Devotional Questions:
John 7:6-9, 30-31
- How does Jesus’ relationship with time compare to the world’s notion that “any time is right?”
- What does Jesus’ discriminating sense of time reveal about his relationship with God? Are there goals or outcomes generally regarded as good about which I am saying “any time is right,” instead of accepting God’s “right time?”
- What can I learn from the fact that those who tried to seize Jesus could not “because his time had not yet come?” How does this encourage me to trust God’s time?
John 7:16-19
- What relationship between obedience and understanding is described in this verse?
- How have I experienced the truth of God’s word by choosing to do God’s will? What are the truths of God that I have yet to experience because of my refusal to obey?
- How does having the honor of God in mind lead a person to become a “man [or woman] of truth?” Why would it be impossible for me to be a person of truth if I am committed to gaining honor for myself?
John 7:47-52
- Think about the Pharisees’ reasons for rejecting Jesus. In their unreasoned prejudice, which groups or individuals do they revile? What does this show about the dark effects of pride and stubbornness? Is there some way in which my prejudice, pride or stubbornness has hardened, causing me to revile or demonize others?
- What contradiction does Nicodemus point out? What should this have caused in the other Pharisees? Do I pause and allow myself to repent when my contradictions or pride are pointed out?
John 7:3-52
- What responses did various groups of people, including his brothers, have to Jesus? With which one can I most identify?
- Why is the identity of Jesus often something people are sharply divided about?
- Though there was lively discussion about the identity of Jesus, with some hitting on exactly the right answer (v.41), what is ultimately missing in their response? What does this show about the limitation of discussions?
Additional Questions:
John 7:3-5
- What was Jesus’ brothers’ view of the most effective use of miracles? What were their assumptions about Jesus? In what ways were they wrong about both?
John 7:7
- In what ways does the world “hate” Jesus for his testimony that “what it does is evil?”
- To what extent do I share in Jesus’ assessment of the world?
John 7:21-24
- The Jews were offended that Jesus broke the Sabbath by healing. What does their inflexibility regarding the law reveal about their failure to understand God’s heart behind the law?
- What are some ways that I could also turn Christian activities and devotions into mere rules and regulations without understanding the spirit behind them?
John 7:25-30
“There was a popular tradition that the Messiah would simply appear. But those who believed this tradition were ignoring the Scriptures that clearly predicted the Messiah’s birthplace (Micah 5:2).”[1]
- Why did the people conclude that Jesus could not be the Christ? How does their conclusion reveal their ignorance of the Scripture?
- Are there popular notions about God or Christian life that people hold onto that contradict Scripture? In what ways do I ignore Scripture and come to my own conclusions about God?
John 7:37-39
“On the seventh day, the priest would climb the altar steps and pour the water onto the altar while the crowd circled him and continued to sing. On the seventh day of the festival, this procession took place seven times. Judaism saw this water ceremony on multiple levels…Needed rainfall and water ceremonies lead to memories of miraculous desert water, water given from heaven, which concludes with Jesus’ offering himself as the source of the water of life.”[2]
- Notice that the invitation is to “anyone who is thirsty.” In what ways does “thirsty” accurately describe the heart of someone who correctly experiences life? What kinds of people are not “thirsty?”
- How have I experienced this living water and what can I do to become a stream of living water to others?
[1] Life Application Bible, study notes (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1991) 1891.
[2] Burge, Gary, John, The NIV Application Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000) 227.
Commentary:
Background “[...] this is Jesus’ last visit to Jerusalem; in the coming spring he will be crucified. Jesus never returns to Galilee following chapter 7. Much like the Synoptic story line (see Mark 9:30 – 33), Jesus moves from Galilee to enter Judea, only to face the threat of death. John 7 sets the same stage. Arrest and death are constant themes as he approaches and enters Jerusalem.”[1]
“[The Feast of] Tabernacles was the third of three pilgrimage feasts anchored in the agricultural cycle of Judaism. The first was Passover, which recognized the beginning of the grain harvest in spring. Then came Pentecost, seven weeks later, celebrating the end of the grain harvest. The last one was Tabernacles (also called Booths or Ingathering), which celebrated the autumn harvest of tree and vine. Since the crop in autumn had to be protected, Israelite farmers built temporary shelters in the fields (Heb. sukkoth, hut, booth). Theologically this reminded them of the temporary shelters of the desert wandering; thus the feast was set not simply to praise God for the harvest, but to study the desert period and its meaning (Lev. 23; Deut. 16) […]
The Festival of Tabernacles was observed for seven days and celebrated with numerous sacrifices of bulls, rams, and lambs, building to a climax on Day Seven, when special ceremonies were conducted.[2]
vv. 6-10 “When Jesus says that he will not ‘go up’ at the festival, he explains that he cannot because it is not yet his time (7:8). ‘Going up’ in Greek can mean both pilgrimage to Jerusalem (Mark 10:33; John 12:20) or ascension (John 20:17). For him, ‘going up’ is symbolic of his ‘hour’ of betrayal, death, resurrection, and ascension. […] Jesus knows that his departure from this world must await the coming Passover in the spring.
“Jesus’ brothers, however, take his words at face value. They see things from an earthly perspective and assume that Jesus is simply going to avoid the feast. Jesus intends no deception and attends the feast on his own….”[3]
vv. 14-24 “Educational standards for rabbis were well established in the first century. Advanced study under a rabbinic scholar in a school was common. Jesus possessed no such credentials. The Jewish leaders, in effect, wish to see these, and Jesus complies by saying that his diplomas are divine. God has taught and commissioned him; God has given him the things he teaches. Moreover, Jesus explains that if their lives are in harmony with God, they will recognize the character and source of his teaching.”[4]
vv. 21-24 “The Sabbath law permitted a ceremony of circumcision if a male child became eight days old on the Sabbath. If a boy can be partially healed on the Sabbath in this context, why should not a man be completely healed on the Sabbath? Jesus argues from the lesser to the greater, using circumcision as a precedent. Jesus sees himself not simply liberalizing the law but fulfilling what the law was meant to do: to bring renewal and redemption to God’s people.”[5]
vv. 27-29 “We possess evidence that many Jews expected the Messiah to appear suddenly, mysteriously, since he would be commissioned supernaturally by God. For these Jews, Jesus’ commonplace appearance at the feast disqualifies him completely.
“Jesus leaves the confusion unchallenged (7:28 – 29). If his origin is at issue, he does not deny that he has an identifiable human history or that he is from a place like Nazareth. He may well think that this speculation about the ‘hidden Messiah’ is unfounded. But Jesus goes on to make his claim more astounding. He has come from God, whom he knows with unparalleled intimacy. This is paramount to a divine claim that breaks with all of the canons of Judaism. A Messiah might be powerfully sent by God, but Jesus is claiming to know God and be something of a personal liaison or confidant — a Son!”[6]
vv. 33-36 “The Jewish leadership cynically wonders where Jesus could be going. The only place they will never go is among the Gentiles (the Greeks), so they speculate that Jesus is simply leaving Israel. But Jesus is talking about where they cannot go: heaven. […] Up to this point, Jesus has been at work in the world, searching for those who believe. Once he departs, once God’s revelation is withdrawn, they will do the searching (7:36), trying to find what they have tragically missed.”[7]
vv. 37-39 “Each day of the feast witnessed a water ceremony in which a procession of priests […] a priest filled a golden pitcher as a choir chanted Isaiah 12:3: ‘With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.’ […]
Judaism saw this water ceremony on multiple levels. On the one hand, it was a plea to God for rain since the autumn is a time of threatened drought in Israel. On the other hand, it was a source of rich symbolism. In the desert, God brought water from a rock (Num. 20:8, 10), and here water was flowing from the sacrificial rock altar of the temple. Zechariah and Ezekiel had visions of rivers flowing from the temple in a miraculous display of God’s blessing (Ezek. 47:1; Zech. 14:8). In a drought-stricken land, it was a spectacular vision of water, life-giving water flowing from God’s life-giving temple.
“On this final day of celebration, Jesus steps into public view and makes his most stunning pronouncement of the feast. As seven water processions are climbing the steep hill of south Jerusalem, he proclaims, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.’ […] Needed rainfall and water ceremonies lead to memories of miraculous desert water, water given from heaven, which concludes with Jesus’ offering himself as the source of the water of life.”[8]
vv. 48-49 “But Jesus’ primary opponents are those in political and religious leadership in Jerusalem’s high council. Their contempt for the masses is well-established in Jewish sources where the peasantry, uneducated in the law, were not considered truly pious since through their ignorance, they could not possibly keep the law. The irony, of course, is that these are the very people who seem to have the only hunch about Jesus’ true identity.”[9]
Conclusion “At the beginning of the feast, some say that Jesus is a good man while others call him deceptive; at the middle of the feast, some put their faith in him while others try to seize him; and at the end of the feast, the crowds split into those who are receptive and those who are not, in the same way that the religious leaders experience a parallel division — the guards and Nicodemus express interest and respect for Jesus while the Pharisees utter curses (7:49). […] Verse 13 says clearly that everyone is afraid of them, a fear that limits the public freedom to speak openly about Jesus.
“[…] As it was in Jerusalem, so today audiences will be divided. Some appear open and receptive, others appear cynical and hostile. Moreover, there is also the specter of fear: Just as the earliest crowds around Jesus were alert to the judgments of those in power, so too audiences today assess the risks of publicly identifying with Jesus.”[10]
[1] Gary M. Burge, John, The NIV Application Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000) 219.
[2] Gary M. Burge, John, The NIV Application Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000) 220.
[3] Gary M. Burge, John, The NIV Application Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000) 222.
[4] Gary M. Burge, John, The NIV Application Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000) 223.
[5] Gary M. Burge, John, The NIV Application Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000) 224.
[6] Gary M. Burge, John, The NIV Application Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000) 225.
[7] Gary M. Burge, John, The NIV Application Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000) 226.
[8] Gary M. Burge, John, The NIV Application Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000) 226-227.
[9] Gary M. Burge, John, The NIV Application Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000) 230.
[10] Gary M. Burge, John, The NIV Application Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000) 231.