John 7

John 7:1

The Greek word translated “walked” is in the perfect tense, denoting continual action. Thus, although the people had walked away from Him, Jesus continued to walk in their region. So, too, when you talk with people who don’t respond to the gospel, there comes a point when you have to let them go, even as Jesus did. But, like Jesus, continue to walk in their region. Be available to them should they have a change of heart, should the Spirit work within them to draw them to the kingdom. Because Jesus had healed a man on the Sabbath, thereby claiming equality with the Father (Joh_5:18), the Jewish leaders made plans to kill Him. Consequently, we see Jesus walking prudently by staying out of Jerusalem altogether.

John 7:2

As they camped out in tabernacleslittle lean-tosthe Jews commemorated God’s provision for and protection of His people through their wilderness wandering. It was, in effect, the Jewish equivalent to Family Camp.

John 7:3

It’s as if Jesus’ brothers challenged Him, saying, “Go show the people in Jerusalem what you can do. We dare You.” Brothers do things like that.

John 7:5

Can you imagine growing up with a Brother who never did anything wrong, who never called you a name, never teased you, or never made fun of you? Jesus was the nicest brother who ever lived. Yet His brothers didn’t believe in Him. We know, however, that later on, Jesus’ half brother, Jude, came to such a saving knowledge of Jesus that a Book in the Bible bears his name. And His half brother, James, so strong in the faith that he was the leader of the early church, penned the Book of James. But neither James nor Jude became believers until Jesus was crucified on a Cross and resurrected from the dead. A lot of times we think, If I’m a nice person, my neighbor is going to get saved. I’ll mow his lawn; I’ll bake him cookies; I’ll smile when he drives by. I’ll be a lovely personand that will convert him. Gang, there was no lovelier person than Jesus Christ. Yet His brothers did not believe in Him until after the Resurrection. Therefore, I think some of us need a greater aggressiveness in preaching Jesus Christ and Him crucified. You can wave to your neighbor for twenty years and wave him right into hell. Or you can take the time at some point to say, “You know what? Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose again from the deadand you must believe on Him.” May we be wisely, but aggressively and radically, bold in sharing the full story of the gospel.

John 7:6

“You can go to Jerusalem anytime you want,” Jesus said to His brothers. “You can fit in. You have no reason to fear. But because they hate Me, I must walk wisely.” Jesus did, however, end up going to Jerusalem. Why did He go if the Jews were out to kill Him? Why did He go if He couldn’t fit into that scene? Because in Deu_16:16, God commanded Him to go. Therefore, even though it may not have been prudent for Jesus to go, prudence bowed to obedience as He submitted to His Father. What does this mean for me? It means that, while I am to walk wisely and circumspectlynot looking for confrontation, not endangering myself or others, not moving in the world’s scene, or going where it’s darkthe Word of God has priority over my own understanding. How I thank the Lord that His Word doesn’t change from day to day, month to month, year to year; that it is immutable, timeless, and practical; that it needs no addenda, updates, or changes. I think sometimes we who come week after month after year to study God’s Word begin to perhaps take for granted the profundity of the truth that has been given to us therein. Jesus knew the Word completely. Thus, fulfilling the law perfectly, He went to Jerusalem secretly.

John 7:11

As in verse Joh_7:40, we will see people divided time and time again because of Jesus.

John 7:14

The first time Jesus went to Jerusalem, He cleansed the temple (Joh_2:13-16). This time, He’s teaching in the temple. And that’s always the way it is: Before Jesus can impart His Word effectively to me, there must first be a cleansing within me. The moneychangers must be driven out, the cattle chased away. That is why as you study the Word with us corporately and in your devotions personally, it’s always good to say, “Lord, before I even begin reading, search my heart. Show me that which needs to be confessed.” “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me,” declared the psalmist (Psa_66:18). Why? Because our Father won’t allow us to live in sin that will hurt both us and those around us. Consequently, He says, “I’m going to break communication with you not because I’m angry with you or because I’m giving up on you, but because something’s amiss within you that will bring pain into your life and problems into the lives of those around you. So when your prayers aren’t being answered or when the Word doesn’t seem to speak to you, call upon Me. Let Me come in and cleanse your temple.

And then I will teach. Then you will hear My voice. Then you will see My face.” I think too many of us minimize the importance of quietly waiting on the Lord and asking Him to search our hearts. Before teaching, there must be cleansing.

John 7:15

At the time Jesus was ministering, there were at least thirty seminaries in and around Jerusalem. Jesus had a degree from none of them. Consequently, when the Jewish leaders heard Him speak, they wondered where He had garnered such insight. The same thing would later be said of His followers, for when Peter and John spoke in Acts 4, the Jews marveled at their boldness. Then they realized they had been with Jesus. That’s the key. You see, it’s not what you know; it’s who you know that counts. And if you’ve been hanging out with Jesus, if you’ve logged in some morning time with Him, some afternoon breaks in His Word, or some evening sessions of contemplation, even if you’re unlearned and ignorant according to the world’s scholastic system, people will marvel at you.

John 7:16

Notice Jesus said if any man do His will, he shall know of the doctrine. Revelation is directly linked to application. If you do what you’ve already been told, more will be revealed to you concerning His doctrine. The problem with us so frequently is that we don’t do what we already know to doand then wonder why we don’t learn more. Truly, obedience is the door through which revelation enters.

John 7:19

“Why are you angry with Me? Why are you out to kill Me?” asked Jesus. “Because I healed a man on the Sabbath day. Yet you allow circumcision on the Sabbath.” Indeed they didand still do. You see, according to Genesis 17, eight days after birth, Jewish boys were to be marked through the cutting away of the flesh as those who had a covenant relationship with God. Jesus’ argument here is brilliant. He says, “You’re not upset when someone causes pain on the Sabbath, when something is taken away on the Sabbath, when there is a cry of anguish on the Sabbath. Yet because I healed on the Sabbath, because I restored health on the Sabbath, because there was a cry of joy on the Sabbath, you’re upset.” Isn’t that typical of religion? Religion says, “You better not be happy. If you’re spiritual, you should be miserable. If any of you are having a good time on Sunday, shame on you.” That’s religiosity, the way of the lawpainful, heavy, and miserable. But here’s Jesus, our wonderful, radical Savior, saying, “Does it really make sense that you circumcise on the Sabbath but won’t let Me heal on the Sabbath?”

John 7:25

The reference here is to Isaiah 53the classic prophecy concerning Messiah. In this passage, the Jews understood Isaiah to say no one would know from whence Messiah came. Therefore, because they knew Jesus’ parents (or thought they did), they argued Jesus couldn’t be the Messiah.

John 7:28

Unable to argue with Jesus, the Jewish leaders resorted to violence against Him.

John 7:31

Jesus could deal candidly and boldly, straightforwardly yet lovingly with people because He did not live in the fear of men, trying to fashion a reputation or build a ministry. His sights were set on heaven. He knew He would be there soon, and the implication of His statement is that the Pharisees and chief priests wouldn’t be joining Him.

John 7:35

The Jews wondered what Jesus meant. “Is He going to be some kind of missionary?” they asked.

John 7:37

On the great day, the last day of the feast, the priests provided a powerful picture of Israel’s longing for her Messiah. You see, whereas in the previous seven days, the priests had drawn water from the pool of Siloam and poured it out in the temple courtyard as an illustration of God’s provision for the thirst of their bodies, on the last day of the feast, the priests returned from the pool of Siloam with empty pitchers as an illustration of their need for One to satisfy the thirst of their hearts. Thus, it was at the very moment when the priests held empty pitchers in their hands that Jesus cried out, “If any man thirst, let him come to Me and drink.” Certainly the crowd must have wondered about this itinerant Rabbi, this Carpenter from Galilee who had the audacity to cry out in the midst of the congregation. Yet no one called for the ushers or deacons to escort Him out because something about Him rang true. Perhaps something in His eyes, perhaps something in His voice caused people to listen when He spoke. Living in the Living Water A Topical Study of Joh_7:37-39 It is the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles. Within six months, Jesus would be pinned to a Cross as payment for our sin and rebellion. If I were Jesus, I think my tendency would have been to say, “I’m about to be betrayed, tortured, and slaughtered as I personally take upon Myself the wrath that should be vented upon a sinful world. Therefore, I am going to withdraw from people until that time.” But that’s not what Jesus does. Instead of holing up in isolation, Jesus heads to Jerusalem for an important convocation. There, standing in the midst of a huge congregation, He gives a great invitation, saying, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink.” One of three major festivals celebrated in Jerusalem each year, the Feast of Tabernacles was the happiest and most joyful. Camped out in little lean-tos similar to pup tents, parents would tell their children how God miraculously provided for their fathers for forty years in the wilderness. They would tell of a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day; of bread from the sky and water from a rock. To commemorate the miraculous provision of water, a procession of priests would draw water from the pool of Siloam and pour it out on the floor of the temple courtyard during each day of the feast. On the eighth day, the last day, the great day of the feast, however, the priests would return from the pool of Siloam with empty vessels, signifying that when the Israelites entered the Promised Land, water from the rock was no longer needed. The Feast of Tabernacles not only commemorated the pastit anticipated the future. As the priests symbolically poured out their empty vessels on the last day, the high priest would read Isa_44:3: “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring.” The picture was unmistakably clear. You see, “Siloam,” the name of the pool from which the priests drew the water, means “Sent One"just as Messiah would be the Sent One who would pour out His Spirit upon a thirsty people. It was at this climactic moment of the week-long celebration that a thirty-three-year-old Carpenter from Galilee stood up and broke the silence as He cried, “If any man thirst, let him come to Me. And out of his innermost being shall gush forth torrents of living water.” The long-awaited Messiah had come to the people of Israel. And here, in their midst, He invited them to come to Him. If they had, they would have received rivers of waternot only water within, but flowing forth from them in order that others might be served and refreshed. It is what is called the filling of the Spirit, the overflow of the Spirit, the coming upon of the Spirit, the baptism in the Spirit. The same is true today. If you’re a believer, you have the Holy Spirit in you. But has the Holy Spirit come upon you? Is He overflowing from you? After Jesus died and rose from the dead, He said to His disciples, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” He breathed on them, and they did indeed receive the Holy Ghost within them (Joh_20:22). But were they empowered? Were they like rivers of water? No. They were hiding in an upper room. Yes, they were Christians. Yes, they were born again. But they were still timid and unsure of what they should do. Then, forty days later, the Spirit came upon them on the Day of Pentecost, and three thousand were saved (Acts 2). Gang, there’s a difference between the Spirit being in you, and the Spirit coming upon you, flowing from you. People say, “I received the Holy Spirit when I was saved.” “Amen,” I say. “You did. Like the disciples in John 20, when you opened your heart to Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit took up residence within you. You have the Holy Spirit. My question is: Does the Holy Spirit have you?” “Go and wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Ghost comes upon you,” Jesus said to His disciples (see Luk_24:49). “Then you shall receive power.” The Greek word translated “power” is dunamis, from which we get the word “dynamite.” Jesus promised dynamic power to enable them to be His witnesses as His Spirit not only satisfied them but also overflowed from them. In a vision of the millennial kingdom, Ezekiel saw a river flowing from the temple (Ezekiel 47). “Walk with me,” a man said to him. And they walked fifteen hundred feet. “Step in,” the man said. And Ezekiel stepped into the river up to his ankles. “Walk with me,” the man said again. And they walked fifteen hundred feet further. Again, Ezekiel was instructed to step into the river. This time, the water came up to his knees. A third time, they walked together; and a third time Ezekiel stepped into the river, which came up to his waist. Finally, after walking further, Ezekiel stepped into the river once againbut this time, he could not stand. The water being over his head, Ezekiel was enveloped in the flow of the river. It’s a perfect illustration of life in the Spirit. That is, you get saved. You step in. And you’re up to your ankles, standing on the promises of Jesus Christ. As you head down the road toward heaven, you go a little deeper in your walk, and you become aware of impotence in your life. So you call upon the Lord, and you’re up to your knees in prayer. A little further on in your pilgrimage, you want to see others saved. You start witnessing and ministering, and you’re up to your waista picture of the reproductive life of the Spirit. Finally, you get to the place where you say, “I just want to be over my head in You, Lord, immersed in Your Spirit. I no longer want to control my ministry or my destiny. Take me, Lord. Sweep me off my feet. Baptize me in Your power. Do with me as You wish.” That’s being filled with the Spirit. “But how does that happen practically?” you ask. “How can I live in the Spirit? How can I be like Ezekielover my head, immersed in His power?” I would like to suggest three steps for your consideration… Come to the Rock Moses struck the rock in Exodus 17, and it poured out water for a thirsty people. Paul tells us that Rock was Christ (1Co_10:4). You see, when Jesus Christ, the Rock of our salvation, was smitten on the Cross, blood and water flowed from His side (Joh_19:34). While the blood speaks of the cleansing of sin, the water speaks of the Spirit. The blood must be shed before the Spirit can flow (1Jn_5:6). Therefore, because the Holy Spirit cannot dwell in you or come upon you until your sin is dealt with, the first step to being filled with the Spirit is simply to get saved. Come to the Rock. And, like the woman at the well, you will find your thirst quenched forevermore. Speak to the Rock In Numbers 20, the Israelites were thirsty once again. Moses cried to the Lord, and the Lord said, “Speak to the rock and it shall give forth water.” But Moses, weary of the whining of his congregation of three million, said, “You rebels, must we fetch water for you?” as he struck the rock twice. And, although water came out graciously, Moses was punished for his misrepresentation of God to the people. “I’m not mad at My people,” God said to Moses. “I’m not disappointed in them. I’m not through with them. Therefore, because you called them rebels and smote the rock when I told you to speak to it, you’ll not enter into the Land of Promise.” Folks, because the Rock of Ages, Jesus Christ, was smitten when He died for our sins, when you are thirsty, when you are aware you need empoweringyou don’t need to work something up emotionally or expend a lot of energy physically. You don’t need to lash out in frustration as Moses did. All you need to do is speak to the Rock. Say, “Lord, I’m thirsty. My life is not flowing. Nothing’s happening. Have mercy.” Jesus said, “If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” (Luk_11:13). Why do we think we have to position ourselves in a certain way physically, shout emotionally, or dance heatedly in order to receive the water of the Spiritwhen all we need to do is speak to the Rock? All we need to do is ask. Sing to the Rock In Numbers 21, the Israelites thirsted once again. This time, however, they simply sang a song (verses Num_21:17-18), and water sprang from the well they dug. You see, the rock didn’t actually literally, physically follow them in their wilderness wanderings. Rather, most commentators agree that a subterranean river flowed from the rock, providing a perpetual flow of water under their feet. Consequently, all the Israelites had to do to be refreshed at any given moment was realize that even if they couldn’t see it, the current was moving below them. All they had to do was sing out in faith, and water would bubble to the surface.

So, too, if you’re saved, the Spirit is in you and with you wherever you go. But He will come upon you and overflow from you if you will simply sing out in faith. “Be filled with the Spirit,” Paul said, “speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Eph_5:18-19). Why do we gather together on Sundays? Because something happens when people come together to sing praise and to speak to each other in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Something happens at the Lord’s table when we realize the Rock has already been smitten. Something happens in the place of prayer when we simply talk to the Rock. Something happens when we begin to sing. Something begins to bubble up and overflow.

How do you get filled with the Holy Ghost? How do you experience the coming upon of the Spirit? Not by incantations, gyrations, or manipulation, but simply by coming to the Rock given to us, speaking to the Rock smitten for us, and singing to the Rock present within us. Come to the Rock. Speak to the Rock. And sing outbelieving that the Rock has already provided a flow underneath the surface.

It’s there presently, so sing out expectantly. Receive it by faith today. And may the Lord cause you to be over your head in Him, carried along in the refreshment, joy, and power of the Holy Ghost.

John 7:40

There was a division among the people because of Him. Haven’t you found that to be true in your family, at your job, or in your school? Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword” (Mat_10:34). Therefore, don’t be surprised; don’t be shocked when you sense divisions due to your stand as a believer in Jesus Christ. It’s inevitable. It happened here, and it will happen in our lives as well.

John 7:44

“We went to arrest Him,” said the officers sent by the Pharisees and chief priests, “but we ended up arrested by Him, for we never heard anyone talk like He talkswith such generosity, such clarity and such authority.”

John 7:47

“Don’t be duped by this Galilean,” said the Pharisees. “We’re the ones with the education and degrees.”

John 7:50

In John 3, as Nicodemus first came to Jesus, he was in the midnight hour of his soul. Here in John 7, not yet sure who Jesus is, he is in the twilight of transition as he pleads for fairness on the part of his fellow Pharisees. In John 19, we’ll see Nicodemus in the daylight of salvation. When did the sun finally rise on Nicodemus’ understanding? At the Cross (Joh_19:39). Folks, as you talk with people about the Lord, don’t get tangled up in evolution, philosophy, or existential mind games. Keep focused on what Jesus Christ did on the Cross and how He rose from the dead. That’s where people see the Light. Turn every conversation, every debate, and every discussion back to the Cross. “Jesus died, rose again, and wants to be your Savior, King, and Friend. What are you going to do with Him?”

John 7:52

Thinking Nicodemus a fool, his fellow Pharisees asked him if he too was an unschooled Galilean. I am amazed that these guys who prided themselves on their knowledge of Scripture didn’t know that, according to 2Ki_14:25, there was indeed a prophet from Galilee. His name? Jonah.

John 7:53

The great day of the feast over, the little booths knocked down, the sleeping bags rolled up, everyone headed to his own house. Not Jesus. Having no house, He headed homeinto the company of His Father, as we’ll see in the opening verse of chapter 8.