Happy, Happy, Happy Tuesday! I’m so glad you came to study with me. Welcome to afaithtalk. Tuesday is Bible Study day and this week we’re on John 7. Grab your Bible, something to write with and something to write on and settle in for what is guaranteed to be an enlightening lesson.
First, let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, we’re here to learn and be awed by all You will show us in this chapter. Please lead. Reveal all that we need to see. In Your holy and precious name I pray. All the glory is yours. Amen.
John 7 in the NIV, if you don’t have it.
Read John 7:1
Jesus Goes to the Festival of Tabernacles
There’s a footnote on ‘want’. We could see His reluctance as knowing He didn’t yet have the authority, boy do I dislike using that word against Him, because He has all the authority, but we know the reason he couldn’t go is He was following God’s will and God hadn’t yet said “go.”
Read John 7:2-5
His brothers mention the ‘works that you do.’ Apparently they were not seeing the signs John is working so hard to show us.
Read John 7:6-9
These words clarify others that Jesus said, specifically in John 15.
John 15:19
If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
Now that you’ve seen both of them, verses 6&7 and verse 19 from John 15, what is the difference?
Read John 7:10–13
His time came, and he went secretly. Come see what He’s going to do.
Read John 7:14
Jesus Teaches at the Festival
When did Jesus start teaching at the festival?
Read John 7:15-19
Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out what?
Wow, look at verse 18, have you seen this in your own life? We can choose to let all we do be for His glory, not our own. This One seeking the glory of God is a ____________________; there is nothing false about him. That’s how he can make the statement in verse 19. “Yet not one of you _____________________.”
Read John 7:20
Read John 7:21-24
If you can injure a baby on the Sabbath, why get angry that He healed someone’s whole body on the Sabbath? It’s misjudging to be angry for this. Praise should be given for the healing.
Read John 7:25-27
Division Over Who Jesus Is
Do you hear them trying to convince themselves Jesus is not the Messiah?
Read John 7:28-29
Why is it that when Jesus says things like this they get all upset? I think it’s not just the words, it’s the actions. They’ve seen him heal and forgive sins and gather large crowds and convince people He is God’s Son. And when He says these things to remind them of so, they get all upset, murderously angry and well, go on…
Read John 7:30-31
This is encouraging, don’t you think? Here they are questioning maybe, He really is the Messiah. I think these people are among those mentioned below. Because I think these people were able to figure it out.
Read John 7:32
Yet not everyone was questioning. Not everyone was trying to figure it out for themselves.
Read John 7:33-34
Praise You, Jesus, for being with us every moment of every day now.
Read John 7:35-36
If only they understood where Jesus was intending to go.
Read John 7:35-39
What day did this happen?
This is from Wikipedia:
The holiday lasts seven days in the Land of Israel and eight in the diaspora. The first day (and second day in the diaspora) is a Shabbat-like holiday when work is forbidden. This is followed by intermediate days called Chol Hamoed, when certain work is permitted. The festival is closed with another Shabbat-like holiday called Shemini Atzeret (one day in the Land of Israel, two days in the diaspora, where the second day is called Simchat Torah). Shemini Atzeret coincides with the eighth day of Sukkot outside the Land of Israel.
The calendar is different in Israel, that’s why. This year, 2021, the Feast of Tabernacles is September 20-27th.
Rivers of __________________ is how Jesus described the gift those who believe will receive.
How did John interpret this for us and what had to happen before this river would come?
Read John 7:40-44
They know their Scripture, that is rather evident. They just don’t know Jesus’s whole earthly life. Some things are hidden so that in believing we can know. We know this history that they don’t. Because we have these books to read, but the people here don’t have them, they have what we call the Old Testament, they call the Torah and the Prophets.
Read John 7:45-52
Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders
Write verse 46
“Earlier,” meaning Nicodemus went to Jesus in Chapter 3. The discussion Jesus has with Nicodemus in chapter three includes the most quoted verse in Christianity, but right before it, Jesus says “that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” John 3:15. I wonder how often Nicodemus replayed that discussion in his mind or if His faith exploded the moment He had talked with Jesus and he kept his faith in Him secret because so many of the Pharisees hadn’t seen The Light. Just know, Nicodemus will come back again. He believes.
Stop here. We’re going to put verse 53 with chapter 8 because it splits a sentence and we are only doing chapter seven this week.
May we all know, He is who He says He is. Jesus, the Son of God, our Messiah, the giver of all good things, Emmanuel.
So Loved by Matthew West