John 7

1. Background

Jesus has been revealing Himself to the Jews as their Messiah. But it hasn’t been as simple as saying, “Here I am, your King!” The people have not understood that He is more than a human king coming to restore a broken kingdom. John has already told us He is the Creator become human flesh in the epilogue, and His mission is to take away the sins of the world. This revelation far outstrips the messiah the Jews were expecting. Their misunderstanding of God’s heart, His Word, and what He wants to do is what Old Testament readers should come to expect, however. When did God’s people, the Jews of antiquity, ever come to really understand God?  

Jesus is God’s Son, finally revealing in the flesh what has always been God’s plan from the beginning before He made the world. People are taking sides, choosing whether to believe Jesus’ claims or not. Jesus doesn’t leave a third choice; either He is, or He is not sent from God. The theme of the passage today in John 7 is, “He is the Sent One from God.”

2. What Can we Observe About God?

God’s character is always consistent with His Word.

Jesus did not come to be famous and be fawned over. But this is what Jesus’ half-brothers thought about Him. The Bible tells us they didn’t believe and supposed He was doing things for fame.

“His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. 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. For neither did his brethren believe in him.”  Verse 3-5

But Jesus has been consistent since the beginning. John tells us in chapter one, Jesus is God who became flesh and that He is Lamb of God come to take away the sin of the world.

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…” 1:14

“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” 1:29

If Jesus wanted fame and popularity, He could have simply let them make Him King when they tried to take Him by force in Chapter 6.

“When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.” 6:15

No, Jesus’ actions have always been consistent with God’s word. Jesus tells His unbelieving family the world hates Him because He exposes their sin.

“The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.” Verse 7

This rebuff of our sin has been the bottom line and the root of humanity’s rejection of God from the beginning. We have loved our sin more than we have loved God. And now Jesus has come, and He is consistent with God’s word in rebuffing our sin. We can see this consistency in Jesus at the conclusion of chapter 6. He has refused cheap honor. He has been sent to complete His Father’s will and will not be persuaded to do anything else.  

Again, Jesus is refusing the cheap honor of men. He is sent from God, and He will consistently work according to God’s plan and turn not to the right hand nor to the left. At the Temple, Jesus tells the crowds He only speaks what the Father sent to say.

“My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me” Verse 16

We can trust Jesus’ motives because He isn’t working for His own honor but the glory of His Father who sent Him.

“He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.”

In contrast, religious leaders are, at best, have inconsistent motives and contradictions inside their own moral reasoning. Jesus knows of their plot to put Him to death and again exposes their sin and hypocrisy.

“Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?” Verse 19

They, of course, deny this plot. If we are consistent in anything, it would be our denial and self-justification. The Jews counter Jesus’ accusation with one of their own, claiming He is demon posses or insane:

“The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee?” Verse 20

But now, let the reader decide who is being consistent and who is seeking God’s glory. Jesus has the crowd recall back in Chapter 5 when He healed a man on the Sabbath day.  

“Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.” 5:18

Jesus brings this to their memory and points out the religious leaders will perform a circumcision ritual on the sabbath. The religious leaders would conclude that performing this religious rite is a good and righteous thing to do; however, they seek to kill Him because He had healed someone on the sabbath day. Jesus points out their anger at him is hypocrisy and inconsistent.

“If a man on the sabbath 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 whole on the sabbath day? ” Verse 23

With this one act of Jesus on the sabbath, we see more than just His consistency to perform the Father’s will, but also the witness from the miracles He performs. He is the Messiah and more!

Many of the people had the insight from this point alone to place their faith in Him:

“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?” Verse 31

3. How Does this Passage Point to the Gospel and Jesus Christ?

We can know we can be saved because God gave us a consistent Savior who is as dependable as God’s Word.

Every bit of this is good news for those who wish to be saved from sin and spend eternity with God. There remain on this earth millions who have a religion but sit in spiritual darkness. Many even claim Jesus as the head of their religion, yet are still ignorant of the free salvation to be head in trust Christ alone. They say something like, “How can salvation be so easy?”

It is “easy” for us because Christ did all the work. He didn’t leave anything left undone. He was perfectly consistent and thorough in fulfilling God’s plan. He did such a thorough job; all one needs to need is to come to Jesus and “drink,” and he’ll never thirst again.

“If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” Verses 37-38

God freely gives this offer of living water to quench spiritual thirst. Because of our sin, we are horribly inconsistent hypocrites. Even when we hold ourselves up to our own standards, we fall short. How much more sinful do we become in the face of God’s standard and Christ’s rebuffs? Yet, in verse 37, Jesus is quoting Isaiah 55:1 in fulfillment with Himself.

“Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters,And he that hath no money; Come ye, buy, and eat; Yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”

Isaiah 55:1

This living water is, of course, the same offer Jesus made to the Samaritan woman of chapter four. This offer is consistent with the heart of God to save sinners as He has revealed Himself in Scripture.  

Our confidence in being saved doesn’t come from our own ability, but knowing we have a Savior who is as faithful and steadfast as God’s Word.

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

John 17:3

4. Application

It does not matter what we lose to come to Christ because He is the living water that fills and quenches all thirst. The sinner may lose relationships with family or friends because they’ve chosen to believe in Christ. But Christ is sufficient to fill you with much more.

As Christians, we learn to be filled with Him. We understand the source of our discontentment is sin. Jesus is our constant source to which we can return. As Lord of our life, we confess sinful attitudes as He reveals them, and we look to Him for joy and contentment. We should consider the Living water whenever we attempt to fill our soul with material things only to find they do not truly satisfy.

Without Christ, your sin will remain. Eternal life is priceless, yet He gives it to you free. Don’t pass it up! Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be baptized in His name!