Advanced Commentary

Texts -- John 7:1-25 (NET)

Context
The Feast of Tabernacles
7:1 After this Jesus traveled throughout Galilee . He stayed out of Judea because the Jewish leaders wanted to kill him . 7:2 Now the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was near . 7:3 So Jesus ’ brothers advised him , “Leave here and go to Judea so your disciples may see your miracles that you are performing . 7:4 For no one who seeks to make a reputation for himself does anything in secret . If you are doing these things , show yourself to the world .” 7:5 (For not even his own brothers believed in him .) 7:6 So Jesus replied , “My time has not yet arrived , but you are ready at any opportunity ! 7:7 The world cannot hate you , but it hates me , because I am testifying about it that its deeds are evil . 7:8 You go up to the feast yourselves. I am not going up to this feast because my time has not yet fully arrived .” 7:9 When he had said this , he remained in Galilee . 7:10 But when his brothers had gone up to the feast , then Jesus himself also went up , not openly but in secret . 7:11 So the Jewish leaders were looking for him at the feast , asking , “Where is he ?” 7:12 There was a lot of grumbling about him among the crowds . Some were saying , “He is a good man ,” but others , “He deceives the common people .” 7:13 However , no one spoke openly about him for fear of the Jewish leaders .
Teaching in the Temple
7:14 When the feast was half over , Jesus went up to the temple courts and began to teach . 7:15 Then the Jewish leaders were astonished and said , “How does this man know so much when he has never had formal instruction ?” 7:16 So Jesus replied , “My teaching is not from me , but from the one who sent me . 7:17 If anyone wants to do God’s will , he will know about my teaching , whether it is from God or whether I speak from my own authority . 7:18 The person who speaks on his own authority desires to receive honor for himself ; the one who desires the honor of the one who sent him is a man of integrity , and there is no unrighteousness in him . 7:19 Hasn’t Moses given you the law ? Yet not one of you keeps the law ! Why do you want to kill me ?” 7:20 The crowd answered , “You’re possessed by a demon ! Who is trying to kill you ?” 7:21 Jesus replied , “I performed one miracle and you are all amazed . 7:22 However , because Moses gave you the practice of circumcision (not that it came from Moses , but from the forefathers ), you circumcise a male child on the Sabbath . 7:23 But if a male child is circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses is not broken , why are you angry with me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath ? 7:24 Do not judge according to external appearance , but judge with proper judgment .”
Questions About Jesus’ Identity
7:25 Then some of the residents of Jerusalem began to say , “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill ?

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

more

Arts

Hymns

(Note: In "active" or "on" condition, the hymns music will be played automatically when mouse hover on a hymns title)
  • [Joh 7:1] Stranger Of Galilee, The

Questions

Sermon Illustrations

The Heretic; Course of the World; World (Kosmos)

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The authorship of the Pentateuch has been the subject of great controversy among professing Christians since Spinoza introduced "higher criticism"of the Bible in the seventeenth century. The "documentary hypothesis,"which dev...
  • "Following the restoration of the temple and its services in ch. 29, the emphasis now falls heavily upon Hezekiah's strenuous efforts to reunite in worship the hitherto separated peoples of the north and south."80Hezekiah wan...
  • Even though wisdom wants people to adopt her (1:20-33) she is hard to get. The person who wants her has to work hard to obtain her (v. 3). If understanding does not come easily, one should work harder to obtain it.40He or she...
  • Jesus first laid down a principle (v. 1). Then He justified this principle theologically (v. 2). Finally He provided an illustration (vv. 3-5).7:1 Jesus taught His disciples not to be judgmental or censorious of one another i...
  • While these verses record the itinerant ministry of Jesus, Mark's emphasis was clearly on Jesus' spiritual preparation for that ministry. It highlighted His dependence on His Father.1:35 Mark implied that these events happene...
  • Though Mark did not record it, Jesus gave His disciples much additional instruction as they travelled from Capernaum in Galilee toward Jerusalem (cf. Matt. 8:19-22; 18:15-35; Luke 9:51-18:14; John 7:2-11:54). Evidently Jesus ...
  • John's presentation of Jesus in his Gospel has been a problem to many modern students of the New Testament. Some regard it as the greatest problem in current New Testament studies.15Compared to the Synoptics that present Jesu...
  • I. Prologue 1:1-18A. The preincarnate Word 1:1-5B. The witness of John the Baptist 1:6-8C. The appearance of the Light 1:9-13D. The incarnation of the Word 1:14-18II. Jesus' public ministry 1:19-12:50A. The prelude to Jesus' ...
  • John began his Gospel by locating Jesus before the beginning of His ministry, before His virgin birth, and even before Creation. He identified Jesus as co-existent with God the Father and the Father's agent in providing creat...
  • The first section of the prologue (vv. 1-5) presents the preincarnate Word. The second section (vv. 6-8) identifies the forerunner of the Word's earthly ministry. This third section introduces the ministry of the Incarnate Wo...
  • The Synoptics record Jesus' cleansing of the temple after His triumphal entry (Matt. 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-16; Luke 19:45-46). Only John noted this cleansing of the temple at the beginning of Jesus' ministry. The differences b...
  • This pericope explains why Jesus must become greater. It also unites several themes that appear through chapter 3. John the Apostle or John the Baptist may be the speaker. This is not entirely clear.3:31-32 The incarnate Son ...
  • John again bridged the gap between important events in his narrative with a transitional explanation of how Jesus moved from one site to another (cf. 2:12; 4:1-3). John typically focused on clusters of events in Jesus' minist...
  • "In chapters 1-4 the subject is described from the standpoint of a spectator, ab extra, and we are thus enabled to see something of the impression created on others by our Lord as He deals with individuals in Jerusalem, Samar...
  • This third sign in John's Gospel signaled Jesus' identity and created controversy that followed. Particularly it testified to Jesus' authority over time.2095:1 Some time later Jesus returned to Jerusalem to celebrate one of t...
  • "John 7 has three time divisions: before the feast (vv. 1-10), in the midst of the feast (vv. 11-36), and on the last day of the feast (vv. 37-52). The responses during each of those periods can be characterized by three word...
  • 7:10 Jesus proceeded to Jerusalem shortly after his half-brothers did because the Father led Him to go then. He did not herald His arrival with great publicity, as His brothers had recommended, but went without fanfare. If He...
  • 7:14 Toward the middle of the week Jesus began teaching publicly in the temple. This verse sets the scene for what follows immediately.7:15 It was quite common for Jewish males to read and write. The people do not appear to h...
  • 7:25-26 Though many of the Jewish pilgrims in the temple courtyard did not realize how antagonistic the religious leaders were to Jesus (v. 20), some of the locals did. They marvelled that Jesus was speaking out publicly and ...
  • 7:45-46 When the officers of the temple guard returned to the Sanhedrin without Jesus, the Sanhedrin members asked why they had not arrested Him (cf. v. 32). The officers replied that no man (Gr. anthropos, emphatic in the Gr...
  • The textual authenticity of this pericope is highly questionable. Most ancient Greek manuscripts dating before the sixth century do not contain it. However, over 900 ancient manuscripts do contain it including the important e...
  • 8:12 The context of the events in this paragraph continues to be the temple during the feast of Tabernacles (v. 20, cf. 7:14). Jesus was speaking to the Jews who had assembled there some of whom were residents of Jerusalem an...
  • 8:48 Since the Jews could not refute Jesus' challenge they resorted to verbal abuse (cf. 7:52). Perhaps they called Him a Samaritan because He had questioned their ties to Abraham. This may have been a Samaritan attack agains...
  • The exact time of this miracle and Jesus' resultant discourse is unclear. Evidently these events transpired sometime between the feast of Tabernacles (7:2, 10; September 10-17, 32 A.D.) and the feast of Dedication (10:22-39; ...
  • "John evidently wants us to see that the activity of Jesus as the Light of the world inevitably results in judgment on those whose natural habitat is darkness. They oppose the Light and they bring down condemnation on themsel...
  • Evidently this teaching followed what John recorded in chapter 9 (v. 21), but exactly when between the feast of Tabernacles (7:2, 14, 37) and the feast of Dedication (v. 22) it happened is unclear. The place where Jesus gave ...
  • Again Jesus' claims resulted in some of His hearers believing Him and others disbelieving (cf. 7:12, 43; 9:16). Here the expression "the Jews"refers to the Jewish people generally, not specifically to the religious leaders as...
  • 10:22-23 "At that time"(NASB) is a general reference to the proximity of the feast of Dedication and the events narrated in the previous pericope. It does not mean that the events in the preceding section occurred exactly bef...
  • 10:40 John presented Jesus' departure from Jerusalem as the result of official rejection of Him. The event had symbolic significance that the evangelist probably intended. Jesus withdrew the opportunity for salvation from the...
  • In this pericope John stressed Jesus' deliberate purpose in allowing Lazarus to die and the reality of his death.11:1-2 "Lazarus"probably is a variant of "Eleazar"meaning "God helps."379The Synoptic writers did not mention hi...
  • Again Jesus' words and works divided the Jews (cf. 6:14-15; 7:10-13, 45-52; 10:19-21)....
  • This pericope summarizes the situation at this stage of Jesus' ministry. The leaders had determined to kill Him, and Jesus withdrew to the town of Ephraim.11:54 Jesus may have learned of the Sanhedrin's decision from a sympat...
  • In contrast to the hatred that the religious leaders manifested stands the love that Mary demonstrated toward the One she had come to believe in. Her act of sacrificial devotion is a model for all true disciples. This is the ...
  • 12:27 Anticipation of the death that had to precede the glory troubled Jesus deeply (Gr. tataraktai, cf. 11:33; 14:1; Mark 14:32-42). It troubled Him because His death would involve separation from His Father and bearing God'...
  • 14:8 The Eleven regarded Jesus very highly. Notwithstanding they did not yet realize that He was such an accurate and full revelation of God the Father that to see Jesus was to see the Father. Philip asked for a clear revelat...
  • Jesus had discussed the Father's unity with the Son, the Son's unity with His disciples, and the disciples' unity with one another, as recorded in this chapter. It was natural then that He should also address the disciples' r...
  • 17:1 "These things Jesus spoke"(NASB, Gr. tauta elalesen Iesous) clearly connects what follows with what Jesus had just been saying (cf. 14:25; 16:1, 4, 25, 33). Lifting up the eyes to heaven indicated prayer, as did Jesus' w...
  • John's version of Peter's denial is quite similar to those of the other Gospel writers, but His revelation of Jesus' interrogation by Annas is unique. None of the other evangelists mentioned it.18:19 Clearly Annas was the (un...
  • John followed the climactic proof that Jesus is God's Son with an explanation of his purpose for writing this narrative of Jesus' ministry. This explanation constitutes a preliminary conclusion to the book.20:30 "Therefore"ti...
  • 1:12-13 The disciples returned to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Spirit. The short trip from where Jesus ascended on Mt. Olivet to the upper room was only a Sabbath day's journey away (about 2,000 cubits, two-third...
  • 4:13-14 The Sanhedrin observed in Peter and John what they had seen in Jesus, namely courage to speak boldly and authoritatively without formal training (cf. Matt. 7:28-29; Mark 1:22; Luke 20:19-26; John 7:15). They may also ...
  • Having now proven all people, Jews and Gentiles, under God's wrath Paul drove the final nail in mankind's spiritual coffin by citing Scriptural proof.3:9 The phrase "What then?"introduces a conclusion to the argument that all...
  • The writer identified himself for the original recipients of this epistle and greeted them to introduce himself to his readers.James (lit. Jacob) was probably the half-brother of the Lord Jesus Christ who evidently became a b...
  • Traditionally the writer of this epistle was Judas, the half-brother of Jesus Christ (Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3) and the brother of James (Jude 1; Acts 15:13). Some scholars have challenged this identification in recent years, bu...
  • This pericope furnishes the plot for the drama that unfolds in the rest of the chapter.12:1 John saw a "sign,"something that signified or represented something else (cf. v. 3; 13:13-14; 15:1; 16:14; 19:29). Usually John used ...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2. The same was in the beginning with God. 3. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. 4. In Him was lif...
Back to Commentary Page


TIP #24: Use the Study Dictionary to learn and to research all aspects of 20,000+ terms/words. [ALL]
created in 0.05 seconds
powered by
bible.org - YLSA