John 7 - The King James Study Bible

7:2. Feast of tabernacles: Jesus’ visit to the feast (Feast of Booths, approximately early October) was debated by His half brothers, about six months prior to the Crucifixion. During this feast, for six consecutive days a procession of priests carried water in golden vessels into the temple area. This pouring of water was thought to have physical and spiritual significance. On the seventh day, the “great day” (v. 37), no water was carried. It was then that Jesus stood and taught of the “rivers of living water” (v. 38), an especially significant reference to the Holy Spirit.

7:3–5. The advice of Jesus’ unbelieving half brothers was to go to the feast. Notice that Mary had other children by Joseph, but they were as yet unbelievers (cf. Acts 1:14).

7:6–8. My time refers to His death. This moment of His glorification (cf. 17:4,5) was not yet come (cf. 2:4; 7:30; 8:20; 17:1).

7:15. How knoweth: Jesus had probably received the normal synagogue training of Jewish boys (cf. Luke 2:47, when Jesus was 12 years old at the temple). But He had not attended a school for rabbis in Jerusalem, as Paul did under Gamaliel. Jesus claimed that His ability to teach should prove the divine origin of His message.

7:17. Obedience will help to determine true doctrine. Unfortunately, most people seek to reverse this order. They want to know more than is necessary before they act.

7:21. One work probably refers to the healing of the infirm man in chapter 5 (cf. 7:23). For the Jews, the conflict was between the commands to keep the Sabbath and to circumcise on the eighth day.

7:25–52. This passage focuses on Jesus’ claim to messiahship. There is no question in the minds of His listeners about His claim, which He had made clear to them. But their response is confused and divided (v. 43). There were three very good reasons for accepting His claim: (1) the hesitancy of the rulers to stop Him (vv. 25,26,30,32,44); (2) the miracles He did (v. 31); and (3) the excellence of His speaking (vv. 40,46). However, they found three reasons for rejecting His claim: (1) It was commonly believed that the Messiah would come in a spectacular fashion (Mal. 3:1), but Jesus’ supposed origin was well known (v. 27). (2) The Messiah was to sit on the throne of David and therefore must be a Judean from Bethlehem, the city of David (Mic. 5:2), but they thought Jesus was born in Galilee (vv. 41,42,52). (3) The Messiah was to be a defender of the law—yet Jesus seemed indifferent to it (vv. 47–49) by healing on the Sabbath.

7:49. This people: The Pharisees despise the rural people who do not rigidly observe the law.

7:50,51. It is not known whether Nicodemus was saved at this point. He was probably John’s source for this event.

7:52. Out of Galilee ariseth no prophet: Of course they were wrong. Jonah came from Gath-hepher in Galilee (2 Kin. 14:25); Nahum was from El Kosh, which may have been Capernaum (lit., “Village of Nahum”), renamed in honor of the prophet (cf. Nah. 1:1). Also, Hosea is believed to have been from Galilee.

7:53–8:11. Certain ancient manuscripts do not contain this passage, while others place it later in John’s gospel, or in Luke’s. Certainly the passage records a historical event in the life of Jesus, so we need not doubt its authenticity.