New Testament Commentary - John 7

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 6 Jesus' kinsmen believe not—He teaches his Father's doctrine and proclaims his divine Sonship—Truth may be known through obedience— He offers living water to all men— Divers opinions concerning him.
1 AFTER these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews ^asought to ^bkill him.		1^a D&C 128:20; 2^a Mark 9:2 (2-13); Luke 9:29 (28-36); John 1:14; 2 Pet. 1:16 (16-19); TG Jesus Christ, Glory of;
2 Now the Jews' ^afeast of tabernacles was at hand. 3 His ^abrethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. 4 For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world.		1^a D&C 128:20; 2^a Mark 9:2 (2-13); Luke 9:29 (28-36); John 1:14; 2 Pet. 1:16 (16-19); TG Jesus Christ, Glory of;
5 For neither did his brethren believe in him. 6 Then Jesus said unto them, My ^atime is not yet come: but your time is alway ready. 7 The world cannot hate you; but me it ^ahateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are ^bevil.		1^a D&C 128:20; 2^a Mark 9:2 (2-13); Luke 9:29 (28-36); John 1:14; 2 Pet. 1:16 (16-19); TG Jesus Christ, Glory of;
8 Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for my time is not yet full come. 9 When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee.
10 ¶ But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. 11 Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he? 12 And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people. 13 Howbeit no man spake openly of him for ^afear of the Jews.
14 ¶ Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. 15 And the Jews ^amarvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?
16 Jesus answered them, and said, My ^adoctrine is not mine, but his that ^bsent me. 17 If any man will ^ado his ^bwill, he shall ^cknow of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. 18 He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own ^aglory: but he that seeketh his ^bglory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.
19 Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me? 20 The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee?
21 Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel^a. 22 Moses therefore gave unto you ^acircumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man. 23 If a man on the ^asabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit ^bwhole on the sabbath day?	21^a I have done one work, and ye all marvel Because of the lack of faith and the murderous attitude of the Jews of the land of Jerusalem, Jesus had not performed but the one great miracle or 'work' of healing the infirmed lame man at the pool of Bethesda. At that time they did seek to take Jesus to kill him. And this supposedly because it was done on the Sabbath and also more to the point, that Jesus had established that the evidence of that 'one work' did witness, along with other witnesses, that He was the Messiah, even the Son of God.
24 ^aJudge not according to ^bthe ^cappearance, but judge righteous judgment. 25 Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill? 26 But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the ^arulers know indeed that this is the very Christ?
27 Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is. 28 Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is ^atrue, whom ye know not. 29 But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath ^asent me.
30 Then they ^asought to take him: but no man laid hands on him, because his ^bhour was not yet come. 31 And many of the people believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done?
32 ¶ The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him; and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him. 33 Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me. 34 Ye shall ^aseek me, and shall not find me: and ^bwhere I am, ^cthither ye ^dcannot come.
35 Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he go, that we shall not find him?^a will he go unto the dispersed among the ^aGentiles, and teach the Gentiles? 36 What manner of saying is this that he said, Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come?	35^a Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? In death there is a division between the righteous and the wicked. The religious rulers of the Jews were wicked, guilty of priestcraft, apostasy, extorsion and much more, including the eventual murder of the Son of God. They in their death will be confined to that Spirit Prison and not to that Paradise of the Spirit World where the righteous will be found. Thus where the Jewish rulers would go, they would not be able to find him for at no time would Jesus visit personally the wicked in the spirit prison but he would organize his ministers to go and preach to them. This was a 'hidden' way of saying in rough layman's terms, you're going to hell and I'm going to heaven.
37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man ^athirst, let him come unto me, and ^bdrink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the ^aSpirit, which they that believe on him should receive: ^bfor the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
40 ¶ Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the ^aProphet. 41 Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? 42 Hath not the scripture said, That ^aChrist cometh of the seed of ^bDavid, and out of the town of ^cBethlehem, where David was?
43 So there was a ^adivision among the people because of him. 44 And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him.
45 ¶ Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him? 46 The officers answered, Never man ^aspake like this man.
47 Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also ^adeceived? 48 Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him? 49 But this people who knoweth not the law are ^acursed.
50 ^aNicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,) 51 Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth? 52 They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet. 53 And every man went unto his own house.