The Gospel of John Made Easy
Chapter 7
Verses 1-10
After these things happen, Jesus stayed in the area of Galilee. He did not stay in Judea area because the Jews were looking for him to try to kill him.
It was the time for the Feast of Tabernacles. Jesus would need to go to Jerusalem for the feast. His brothers did not believe that Jesus was God’s son. They made fun of him.
They said, “You need to go to into Judea so your followers can see you—-so they can see the great works that you do. If you do these wonderful things, you need to let the world know. Stop hiding here in Galilee.”
Jesus told them, “My time has not yet come.” You go ahead and go to Jerusalem. The world does not hate you. The world hates me, because I have shown them that they sin. You go on up to the feast. I will not go yet.”
Vs. 10 After his brothers left, Jesus did go up to Jerusalem, but he went secretly and kept to himself so no one saw him.
Verses 11 -13
At the feast, the Jewish leaders were looking for Jesus. They asked people if they saw him. Some of the people thought Jesus was a good man. Some of the people thought Jesus was deceiving (fooling, tricking) the people.
None of them talked about Jesus openly. They were afraid of the Jewish leaders because they knew the Jewish leaders did not like Jesus. They did not want the Jewish leaders to be angry with them and not let them come to the temple.
Verses 14-24
When the feast was half way done, Jesus went up to the temple. He began teaching. The Jewish leaders heard him. They said to each other, “How can this man teach like this? He says things like a man who has studied a long time.” Yet they knew Jesus had only learned what every Jewish boy learns in his church.
Jesus said to them, “I teach things that the One who sent me tells me to say.”
“If any one will do His will, they would know if I am teaching my own words, or if I am teaching God’s words. A person who teaches his own thoughts is trying to get glory for himself but if he seeks the glory of the Person who sent him then what he says is true and there is no sin in him.”
Jesus said, “Moses gave you the law. But none of you are keeping it. Because you are trying to kill me.” (Moses’ law the 10 Commandments say Thou shall not kill.)
Vs. 20 They said to Jesus, “No one is trying to kill you. You must have a devil.”
That was not true because they were trying to kill him.
Vs. 21 Jesus said, “I did one miracle on the Sabbath by healing a man and you are angry.
But you work on the Sabbath. You circumcise baby boys on the Sabbath, if the eighth day falls on a Sabbath. You think it is OK to obey Moses’ law and work on the Sabbath, but you do not think I should heal a man on the Sabbath.”
Vs. 24 “You need to make right judgments.”
Verses 25 -30
Some of the people said, “Is this the man they are trying to kill? Here he is teaching openly and they do not stop him or take him. Do they think that maybe he is the Christ?
We know who this man is. (They knew Jesus was from Nazareth.) When the Christ comes, we will not know where he comes from.”
This was not true. If those people had really known the prophecies of the Old Testament they would have been able to see that Jesus’ life followed what the Bible told.
Vs. 28 Jesus said, “Yes, you know me and you know where I come from. But I do not come of myself, He who sent me is true. But you do not know Him. I know Him because I come from Him. He has sent me.”
The leaders were angry with these words and they wanted to take him, but they did not try. Because it was not yet time for Jesus to die.
Verses 31 -38
Some of the people believed on him. They said, “When Christ comes, will he do more miracles than this man? Look at the miracles this man has done! How can the promised Christ do any more than he has done?”
The Jewish leaders heard the people talking. They sent soldiers to try and take Jesus.
Jesus said to them, “I will be here only a little while, then I will go to Him who sent me. You will look for me, but you will not find me. Where I will be, you will not be able to come.”
The Jews talked together: “Where will he go that we can not find him? Will he go live among the Gentiles (non-Jews)?” “What does he mean?”
On the last day of the feast, Jesus stood and said to the people, “If any man is thirsty, let him come to me and I will give him a drink. He that believes on me, out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.” (Isaiah 44:3 I will pour water on him that is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground: I will pour out my spirit on my children, and pour blessing on my children.”
Verses 39 -52
Jesus was talking about the Spirit that believers would receive. The Holy Spirit had not yet come, because Jesus had not yet died, raised from the dead and gone back to heaven.
Many people believed Jesus and believed he was a Prophet. Others said he was the Messiah, the Christ. Others said, “How can the Messiah come out of Galilee?” “The Prophets said that the Messiah would come out of Bethlehem, where King David was.”
It seems the people did not know as much about Jesus as they thought. Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
Vs. 43 The people argued about this.
Vs. 44 Some of them would have taken Jesus, but no one put their hands on him.
Vs. 45 The soldiers came back to the Jewish leaders. The leaders asked them why they did not bring Jesus. The soldiers said, “We have never heard any one talk like this man.” Jesus spoke with such power that people were amazed.
The leaders asked them, “Are you also believing in this man? Have any of us leaders believed him? Those people out there do not know the law. We know the law.”
Vs. 50 One of the leaders, Nicodemus (He is the one who came to talk with Jesus on night,) said, “By our law, we do not judge a man until we hear him and know what he does.” In other words, Jesus should have a trial before a jury before them killed him.
Vs. 52 The leaders said to Nicodemus, “There is no place in the Scriptures that says that the Messiah comes out of Galilee.”
Vs. 53 They all went to their homes.