Study on the Gospel of John Chapter 7

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Jesus was at the Feast of Booths and taught about living water. And John records strong opposition to Jesus; people were in confusion about Jesus while Jews, the leaders, tried to stop and kill him.

Outline and Exposition

(2) Feast of Booths a.k.a (KJV) “feast of tabernacles” to remember the life in the wildness after God delivered them from Egypt. Along with Passover, Pentecost, Feast of Booths is one of 3 major festivals.

Passover was in March or April, Pentecost in May or June, and Feast of Booths in September of October. For the 3 festivals, Jewish men went to Jerusalem Temple.

(6) My time has not yet come: see 2:4 Cf. (13:31) “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.”

(7) The world: (1) people opposed to God or (2) the human system opposed to God’s purposes

(15) he has never studied: Under a rabbi. Jesus had never been the disciple of a recognized Jewish teacher. c.f., (Acts 4:13) Peter and John were uneducated …

(16) his who sent me: Jesus’ authority was not from men (rabbi) but from God. Every faithful minister may humbly adopt Christ's words. His doctrine is not his own finding out, but is from God's word, through the teaching of his Spirit.

(19) the law: The Jews congratulated themselves on being the chosen recipients of the law, but Jesus told them that they all broke the law of which they were so proud (see Romans 2:17-29)

(21) I did one work: healing the lame man (5:1-9)

(22) circumcision: the requirement of circumcision was included in the law Moses gave (Exodus 12:44,48; Leviticus 12:3), yet it did not originate with Moses but went back to Abraham (Genesis 17:10-12). The Jews took such regulations as that is Lev 12:3 to mean that circumcision must be performed on the eighth day even if it was the Sabbath. This exception is of critical importance in understanding the controversy (v. 23). Jesus was not saying that the Sabbath should not be observed or that the Jewish regulation were too harsh. He was saying that hist opponents did not understand what the Sabbath meant. The command to circumcise showed that sometimes work not only might be one on the Sabbath but must be done then. Deeds of mercy were in this category.

(24) Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.: Jesus told them to decide on his conduct according to the spiritual import of the Divine law. We must not judge concerning any by their outward appearance, but by their worth, and by the gifts and graces of God's Spirit in them.

(27) no one will know where he comes from: Some Jews held that the OT gave the origin of the Messiah (v.42; Matthew 2:4-6), but others believed that it did not.

(28) I have not come of my own accord: His doctrine is not his own finding out, but is from God's word

(30) no one laid a hand on him: they sought to take him, but God can tie men's hands, though he does not turn their hearts.

(34) Where I am you cannot come.: eternal separation

(8:21) So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.”

(35) the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks: From the time of the exile, many Jews lived outside the Holy Land and were found in most cities throughout the Roman empire

(42) the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem: 1 Samuel 20:6; 2 Samuel 7:12-16; Psalm 89:3-4; Micah 5:2 (Matthew 2:4-6)

(44) no one laid hands on him: because his time was not yet come. They could feel the authority. (46) The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” . When we proclaim Jesus Christ, we also can feel the authority of the Words, the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).

(52) no prophet arises from Galilee: not true; Jonah, Nahum, Hosea came from the Galilee area

Topical

Jesus lied?

(8) I am not going up to this feast, (10) But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up

Did Jesus lie? Of cause not.

Scripture repeatedly testifies that Jesus never sinned. The prophet Isaiah, speaking as if Jesus had already lived and died, said that the Savior “had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth” (53:9). The apostle Peter quoted from Isaiah in his first epistle (2:22), and added that Jesus was “a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19). Paul wrote to the Corinthians how Jesus “knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21). What’s more, according to Hebrews 4:15, Jesus “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). He was “pure” and “righteous” in the supreme sense (1 John 3:3; 2:1). Simply put, Jesus was perfect; He never transgressed God’s law.

With that (the bible’s context - Jesus never lied) in mind, we can study explanations.

At (v 8) Jesus explained, for my time has not yet fully come. So he was not going at that time when brothers went. Some manuscripts add “yet”, for example, (KJV) I go not up yet unto this feast, and meaning is clear. In other word, Jesus was not refusing to go to the Feast, but refusing to go in the way the brothers suggested - as a pilgrim. He went secretly (v 11) to avoid unnecessary troubles because his time was not yet.

Living Water, the Spirit, Jesus’ Glory

(37-38) If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ Living water is not stagnant but flesh, flowing water, as of spring or mountain stream, that revive and refreshes life; which produces eternal life (see 4:10). The gift, living water, eternal life, is given as Holy Spirit. Which would be given to disciples at Pentecost as in Acts 2:1-4. That would happen after Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection and exaltation - glorified (his hour). The fullness of the Spirit’s work depends on Jesus’ prior work of salvation.

(Matthew 5:6) “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

These streams have flowed from our glorified Redeemer, down to this age, and to the remote corners of the earth. We must thirst on righteousness, to Jesus, the ultimate righteousness. May we be anxious to make them known to others.

People Divided

(12) While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.” (40-41) some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee?

People were divided on Jesus - some believed, some didn’t, some persecuted, some defended.

(1) ‘’’People didn’t believe Jesus’’’

Even his own brothers didn’t believe and mocked. (v. 3-4) Large of unbelief was from fear of the leaders, the religious system. (13) Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him. The Pharisees, the leaders, accused Jesus as a deceiver. (v. 47)

(2) ‘’’Some believed’’’

(31) Yet many of the people believed in him: even some believed, their faith may not be in truth. For example, they didn't believe Jesus is God as (12) some said, “He is a good man. Many believed him as a Christ to provide their material needs and to deliver from Roman's oppression. Their faith was on the basis of the miraculous (cf 6:26)

(3) ‘’’People in confusion’’’

People were confused and as a result divided. The leaders exaggerated the people’s ignorance of Scripture. But the average Jew paid little attention to the minutiae that mattered so much to the Pharisees. The “traditions of the elders” were too great a burden for people who earned their living by hard physical work, and consequently the regulation were widely disregarded. Regardless, their corrupted hearts, with leaders’ manipulations, led to sins as Jesus pointed out, (7) it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. So, even, (20) the crowd answered, “You have a demon!, (43) some of them wanted to arrest him and eventually nailed Jesus at the cross, of which he already knew (v. 19).

However, Jesus kept teaching them so they could believe (16-19), (21-24), (28-29) (37-39). And warned them, (34) where I am you cannot come.; unbelief will lead eternal separation from God. We can observe his love, patient and faithfulness.

(4) ‘’Some in process of faith’’’

Among unbelief, yet we can observe, some people were in process of their faith. The officials were favorably impressed by the teaching of Jesus (v. 46) risking his. The Pharisees implied that no leader believed in Jesus (v. 48-49), in fact, Nicodemus, “a member of the Jewish ruling council” (3:1), spoke up. They called for people to observe the law, but Nicodemus pointed to their own disregard for the law in this instance. (v. 50-51) Nicodemus defended Jesus (v 51) and he. later, assisted Joseph of Arimathea in preparing the body of Jesus for burial (19:39-42). Jesus’ brothers also believed (Acts 1:14); and James as a leader of the early church in Jerusalem, and Jude in the short letter bearing his name. 

We have to discern Satan’s manipulations which lead our faith astray. Father, please cleanse our heart so we can clearly see Jesus, Lord and Savior and not to be tempted by unbelief. Help us have faith on Jesus, our living water; so we thirst of him, the truth.

References

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