The Gospel of John: John 7.1-24

Read and meditate on John 7.1-24.
Jesus knows that the Jews have determined to destroy Him. But He is undeterred. He manages His time to make sure that everything that must happen does happen. And He is not cowed by those who oppose Him, though they appeal to tradition, reason, Scripture, and even name-calling. Jesus is in charge, and His Word will not fail.

                                        ¹After these
things, Jesus walked again in Galilee,
for He would not go to Judea, where
the Jews determined they would kill Him there.
²The Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.
³His brothers said to Him, “Go to the land
of Judah, so that Your disciples may
observe the works You do. ⁴No one should say
or do in secret anything while he
seeks to be heard and followed openly.
If You must do these things, then go and show
Yourself unto the world.” ⁵For it was so,
that even His own brothers did not yet
believe in Him. ⁶Then Jesus said, “My set
time is not come; your time will always be.
⁷The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me
because I say its works are evil. ⁸You
go to this feast. I am not going to
it, for My time is not yet fully come.”
⁹When He had said these things, He stayed for some
time longer there in Galilee. ¹⁰But when
His brothers had gone to Judea, then
He also went up to the feast. But He
went secretly, rather than openly.
¹¹The Jews were seeking Him. They wondered where
He was. ¹²And there was much complaining there
concerning Him. Some said, “Yes, He is good.”
But others contradicted them: “How could
He be? He’s a deceiver!” ¹³No one though
spoke openly of Him. The Jews would know,
and all the people were afraid of them.
¹⁴About the middle of the feast, He went
into the temple and began to teach.
¹⁵Amazed, the Jews said, “How can this Man preach
like this? For He does not know letters, nor
has ever studied such deep things before.”
¹⁶But Jesus answered, “My instruction is
not Mine, but His Who sent Me. ¹⁷And if His
will anyone would do, then he shall know
My teaching, whether I have on My own
authority been speaking, or if I
am speaking words that come from God on high.
¹⁸He seeks to glorify himself who speaks
his own words only; but the One Who seeks
the glory of the One Who sent Him, He
is true, and no unrighteousness can be
in Him. ¹⁹Did Moses not give you the Law?
And yet you do not keep it. Why are all 
of you intent on killing Me?” ²⁰So then
the people said, “You have a demon. When
did anybody seek to kill You?” ²¹“I
performed one work” He answered, “which is why
you marvel. ²²If a man is circumcised
upon the Sabbath, so that all the wise
and holy Law of Moses is upheld,
are you so angry that a man is well,
who had been lame, because I healed him on
the Sabbath? ²⁴Do not judge by looking on
appearances, but judge with righteousness.”

- John 7.1-24

Reflect
1.  Why were people beginning to believe in Jesus? Why were some opposing Him? In every generation, some will believe, some will oppose, and some will just not make up their minds. How should we prepare for each of these responses (cf. Acts 17.32-34)? Complete this prayer: You have sent me as You were sent, Lord – to embody and proclaim Your Kingdom. Give me grace for today so that…

2.  Jesus knew certain people hated Him (v. 7), but that did not cause Him to back down from His witness. Jesus did not fear others, or what they might do to Him. Do you? Give me boldness, Lord, so that I might be strong to…

3.  Jesus shakes things up, but not because He’s loud or brash or bullying. He simply proclaimed the truth. I think many believers in our day are reluctant to share their faith because they’re afraid of upsetting people. What counsel would you give such people? Lord, if people get upset with me, let it be because of You, and not because of…

4.  Jesus had the Word of God. He was and is the Word of God. He was not impressed by the flimsy and changeable views of men, and He did not hesitate to expose them for the feeble platforms they were. How does His example counsel us? I have so much to learn, Lord, but I can’t wait until I learn everything to carry out my calling as Your witness. Today, though, I will…

5.  What does Jesus mean by saying we should judge everything – every claim to truth, every opinion or action, everything – with “righteous judgment”? How do you plan to grow in your ability to do this?  Bring together into one prayer the prayers you composed for questions 1-4.

Summary
“It requires a lot of work in this world to stay clear of the vice our Lord has noted in this place. It is difficult to maintain sound judgment and to stop judging by appearances. His admonition to the Jews is an admonition to us as well.… Let us not judge, then, by appearances, but hold to sound judgment. But who is it who does not judge according to appearances? It is the one who loves [all] equally. When there is equal love for all, then we do not accept people on the basis of who they are. We are not talking about a situation where we honor people in a different way because of their different degrees of status. This is not an instance where we should be afraid that we are accepting people on the basis [of who they are]. For instance, there may be a case to decide between father and son. We should not put the son on an equal footing with the father in point of honor. But, in respect of truth, if the son has the better cause, we should give him the preference. In this way we give each their due so that justice does not destroy merit.” Augustine (354-430 AD)

What have you learned from Jesus in John 7.1-24 about being a more effective witness for the Lord and His Kingdom?

Closing Prayer
Praise the LORD!
Sing to the LORD a new song,
AndHis praise in the assembly of saints.
Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
Let them praise His name with the dance;
Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.
For the LORDtakes pleasure in His people;
He will beautify the humble with salvation.
Let the saints be joyful in glory;
Let them sing aloud on their beds.
Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
And a two-edged sword in their hand…

Psalm 149.1-6

Psalm 149 (Toulon: I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art)
Sing to the Lord a glorious song and new!
Praise Him you people, to Whom praise is due!
Let us rejoice, let us be glad in Him
Who has created us and cleansed our sin.

Praise Him with dance, with tambourine and lyre!
To be so praised is God’s one great desire.
Lord, beautify Your holy ones with grace;
Show us the mercy of Your saving face.

Sing to the Lord, exult with great delight!
Sing on your beds with joy to God by night!
Sing praise and take His Word into your hand;
Publish His grace and wrath in every land!

T. M. Moore

Jesus is the Centerpiece of all Scripture, as He Himself explained (Jn. 5.39). But how can we learn to see Him there? How do the primary themes of Scripture revolve around Jesus? Our online course, Introduction to Biblical Theology, shows you how best to get at, get into, and get with the Word of God, so that you can grow more consistently in the Lord. It’s free, and you can study at your own pace. For more information or to register, click here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series IV a and b: John, edited by Joel C. Elowsky, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006. Verse translation of John by T. M. Moore.