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John Chapter
Seven
I. Content of the Chapter
The Son of God the Savior------the Reality
of the Feast of
Tabernacles
A. He Who Has not Believed Him Has Only the Form
of the Feast of Tabernacles, but not the Reality:
1. The
Jews sought to kill the Lord in Feast of Tabernacles (v.1-2)
2. His brothers provoked Him to make Him known
openly in the feast, for they did not believed Him (v.3-10)
3. The Jews judged
according to appearance and marveled at His
teaching in the feast (v.11-24).
4. The people did not know His origin (v.25-36).
B. He Revealed
to Men that He is the Reality of the Feast of Tabernacles:
1. The people still felt thirsty on the last day of
the Feast (v
2. He called the thirsty men to come to Him and
drink (v.37b).
3. He who believes in the Lord, out of his heart will flow
rivers of living water and always quench
the thirst (v.38-39).
C. Men’s
Reaction to the One Who is the Reality of the Feast of Tabernacles:
1. There
was a division among the people because of Him (v.40-43).
2. The
officers disobeyed the
command and did not seize Him (v.44-46).
3. The Pharisees firmly refused to
believe Him (v.47-49, 52).
4. Nicodemus plead for Him (v.50-51).
II. Verse by Verse commentary
John. 7:1 “After these things Jesus
walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in
YLT:
“And Jesus was walking after
these things in Galilee, for he did not wish to walk in
Meaning of Words: “walk”: tread all around, walk
at large;
Literal Meaning: “after these things”, it indicated that the author had an idea of the order
of time (see 5:1; 6:1).
“Jesus
walked in
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) “The Jews sought to kill Him”, this is the best description of the
religion ---- on one hand religionists worship God, and on the other they
scheme to persecute those who are really of God.
2) The enmity of the Jews restricted the works of the
Lord Jesus ---- “He
did not want to walk in
John. 7:2 “Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.”
YLT: “and the feast of the Jews was nigh -- that
of tabernacles --”
The Background: “the Feast of Tabernacles”, one of the three great feasts of the Jews, began
in the 15th day of July (it was between September and October according to the solar
calendar) and continued for seven whole days. After the people had finished reaping
the harvest, they went up to
Literal
Meaning: things
in chapter six happened when the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near (see
6:4). There was an interval of about six month between the Passover and the Feast
of Tabernacles.
Spiritual Meaning: “the Feast of Tabernacles”, the last feast of a year, typifies that men’s
labor will finally more or less bring a man some harvest, (see Ex 23:16), i.e.
the accomplishments in respect of learning, career, marriage and family. Even
though all the above-mentioned attainments may produce some joy and enjoyment,
they still seem so limited, just like the thirst in the depths of men’s spirit
(v.37) in the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) We sojourn as a
stranger in the land, dwell in tents and wait for the eternal tent (see Heb
11:9-10), namely, the New Jerusalem (see Rev 21:2-3).
2) No matter how
pleasant we are on the earth, it will never quench the inner thirst of us (see
v.37; Rev 22:7). Only abiding in the Lord is the key to every question in our
life.
John. 7:3 “His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from
here and go into
YLT:
“his brethren, therefore,
said unto him, `Remove hence, and go away to
Meaning of
Words: “depart from”: go, remove;
Literal
Meaning: “depart from here and go into
Judea”, “here”: Galilee; “go into Judea” indicated that they went up to
“That
Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing”, “your disciples” referred to the disciples who abode in the
John. 7:4 “For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks
to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."”
YLT:
“for no one in secret doth
anything, and himself seeketh to be in public; if thou dost these things --
manifest thyself to the world;'”
Meaning of
Words: “in secret”: concealed, private; “show”:
reveal, manifest;
Literal
Meaning: “if You do these things”, note that the brothers of the Lord did
not say the Lord “had not done” or “could not do” these things.
“Show Yourself to the world”, in the sight of the brothers of the Lord
Jesus in the flesh, they regarded
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The actions of men who have not believed
(v.5) the Lord are always motivated by developing their own fame and seeking vain
glory.
2) If Satan can not
deceive one into seeking his reputation in the world, it will deceive one into
that in the assembly (see Luke 4:5-6, 9 “set him on the edge of the temple”).
3) If we walk with the
intention of seeking to be known openly to win the praise from others, we must
be totally disappointed in the end. For the heart of men is so unpredictable
that they may praise others today but despise tomorrow. If we do not want to be
disappointed, the best choice is to seek to be accepted of God.
John. 7:5 “For even His brothers did not believe in Him.”
YLT:
“for not even were his
brethren believing in him.”
Literal
Meaning: “for…did
not believe in Him”, it indicated that
they had not believed Him yet when they said these words, but they still
believed Him later (see Act 1:14; 15:13; 1Cor15:7; Gal1:19; James1:1; Jude1:1)
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) When we come to serve the Lord, there may arise opposition from our
family members (see 10:34-36). But we will not give up the faithfulness (see
10:37-39) to the Lord on account of their hindrance.
2) If the closest
relatives of a man do “not believe Him”, it will become the greatest cross for
him.
John. 7:6 “Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come,
but your time is always ready.”
YLT:
“Jesus, therefore, saith to
them, `My time is not yet present, but your time is always ready;”
Meaning of
Words: “time”: set or proper time, due time, convenient season;
Literal
Meaning: “My time has not yet come”, the Lord shows that He does not walk
according to
His will, but seek the will
of God instead (see v.17-18).
“But your time is always
ready”. ---- Because they
walked according to the will of their own.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord neither walks at will, nor being guided
by the will of men, but walks according to the “hour” of God.
2) The Lord, the eternal and
infinite God, is willing to come to be restricted in time for us. In order to
keep the will of God, we believers should also be willing to lose freedom and
be restricted in time.
3) We shall learn from
the Lord who does not do His own will in everything, and learn to wait for God
in the inquiring of God. In this way, what we has done will conform to the will
of God, and thus keeping us from making mistakes.
John. 7:7 “The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I
testify of it that its works are evil.”
YLT:
“the world is not able to
hate you, but me it doth hate, because I testify concerning it that its works
are evil.”
Literal
Meaning: “the world cannot hate you”, “the world” refers to those who neither
knows the Lord nor receives Him (see 1:10-11). They are utilized by the Devil
to oppose the Lord Jesus. Therefore, all those who do not believe Him are
regarded as the ones of the Devil, so the world will not hate them.
Enlightenment in the Word: good advice is harsh to the ear. The
men of the world mostly hate others pointing out their faults and dislike being
called the wicked (Pro 9:7-8).
John. 7:8 “You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this
feast, for My time has not yet fully come."”
YLT:
“Ye -- go ye up to this
feast; I do not yet go up to this feast, because my time hath not yet been
fulfilled;'”
Meaning of
Words: “fully”: be complete, fulfill;
Literal
Meaning: “I am not yet going up”: “I will not go up (in some old Scripture)”,
and they have the same meaning ---- “I will not go up according to the way you
have raised”.
John. 7:9 “When He had said these things to them, He remained in
YLT:
“and saying these things to
them, he remained in
John. 7:10 “But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up
to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.”
YLT:
“And when his brethren went
up, then also he himself went up to the feast, not manifestly, but as in
secret;”
Meaning of
Words: “openly”: evidently, publicly
Literal Meaning:
“not openly, but as it were in secret”, it unveiled that the Lord did not go
there according to the way raised by His brothers ---- being held up by the
people, but went there in an unattractive manner.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord did not only be restricted in time,
but also in action.
2) When we serve in
the church, we’d better do more service in secret rather than boast openly to have
glory from men (see Matt 6:1-4).
John. 7:11 “Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said,
"Where is He?"”
YLT:
“the Jews, therefore, were
seeking him, in the feast, and said, `Where is that one?'”
Literal
Meaning: “the Jews sought Him”, here, “the Jews”, being apparently
different from “the people” (see v.12-13), referred to the leaders of the Jews.
John. 7:12 “And there was much complaining among the people
concerning Him. Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on
the contrary, He deceives the people."”
YLT:
“and there was much murmuring
about him among the multitudes, some indeed said -- `He is good;' and others
said, `No, but he leadeth astray the multitude;'”
Meaning of
Words: “complaining”:
murmuring; “deceive”:
go astray, deceive, err, seduce;
Literal
Meaning: “there was much complaining
among the people concerning Him”, “the people”,
neither “the Jews (see v.13)” nor the “inhabitants of
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) One shall not infer or judge the Lord from his
rational knowledge. Even the best comment on Him ---- “He is good” ---- is still imperfect.
2) Both “He is good” and “He deceives the people” are drawn from men’s personal opinions
rather than objective facts. Therefore, we shall not care about being judged by
others (see 1Cor4:3).
John. 7:13 “However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.”
YLT:
“no one, however, was
speaking freely about him, through fear of the Jews.”
Meaning of
Words: “openly”: frankness, bluntness, publicity;
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If a man wants to be a true disciple of the Lord
Jesus, he should confess Him “openly” (see Matt 10:32-33; Rom 10:9-10).
2) In those countries
or regions where one can not choose his belief with freedom, men dare not
declare the opinions concerning belief for fearing the top authority. However,
in those countries or regions where one can freely choose his belief, Satan manipulates
another threatening scheme ---- it makes men feel shameful, fear to be
despised, fear to make mistakes and fear to be bound by one’s own words …. etc,
causing many believers to dare not bear the witness in boldness.
John. 7:14 “Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the
temple and taught.”
YLT:
“And it being now the middle
of the feast, Jesus went up to the temple, and he was teaching,”
Literal
Meaning: “now about the middle of the
feast” refers to any day
during the feast.
“Jesus
went up into the temple and taught”, “the temple”, which is also called “the
porch of Solomon”, refers to the outer court where man can freely come in and
go out.
John. 7:15 “And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man
know letters, having never studied?"”
YLT:
“and the Jews were wondering,
saying, `How hath this one known letters -- not having learned?'”
Meaning of
Words: “study”: learn, understand;
“letters”: epistle, book;
Literal
Meaning: “the Jews marveled”, “the Jews” here still refer to the leaders
of the Jews (see the commentary of verse 11), especially the Pharisees and scribes
who are both familiar with the Scriptures.
“How does this Man know
letters, having never studied?” ---- “Letters”
here refer to the knowledge about the Holy Scriptures. Since the Lord Jesus had
never been formally trained by the Rabbi’s teaching, his interpretation on the
Scriptures amazed those experts so much that they thought it unbelievable.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) In the Christianity today, like the Jews at that
time, a lot of men think only the one who has graduated from the theological
seminary can understand the knowledge of the Christianity and teach others in
the assembly.
2) The prerequisite of
preaching the words of God is the revelation from God (see Gal 1:11-17) rather
than the religious training.
John. 7:16 “Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not
Mine, but His who sent Me.”
YLT:
“Jesus answered them and
said, `My teaching is not mine, but His who sent me;”
Literal
Meaning: this verse unveils
that His teaching comes from a higher origin ---- the Father who sends the Lord
is the Lord’s “Rabbi”.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The servants of the Lord should often prove him:
“is my doctrine of me or of the Lord who has sent me?”
2) If what we have
said or preached is of us, no matter how pleasant it sounds or how excellent
the knowledge is, it will be of no true profit to others.
John. 7:17 “If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning
the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.”
YLT:
“if any one may will to do
His will, he shall know concerning the teaching, whether it is of God, or -- I
do speak from myself.”
Literal
Meaning: this verse means
that if there is any one who keeps the will of God like the Lord Jesus and does
not seek his own will, he will know that the Lord’s doctrine is of God (see
Deut 29:29).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Augustus said: “what is ‘willing to do His will’?
It is willing to believe. The reward of faith is to know the teaching of God”.
2) “If anyone wills to do His
will, he shall know.” ---- God will not
reveal His will to neither those who are unwilling to know nor those who are
willing to know but unwilling to keep.
3) Although there is
some believer who is seeking the will of God, he is actually unwilling to keep
the will of God at all, regarding the will of God as merely knowledge. He has
his own will, and he wants God to approve and accept his will only. In regard
to such a man, God will never reveal His will to him.
4) Margaret Barber said: “95 percent of
the mystery of knowing the will of God is obedience, and the rest 5 percent is
knowledge.”
5) Those who keep the
will of God have the experience of the words of God and know the words of God
in the experience.
6) If a man earnestly
wants to know and keep the will of God, God will reveal to him ---- “obedience
is the key to spiritual knowledge”.
7) Truth can be practiced.
And practice is the best way to prove whether a truth is of God or not. All the
truth that cannot be practiced is not of God.
8) Today, many
servants of the Lord can only preach the words, but not do the words. Such kind
of sermons is of little profit to others.
John. 7:18 “He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He
who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is
in Him.”
YLT:
“`He who is speaking from
himself his own glory doth seek, but he who is seeking the glory of him who
sent him, this one is true, and unrighteousness is not in him;”
Literal
Meaning: “seeks his own glory”, “glory” refers to being praised or
honored by men.
“He is
true”: “He is of the truth”. “He” refers to the Lord Jesus. The Book of John
reveals that on one hand “God id true” (see v.28; 3:33; 8:26) and on the other “the
Lord Jesus is true”, so the Lord Jesus is on an equality with God.
It
manifests four characteristics of the Lord Jesus in this verse: (1) He never
seeks His own glory. (2) He seeks only the glory of the Father. (3) His being,
His work and His words are all true. (4) There is no unrighteousness in Him at all.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Every servant of the Lord should seek the glory
of God rather than that of his own. All the sermons which are motivated by
seeking one’s own glory have been short of the glory of God.
2) Only the man who
seeks the glory of God is true. In other words, all those who seek their own
glory are of vanity.
John. 7:19 “Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the
law? Why do you seek to kill Me?"”
YLT:
“hath not Moses given you the
law? and none of you doth the law; why me do ye seek to kill?'”
Literal
Meaning: “did not Moses give you the
law?” ---- It refers to the Law in the Pentateuch. The Jews boasts of being God's elect and
having obtained the Law given by Moses (see Rom 2:17).
“Yet
none of you keeps the law”, the Lord Jesus here manifestly pointed that the
Jews had offended the Law which had been all along counted as an honor by them
(see Rom 2:17-29； 3:10-23；Gal 6:13).
“Why do you seek to kill Me?” ---- The Lord Jesus here exposed the
scheme of the Jewish leaders that they sought to kill the Him (see 5:18). The
law had openly prohibited murdering (see Ex 20:13). The idea of killing equaled
to killing, so any scheme of killing had already offended the law.
John. 7:20 “The people answered and said, "You have a demon. Who
is seeking to kill You?"”
YLT:
“The multitude answered and
said, `Thou hast a demon, who doth seek to kill thee?'”
Literal
Meaning: “the people answered and said”, “the people” here still referred to those
who came to
“You have a demon”. ---- You are obsessed by some devilish idea, so you acted
abnormal (see 8:48; 10:20).
“Who is seeking to kill You?” ---- It
indicated that the people who came from other places to have the feast did not
know the scheme of the Jewish leaders, but the inhabitants of
John. 7:21 “Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work,
and you all marvel.”
YLT:
“Jesus answered and said to
them, `One work I did, and ye all wonder,”
Literal
Meaning: “I did one work”, it referred to the miracle the Lord had
none at the Pool of Bethesda several months ago ---- He healed a man who had an
infirmity thirty-eight years on the Sabbath.
John. 7:22 “Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is
from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.”
YLT:
“because of this, Moses hath
given you the circumcision -- not that it is of Moses, but of the fathers --
and on a sabbath ye circumcise a man;”
Literal
Meaning: “Moses therefore gave you
circumcision”, “circumcision” originated from the age of Abraham (see
Gen 17:10; 21:4). Circumcision had been formally put into the Law by Moses, and
thus became the statutes (see Lev 12:3).
“But from the fathers”, it
showed that circumcision was brought forth before the Law. So if there arose any contradiction between them, the former one would enjoy the priority.
“And
you circumcise a man on the Sabbath”, according to the Law of Moses, the flesh of a baby’s foreskin shall be circumcised on
the eighth day (see Lev 12:3), and no
one can make
an exception on the Sabbath.
John. 7:23 “If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that
the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a
man completely well on the Sabbath?”
YLT:
“if a man doth receive
circumcision on a Sabbath that the law of Moses may not be broken, are ye wroth
with me that I made a man all whole on a Sabbath?”
Meaning of
Words: “be broken”: break (up), destroy, dissolve; “well”:
healthy;
Literal
Meaning: “if a man receives
circumcision on the Sabbath”, it means that it
is allowable on the Sabbath to resect some part of one’s body.
“So that the law of Moses
should not be broken”: so that the statute
in the Law of Moses that the
flesh of a baby’s foreskin shall be circumcised on the eighth day should not be broken.
“I made a man completely
well on the Sabbath”. ---- One’s body
had been completely reserved on the Sabbath (see 5: 5-10).
“Are you angry with Me?” ---- The Lord Jesus meant: “since the
work like circumcision is permitted on the Sabbath, shall not the
work of healing others be more allowable to be done on the Sabbath? Obviously,
your anger is unsuitable.”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If we judge whether we should do something from
merely the letters of the Bible, we will make the same mistake as the Jews. We
should know the will of God from the spirit of the Bible so as to avoid making
mistakes.
2) Man's wrath does
not work God's righteousness (James 1:20). Believers should not rage at others
for the controversial understanding concerning some certain knowledge. One
should accept those who hold distinct views with him, but let every man be
fully persuaded in his own mind (Rom 14:1, 5).
John. 7:24 “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with
righteous judgment."”
YLT:
“judge not according to
appearance, but the righteous judgment judge.'”
Meaning of
Words: “appearance”: the visage, an external show, countenance;
Literal
Meaning: “do not judge according to
appearance”. ---- It is also
required in the Law of Moses that one shall not judge according to appearance (see Deut 1:16-17). The Lord Jesus meant
that the Jewish leaders, according to the letters of the law, judged He should
not heal others on the Sabbath, because such judgment is judging according to appearance.
“But judge with righteous
judgment”, when one judges a
certain matter, he should always thoroughly consider the whole course and judge
whether the principle of solving the matter has disobeyed the spirit of the law
or not.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Men tend to judge according to appearance rather
than the reality, thus they usually make mistakes repeatedly.
2) Jehovah is a God of
judgment (Is 30:18), for righteousness and judgment are the foundation of his
throne (Ps 97:2). Only in him can we make fair judgment.
John. 7:25 “Now some of them from
YLT: “Certain,
therefore, of the Jerusalemites said, `Is not this he whom they are seeking to
kill?”
Literal
Meaning: “some of them from
“Is this not He whom they seek to kill?” ---- “they” referred to the
Jewish leaders, whose scheme of killing Jesus was known to inhabitants of Jerusalem,
but not to the people who came from other places for the feast.
John. 7:26 “But look! He speaks boldly,
and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the
Christ?”
YLT: “and, lo, he doth speak freely, and they say
nothing to him; did the rulers at all know truly that this is truly the
Christ?”
Meaning
of Words: “indeed”:
surely, truly;
Literal
Meaning: “Do the rulers know indeed
that this is truly the Christ?” ---- In the original, such an interrogative tone
must bring about a negative answer. Christ is a synonym of “Messiah” in Greek.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The Lord had known the Jews
sought to kill Him (see v.19, 25), but He still spoke boldly. Only the one who
can preach the words of God in such a risky situation can know what the “cross”
is.
2) Admittedly, we believers need
not take unnecessary risks (see v.10). But when the danger is unavoidable, no
matter how dangerous it is, we will not hesitate to confront it.
John. 7:27 “However, we know where this
Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from."”
YLT: “but this one --
we have known whence he is; and the Christ, when he doth come, no one doth know
whence he is.'”
Literal
Meaning: “but when the Christ comes,
no one knows where He is from”, according to the view of people at that time,
they thought the Messiah would be born in
John. 7:28 “Then Jesus cried out, as He
taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am
from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do
not know.”
YLT: “Jesus cried, therefore, in
the temple, teaching and saying, `Ye have both known me, and ye have known
whence I am; and I have not come of myself, but He who sent me is true, whom ye
have not known;”
Meaning
of Words: “know
(the two words are the same word in the original)”: be aware (personal
knowledge);
Literal
Meaning: “I have not come of Myself”, the Lord Jesus who came to the world had
neither been of His authority, nor His will.
“But He
who sent Me is true”, the Lord Jesus
here points out that He is true, for God who sent Him is true.
“Whom
you do not know”, it indicated that
they did not know Him for they had not known God.
The Lord Jesus here disclosed that although the Jews knew His residence
in the flesh, they did know the heavenly origin of Him.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1)
If one wants to know God, he should know the Lord Jesus who has been sent by
God. Knowing God is the mystery of knowing every thing of God.
2) According to the appearance, the Lord Jesus was of humble birth ----
all the Jews knew He was born in Nazareth of Galilee. But actually, He is of
God the Father by nature ---- however, the Jews did not know God. We believers
should pay attention to the heart of a man instead of the outward appearance.
3) We believers have this treasure in earthen vessels. Therefore, we do
not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is
being renewed day by day. (see 2Cor
4:7,
John. 7:29 “But I know Him, for I am
from Him, and He sent Me."”
YLT: “and I have known Him,
because I am from Him, and He did send me.'”
Meaning
of Words: “send”:
send out; execute a mission, as an authorized delegate;
John. 7:30 “Therefore they sought to
take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.”
YLT: “They were seeking,
therefore, to seize him, and no one laid the hand on him, because his hour had
not yet come,”
Meaning
of Words: “take”:
catch, seize;
Literal
Meaning: “but no one laid a hand on Him”, there might be two
reasons as follows: (1) they had not found appropriate chance that could avoid incurring
the wrath of the people and stirring up any trouble (see v.31) (2) They kicked the
ball onto others and refused to take the initiative to do the thing which might
arouse the public anger.
“Because His hour had not yet come”, the above-mentioned two reasons were only
superficial ones. In fact, it was because the hour when the Lord Jesus had to
be killed according to God’s will had not come yet (see 8:20).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) “The hour” is in the hands of the Lord. He
predominates all that men have done.
2) The Lord did not go to the feast immediately, because “His hour had not yet come” (see v.6). And He had not been seized by men was
also because “His hour had not yet come”. The Lord always lives in the “hour” of God,
which is His constraint and shield. Likewise, if we are willing to be humble
and learn to live in the “hour” of God, He will keep us according to His
predominating “hour”. He will not let us meet too difficult things until the “hour”
comes.
John. 7:31 “And many of the people
believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs
than these which this Man has done?"”
YLT: “and many out of
the multitude did believe in him, and said -- `The Christ -- when he may come
-- will he do more signs than these that this one did?'”
Literal
Meaning: these men who had
believed Him obviously believed Him for having seen the miracles that the Lord
had done. Such motive of believing is not very good (see 2:23-25).
John. 7:32 “The Pharisees heard the
crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief
priests sent officers to take Him.”
YLT: “The Pharisees heard the
multitude murmuring these things concerning him, and the Pharisees and the
chief priests sent officers that they may take him;”
Literal
Meaning: “sent officers to take Him”,
they suggested that the officers had
to wait for a
good chance to take the Lord without arousing any tumult among the people
(see Matt 26:4-5).
John. 7:33 “Then Jesus said to them,
"I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent
Me.”
YLT: “Jesus, therefore, said to
them, `Yet a little time I am with you, and I go away unto Him who sent me;”
Literal
Meaning: the Lord Jesus metaphorically
prophesied that He would be killed, fulfill the work of salvation and come back
to the Father (namely, His resurrection and ascension).
Enlightenment
in the Word: the Lord has
repeatedly mentioned “the One who sent Him” (see v.16, 18, 28, 29) for the
purpose of manifesting that His origin is the eternal Father. And all His works
on the earth are the manifestation of all the fullness of the Godhead (see
John. 7:34 “You will seek Me and not
find Me, and where I am you cannot come."”
YLT: “ye will seek
me, and ye shall not find; and where I am, ye are not able to come.'”
Literal
Meaning: “You will seek Me and not
find Me”, it indicated that He would be risen up from among dead and ascend to
the heaven, and even His body could be
found nowhere.
“Where I am you cannot come”, for one
comes to the Father unless by the Lord (see 14:6)
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Seek the Lord
Jesus while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near (Is 55:6) lest the
chance is missed and never comes again.
2) All those who reject the Lord Jesus can not draw near God, for Jesus
is the only way by whom one can come to the Father (see 14:6). All the
religions in the world try to seek god. Unfortunately, they, except for Christianity,
have found no way.
John. 7:35 “Then the Jews said among
themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does
He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?”
YLT: “The Jews,
therefore, said among themselves, `Whither is this one about to go that we
shall not find him? -- to the dispersion of the Greeks is he about to go? and
to teach the Greeks;”
Literal Meaning: “the Dispersion among the Greeks” refers to the Jewish sojourners
of dispersion of the whole
“Go to teach the Greeks?” ---- The Jews did not believe the true Messiah
would teach the Gentiles, so the words disclosed that they had further denied
that Jesus was the Messiah.
John. 7:36 “What is this thing that He
said, "You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"”
YLT: “what is this word that he
said, Ye will seek me, and ye shall not find? and, Where I am, ye are not able
to come?'”
Literal
Meaning: they could not
understand the meaning of the words of the Lord Jesus, for they were unwilling
to accept Him.
Enlightenment
in the Word: it is said: “if a
man is unwilling to behold, he will be blinder than any other one.” If we want
to know the words of the Lord, we should firstly prepare a right heart towards
Him.
John. 7:37 “On the last day, that great
day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts,
let him come to Me and drink.”
YLT: “And in the
last, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, `If any one
doth thirst, let him come unto me and drink;”
The Background: according to the customs at that time,
during the Feast of Tabernacles, every day the priests drew water from the pool
of Siloam (see 9:7), and poured the water in to the laver of silver with holes
near the altar in the temple. Then, the water would flow out through the holes
of the silver laver. In addition, they also read the Scripture concerning the
living water (e.g.: Is 12:3; Zech 14:8; Eze 47:1). By the ceremony of libation,
on one hand they reminded the history that Moses had struck the rock and the water
then came out, and the thirst of the Israelite was quenched (see Ex 17:6). On
the other hand, they hoped the Messiah would come to deliver them from the ruling
of the nations.
Literal
Meaning: “on the last day”, there were seven days of the Feast
of Tabernacles. On the eighth day, there was a holy convocation for conclusion
(see Lev 23:36), which was a “solemn assembly” (see Num 29:35) after the great
joy. Some Bible exegetes held “the last day” was the seventh day, and some also
believed it was the eighth day. Taking the Feast of Tabernacles as the
background, the author John purposefully intended to declare that Christ is the
reality of the Feast of Tabernacles. From this point of view, if “the last day”
was interpreted as “the eighth day”, the spiritual meaning might be more highlighted.
“That great day”, it was the last day of the Feast of
Tabernacles as well as the last day of all the feasts of a year (see Lev 23),
so it was a great day.
“Jesus
stood and cried out”, when the rabbi
taught others, they sit and spoke. Here, the Lord Jesus “stood” and “cried” ---- how urgent His
will to gain man is!
Spiritual
Meaning: “on the last day, that great
day of the feast”, it typified that the enjoyment of life had been over and the
old things had passed away. There was a new beginning hereafter (the eighth
day).
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me
and drink.” ---- The Lord indicates that He is the spiritual rock (see 1Cor
10:4), which flows out the living water of life and quenches the deep thirst of men.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Each of the fulfillments and enjoyment of men has
its “last day” ---- one’s wealth, health, career and happy marriage will inevitably
come to an end. Therefore, we should not immerse ourselves in them so much that
we neglect to come to the Lord.
2)
Many people will not realize that it is vanity
of vanities (see Eccl 1:2; 2:11) until “the last day” ---- when the happiness
has reached the summit. Only those who have true wisdom can realize it seasonably
rather than wait till that day.
3)
If a man has not felt his “thirst”, he will
not come to the Lord to “drink”. When people are still be satisfied with the
earthly happiness, they will never come to seek the heavenly joy.
4) Look steadfastly on Jesus (Heb 12:2). Believers will not turn to the
Lord Himself until they find they cannot rely on any other things except for
the Lord.
5)
“Drink” means “imbibe”. Every time we come
to the Lord, we should be open to Him and fully enjoy Him. Many believers have
the “coming” action, but lack the “imbibing” experience.
6)
We should come to the Lord Jesus to “drink”
and enjoy Him instead of merely seeing, hearing, searching, or discussing Him. Only
by “imbibing Him into us” can we obtain profit.
John. 7:38 “He who believes in Me, as
the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living
water."”
YLT: “he who is believing in me,
according as the Writing said, Rivers out of his belly shall flow of living
water;'”
Literal Meaning: “as the Scripture has said”, where it quoted from was not quite clear
(probably, it quoted from Is 55:1; 58:11; Pro9:4; 18:4 etc.)
“Out of
his heart will flow rivers of living water”, “he” refers to the one who believes the Lord.
Spiritual
Meaning: “out of his heart will flow
rivers of living water”, “rivers of living water” shows life has flown in many ways (see
Rom15:30; 1The 1:6; 2The 2:13; Gal 5:22-23). “Flow rivers of living water”, it indicates that the Holy Spirit in
believers, like a fountain, makes their life flowing ceaselessly (see v.39). It
unveils the features of the Spirit of life as below:
1. Rivers always have their origin ---- the
origin was in the heaven before, but now in men.
2. The flowing of rivers is natural ---- there
is no men’s power, but natural flowing.
3. Rivers flow into lower places ---- a humble
man may easily obtain the living water.
4. Rivers are abundant ---- the living water
surges up vividly instead of trickling sluggishly.
5. Rivers flow ceaselessly ---- they will never
fall into drought or exhaustion.
6. The water is living ---- which grants us
life, and it is necessary for the growth of men’s life.
7. There are many branches of the rivers ---- life
is of all forms and various characteristics.
8. The rivers flow into all the people ---- the
provision of life is not only for one’s self and other men as well.
9. The rivers are linked to the heaven ---- all
those who enjoy the living water must have fellowship with God.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Christ, the bread of life, satisfies one’s hunger (see 6:35). The
Holy Spirit, the living rivers, quenches one’s thirst.
2) It mentions in chapter four that the Lord has become in us “a
fountain of water” (see 4:14). Here He has become in us “rivers of living water”. Thanks the Lord! His abundant grace is
not only like “a fountain” that satisfies us forever, but also “rivers” that
flow out of us and present provision to others.
3) Only can those who have obtained the fountain of living water by
believing flow the living water. We should firstly enjoy the grace of the Lord,
and then bring others to taste it together.
4) Every time when we believers come together, we should make the living
water in us flow out. If there are only several men who perform their function,
the gathering will be dried up. If all of us perform our functions, there will
be great living water flowing out in the gathering, and thus everyone receives
full provision of life from one another.
5) We have already received the fountain of living water (see 4:14). But
the fountain is often restricted within us so that the living water can not
flow out. The reason is nothing more than the following two points: (1) one
lacks prayer. (2) One prays in knowledge and reason rather than in spirit.
John. 7:39 “But this He spoke
concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy
Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
YLT: “and this he said of the
Spirit, which those believing in him were about to receive; for not yet was the
Holy Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
Literal
Meaning: “for the Holy Spirit was not
yet given”, it does not mean
the Spirit did not exist before that time, but the Spirit had not been sent by
the Son as His representative (see 14:26; 15:26; 16:7).
“Because
Jesus was not yet glorified”, in the Book of
John, the way that Jesus will be glorified is His death, resurrection and ascension
(see 12:16, 23; 13:31-32; 17:1).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) One who believes the Lord must receive the
Spirit. Once we have believed the Spirit, we have the indwelling Spirit. The
problem today is not whether we have had the Spirit or not, but whether we have
been filled with it or not (see Eph 5:18).
2) The more one has experienced the death and resurrection, the
wealthier one has the Spirit within.
3) The Holy Spirit, the product and sign that Jesus has been glorified,
is specially granted to glorify Jesus. The rivers of living water that we have imbibed and that have flown
out of us is the Spirit of Jesus who have been glorified. Therefore, no matter
imbibing or giving the living water, we should both feel and manifest the glory
of Jesus. For the rivers of living water not only quench one’s thirst, but also
glorify Jesus.
John. 7:40 “Therefore many from the
crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the
Prophet."”
YLT: “Many, therefore
out of the multitude, having heard the word, said, `This is truly the
Prophet;'”
Literal
Meaning: “truly this is the Prophet.” ---- The definite article
“the” before “Prophet” referred to the prophet who had heard or known, or the
promised prophet who like unto God in the Book of Deuteronomy (see Deut 18:15;
1:21; 6:14).
John. 7:41 “Others said, "This is
the Christ." But some said, "Will the Christ come out of
YLT: “others said,
`This is the Christ;' and others said, `Why, out of
Literal
Meaning: “will the Christ come out of
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Obviously, men like infer according to their
knowledge ---- they know Him according to the flesh so that they have many
different views. But we now know him according flesh no more, but according to
His inner reality.
2) As to a believer, he should not know others according to only the
flesh, spiritual knowledge, tongue and gift, but the measure of the stature of Christ
in them.
John. 7:42 “Has not the Scripture said
that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of
YLT: “Did not the Writing say,
that out of the seed of David, and from
Literal
Meaning: “the Christ comes from the
seed of David”, the Scripture has
manifestly mentioned the coming Messiah had to be the seed of David (see Ps
89:3-4; 132:11; Is 11:1).
“From
the town of
They had right Scripture knowledge of the Messiah, but a smattering of
knowledge of the birth of the Lord Jesus: (1) His foster father Joseph and
foster mother Mary were both the seeds of David (see Matt 1:6, 16; Luke 3:23,
31). (2) They merely knew the Lord Jesus was from
John. 7:43 “So there was a division among the people because of Him.”
YLT: “A division, therefore,
arose among the multitude because of him.”
Meaning
of Words: “division”: split, schism;
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) This chapter repeatedly mentioned the divisions and
disputes raised by the people who held different views upon the Lord Jesus
(see v.12, 40-41). It tells us that if men hold various views upon Christ,
there will be none harmony. There will be none true peace among people until they
all arrive at the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God
(Eph 4:13).
2) The people disputed for they
held different views upon the Lord Jesus, so it is no wonder today that the one
who is more spiritual and whose life is richer will more easily arise more
opinions from others.
3) Do not take much heed of the
misunderstandings about us from others. What is really important is the reality
of us before the Lord.
John. 7:44“Now some of them wanted to
take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.”
YLT: “And certain of them were
willing to seize him, but no one laid hands on him;”
John. 7:45 “Then the officers came to
the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not
brought Him?"”
YLT: “the officers came,
therefore, unto the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them,
`Wherefore did ye not bring him?'”
John. 7:46 “The officers answered,
"No man ever spoke like this Man!"”
YLT: “The officers answered,
`Never so spake man -- as this man.'”
Meaning
of Words: “no…ever”:
never;
Literal
Meaning: the officers were apparently commissioned to seize the
Lord Jesus in a seasonable chance (see v.32), but they were greatly shocked by
His words and unable to seize Him.
John. 7:47 “Then the Pharisees answered
them, "Are you also deceived?”
YLT: “The Pharisees, therefore,
answered them, `Have ye also been led astray?”
Meaning
of Words: “deceived”: go astray, seduce;
John. 7:48 “Have any of the rulers or
the Pharisees believed in Him?”
YLT: “Has any of the rulers
believed in him, or of the Pharisees?”
Literal
Meaning: “the rulers or the Pharisees”, “the rulers” here referred to the rulers
like the priests. “The Pharisees”, it showed that the Pharisees were arrogant
and considered themselves different from the common people.
John. 7:49 “But this crowd that does
not know the law is accursed."”
YLT: “but this multitude, that is
not knowing the law, is accursed.'”
Literal
Meaning: “this crowd that does not
know the law”, it disclosed that
the Pharisees despised the common people who were not so
familiar with the Old Testament like the Pharisees.
It also indicated that if one had known the law he would not believe the Lord
Jesus (see v.48).
“Is accursed” ---- if one disobeys the law for being ignorant of the
law, he must be accused and perish (see Lev 20:22, 26).
John. 7:50 “Nicodemus (he who came to
Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them,”
YLT: “Nicodemus saith unto them
-- he who came by night unto him -- being one of them,”
Literal
Meaning: “he who came to Jesus by
night”, the dialogue
between the Lord Jesus and Nicodemus is recorded in chapter three (see v.1-15)
John. 7:51 “"Does our law judge a
man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?"”
YLT: “`Doth our law judge the
man, if it may not hear from him first, and know what he doth?'”
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Judas, in the end of chapter
six (see 6:70-71), was close to the Lord Jesus every day, but had not received
Him yet. Nicodemus, in the end of chapter seven, though having seen the Lord
Jesus only once, received the Lord in secret. Even though men believe Him
privately, they will also enjoy the provision of the living water.
2) If we want to know the Lord
Jesus, we should endeavor to read and search His words ---- the Holy
Scriptures, which is able to make us wise unto salvation through faith which is
in Christ Jesus (2 Tim 3:15).
John. 7:52 “They answered and said to
him, "Are you also from
YLT: “They answered and said to
him, `Art thou also out of
Literal
Meaning: “Are you also from
“No
prophet has arisen out of
The answer of the Pharisees disclosed that they believed the sin of the
Lord Jesus was so obvious that any oral confession was unnecessary.
In some old Scriptures, it placed the first
sentence of chapter eight (“and
everyone went to his own house”) in the end of
this verse. And some other version presented it as another verse (verse 53) in
this chapter.
III. Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
I. The Need of Men Who are Thirsty
A. The Thirsty Condition of One’s Life:
1. The Jews sought to kill Him (v.1). ---- They got rid of those who held
a view different from their own on account of their thirst.
2. The Jews' Feast of
Tabernacles was at hand (v.2). ---- They seek the joy of the Feast on account of
their thirst.
3.
They walk to seek to be known openly (v.3-4). ---- They seek men’s reputation on
account of their thirst.
B. The Reason for the Thirst of One’s Life:
1.
They do not believe
in Him (v.5) ---- There is
none joy in the life without the Lord.
2. Your time is always ready (v.6) ---- They walk without the constraint
of God.
3. Its works are evil (v.7). ---- They commit sins and do evil.
4.
They neither knew the Lord Jesus (v.15), nor the will of God (v.17).
5.
They seek their own glory rather than the glory of God (v.18).
6.
They keep the letters of the law, but disobey the spirit of the law (v.19-23).
7.
They judge
according to appearance instead of righteousness (v.24).
8.
They walk by sight so that they are misled by what they have known and do not
know the Lord is “true” (v.25-29).
9.
They do not catch the chance to believe the Lord, but prosecute the Lord
(v.30-36).
C. Only the Lord can Quench One’s Thirst:
1. On the last day, that great
day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out (v
2. If anyone thirsts, let him
come to Me and drink (v.37b). ---- The Lord announces to men that He can quench
men’s thirst.
D. How to Quench One’s Thirst?
1. Thirst (v.37b) ---- their souls feel no joy, but
urgent thirst.
2.
Come (v
3.
Drink (v
4.
Believe (v
E. The Way to Quench One’s Thirst and the Effect
that One’s Thirst has been
Quenched
1. Out of his heart (v.38b) ---- the internal joy of one’s
soul, not the external one.
2. The
living water (v.38b) ---- not of material, but of life.
3. Flow rivers of living water (v.38b) ---- the one who believes Him can
not only quench his own thirst, but also flows rivers of living flow to satisfy
the thirst of others.
F. How Does the Lord Quench One’s Thirst?
1. Jesus
was not yet glorified (v.39b). ---- The
Lord’s living water of life should be given out through His death on the cross.
2. Those believing in Him would receive the Spirit
(v
II. As Regards Christ,
What’s Your Opinions?
A. The
Jews (the Leaders of the Jews)
1. They sought to kill Him (v.1, 19, 25) ---- for He destroyed the
traditional customs in the Sabbath.
2. They sought Him at the feast (v.11) ---- they set themselves against Him.
3. They marveled at His teachings
(v.15) ----they thought Him unlearned and ignorant
4. They sent officers to take Him (v.32) ---- they
wanted to close His mouth.
5. They did not know the words of Him (v.35) ----
they were eclipsed by the worldly logic.
6. They did not believe Him (v.47-49) ---- they
were arrogant and proud that dthey knew the law.
7. They judged that
the Lord was not sent by God from His birth (v.52) ---- they misapplied the
Scriptures.
B. The
Brothers of the Lord in the Flesh
1. They incited the Lord to go to
2. They provoked the Lord to do miracles manifestly
to make Him known openly (v.4) ---- they thought He walked for the reputation
of His own.
3. They did not believe Him (v.5) ---- they were
deceived by the relationship in the flesh.
C. The
People who Went to Jerusalem to Have the Feast
1. There
was much complaining among the people concerning Him (v
2. Some
said, "He is good" (v.12b). ---- They
believed that He was only a moral man with good virtue.
3. Some said He deceives the people (v
4. Some said He was a demon (v.20). ---- They thought He was crazy.
5. Some of them believed in Him (v.31). ---- They thought He was
surpassing.
6. Some said He was the Prophet (v.40). ---- They thought He was the
prophet who was sent by God.
7. Some said He was the Christ (v
8. Some said He was absolutely
not the
Christ. (v.41b-42) ----
They thought He could not be the Messiah that the Scripture had promised, for
His birth was not right.
D. The
Inhabitants of
1. They did not understand why He could still speak
openly without fearing the rulers’ scheme of killing Him (v.25
2. They judged that He was not the Christ (v.26b-27)
---- since they knew His birth in the flesh, they thought it did not conform to
the concept of the Messiah.
E. Nicodemus:
1. He dared oppose the prejudice of the Pharisees for Him (v.50-51) ---- he was bold to speak
in the public, for he had ever received and profited from the Lord’s teaching.
2. He held that men had to hear the interpretations
from His own (v.51) ---- to know the Lord works from the His words.
III. The Right Knowledge
Concerning Christ
A. My time has not yet come (v.6, 8) ---- He walked in the restriction
of “the hour of God” (v.9).
B. I testify of it that its
works are evil (v.7). ---- He came to manifest the men’s darkness.
C. Not openly, but as it were
in secret (v.10). ---- His manner of walking was in the restriction
of “the hour of God” (v.9)..
D. My doctrine is not Mine,
but His who sent Me (v.16-17). ---- His doctrine is not of Himself, but of God.
E. He did not seek his own glory, but the glory of the One who sent Him (v.18).
F. Do not judge according to
appearance, but judge with righteous judgment (v.24).
G. I have not come of Myself,
but He who sent Me is “true” (v.28-29).
H. I shall be with you a
little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.
I. Only He can
quench men’s thirst (v.37-38).
J. The Holy Spirit will given to quench men’s thirst after He has been glorified (v.39).
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Mary Zhou