John 7

John 7:1-5

¹After these things, Jesus was walking in Galilee, for he wouldn’t walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him. ²Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was at hand. ³His brothers therefore said to him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that your disciples also may see your works which you do. ⁴For no one does anything in secret while he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, reveal yourself to the world.” ⁵For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.

Jesus stays in Galilee because Judeans seek His death; His brothers urge Him to show Himself at the feast, for even they did not believe.

John 7:6-8

⁶Jesus therefore said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. ⁷The world can’t hate you, but it hates me, because I testify about it, that its works are evil. ⁸You go up to the feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, because my time is not yet fulfilled.”

Jesus says His time has not yet come, though their time is always ready; the world hates Him for testifying that its works are evil.

John 7:9-15

⁹Having said these things to them, he stayed in Galilee. ¹⁰But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly, but as it were in secret. ¹¹The Jews therefore sought him at the feast, and said, “Where is he?” ¹²There was much murmuring among the multitudes concerning him. Some said, “He is a good man.” Others said, “Not so, but he leads the multitude astray.” ¹³Yet no one spoke openly of him for fear of the Jews. ¹⁴But when it was now the middle of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and taught. ¹⁵The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How does this man know letters, having never been educated?”

Jesus goes up privately to the feast; the crowd debates whether He is good or deceives; He teaches in the temple and amazes them though they think He is untrained.

John 7:16-19

¹⁶Jesus therefore answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. ¹⁷If anyone desires to do his will, he will know about the teaching, whether it is from God or if I am speaking from myself. ¹⁸He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory, but he who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. ¹⁹Didn’t Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill me?”

Jesus says His teaching is from the Sender; willing to do God’s will will know the teaching’s source; He exposes their law-breaking intent to kill Him.

John 7:20

²⁰The multitude answered, “You have a demon! Who seeks to kill you?”

The crowd says Jesus has a demon and denies anyone seeks to kill Him.

John 7:21-24

²¹Jesus answered them, “I did one work and you all marvel because of it. ²²Moses has given you circumcision (not that it is of Moses, but of the fathers), and on the Sabbath you circumcise a boy. ²³If a boy receives circumcision on the Sabbath, that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because I made a man completely healthy on the Sabbath? ²⁴Don’t judge according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”

Jesus defends Sabbath healing by comparing it to Sabbath circumcision and calls them to judge with right judgment.

John 7:25-27

²⁵Therefore some of them of Jerusalem said, “Isn’t this he whom they seek to kill? ²⁶Behold, he speaks openly, and they say nothing to him. Can it be that the rulers indeed know that this is truly the Christ? ²⁷However, we know where this man comes from, but when the Christ comes, no one will know where he comes from.”

Jerusalemites wonder that He speaks openly while leaders seek His death, yet speculate He cannot be the Christ because they know His origin.

John 7:28-29

²⁸Jesus therefore cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, “You both know me, and know where I am from. I have not come of myself, but he who sent me is true, whom you don’t know. ²⁹I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.”

Jesus cries out that they know Him outwardly but not the One who sent Him; He knows the Father because He is from Him.

John 7:30-32

³⁰They sought therefore to take him; but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. ³¹But of the multitude, many believed in him. They said, “When the Christ comes, he won’t do more signs than those which this man has done, will he?” ³²The Pharisees heard the multitude murmuring these things concerning him, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest him.

They try to seize Him but cannot because His hour has not come; many believe, and Pharisees send officers to arrest Him.

John 7:33-34

³³Then Jesus said, “I will be with you a little while longer, then I go to him who sent me. ³⁴You will seek me and won’t find me. You can’t come where I am.”

Jesus says He will be with them a little while, then go to the Sender; they will seek and not find Him.

John 7:35-36

³⁵The Jews therefore said among themselves, “Where will this man go that we won’t find him? Will he go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? ³⁶What is this word that he said, ‘You will seek me, and won’t find me;’ and ‘Where I am, you can’t come’?”

They speculate He might go to the Dispersion among Greeks, misunderstanding His words about going to the Father.

John 7:37-39

³⁷Now on the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink! ³⁸He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, from within him will flow rivers of living water.” ³⁹But he said this about the Spirit, which those believing in him were to receive. For the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus wasn’t yet glorified.

On the feast’s last day Jesus invites the thirsty to come and drink; rivers of living water mean the Spirit to be given after His glorification.

John 7:40-45

⁴⁰Many of the multitude therefore, when they heard these words, said, “This is truly the prophet.” ⁴¹Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “What, does the Christ come out of Galilee? ⁴²Hasn’t the Scripture said that the Christ comes of the offspring of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” ⁴³So a division arose in the multitude because of him. ⁴⁴Some of them would have arrested him, but no one laid hands on him. ⁴⁵The officers therefore came to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said to them, “Why didn’t you bring him?”

The crowd splits over whether Jesus is the Prophet or the Christ; some want arrest, but officers return empty-handed to the chief priests and Pharisees.

John 7:46

⁴⁶The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this man!”

The officers report that no one ever spoke like this man.

John 7:47-49

⁴⁷The Pharisees therefore answered them, “You aren’t also led astray, are you? ⁴⁸Have any of the rulers or any of the Pharisees believed in him? ⁴⁹But this multitude that doesn’t know the law is cursed.”

Pharisees scorn the officers and the crowd as cursed for ignorance of the law, claiming no ruler has believed.

John 7:50-51

⁵⁰Nicodemus (he who came to him by night, being one of them) said to them, ⁵¹“Does our law judge a man unless it first hears from him personally and knows what he does?”

Nicodemus asks whether the law judges a man without hearing him first.

John 7:52

⁵²They answered him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search and see that no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.”

They dismiss Nicodemus with a Galilee taunt and claim no prophet arises from there.

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