John 7 - NIV Grace and Truth Study Bible

7:1–5 The atmosphere around Jesus became increasingly tense. Many of his followers had defected at the end of chapter 6, and chapter 7 opens with an account of the unbelief of Jesus’ brothers. Chapter 7 is the third account of Jesus during a Jewish festival. It is now the Festival of Tabernacles (7:1—10:21). Chapter 7 can be divided into three sections: the events preceding the festival and Jesus’ secret arrival, the events during the festival, and the events that took place on the final day.

Jesus had not been in Jerusalem since the healing of the lame man. He made a third trip to Jerusalem for the Festival of Tabernacles. It was one of three Jewish pilgrimage festivals. The other two were the Festival of Unleavened Bread, which included the Passover, and the Festival of Harvest, also called Weeks or Pentecost (Ex 23:14–17; Dt 16:16). The Festival of Tabernacles took place in the fall (September–October), about six months after Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread and about two months before the Festival of Dedication (Jn 10:22). The people lived in leafy shelters (tabernacles) throughout the festival to commemorate God’s faithfulness during the wilderness wanderings (Lev 23:42–43). It was also a time of celebration and gratitude for the harvest (Lev 23:39–41). There were elements that anticipated the blessings of the Messianic age.

Jesus had not returned to Jerusalem before this time because the religious leadership wanted to kill him. His brothers encouraged him to go to Jerusalem and perform miracles to gather more disciples. Yet Jesus’ brothers did not believe in him (Jn 7:5).

7:6–13 Jesus made it clear to his brothers that while they could go whenever they wanted, his schedule was determined by God. The world’s hatred of Jesus was because he spoke the truth. Jesus remained in Galilee after his brothers departed for the festival. The religious leaders were keeping an eye out for him in Jerusalem, so Jesus did not go publicly to the festival; later he went privately. He was the topic of conversation and debate at the festival. The crowds were divided in their opinion of him, but their fear of the religious leadership kept them from speaking openly about him.

7:14–19 At the midpoint of the festival, Jesus went to the temple courts and began to teach. The people recognized the authoritative nature of his teaching despite the fact that he did not have formal rabbinic training. His teaching was authoritative because it came from God. The key to understanding his teaching is obedience to God. Jesus came not to seek glory for himself but to give glory to God the Father. His opponents revealed their lack of obedience to the law by their desire to kill him.

7:20–24 Some in the crowd were pilgrims and unaware of the plot to kill Jesus; some in the crowd suggested he was demon-possessed. Jesus did not respond directly to the accusation but pointed to their hypocrisy. He alluded to the healing that took place on his previous visit to Jerusalem (5:1–15). Since circumcision was permitted on the Sabbath, why shouldn’t an entire person be healed on the Sabbath?

7:25–31 Some in the crowd wondered how Jesus could get away with speaking publicly, knowing that there was a plot to kill him. They wondered if it were possible that the leaders had determined him to be the Messiah. Others doubted that Jesus could be the Messiah since they knew where he was from. The irony is that they only thought they knew where he was from; he came from the Father. While they confidently asserted they knew his origins, Jesus stated plainly that they did not know God. Once again the responses to Jesus varied. Some people were so angry they tried to seize him, while others believed in him because of his signs.

7:32–36 The religious leadership felt the necessity to act. They sent the temple guards to arrest Jesus. John builds suspense in the narrative by noting that the temple guards were dispatched, but they are not mentioned again until they return empty-handed. The crowd misunderstood Jesus’ comment about returning to the Father, thinking he was going to Greek-speaking Jewish people scattered abroad (v. 35).

7:37–39 The largest crowds were on the final day of the festival. The events of the final day are described in verses 37–52. The festival included a famous water-pouring ceremony that served to remind the people of God’s goodness in providing rain for the crops the previous year, water to drink during their ancestors’ wilderness wanderings, and hope for water to be poured out during the Messianic age (Eze 47:1–11; Zec 13:1; 14:16–17). Jesus fulfilled what the Festival of Tabernacles anticipated. The size of the crowds made it necessary for Jesus to cry out in order to be heard. He promised that those who were thirsty and came to him to drink (believed in him) would have their thirst for true life satisfied (Isa 12:3; Zec 14:8). John explains that this living water is the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ death, resurrection, and exaltation were the prelude to the Spirit’s coming.

7:40–52 Once again the crowd was divided over Jesus’ identity. Some thought he was the Moses-like prophet; others wondered if he was the Messiah. Still others rejected this idea because he came from Galilee. In verse 45, John shifts narration from the response of the crowds and returns to the meeting of the religious leaders. John had built suspense earlier by describing the dispatching of the temple guards. He describes the outcome here. The guards had heard Jesus speak and were moved by his teaching. The leadership was furious and pointed out that only the ignorant crowds had believed in Jesus. Nicodemus, however, suggested that the leadership had not heard Jesus out. Their response was swift and harsh.

7:53—8:11 As marginal notes in most modern translations indicate, this passage is absent from many important Greek manuscripts. Many of the manuscripts that do include it contain scribal notations indicating doubt about the authenticity of the passage. Many scholars, however, understand the story to be a historical event. The comments below treat the verses as if they accurately describe an actual event.

The scene suddenly shifts from the confrontation between Nicodemus and the Sanhedrin to an early morning setting in which Jesus addressed a large crowd in the temple precinct. Jesus took the normal teaching position of sitting as he spoke. Without warning, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought before Jesus a woman caught in the act of adultery. Their duplicity was evident. The Old Testament law on which they based their charges required both parties to be punished. The male partner was conspicuously absent. Furthermore, the Romans did not allow the Jews to hand down the death penalty. The leaders were using the woman as a pawn. They wanted to play off Jesus’ well-known compassion for “sinners” against the demands of the law. Their strategy seemed foolproof. If Jesus suggested that the woman be treated with mercy, then he could be accused of breaking the law. If he upheld Jewish law and called for her to be stoned, he would violate Roman law. Jesus responded by kneeling down and scribbling something on the ground. Then Jesus challenged those without sin to begin the stoning. He then knelt down again and wrote on the ground. Beginning with the oldest, all the accusers left. When only Jesus and the woman remained, Jesus called on her to make a decisive break with her lifestyle. His words were similar to those he had spoken to the lame man (5:14). Jesus extended mercy to the woman while at the same time calling her to account for her sin.