John 7:1-53
My time has not yet arrived. Honor of God. The highest law. Where I am you cannot come. Rivers of living water.
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JOHN 7:1-53
1 After this Jesus traveled throughout Galilee. He stayed out of Judea because the Jewish leaders wanted to kill him. 2 Now the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was near. 3 So Jesus' brothers advised him, "Leave here and go to Judea so your disciples may see your miracles that you are performing. 4 For no one who seeks to make a reputation for himself does anything in secret. If you are doing these things, show yourself to the world." 5 (For not even his own brothers believed in him.) 6 So Jesus replied, "My time has not yet arrived, but you are ready at any opportunity! 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I am testifying about it that its deeds are evil. 8 You go up to the feast yourselves. I am not going up to this feast because my time has not yet fully arrived." 9 When he had said this, he remained in Galilee. 10 But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, then Jesus himself also went up, not openly but in secret. 11 So the Jewish leaders were looking for him at the feast, asking, "Where is he?" 12 There was a lot of grumbling about him among the crowds. Some were saying, "He is a good man," but others, "He deceives the common people." 13 However, no one spoke openly about him for fear of the Jewish leaders. 14 When the feast was half over, Jesus went up to the temple courts and began to teach. 15 Then the Jewish leaders were astonished and said, "How does this man know so much when he has never had formal instruction?" 16 So Jesus replied, "My teaching is not from me, but from the one who sent me. 17 If anyone wants to do God's will, he will know about my teaching, whether it is from God or whether I speak from my own authority. 18 The person who speaks on his own authority desires to receive honor for himself; the one who desires the honor of the one who sent him is a man of integrity, and there is no unrighteousness in him. 19 Hasn't Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law! Why do you want to kill me?" 20 The crowd answered, "You're possessed by a demon! Who is trying to kill you?" 21 Jesus replied, "I performed one miracle and you are all amazed. 22 However, because Moses gave you the practice of circumcision (not that it came from Moses, but from the forefathers), you circumcise a male child on the Sabbath. 23 But if a male child is circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses is not broken, why are you angry with me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? 24 Do not judge according to external appearance, but judge with proper judgment." 25 Then some of the residents of Jerusalem began to say, "Isn't this the man they are trying to kill? 26 Yet here he is, speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to him. Do the rulers really know that this man is the Christ? 27 But we know where this man comes from. Whenever the Christ comes, no one will know where he comes from." 28 Then Jesus, while teaching in the temple courts, cried out, "You both know me and know where I come from! And I have not come on my own initiative, but the one who sent me is true. You do not know him, 29 but I know him, because I have come from him and he sent me." 30 So then they tried to seize Jesus, but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come. 31 Yet many of the crowd believed in him and said, "Whenever the Christ comes, he won't perform more miraculous signs than this man did, will he?" 32 The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things about Jesus, so the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. 33 Then Jesus said, "I will be with you for only a little while longer, and then I am going to the one who sent me. 34 You will look for me but will not find me, and where I am you cannot come." 35 Then the Jewish leaders said to one another, "Where is he going to go that we cannot find him? He is not going to go to the Jewish people dispersed among the Greeks and teach the Greeks, is he? 36 What did he mean by saying, 'You will look for me but will not find me, and where I am you cannot come'?" 37 On the last day of the feast, the greatest day, Jesus stood up and shouted out, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and 38 let the one who believes in me drink. Just as the scripture says, 'From within him will flow rivers of living water.'" 39 (Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were going to receive, for the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.) 40 When they heard these words, some of the crowd began to say, "This really is the Prophet!" 41 Others said, "This is the Christ!" But still others said, "No, for the Christ doesn't come from Galilee, does he? 42 Don't the scriptures say that the Christ is a descendant of David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?" 43 So there was a division in the crowd because of Jesus. 44 Some of them were wanting to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him. 45 Then the officers returned to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why didn't you bring him back with you?" 46 The officers replied, "No one ever spoke like this man!" 47 Then the Pharisees answered, "You haven't been deceived too, have you? 48 None of the rulers or the Pharisees have believed in him, have they? 49 But this rabble who do not know the law are accursed!" 50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before and who was one of the rulers, said, 51 "Our law doesn't condemn a man unless it first hears from him and learns what he is doing, does it?" 52 They replied, "You aren't from Galilee too, are you? Investigate carefully and you will see that no prophet comes from Galilee!" 53 [[And each one departed to his own house.]] (John 7:1-53)
MY TIME HAS NOT YET ARRIVED
6 So Jesus replied, “My time has not yet arrived … 8 You go up to the feast yourselves. I am not going up to this feast because my time has not yet fully arrived. 30 So then they tried to seize Jesus, but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come. (John 7:6-8,30)
It is a common human inclination to prioritize their own agenda, even when it comes to God’s plans. Paul, in a rather detached manner, ridicules those who believe they can approach God solely through obedience to the law: “6But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7or “Who will descend into the abyss?” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). (Romans 10:6-7)”
God operates according to His own schedule and plan. Peter’s sense of self-importance was evident when he unsheathed his sword upon confronting those who had come to apprehend Jesus. If Mary truly understood the identity of her son, she wouldn’t have attempted to influence Jesus during the wedding where he performed the miracle of turning water into wine. The temptation to seek recognition from others is challenging to overcome.
HONOR OF GOD
16 So Jesus replied, “My teaching is not from me, but from the one who sent me. 17 If anyone wants to do God’s will, he will know about my teaching, whether it is from God or whether I speak from my own authority. 18 The person who speaks on his own authority desires to receive honor for himself; the one who desires the honor of the one who sent him is a man of integrity, and there is no unrighteousness in him. 19 Hasn’t Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law! (John 7:16-19)
Many individuals aspire to align themselves with God’s will, but regrettably, they often hold divergent interpretations of what it entails. Each person harbors their own perception of the actions necessary to fulfill God’s will, all of which invariably rely on their own worldly efforts. A striking example is the young ruler who approached Jesus, boasting of his achievements in relation to God’s will, only to be left disheartened and tearful, receiving no affirmation.
Jesus unequivocally stated that “not one of you keeps the law,” yet paradoxically, many Christians believe they are exempt from this truth. In reality, they are not exempt, for it is also explicitly written elsewhere that “there is no one who is righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10-11, 1 John 1:8). Jesus’ commandment to love serves as a reaffirmation of God’s complete law, albeit presented with a far greater level of difficulty. Therefore, if people cannot adhere to Moses’ law, how can they hope to adhere to Jesus’ law?
The irony lies in the fact that those entrusted with teaching the law are themselves incapable of upholding it, yet they presume to instruct others as if they possess such capability. Regrettably, their listeners seldom question whether their instructors are capable of this feat. It is the lawkeepers’ “desire to receive honor” that blinds them to the truth.
THE HIGHEST LAW
22 However, because Moses gave you the practice of circumcision (not that it came from Moses, but from the forefathers), you circumcise a male child on the Sabbath. 23 But if a male child is circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses is not broken, why are you angry with me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? 24 Do not judge according to external appearance, but judge with proper judgment.” (John 7:22-24)
It’s intriguing that Jesus pointed out that circumcision didn’t actually originate with Moses, but rather with their ancestors. However, the law didn’t become associated with Moses until God presented him with the tablets on Mount Sinai. So, the question arises: where did this practice of circumcision find its source?
In Romans 2:14, it is stated: “For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law.” It is possible that the circumcision law passed down from their forefathers might have its roots in this concept. People’s superstitions or practices based on such beliefs could potentially evolve into a form of self-imposed law.
Nevertheless, regardless of their origins, these practices cannot supersede the highest law of God, which is the sending of His Son to atone for human sin, offering salvation to those who believe.
WHERE I AM YOU CANNOT COME
34 You will look for me but will not find me, and where I am you cannot come. (John 7:34)
Paul plainly articulated an undeniable truth when he said, “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor 15:50). This truth remains relevant not only in Jesus’ era but also today, especially for those who rely solely on their worldly efforts to attain God’s standard of righteousness. Many individuals earnestly seek Jesus, yet they struggle to find Him because they fail to view the situation through the lens of faith. Instead of fixing their gaze on Him, who is both the originator and perfecter of their faith, they turn inward, asking themselves, “What actions can I take?” However, the undeniable reality is that there is nothing one can do except place their trust in the One whom God has sent.
RIVERS OF LIVING WATER
37 On the last day of the feast, the greatest day, Jesus stood up and shouted out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and 38 let the one who believes in me drink. Just as the scripture says, ‘From within him will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 (Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were going to receive, for the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.) (John 7:37-39)
Once more, it’s important to understand that Jesus is the sustenance that satisfies your hunger and the source of refreshment for your thirst. The undeniable truth is that the Holy Spirit is bestowed freely as a gift to those who place their faith in the One whom God has sent. He is a person, not a quantity to be dispensed based on the strength of your faith. You either possess Him or you do not; there are no degrees of His presence.
Nghi Nguyen
- Scripture quoted by permission. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer: This is my own opinion on the topic, which does not necessarily reflect the church's theology, or beliefs of the individuals in it — Nghi Nguyen
