Then each went to his own home. “each” may refer to those gathered at the Sanhedrin or to all of those who were in Jerusalem for the feast. If it were the former, then we see how effective the words of Nicodemus were. If it is the latter, it is speaking of the end of …
Category Archives: Chapter 7
John 7:52
They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.” “a prophet does not come out of Galilee.” The rulers are so enraged that they make a false statement. In fact, at least 3 and maybe more prophets came from Galilee: Jonah (2 Kings …
John 7:51
“Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?” The leaders had condemned the crowd for not knowing the Law and Nicodemus immediately charges them with the same thing. They were not following their own law which is expressed by Rabbi Eleazer ben Pedath thusly, “Unless a …
John 7:50
Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, The religious leaders denied that any ruler or Pharisee believed on Jesus and Nicodemus immediately spoke up. It has been about a year and a half since his nightly encounter with Jesus (John 3:1) and even though he did …
John 7:49
No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.” “this mob” the religious leaders of the day held great contempt for the common people, whom they called “the people of the earth”. Note the following statements: “one of the people of the earth is one that has moral excellencies, …
John 7:48
“Has any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? The expected answer to this question is negative, but in reality and unknown to the Pharisees and rulers (Sadducees), was instead positive. Nicodemus and perhaps others were secretly followers of Jesus (Mat 9:18, John 4:46-47, 53, 12:42). This reaction of the Pharisees gives …
John 7:47
“You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted. The chief priests would be expected to be the ones to reply to the answer of their servants, but the Pharisees are so disturbed by the response of the officers that they instead speak out. “also” = the Pharisees thought the officers to now be …
John 7:46
“No-one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards declared. The officers were well aware of the danger they were in, but they did not resort to the many excuses they could have used such as “they could not find him, or could not come at him, because of the multitude about him, or …
John 7:44-45
Some wanted to seize him, but no-one laid a hand on him. Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?” The Levites who were the temple police sent out by the chief priests in verse #32 return without Jesus. As McGarvey points …
John 7:43
Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. “divided” = the words of Jesus in (Luke 12:51-52) are fulfilled. Luke 12:51-52 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against …
John 7:42
Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David’s family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?” “from David’s family” = (2 Sam 7:16, Isaiah 11:1, Jeremiah 23:5, Ps 89:35-36). 2 Sa 7:16 Your house and your kingdom shall endure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever.’” Isa 11:1 A shoot …
John 7:41
Others said, “He is the Christ.” Still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee? There were others who went further in their view of Jesus and thought Him to be the Messiah. Note that throughout this chapter of John there is division over the words of Jesus. Being unaware of His birthplace, some assume …
John 7:40
On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.” “the Prophet” was the prophet foretold through Moses in Deut 18:15. Others had previously thought Him to be the Prophet in John 6:14 because of the miracles He had done. Here the reason for thinking Him to be the Prophet …
John 7:39
By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. The Spirit had not been inactive or missing up to this point in scripture. He was at the beginning, active in the …
John 7:38
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” Jesus is not quoting the exact words of any particular passage of scripture, but He is relating the thought of many scriptures such as the following: Ps 36:8-9 They feast in the abundance of your house; you …
John 7:37
On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. The Feast of Tabernacles was originally a seven day feast to which was later added an eighth and final day. The feast was celebrated with camping out …
John 7:36
What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?” The saying of Jesus greatly puzzled them and made them uneasy. It even puzzled Peter later (John 13:37). Just when we think we have God all figured out, He throws …
John 7:35
The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? The Jews cannot conceive that Jesus is talking of going back to the Father; they are completely puzzled. They venture sarcastically that …
John 7:34
You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.” Jesus refers to His death. There comes a time when seeking is to no avail, when finding will not follow seeking (Mt 7:7). In Proverbs 1:20-33 the result of rejecting Wisdom is that she later can not …
John 7:33
Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time, and then I go to the one who sent me. Jesus was aware that His time is near; Passover is only 6 months away and so is His death. Jesus was also expressing unconcern about the plot to arrest and kill Him. His life …
John 7:32
The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him. The Pharisees were the party mainly referred to as “the Jews.” They were particularly hostile to Jesus (John 7:1); and the Sadducees, who comprised the chief priests, had already become critical of …
John 7:31
Still, many in the crowd put their faith in him. They said, “When the Christ comes, will he do more miraculous signs than this man?” Contrast this verse with the preceding one. Generally, the people of Jerusalem rejected Jesus, but the crowds of pilgrims were open to accepting Him. They had closely watched the proceedings …
John 7:30
At this they tried to seize him, but no-one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come. “they” = the mob from Jerusalem. Incensed either at His accusation against them for not having known God, or His claim to be “from” God, blasphemously (they thought) indicating lineage from Him, the crowd reacts …
John 7:29
but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.” They rightfully expected the Messiah to be supernaturally sent and yet failed to see Him when He came. The unique claim of Jesus in His controversy with the Jews is “I know him.” Jesus is the Sent One from God and the …
John 7:28
Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, “cried” indicates a loud shout, perhaps to a crowd which is withdrawing due to their …
John 7:27
But we know where this man is from; when the Christ comes, no-one will know where he is from.” “where this man is from” = the Jews thought the birthplace of Jesus to be Nazareth of Galilee (verse #41) which did not line up with the prophecy which told of the Messiah coming from Bethlehem. …
John 7:26
Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Christ? The inhabitants of Jerusalem reason based upon their knowledge: the rulers (Jews) have a plot to kill Jesus Jesus is within their grasp and speaking openly the rulers are doing nothing …
John 7:25
At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? In this chapter of John there are many groups of people referred to; of them are the following: The Jews = the leaders of the Jewish nation; the enemies of Jesus. (verse #1) The people or multitude. …
John 7:24
Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.” McGarvey points out that “If the act of Christ in healing a man were judged as a mere act, it might be considered a breach of the Sabbath. But if the nature of the act be taken into account and all the laws relative to …
John 7:23
Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath? Someone wrote that “The argument is this: You blame me for healing an impotent man on the Sabbath; yet you break …
John 7:22
Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a child on the Sabbath. The command to be circumcised originally was given to Abraham, (Gen 17:10-12) but it was later included in the Law of Moses. (Lev 12:3) Even though they would have kept …
John 7:21
Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all astonished. “one miracle” = Jesus has done many miracles up to this time; many of them were even done previously in Jerusalem. (John 2:23) The “one” miracle Jesus is here referring to is the healing of the infirm man by the pool of …
John 7:20
“You are demon-possessed,” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?” The “crowd” was composed of pilgrims from various places and unaware of the plot by the Jewish leaders against Jesus. “demon-possessed” = the people thought that such a wild accusation must be the result of demonic possession. Today the response would be, “You …
John 7:19
Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?” It was a matter of great pride to them that God had given the Law to the Jews (Rom 2:17) but Jesus pointed out that there is a huge difference between receiving the …
John 7:18
He who speaks on his own does so to gain honour for himself, but he who works for the honour of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. Jesus is an ambassador and is seeking the glory of the One Who sent him, not glory for …
John 7:17
If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. “will do his will” (KJV) = literally means “is willing to do His will”. The NIV renders this as “chooses to do God’s will”. “The fundamental condition for obtaining spiritual knowledge …
John 7:16
Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. Jesus denied that He was self-taught. Originality was not prized at that time. The Rabbinic method was to cite authorities for every important statement made. If He had claimed His teaching was from Himself, He would have been immediately discredited. …
John 7:15
The Jews were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having studied?” “learning” = “letters” (KJV) = (gramma) = the letters formed. This can mean a letter or epistle, or the sacred Scriptures. It was used by the Greeks to indicate learning and in this case probably refers to a religious …
John 7:14
Not until halfway through the Feast did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. The Feast of Tabernacles originally lasted 7 days but another day, the last and greatest day, had been added making it 8 days in length. We are not told which day Jesus came to Jerusalem, but we …
John 7:13
But no-one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the Jews. Fear of men and what they would think about you or what they would do to you if they knew you were a follower of Jesus is found throughout John’s gospel. In Proverbs it tells us that fear of man will ensnare …
John 7:12
Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.” Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” “crowds” = “people” (KJV) is plural, “peoples.” There were many large groups in dispute over Jesus. As Morris points out, “It is apparent that His ministry is having an effect. The people are …
John 7:11
Now at the Feast the Jews were watching for him and asking, “Where is that man?” Jews = the Jewish religious leaders, as opposed to the crowds or the disciples. John uses this term in this manner throughout the gospel. Note that they were not watching for Him because they admired Him or wanted to …
John 7:9-10
Having said this, he stayed in Galilee. However, after his brothers had left for the Feast, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. “as it were in secret” (KJV) = not as definite as “in secret” (NIV). Jesus does not join a caravan to go to Jerusalem as is the custom; He goes up …
John 7:8
You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come.” Jesus did eventually go up to the feast, but not in the manner hoped for by His brothers.They wanted Him to enter triumphantly, as the Messiah. He would do exactly that …
John 7:7
The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. Why could the world not hate His brothers? (It cannot hate itself and they were of the world.) Why did the world hate Jesus? (The sinner hates to have his sin rebuked.)
John 7:6
Therefore Jesus told them, “The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. Greek has 2 words for “time,” kairos, used here, refers more to the quality of time, and chronos, from which we get chronological, refers more to the quantity. As used here it means the right time. …
John 7:5
For even his own brothers did not believe in him. “Literally, ‘For not even were his brothers believing on him.’ Imperfect tense of \pisteuô\ with sad picture of the persistent refusal of the brothers of Jesus to believe in his Messianic assumptions, after the two rejections in Capernaum.” (RWP) Sometimes we get a special glimpse …
John 7:4
No-one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” “in secret” = the signs Jesus has been doing are in Galilee, far from the city of Jerusalem, and thus secret as far as the inhabitants of that city would be concerned. Jewish …
John 7:3
Jesus’ brothers said to him, “You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. “brothers” = the sons of Mary and Joseph. The brothers of Jesus were challenging Him to go up to the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem and perform the wonders there which He …
John 7:2
But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, Feast of Tabernacles = also called the Feast of Ingathering Ex 23:16 when the harvest is completely gathered in and stored. It was a celebration of the provision of God in the harvest and a remembrance of the wilderness wanderings when God provided for their every …
John 7:1
After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life. “After this” = an interval of about 6 months had elapsed. “went around” = “walked” (KJV) = the method of an itinerant Rabbi in teaching his disciples. “waiting” = “kept on seeking” = The Jews in …