spoke. Imagine the silence and anticipation of the crowd as the priest tipped the pitcher. Then suddenly Jesus stood and cried out, saying:
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
What a moment.
A subtle appeal to imagery of messianic deliverance associated with the Feast of Tabernacles. Jesus makes the point that He is the source of life—a claim that only God could make. This would have provoked His opponents, but it brought comfort to His followers.
Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E.,
Whitehead, M. M., Grigoni, M. R., & Bomar, D. (2012, 2016).
Faithlife Study Bible (Jn 7:37). Lexham Press.
John portrays the “living water” as a pouring out of the Spirit of God upon His people. Most Jews did not believe the Spirit of God was active in their day but would be when Messiah came. John reminds us that the Holy Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not been glorified.
John 7:40-44
In response to His identifying Himself with the Feast and the pouring out of water, there were several responses. First, many among the crowd understood Jesus to be this Moses-like Prophet they were looking for. Then, second, some scoffed at this because Jesus had come out of Galilee. They knew Jesus was to come from the line of David and be born in Bethlehem. Third, the offended wanted to lay hands on Jesus (and not in a holy way).
Jesus offered living water to those who thirst. Everyone is thirsty for this water but many don't realize it, some drank and many would die of thirst before they would drink of it.
John 7:45-53
These officers came back empty handed. They didn't arrest Jesus because they'd never heard anything quite like what He was saying. Those powerful and wise in speech were highly regarded. Listening to speakers was a source of learning as well as entertainment.
The Pharisees are appalled that these officers might also be deceived as some of the crowd was. This accusation was the same one heard among the crowd in 7:12. They were accusing the officers of being led astray by the deceiver. The Pharisees set themselves before the officers as examples of how not to be deceived. Their argument was, "You don't see any of us falling for this nonsense, do you?"
John often uses irony. The Pharisees were unaware of Nicodemus meeting. He speaks up as the voice of reason, appealing to their commitment of the law. His effort may have been for the purpose of bringing others into the discussion and decision making in hopes of a more reasonable response.
They insult Nicodemus for the purpose of silencing him. Their statement about Galilee says more about the Pharisees and their knowledge of scripture than it says about Nicodemus or Galilee. They were mistaken. Jonah the son of Amittai had come out of Galilee, from Gath Hepher (2 Kings 14:25).
John closed out this section with everyone returning home after the feast.
©2005, 2009, 2013, 2023 Doug For
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