CHAPTER VII. THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES (John 7:1-13) The discourse in the synagogue at Capernaum occurred, according to Andrews, in the spring of A. D. 29; the visit to Jerusalem at the feast of Tabernacles, took place in the early autumn of the same year. An interval of about six months lies betwee... [ Continue Reading ]
AFTER THESE THINGS. After the discourse in the synagogue at Capernaum. The report of "the Jews" to the authorities at Jerusalem had intensified the enmity that had been created when the man at the pool of Bethesda was healed, and the Savior refrained from rushing into danger until "his time" had ne... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW THE JEWS' FEAST OF TABERNACLES WAS AT HAND. It is spoken of as. feast that belonged to. stranger people. This feast stood pre-eminent among the Jewish festivals. Josephus says that it "was the holiest and greatest of their feasts." Occurring at the vintage season, after the crops were garnered,... [ Continue Reading ]
HIS BRETHREN, THEREFORE, SAID UNTO HIM. His brethren according to the flesh, whose names were James and Joses and Simon and Jude (Matthew 13:55). For discussion of their relationship to him, see notes on John 2:12. The theory that they were his cousins, the sons of Alpheus and Mary, the sister of t... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR NO MAN DOETH ANYTHING IN SECRET. No prophet and inspired teacher. Such. teacher, they urge, seeks the multitudes and there, in the most public manner, exhibits his supernatural power. IF THOU DO THESE THINGS. _If_ implies that they were doubters. The next verse affirms that they were unbeliev... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR NEITHER DID HIS BRETHREN BELIEVE IN HIM. It shows the stress to which those who hold the tradition that the mother of our Lord always remained. virgin are put that they should insist on. theory that requires three out of four of these unbelievers to be apostles!. clear distinction is made here... [ Continue Reading ]
MY TIME IS NOT YET COME. The time for the full manifestation of himself had not yet come. He had revealed himself gradually, step by step, until his apostles had recognized and declared him as the Christ, the Son of the living God (John 6:69; Matthew 16:16). He had satisfied the woman of Sychar that... [ Continue Reading ]
THE WORLD CANNOT HATE YOU. In that case it would hate those who had its spirit and were of it. It will not hate itself. It only hates those who rebuke its sins and oppose its ways. ME IT HATETH BECAUSE. TESTIFY... THE WORKS THEREOF ARE EVIL. It always hates those who expose and denounce its sins.... [ Continue Reading ]
GO YE... I GO NOT UP YET TO THIS FEAST. A more literal translation is: "I am not now going to this feast." He does not use the future but the present tense. We cannot be certain whether he had yet determined to go at all. It would have defeated his purpose to have gone with those who were determine... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN WENT HE UP ALSO TO THE FEAST, NOT OPENLY. After the departure of the multitude of Galileans he followed after, no doubt accompanied by his apostles, though we have no account of the journey, unless it be referred to in Luke 9:51-52. The journey was made quietly, not clandestinely, but unostent... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN THE JEWS SOUGHT HIM AT THE FEAST. His fame had become so great that his appearance at this feast was looked forward to with expectation, and the Jews were on the watch for him in order to observe his conduct and hear his words. These Jews probably sought him among the crowds who came from Gali... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE WAS MUCH MURMURING AMONG THE PEOPLE. Muttering and secret discussion. By the _people_ are meant the multitudes. They must be kept in the mind as distinct from "the Jews." This chapter brings out. vivid picture of Jewish life and of the various elements that composed the nation. We have "the di... [ Continue Reading ]
NO MAN SPAKE OPENLY. These discussions were private rather than public. The people all felt that "the Jews," the ruling powers, were intensely opposed to Christ, and they feared that open discussion would bring down evil upon themselves. Those who held both opinions "mistrusted the hierarchy; even... [ Continue Reading ]
JESUS IN THE TEMPLE (JOHN 7:14-36) 14. About the midst of the feast. About the middle. It lasted, altogether, eight days. This indicates the time, probably, when Jesus reached Jerusalem. Bengel calculates that on this year the middle of the feast would come on the Sabbath day; the temple would, th... [ Continue Reading ]
HOW KNOWETH THIS MAN LETTERS? Jesus had never studied in the great Jewish schools of theology. In the preceding generation Hillel had presided over the school or university in which all who became doctors of the law were expected to take their course. At this time Gamaliel,. disciple of Hillel, had... [ Continue Reading ]
MY DOCTRINE IS NOT MINE. These words are an answer to the question of the Jews. The Rabbis were wont to proclaim of whom they "received" their teaching. Jesus declares that his is not human learning, was not learned in any of the schools of men, but came from God.... [ Continue Reading ]
IF ANY MAN WILL DO HIS WILL HE SHALL KNOW THE DOCTRINE. Literally, "If any man wills to do his will," etc.. willing obedience to the will of God is essential to knowledge where Christ is. divine teacher. This does not promise that he who seeks to obey the will of God shall be able to solve every dif... [ Continue Reading ]
HE THAT SPEAKETH OF HIMSELF SEEKETH HIS OWN GLORY. The true teacher of men does not preach himself. Christ came to speak of and exalt the Father. The true preacher hides his own personality behind Christ. The general truth is stated. Whenever. preacher is met who keeps himself prominently before hi... [ Continue Reading ]
DID NOT MOSES GIVE YOU THE LAW? I take it that this remark is designed to convict the Jews of not "willing to do the will of God." The law of Moses was recognized by them as the will of God, yet they violated it. It commanded, "Thou shalt not kill," yet at that very time "the Jews" were plotting hi... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PEOPLE ANSWERED. This answer is not given by "the Jews," of whom the Savior's words were just spoken (see verse 15), but by "the people," the great multitude of the nation who were yet undecided. There were people standing there, "people of Jerusalem" (verse 25), who knew of the plot to assassi... [ Continue Reading ]
HAVE DONE ONE WORK, AND YE ALL MARVEL. Dropping the matter of their purpose to kill him, which time would reveal, the Lord cites them to the marvellous work, which had aroused the first purpose of "the Jews" to slay him. That work had taken place eighteen months before, on the occasion of his last... [ Continue Reading ]
MOSES GAVE YOU CIRCUMCISION. The rite of circumcision, given at first to Abraham, and therefore, "of the fathers," was. part of the Mosaic law. The child was to be circumcised on the eighth day and if this came on the Sabbath, the day was disregarded and the rite performed in order "that the law of... [ Continue Reading ]
ARE YE ANGRY AT ME? The Rabbis said, "Circumcision drives away the Sabbath." It was, they held, "of the fathers,". patriarchal institution, and therefore, of older date than the Sabbath, which was of Moses; therefore, the Sabbath gave way before the duty of attending to circumcision on the eighth d... [ Continue Reading ]
JUDGE WITH RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT. They judged by "appearances" when they condemned Christ for healing on the Sabbath, and forgot the eternal principles of righteousness. Sometimes one law is broken in order to obey. higher law. They should always ask whether this was the case before they condemned, an... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN SAID SOME OF THEM OF JERUSALEM. There were hundreds of thousands of strangers in the city who would know little of the purposes of "the Jews," but these residents of the city would be more likely to know. They therefore express surprise that he "whom they sought to kill" is speaking boldly. D... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN CHRIST COMETH, NO MAN KNOWETH WHENCE HE IS. There was an expectation, probably due to Daniel 7:13, that the Messiah would suddenly appear in Jerusalem without any one knowing whence he came. These men, therefore, reason that this cannot be the Christ because they knew from whence he was. They... [ Continue Reading ]
YE BOTH KNOW ME AND KNOW WHENCE. AM. These words are directly suggested by their argument against his being the Christ. There is. certain irony in the answer, as though he should say: "You profess to know all about me, whence. came; yet if this were true you would believe, for. came not of myself,... [ Continue Reading ]
KNOW HIM. His knowledge was not that of hearsay, but of experience, for he came from God.... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN THEY SOUGHT TO TAKE HIM. The charge that they were without the knowledge of God so angered them that they sought to lay hands on him. "They of Jerusalem" are referred to. It was the attempt of. mob. BECAUSE HIS HOUR WAS NOT YET COME. They were in some way restrained, perhaps by awe, and no m... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MANY OF THE PEOPLE BELIEVED ON HIM. Not "the Jews," or "they of Jerusalem," but the multitude. They were convinced that he was. teacher from God and were ready to follow him, though as yet not certain that he was the Christ. Hence they asked, "When Christ comes will he do more miracles than thi... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PHARISEES HEARD THAT THE PEOPLE. These active and watchful adversaries discovered that the people were being convinced and thought it time to act. The most powerful and most religious of the Jewish sects, they were the bitterest enemies of Christ. Great sticklers for ceremonials, worshiping the... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN JESUS SAID UNTO THEM. Now he gives another part of his discourse. His first words show that he is aware of the beginning of the end. He will not be arrested now for "yet. little while. am with you," but the triumph of his enemies will come shortly, for "I go to him who sent me," "and ye shall... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN SAID THE JEWS. They could not comprehend. Did he mean that he was going also to the Jews dispersed among the Gentiles? Would he teach them and the Gentiles, as well as the Jews of Judea and the Galileans? Their perplexity was genuine, but as the Jews of Jerusalem looked with scorn on those disp... [ Continue Reading ]
JESUS THE CHRIST (JOHN 7:37-52) 37. On the last day, that great day of the feast. Whether the great day, so emphatically mentioned, was the seventh, or the eighth day, is. point that has been much discussed and which cannot be certainly settled. There were seven active days of the feast and the ei... [ Continue Reading ]
HE THAT BELIEVETH ON ME, AS THE SCRIPTURE HATH SAID. Notice that "believing" corresponds to "coming" in the preceding verse, showing that faith is the means that brings us to Christ. The reference is not to any single passage, but to the spirit of the Scripture, notably such passages as Isaiah 55:1... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS SPAKE HE OF THE SPIRIT, WHICH THEY THAT BELIEVE ON HIM SHOULD RECEIVE. This declaration of John makes the second chapter of Acts the best commentary on the preceding verse. Luther says: "So St. Peter, by one sermon on the day of Pentecost, as by. rushing of water, delivered three thousand men... [ Continue Reading ]
OF. TRUTH THIS IS THE PROPHET. There were conflicting views among those who listened to him. Some of these impressions are now given. Some said he was "the Prophet," spoken of in Deuteronomy 18:15, and referred to in John 1:15. All agreed that. prophet was to come at the Messianic period, but some... [ Continue Reading ]
OTHERS SAID, THIS IS THE CHRIST. Others asserted that he was the Christ. The opponents denied this and based their opposition, not upon his character, or his teaching, but upon the fact that he came from Galilee. Jesus, reared at Nazareth, coming to Jerusalem from Galilee, was supposed by the Jews... [ Continue Reading ]
CHRIST COMETH OF THE SEED OF DAVID, AND FROM BETHLEHEM. Even the Talmud explains Micah 5:2, as declaring that Bethlehem should be Christ's birthplace. The wise men who came to Jerusalem seeking the young Babe heard the same thing from the priests. Nor was anything more clearly predicted than that h... [ Continue Reading ]
SO THERE WAS. DIVISION AMONG THE PEOPLE. The Greek word for division is _schism,_ or implies. violent split. They were rent into two parties and there was fierce contention.... [ Continue Reading ]
SOME OF THEM WOULD HAVE TAKEN HIM. In the heat and bitter animosity of the dispute some were eager to lay violent hands on him. For. year and. half the Jewish leaders had been looking for. pretext to seize him, and when he appeared at this feast they sought to carry out their purposes. Though offic... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN CAME THE OFFICERS TO THE CHIEF PRIESTS AND PHARISEES. These were the temple police, Levites under the direction of the chief priests. In verse 32 we are told that the chief priests, instigated by the Pharisees, had sent the officers to arrest him. This was the act of the Sanhedrim, and was the... [ Continue Reading ]
NEVER MAN SPAKE LIKE THIS MAN. The only answer the officers could make to the demand why they had not carried out orders was, "Man never spake like this man." The multitude had not overawed them, but the words of Christ. There is no stronger testimony to the moral power of the presence of Christ th... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN ANSWERED THE PHARISEES..... HAVE ANY OF THE RULERS, ETC.? The Pharisees, always the bitterest foes of Christ, charge the officers in language of scorn. Have any of the rulers believed? By rulers are meant the Sanhedrim. In the matter of deciding on the claims of the Messiah they hold that the... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS PEOPLE... ARE ACCURSED. Their argument was, "Not the Sanhedrim, not the powerful and religious Pharisees, but the rabble are the believers upon him. They are utterly ignorant of the law and are accursed. On account of their ignorance they are easily led astray.... [ Continue Reading ]
NICODEMUS SAID. It was. "ruler" who now spoke. The impression made on Nicodemus in that night interview, long before, had been permanent.... [ Continue Reading ]
DOTH OUR LAW JUDGE ANY MAN BEFORE IT HEAR HIM? There is. keen sarcasm in this question. Of course it did not, yet they who boasted of their knowledge of the law, were breaking it in their blind rage. The answer of the Pharisees shows that the question of Nicodemus cut to the quick. Instead of. dire... [ Continue Reading ]
ART THOU ALSO OF GALILEE? Are you. follower of the Galilean? Then they assert, "Out of Galilee hath arisen no prophet;". false statement. Jonah was of Galilee (2 Kings 14:25); Elijah probably so (1 Kings 17:1), and Nahum, also (Nahum 1:1). In their scorn of Galilee they held it impossible that. man... [ Continue Reading ]