"A Prophet" (9:13–23)

It was right to bring the healed man to the Pharisees for investigation because they were the guardians of the faith. The fact that they looked into this miracle so closely is more proof that Jesus did heal the man. The miracle was even more amazing because the man had been blind since birth. This is because blindness caused by illness or injury can sometimes go away on its own. His enemies can look closely at the miracles of our Lord.

But the Pharisees were very worried that Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath day on purpose. It was against the law to work on the Sabbath, and Jesus had done three illegal "works" by making the clay, putting it on the man, and healing him. Instead of praising God for a miracle, the Pharisees looked for proof to arrest Jesus.

If people would rather not face the truth and instead run away from it (see John 9:22), it's impossible to reach a consensus. Once more, Jesus was the reason for the split (John 9:16; see also 7:12, 43). The religious leaders were only judging based on one thing: anyone who breaks the Sabbath can't be a true prophet of God. They only thought about one thing, which is similar to how some religious people think today. The Pharisees didn't understand that Jesus was giving the people something better than the Sabbath: the real spiritual rest that comes from God (Matt. 11:28–30).

But the Pharisees' threats didn't scare the beggar. When someone asked him who he thought Jesus was, he boldly said, "He is a prophet!" (See John 4:19 for a similar example.) Moses, Elijah, and Elisha are some of the Old Testament prophets who did miracles. The Jewish people considered their prophets to be men of God who could do great things with God's help.

But the religious leaders didn't want to see Jesus get that kind of high title. "This man is not of God" (John 9:16). They might be able to make the miracle seem false. If that's the case, they could convince the people that Jesus had planned the whole thing and was lying to them. He cleverly "switched" beggars so the man who could see wasn't the same as the blind one.

The best way to get that kind of proof would be to question the beggar's parents. So, they brought them in and asked them two questions: (1) "Is this your son?" And (2) "If he is, how does he see now?" They were in trouble if they didn't answer either question or if they answered in a way that the leaders didn't like. What a tough choice!

They told the truth when they answered the first question: he was their son and he had been born blind. They didn't answer the second question directly; they said they didn't know how he got better or who did it. Then they used the old-fashioned trick of "passing the buck" by telling the Pharisees to ask the man himself. He was of age, after all!

What was going on behind all of these questions and sneaky answers? The dread of individuals. We met it at the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:13), and we will meet it again at the last Passover of our Lord (John 12:42). These people wanted to be honored by other people, not by God (John 5:44). Being kicked out of the synagogue was bad, but rejecting the truth and being lost was worse. "The fear of man bringeth a snare" (Prov. 29:25). The Pharisees sought to deceive Jesus, while the parents aimed to avoid conflict; ultimately, all parties were ultimately exposed and caught. Isaiah 51:7 and 12 told the parents what to do.

The Pharisees could make a "good case" for what they believed. They had the law of Moses and hundreds of years of Jewish tradition to back them up. They didn't realize that Jesus Christ had already fulfilled all of this ceremonial law and was now bringing in something new. Moses prepared the way, but Jesus Christ brought it all together (see John 1:17).

To meet people's needs, our Lord did miracles. But He also used those miracles as a "launching pad" to spread a message of spiritual truth. Lastly, His miracles were proof that He was the Messiah. One of these miracles was "the blind receive their sight" (Matt. 11:5), and we see it happen in this chapter. Jesus used this miracle to give a short sermon on spiritual blindness (John 9:39–41) and a longer sermon on good and bad shepherds (John 10:1–18).

The man we meet in this chapter was born blind. He had never seen the beauty of God's creation or the faces of the people he loved. Everything changed when Jesus came, and the man was able to see. But the greatest miracle was that his heart was opened to the Savior, not that his eyes were. He was willing to say that Jesus was the Son of God, even though it cost him everything.
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This chapter is about how this man learns more about Jesus.

"A Man Named and Called" (9:1–12)

In those days, a blind person could only beg, and that's what this man was doing when Jesus walked by (John 9:8). Jesus likely had many blind people who would have welcomed healing, but he specifically chose this man (see Luke 4:25–27). The man and his parents were apparently well known in the area. Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath (John 9:14), which upset and challenged the religious leaders once more (John 5:9ff).

The disciples did not see the man as someone who needed help; instead, they saw him as someone to talk about theology. Talking about something abstract like "sin" is a lot easier than helping someone with a real need in their life. The disciples thought that the man was born blind because of sin, either his own or his parents', but Jesus disagreed.

Ultimately, all physical afflictions stem from the fall of Adam, whose disobedience introduced sin and death into the world (Rom. 5:12ff.). But later, it is definitely wrong for anyone to claim that a certain disability is caused by a certain sin done by certain people. Only God knows why babies are born with disabilities, and only God can turn those disabilities into something that will help people and bring glory to His name.

It is true that both the man and his parents had sinned at some point, but Jesus said that their sin was not what made the man blind. He also didn't say that God made the man blind on purpose so that Jesus could do a miracle years later.

The way our Lord healed was different: He put clay on the man's eyes and told him to wash it off. Jesus healed two blind men by just touching their eyes (Matt. 9:27–31), and He healed another blind man by putting spit on his eyes (Mark 8:22–26). Our Lord used different ways to heal so that people wouldn't focus on how He did it and miss the message in the healing.

There were at least two reasons why our Lord used the clay. It was a picture of the incarnation, for one thing. God made the first man out of dirt and then sent His Son as a real man. Pay attention to the meaning of "Siloam," which is "sent." And connect this to John 9:4, which says, "The works of Him that sent Me" (also see John 3:17, 34; 5:36; 7:29; 8:18, 42). Jesus gave a short example of how He came to earth, sent by the Father.

The second reason for the clay was to annoy/irritate the man and make him believe and do what he was told. If you have ever experienced eye irritation, you understand how urgently you wish to rinse it out. You could say that this "irritation" is like the Holy Spirit's work of convicting people by using God's law to bring the lost sinner to justice.

But the light now made it hard to tell who the man was: was it really the blind beggar, and who made him see? As John 9 goes on, the conflict over these two questions becomes intense. The religious leaders refused to believe that Jesus had healed the man, or even that he had been healed!

People asked, "How did you get better?" four times in this chapter. (John 9:10, 15, 19, 26). The man was first asked by the neighbors and then by the Pharisees. The Pharisees weren't happy with his answer, so they asked the man's parents and then questioned the son one last time. It all looked very official and well-organized, but it was really a way for both the people and the leaders to avoid the issue. The Pharisees wanted to get rid of the proof, and the people were too scared to tell the truth!

Everyone was asking the wrong question! They should have asked "Who?" instead of "How?" (Just change the order of the letters!) But we are so quick to ask, "How?" Instead of just trusting the Savior, who can do the miracle, we want to know how it works. Nicodemus asked how he could get back into his mother's womb (John 3:4, 9). "How can this man give us His body to eat?" (John 6:52). Even if we could understand the process, that doesn't mean we have seen the miracle.

When asked to talk about what happened, the man just did. The only thing he knew about the person who had done the miracle was that He was "a man named Jesus." Of course, he hadn't seen our Lord, but he had heard His voice. The beggar didn't know who Jesus was or where He had gone. The man is healed now, but he is not yet saved. The light had come up, but it would become brighter until he saw the Lord's face and worshiped Him (see Prov. 4:18).

In the gospel of John, Jesus is called "a man" at least twelve times (see John 4:29; 5:12; 8:40; 9:11, 24; 10:33; 11:47, 50; 18:14, 17, 29; 19:5). John's main point is that Jesus Christ is God, but he also reminds us that Jesus is a real person, which is of utmost importance. The incarnation was not a deception (1 John 1:1–4).

Respect and Disrespect (8:48–59)
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The leaders couldn't prove our Lord wrong, so they went after Him. Some students believe that the leaders' statement in John 8:41—"We are not born of fornication"—was an insult to our Lord's birth and character. After all, Mary was pregnant before she and Joseph got married. But the personal attacks in John 8:48 are obvious. It was very rude to call a Jew a Samaritan, and then to call them a demon-possessed person was even worse. It's important to note that Jesus didn't even bother to answer the racist comment. There was probably also the idea that Jesus was a heretic, just like the Samaritans.

They were disrespecting Him, but He was respecting the Father. He stressed that you can't honor the Father without honoring the Son (John 5:23). They were looking for their glory (see John 5:41–44), but He was looking for the glory that only God can provide Without Christ, religion based on tradition is often a "mutual admiration society" for people who want to be praised by others.

Jesus had told them that they would die in their sins because they didn't believe in Him. Now He was asking them to believe His Word and "never see death" (John 8:51). He had already said this in His sermon at the synagogue (John 6:39–40, 44, 54). The leaders didn't have the spiritual insight to understand what He was saying again. Abraham was dead, but he was a righteous man, and so were the prophets who were faithful. This type of speech merely reinforced their conviction that He was possessed by a demon (John 7:20).

He said He was the Lord of death, which meant He was God (John 5:21–29). The Father gave this honor to Him. Abraham, whom they said was their father, saw His day and rejoiced! They weren't pleased; they were rebelling and trying to kill Him.

How did Abraham "see" our Lord's day, which means His life and work on earth? He saw the future city in the same way: by faith (Heb. 11:10, 13–16). God did not show Abraham a special vision of our Lord's life and ministry, but He did provide him the spiritual ability to "see" what would happen in the future. Abraham must have seen the Messiah's birth in the miraculous birth of his son Isaac. He definitely saw Calvary when he gave Isaac to God (Gen. 22). Abraham could see the Lord's heavenly priesthood through Melchizedek's priestly ministry (Gen. 14:17–24). In Isaac's marriage, Abraham could see a picture of the Lamb's marriage (Gen. 24).

His declaration in John 8:58, “Before Abraham was [existed], I Am," was yet another proof of His divine sonship, and the Jewish leaders took it that way. He had once again made Himself equal to God (John 5:18), which was a sin of blasphemy that deserved death (Lev. 24:16). Jesus was protected by God and just walked away. It wasn't His time yet. We can't help but admire His bravery as He told the truth and asked blind religious men to trust Him and be free.

People who do not realize they need help are the hardest to bring to the Savior. They are condemned by God, but they believe that their religion will save them. They are not following the light of life; instead, they are walking in the dark. They are in a "living death" because they are stuck in sin, and even though they do good acts for their religion, they are dishonoring the Father and the Son. Jesus called these people the "children of the devil" because they killed Him.

Who is your Father? If you have accepted Jesus Christ into your life, does that mean God is your Father (John 1:12–13)? Or is Satan your father because you are relying on a fake righteousness, a "works righteousness," instead of the righteousness that comes from faith in Jesus Christ?

Heaven is your home if God is your Father. If He isn't your Father, then hell is where you'll end up.

It really is a matter of life and death!

Freedom and Bondage (8:31–47)
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Who does the pronoun "they" in John 8:33 refer to? In the verses before this, Jesus talked to the "believers" from John 8:30 and told them that staying in the Word—being a disciple—was proof of real salvation. We learn more about God when we follow His Word, and as we learn more about God, we become less sinful. Life teaches us things, and those things set us free.

The pronoun "they" probably does not pertain to these new believers, as they would likely accept their Savior rather than argue. If John 8:37 is any guide, "they" probably means the same Jewish leaders who didn't believe in Jesus and had been against Him throughout the conversation (John 8:13, 19, 22, 25). They still didn't comprehend what He was saying. They were contemplating political freedom, but Jesus was talking about true spiritual freedom, which is freedom from sin.

It was definitely not true that Abraham's descendants had never been slaves, and the Old Testament Scriptures proved it. The book of Judges says that seven powerful nations had enslaved the Jews. Assyria had taken the ten northern tribes as slaves, and the two southern tribes had been in Babylon for seventy years. At that very moment, the Romans had the Jews under their iron heel! It's challenging for proud religious people to admit when they need help or when they make mistakes.

Jesus said that the difference between being spiritually free and being in bondage is whether you are a son or a servant. The servant lives in the house but is not family and has no future. Jesus may have been thinking of Isaac and Ishmael when he said these words (see Gen. 21). "Whosoever keeps on practicing sin [literal translation] is the servant of sin." These religious leaders would not only die in their sins (John 8:21, 24), but they were also living in sin at the time!

What is the way to free people who are slaves to sin? By the Son alone. How does He do it? By the power of His Word. In John 8:38–47, there is a lot of emphasis on the Word. He had already told them, "The truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). They wouldn't "make room" in their hearts for His Word.

The rest of this section is about the debate over the word "father." Jesus said that He was like the Father in heaven, but He also said that they were like the father from hell, Satan. The Jews said that Abraham was their father (Luke 3:8ff.), but Jesus made a clear difference between "Abraham's seed" (his physical descendants) and "Abraham's children" (his spiritual descendants because of personal faith; Gal. 3:6–14).

These Jewish leaders said they were like Abraham, but they were very different from him. They wanted to kill Jesus because Abraham was "God's friend" and loved Him (Isa. 41:8). Abraham heard and followed God's truth, but these religious leaders didn't.

Birth determines nature, and paternity determines birth. If God is your Father, you have God's nature (2 Peter 1:1–4), but if Satan is your father, you have his evil nature. The Lord did not say that every lost sinner is a "child of the devil," but He did say that every lost sinner is a child of wrath and disobedience (Eph. 2:1–3). In this passage and in the parable of the tares (Matt. 13:24–32, 36–43), Jesus said that the Pharisees and other "fake" believers were the devil's children. Satan is an imitator (2 Cor. 11:13–15), and he gives his children a false righteousness that will never allow them into heaven (Rom. 10:1–4).

What traits did these religious leaders who were part of the devil have? They rejected the truth (John 8:40) and tried to kill Jesus because He told it. They didn't love God (John 8:42), and they couldn't understand what Jesus said (John 8:43, 47). Satan's children may know a lot about their religion, but they don't know what the Word of God means.

Satan is a liar and a killer. He lied to our first parents ("Yea, hath God said?") and made sure they died. Cain was a child of the devil (1 John 3:12) because he lied and killed people. He murdered his brother Abel and then lied about it (Gen. 4). Is it any surprise that these religious leaders lied about Jesus, hired false witnesses, and then had Him killed?

The worst kind of bondage is the kind that the prisoner doesn't even know about. He believes he is free, but he is not. The Pharisees and other religious leaders thought they were free, but they were really slaves to sin and Satan in a terrible spiritual way. They wouldn't accept the truth, but it was the truth that could set them free.

Light and Dark (8:12–20)

This second big "I am" statement fits in well with the first eleven verses of John 8. It is possible that the sun was rising at that time (John 8:2), and Jesus was comparing Himself to it. This would mean that He was once again saying that He was God, since the sun was a sign of Jehovah God to the Jews (Ps. 84:11; Mal. 4:2). Our galaxy has only one sun, which is the center and source of life. There is only one God, who is the center of everything and the source of all life (John 1:4). “God is light” (1 John 1:5), and wherever the light shines, it shows how wicked people are (Eph. 5:8–14).

The Feast of Tabernacles was also connected to our Lord's "I am" statement. During this time, the big candelabra was lit in the temple at night to remind people of the pillar of fire that led Israel through the desert. John has actually put together three "wilderness images": the manna (John 6), the water from the rock (John 7), and the pillar of fire (John 8).

To "follow" the Lord Jesus means to believe in Him and trust Him. The results are life and light for the person who does. People who are not saved are walking in darkness because they like it (John 3:17ff.). One of the main points of this gospel is that the spiritual light is now shining, but people can't see it and try to put it out (John 1:4–5).

Some of the Jewish leaders had not left the group, and others had probably joined after the woman left. They argued with Jesus, as they always do. This time, they said He was lying when He said He was the Light of the World, which is something that Jewish courts would not allow.

But light has to show itself! Blind people are the only ones who can't see the light!

The Pharisees may have been quoting our Lord's own words (see John 5:31ff.), but He quickly shot down their point. The word "witness" is used seven times in this section. Jesus made it clear that they couldn't trust their testimony because their judgment was wrong. They judged based on what they saw, which was just human judgment, but He judged based on what He knew spiritually. The way they judged the woman who was caught cheating showed that they didn't know the law or their own sinful hearts.

They wanted to use the law to convict the woman and catch the Savior, so Jesus used the law to answer them. He cited a principle from Deuteronomy 17:6 and 19:15, along with Numbers 35:30, which stated that the testimony of two men was necessary to confirm a judgment. Jesus had those two pieces of evidence: His Father and He both gave witness. John 5:37–47 shows us that the Word of God is where we can find the Father's witness.

It is sad that these legal experts didn't even recognize their own Messiah when He was right in front of them. They said they knew God's law, but they didn't know the God who made the law. They didn't have His Word in their hearts (John 5:38) or feel His love (John 5:42). They didn't know the Father, so they didn't know the Son.

Jesus never really answered their question, "Where is your Father?" Jesus didn't avoid the issue; He faced it head-on. The word "father" is used twenty-one times in this chapter. He knew that their "father" wasn't God; it was the devil! These men were religious, but they were also the devil's children!

The Father stopped them again from trying to arrest Jesus because it wasn't yet His time to die. When a servant of God is doing what God wants, he can be brave and at peace while he works.

Law and Grace (8:1-11)

The Feast of Tabernacles was over, but Jesus took the opportunity to help the pilgrims in the temple. During the feast, it quickly became known that Jesus was not only there but was also openly teaching in the temple (see Luke 21:37). He taught in the women's court, which was next to the treasury (John 8:20). The scribes and Pharisees knew where He would be, so they made their plan together.

They probably wouldn't catch a couple in the act of adultery, so we're curious if the man (who was never charged!) was involved in the plan. The law said that both people who were guilty had to be stoned (Lev. 20:10; Deut. 22:22), not just the woman. It does seem strange that the man was let go. The scribes and Pharisees were harsh, even interrupting the Lord's teaching and pushing the woman into the crowd.

Of course, the Jewish leaders were trying to put Jesus in a tough spot. What would happen to His reputation as the "friend of publicans and sinners" if He said, "Yes, the woman must be stoned!"? The common people would have left Him and never accepted His kind message of forgiveness.

If He had said, "No, the woman should not be stoned!" He would have been breaking the law and could have been arrested. The religious leaders had tried to get Jesus to go against the Mosaic Law more than once, and now they seemed to have the perfect opportunity (see John 5:39–47; 6:32ff.; 7:40ff.).

Jesus didn't judge the woman; He judged the judges instead. He was probably angry at how they treated the woman. He was also worried that hypocrites like that would judge someone else but not themselves. We don't know what He wrote on the temple's dirt floor. Was He just reminding them that the Ten Commandments were first written "by the finger of God" (Ex. 31:18) and that He is God? Or was He just reminding them of what Jeremiah 17:13 said?

Jewish law said that the people who were accusing someone had to throw the first stones (Deut. 17:7). Jesus didn't want sinless men to judge the woman because He was the only one there who was sinless. If our judges today had to be perfect, there would be no judges. He was talking about the woman's specific sin, which can be done in the heart as well as with the body (Matt. 5:27–30). The accusers quietly left the scene because they felt guilty, leaving Jesus alone with the woman. He forgave her and told her not to sin again (John 5:14).

We shouldn't think that this means Jesus was "easy on sin" or that He went against the law. Jesus had to die for this woman's sins in order to forgive her. Forgiveness is free, but it doesn't come cheap. Moreover, Jesus completely obeyed the law, so no one could rightly say that He went against its teachings or made it less powerful. The Jewish leaders were breaking both the letter and the spirit of the law by applying it to the woman instead of themselves. They thought they were protecting Moses!

The law was given to show sin (Rom. 3:20), and we must be found guilty by the law before we can be cleansed by God's grace. Law and grace do not fight with each other; they work together. No one has ever been saved by keeping the law, and no one has ever been saved by grace who wasn't first charged with breaking the law. There has to be conviction before there can be conversion.

Christ's kind forgiveness does not provide you a reason to sin. Our Lord told us, "Go, and sin no more!" " But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared." (Ps. 130:4). The experience of gracious forgiveness would undoubtedly inspire the repentant sinner to lead a life of holiness and obedience for the glory of God.

The End of the Feast: Division (7:37–52)

The seventh day, which was the last day of the feast, was very special because the priests would march around the altar seven times while singing Psalm 118:25. It would be the last time they took the water and poured it out. Jesus stood and shouted His great invitation to thirsty sinners while they were pouring out the water, which was a sign of the water Moses drew from the rock.

People have said that this "great day," the twenty-first of the seventh month, is the same day that the prophet Haggai made a special prediction about the temple (Hag. 2:1–9). The ultimate fulfillment must await Christ's return to Earth; however, there was a partial fulfillment during Jesus' visit to the temple. Hebrews 12:26–29 quotes Haggai 2:6–7 and says that it is about the Lord's return.

Jesus was talking about what happened to Israel in Exodus 17:1–7. That water was only a picture of God's Spirit. Believers would not only drink the living water, but they would also become living water channels to bless a world that is thirsty. The "artesian well" that He promised in John 4:14 has now turned into a river that flows! There are no specific prophetic Scriptures that say "rivers of water" flow from the believer, but there are a lot of verses that are similar to this idea. For example, Isaiah 12:3, 15, 32:2, 44:3, and 58:11; and Zechariah 14:8. Keep in mind that Zechariah 14:16ff. talks about the future Feast of Tabernacles, when the Lord will be King.

In the Bible, water for drinking is one of the symbols of the Holy Spirit. Water for washing is a symbol of the Word of God (see John 15:3 and Eph. 5:26). The Spirit of God fills us up and helps us bear fruit, just like water quenches thirst and makes things grow. The Jews were following a tradition at the feast that could never make them happy. Jesus gave them living water and promised them happiness forever!

What happened because of this announcement and invitation? Some people defended Him and some wanted to arrest Him. Is He a "good man" or "a liar" (John 7:12)? Is He "the Christ" (John 7:31)? Is He the "Prophet" that was promised (John 7:40; Deut. 18:15)? If they had only looked at the evidence honestly, they would have found out that He was the Christ, the Son of God. They thought Jesus was from Galilee (John 1:45–46; 7:52), but He was actually born in Bethlehem (see John 6:42 for similar reasoning).

The officers of the temple came back from the Jewish council meeting with nothing. It should have been pretty easy for them to catch Jesus, but they didn't. What made them stop? Their defense was, "No man ever spoke like this man!" In other words, "This Jesus is more than just a man!" No one else talks like He does! The Word of God, spoken by the Son of God, "arrested" them.

Once more, the leaders refused to be honest about the facts and made decisions based on their biases and a brief look at the facts. People are much more eager to label other people than to listen to what they have to say. Perhaps their reasoning was as follows: "So some individuals have faith in Jesus! What does that matter? These regular people don't know anything about the law! Have any important people, like us, put their faith in Him? No way!" They would use a similar argument to try to discredit the blind man's testimony that Jesus healed him (John 9:34).

It shouldn't surprise us when "the intelligentsia" or religious leaders don't believe in Jesus Christ. In Matthew 11:25–27, Jesus says that God has hidden His truth from "the wise and prudent" and revealed it to "spiritual babes," or humble people who will listen to him. Paul was a brilliant rabbi when God saved him, but he had to be "knocked down" before he would admit that Jesus Christ was the risen Son of God. To find out why it's challenging to get "smart religious people" to follow the Savior, read 1 Corinthians 1:26–31.

The rulers would have sent the guard out again, but Nicodemus spoke up. In John's gospel, this man is mentioned three times, and each time he is called "the one who came to Jesus by night" (see John 3:1–2; 19:39). Nicodemus had probably been doing a lot of thinking and studying since that first meeting with Jesus, and he wasn't afraid to stand up for what he believed in.

Nicodemus was sure that the council was not giving Jesus a fair chance to speak. The rulers had already decided what to do and were trying to arrest Him before He had even had a fair trial! Nicodemus may have been thinking of Old Testament verses like Exodus 23:1 and Deuteronomy 1:16–17; 19:15–21.

What did Nicodemus want them to contemplate regarding Jesus? His words and deeds. Nicodemus was first interested in Jesus because Jesus was a teacher and a miracle worker (John 3:2). Jesus even said that His works were proof that He was God (John 5:32), and He told people many times to listen to what He said. The miracles and the messages go together because the miracles point to the messages and the messages explain what the miracles mean spiritually.

"Are you a lowly and despised Galilean too?" the rulers said with sarcasm and disdain. They mocked Nicodemus instead of saying he was right to ask for a fair trial. This is an old trick in a debate: if you can't answer the argument, attack the person who said it.

They told Nicodemus to look through the prophecies and see if he could identify any that said a prophet would come from Galilee. Jesus said that Jonah was a picture of Himself in death, burial, and resurrection (Matt. 12:38–41). Of course, Jonah was from Galilee. Nicodemus may have read Isaiah 9:1–2 (see Matt. 4:12–16) and started to look at the important messianic prophecies in the Old Testament. If he did, he became sure that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God.

You can't help but feel sorry for the people in this chapter who didn't respond to Jesus the right way. His half-brothers didn't believe Him, and different people argued about it, which led to division. If they had accepted the truth and followed it with true obedience, they would have ended up at Jesus' feet, calling him the Messiah and Son of God.

But people today make the same mistake and let their biases and quick judgments keep them from seeing the truth.

Don't let it happen to you!

Satan offered Adam and Eve knowledge, but it was knowledge that came from not following God's rules (Gen. 3:5). Jesus said that obedience would lead to knowledge: first, the burden of responsibility, and then the joy of knowing God's truth. When men are completely and fully dedicated to God's will and want to do that above all else, they learn that Christ's teachings are divine and come from God.

If we truly desire God's will, we shall not concern ourselves with who receives the glory. God is the only one who deserves the glory for what He has taught us. No one can take credit for what only God can do. If man goes after the glory, it shows that his teaching comes from himself and not from God. This is how many cults and church splits start: someone "makes up" a doctrine, takes credit for it, and uses it to split God's people.

The first "debate" was with the Jews, but people who arrived in the city joined in (John 7:20). Jesus had the courage to say that the leaders wanted to kill Him because He broke the Sabbath and then said He was God (see John 5:10–18). The orthodox Jews broke the Sabbath laws when they circumcised their sons on that day. So why couldn't He heal a man on the Sabbath? "Why are you trying to kill me?"

Of course, the visitors didn't know that their leaders wanted to kill Jesus, so they questioned what He said. But their answer included a very serious accusation: that Jesus had a demon. The leaders had already made this claim (Matt. 9:32ff.; 10:25; 11:18–19; 12:24ff.). "You must be crazy to think that anyone wants to kill You!"

The Lord used the law of Moses to prove the enemy wrong, but He knew they wouldn't give up. Why? Because their standard of judgment was not fair. They made judgments based on a shallow look at the facts. They made their decision based on what "seems" and not what "is." Sadly, many people still make that mistake. In John 7:24, Jesus told people to be honest and devoted to the truth.

People from Jerusalem joined in the conversation (John 7:25). They knew the rulers wanted to kill Jesus, and they were shocked that He was openly teaching and getting away with it. Maybe the leaders were sure that He was the Messiah, sent by God. So why weren't they worshiping Him and getting others to worship Him?
Their question (John 7:25) hinted at a negative answer.
Answer: "No, the rulers don't think He is the Christ, do they?" They were able to back up their conclusion with their false logic:
1. No one knows where Christ came from.
2. We know where Jesus of Nazareth came from.
3. The end: Jesus can't be the Messiah.

People could not see the truth again because they were blinded by what they thought were reliable facts. Jesus faced similar opposition in the synagogue at Capernaum (John 6:42ff.). Even the most knowledgeable teachers—the "expert builders"—wouldn't be able to find the Chief Cornerstone, even though they had been studying the God-given "blueprints" for hundreds of years (Acts 4:11)!

At this point, our Lord spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear (see also John 7:37). He was likely speaking in a sarcastic tone when he said, "Yes, you think you know Me and where I came from!" However, they genuinely did not. Subsequently, He explained why they failed to understand Him: they did not know the Father. This accusation was a serious charge to make against an orthodox Jew because the Jews were proud of knowing the true God, the God of Israel.

But Jesus did even more. He boldly said that He not only knew the Father but also that the Father had sent Him. He was once more saying that He was God! He wasn't just born like any other person; the Father sent Him to earth. This means that He was alive before He came to earth.

There was definitely a crisis hour in His ministry, and some of the leaders tried to have Him arrested, but "His hour was not yet come." A lot of the pilgrims believed in Him. It was a faith based on miracles, but at least it was a start (see John 2:23; 6:2, 26). Nicodemus was first drawn to Jesus because of the miracles He performed (John 3:1–2). Later, he openly declared his faith in Christ.

The Pharisees and chief priests, who were in charge of the Jewish religious establishment, didn't like that people were putting their faith in Jesus. It appears that these "believers" were not afraid to say what they had done (John 7:13, 32). This time, the rulers sent temple guards to arrest Jesus, but Jesus "arrested" them! He told them they only had "a little while" to hear the truth, believe it, and be saved (see John 12:35ff.). Those who wanted to arrest Jesus were truly the ones in danger!
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People didn't understand what Jesus was saying, just like in other messages. In six months, Jesus would return to the Father in heaven, and the Jews who were not saved would not be able to follow Him. "Where I am, there ye cannot come" (John 7:34) is very different from "that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:3).

If these men had been willing to do what God wanted, they would have known the truth. It would soon be too late.

In the Middle of the Feast: Debate (7:11–36)

This public debate about the Lord Jesus included three different groups of people. The first group was the Jewish leaders, also known as "the Jews," who lived in Jerusalem and worked at the temple. The Pharisees, the chief priests (most of whom were Sadducees), and the scribes all belonged to this group. The men had different religious beliefs, but they all agreed on one thing: they didn't like Jesus Christ and wanted to get rid of Him. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea would be the only ones who didn't.

The second group would be "the people" (John 7:12, 20, 31–32). This would be the crowd that arrived in Jerusalem to celebrate. A lot of them wouldn't care what the religious leaders in Jerusalem thought. In John 7:20, you can see that "the people" were shocked that anyone would want to kill Jesus. They didn't know all the gossip going around the city, so they had to find out the hard way that the officials thought Jesus was breaking the law.

The third group was made up of Jews who lived in Jerusalem (John 7:25). They would have probably agreed with the religious leaders.

The argument started before Jesus got to the city, and it was about His character (John 7:11–13). Religious leaders "kept seeking" Jesus, and the crowd kept arguing about whether He was a virtuous man or a liar. He would have to be one or the other, since a truly good person wouldn't lie to anyone. Yes, Jesus is either telling the truth about who He is or He is lying.

But when Jesus started teaching openly in the temple, the argument moved to His teachings (John 7:14–19). Character and doctrine are closely intertwined. It would be foolish to believe what a liar says! The Jews were amazed by what He taught because He didn't have any credentials from the rabbinical schools they liked. But because He didn't have this "proper accreditation," His enemies said that His teachings were just personal opinions and not worth much. Many people have said that Jesus taught with authority, while the scribes and Pharisees taught from authorities by quoting famous rabbis.

Jesus said that His teachings came from the Father. He had already made it clear that He and the Father were one in the works He did (John 5:17) and in the judgment He made (John 5:30). He now said that His teachings also came from the Father, and He would say that again (John 8:26, 38). Jesus had every right to say that everything He taught was true!

But don't all religious teachers say the same thing? Therefore, how can we be sure that Jesus is telling us the truth? By doing what He says to do. Those who truly follow God's Word will discover that it is true. John 7:17 says, "If any man will do His will, He shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of Myself." This is why the Jewish leaders didn't comprehend what Jesus was saying: they were too stubborn to listen to Him (John 5:40).

Is our Lord proposing a "pragmatic test" for divine truth? Is He telling you to "Try it!"? If it works, it must be true! This means that if it doesn't work, it must be false. This test would cause confusion because almost any cultist could say, "I tried what the cult teaches, and it worked!"

No, what our Lord said goes much deeper. He wasn't talking about a shallow "taste test"; He was talking about the person's deep commitment to the truth. The Jews relied on education and authorities for their beliefs, but Jesus said that we should personally experience the authority of truth. The Jewish leaders wanted to kill Jesus, but at the same time, they said they knew and followed God's truth. This shows that having a smart and well-educated mind doesn't mean you have a pure heart or a holy will. Some of the worst criminals in the world have been among the most intelligent and well-educated people.

The Feast of Tabernacles remembered how Israel traveled through the desert and looked forward to the kingdom of the Messiah. For almost forty years, the Jews lived in booths made of branches to remember how God cared for their nation (Lev. 23:33–44).
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After the Feast of Trumpets and the solemn Day of Atonement, the people had a festive time during Tabernacles. Big candlesticks illuminated the temple area, evoking memories of the guiding pillar of fire. Every day, the priests would bring water from the Pool of Siloam and pour it out of a golden vessel, which reminded the Jews of how God gave them water from the rock.

The feast may have been a happy time for the people, but it was a challenging time for Jesus because it marked the start of open and violent opposition to Him and His work. The Jewish leaders wanted to kill Jesus ever since He healed the paralyzed man on the Sabbath (John 7:1, 19–20, 25, 30, 32, 44; and note 8:37, 40). He stayed in Galilee, where it was safer, but He couldn't stay there and also celebrate the feast.

There are three parts to John 7: before the feast (vv. 1–10), during the feast (vv. 11–36), and on the last day of the feast (vv. 37–52). People reacted in three ways during each of those times: disbelief, debate, and division.

Disbelief Before the Feast (7:1-10)

Mary had more children, and Joseph was their real father (Matt. 13:55–56; Mark 6:1–6). This means that Jesus was their half-brother. It seems hard to believe that His brothers lived with Him for so long and were unaware of how special He was. They must have known about His miracles (see John 7:3–4) because everyone else did. They had the best opportunity to watch and test Him because they were so close to Him, but they still didn't believe.

People were going to a religious feast, but they were also rejecting their Messiah. It's so easy to follow tradition and miss the truth that lasts forever. The publicans and sinners were pleased about what He said, but His own half-brothers were making fun of Him.

Many hoped He would do something amazing to inspire people to follow Him. There would be many pilgrims in Jerusalem, which would be the perfect place for Jesus to show Himself and obtain followers. There is no doubt that the brothers knew that many of Jesus' followers had left him (John 6:66). This was His opportunity to get back what He had lost. Three years earlier, Satan had made a similar suggestion (Matt. 4:1ff.).

Jesus had already said no to the crowd's offer to make Him king (John 6:15), and He wasn't going to succumb to them in any way. Renown people may become rich and famous by getting applause from fans, but God's servants know better. If Jesus chose, He could gather a crowd, demonstrate that He was the Messiah, and defeat the enemy by performing miracles during the feast in the "official city." The idea came from people who didn't believe. Psalm 69:8 says, "I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children." This fate was inevitable. (Since Jesus wasn't Joseph's real son, He couldn't say "My father's children.")

Jesus did not show Himself to the world at this time (John 14:22ff.). He will come back one day, and "every eye shall see Him" (Rev. 1:7). We have observed that our Lord operated on a "divine timetable" established by the Father (John 2:4; 7:6, 8, 30; 8:20; 12:23; 13:1; 17:1).

Jesus was being careful because He knew that the Jewish leaders wanted to kill Him. Even though they were "religious" leaders, they were part of "the world" that hated Jesus because He showed them how evil their actions were. He showed how shallow and empty their useless religious system was through His character and His ministry. He called people back to the truth of life in God. History shows that the "religious system" often hurts the prophets of God who are sent to save it!

Jesus was not lying or trying to avoid the truth; He was being smart and careful. What if He told His brothers what He was going to do and they told someone else? Is there a chance that the leaders will obtain the information? He said, "I will go to the feast when the time is right." After His family left, Jesus went to Jerusalem "under cover" so that no one would notice Him.

In what our Lord did, we see a beautiful example of God's sovereignty and our responsibility. The Father had a plan for His Son, and nothing could stand in the way of it. Jesus didn't rush to the feast to test the Father, nor did He lag behind when the proper time had come for Him to attend the feast. To know when God wants you to do something, you need spiritual discernment.