Context: Brothers, Jews and the multitudes (John 7:1–5, 7, 9-13)
- Time: Feast of the booths
- Place: Temple, Judea
- Context:
- Jesus is in the temple teaching
- Jews marveled at His teaching, as He was not apparently educated
- Lot of people were divided in their opinion
- Some thought he was a good man
- Others thought he was leading a lot of people astray
- However, no one spoke their opinion openly, coz of fear of jews
- Jesus is in the temple teaching
- Why did Jesus’ brothers ask him to go to Judea?
- They saw Him as a miracle worker who could increase His presence, in Judea
- Like the people in John 6, Jesus’ brothers also didn’t believe Him
- They saw Him as a miracle worker who could increase His presence, in Judea
- Why did the Jews “sought” Jesus? (John 7:11)
- Jesus says “you seek to kill me” (John 7:19)
Why did the Jews want to kill Jesus? (John 7:14-19, John 5:16, Ex 35:2-3, Matt 12:11-13)
- According to the Jews, Jesus was breaking the rules of the Sabbath
- But the rules they were referring to, or man made rules taught as doctrine
- According to the law of Moses, whoever works on Sabbath, must be put to death
- But who is whoever and what work? Sabbath is for us and not for the Lord
- Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath
- Jesus says God is working!
- According to their own confession, only God can heal
- But who is whoever and what work? Sabbath is for us and not for the Lord
Did the Jews / Pharisees / rulers know who Jesus was? (John 7:20-29, 3:2, Matt 4:13-16)
- According to Nicodemus a Pharisee and a ruler:
- They (Pharisees?) know that Jesus comes from God. Why?
- No one can do those signs, unless God is with Him
- They (Pharisees?) know that Jesus comes from God. Why?
- According to some of the people in Jerusalem
- Rulers must have known that Jesus is the Christ
- Coz Jesus is speaking openly, and no one is contradicting Him
- Rulers must have known that Jesus is the Christ
- According to Jesus:
- They knew, what they knew, about who Jesus was – not necessarily enough
- That he is from Galilee
- Jesus went to Galilee to fulfill the prophecy
- But not that He is from God
- They don’t know God – only Jesus knows God
- That he is from Galilee
- They knew, what they knew, about who Jesus was – not necessarily enough
Why did the Pharisees want to arrest Jesus? (John 7:7, 30-32, 44-52)
- Jesus testified that they were breaking the law and judging unrighteously
- Jesus: Dont judge according to appearance – but judge righteously
- Nicodemus: “judging without hearing him personally and knowing his works”
- The world hates Jesus because He testifies that its works are evil
Conclusion / Application:
- Do I know Jesus? Do I know him as a miracle worker or Son of God?
- Are we conforming to the world or transforming and testifying that its works are evil?
Main Passage John 7:14-29 – World English Bible (WEB)
14 But when it was now the middle of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and taught. 15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How does this man know letters, having never been educated?”
16 Jesus therefore answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone desires to do his will, he will know about the teaching, whether it is from God, or if I am speaking from myself. 18 He 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. 19 Didn’t Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill me?”
20 The multitude answered, “You have a demon! Who seeks to kill you?”
21 Jesus answered them, “I did one work and you all marvel because of it. 22 Moses has given you circumcision (not that it is of Moses, but of the fathers), and on the Sabbath you circumcise a boy. 23 If 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? 24 Don’t judge according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”
25 Therefore some of them of Jerusalem said, “Isn’t this he whom they seek to kill? 26 Behold, he speaks openly, and they say nothing to him. Can it be that the rulers indeed know that this is truly the Christ? 27 However we know where this man comes from, but when the Christ comes, no one will know where he comes from.”
28 Jesus 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. 29 I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.”
Notes / Cross References
John 7:1-5 After these things, Jesus was walking in Galilee, for he wouldn’t walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him. 2 Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was at hand. 3 His brothers therefore said to him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that your disciples also may see your works which you do. 4 For no one does anything in secret while he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, reveal yourself to the world.” 5 For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.
John 7:7 The world can’t hate you, but it hates me, because I testify about it, that its works are evil.
John 7:9-13 9 Having said these things to them, he stayed in Galilee. 10 But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly, but as it were in secret. 11 The Jews therefore sought him at the feast, and said, “Where is he?” 12 There 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.” 13 Yet no one spoke openly of him for fear of the Jews.
John 7:30-32 30 They sought therefore to take him; but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 But 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?” 32 The Pharisees heard the multitude murmuring these things concerning him, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest him.
John 7:44-52 44 Some of them would have arrested him, but no one laid hands on him. 45 The officers therefore came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, “Why didn’t you bring him?”
46 The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this man!”
47 The Pharisees therefore answered them, “You aren’t also led astray, are you? 48 Have any of the rulers believed in him, or of the Pharisees? 49 But this multitude that doesn’t know the law is cursed.”
50 Nicodemus (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?”
52 They answered him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search, and see that no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.”
Matthew 4:13-16 13 Leaving Nazareth, he came and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,
15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea,
beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles,
16 the people who sat in darkness saw a great light;
to those who sat in the region and shadow of death,
to them light has dawned.”
Isaiah 9:1 But there shall be no more gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time, he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; but in the latter time he has made it glorious, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
Micah 5:2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, being small among the clans of Judah, out of you one will come out to me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings out are from of old, from ancient times.
