Tag: religion

Division Among the People

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John 7:40-53 Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, of a truth this is the Prophet. Others said, this is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said that Christ come of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was? So there was a division among the people because of him. And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him. Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have you not brought him? The officers answered, Never man spoke like this man. Then answered them the Pharisees, Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him? But this people who know not the law are cursed. Nicodemus said unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,) Do our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he does? They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search and look: for out of Galilee arise no prophet. And every man went unto his own house. 

There was division amongst the people whether Jesus was a Prophet or the Christ. The fourth Old Testament prophecy was fulfilled with Christ being born in Bethlehem and of David’s seed (Isa. 11:1, 10; Jer. 23:5; Mic. 5:1-2).

They laid no hands on Him because they were powerless to arrest Him, not being permitted by God.

The chief priests and Pharisees asked the officers if they were also deceived by Jesus because none of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in Him. Rulers believing a thing or not, does not prove it to be right or wrong. This is a standard held too long now by too many people. Many rulers did believe in Him (John 12:42; 19:38-39). They also stated that the people did not know the law and were therefore cursed. Neither knowing the law nor keeping it saves the soul. The law only condemns and makes guilty (Rom. 3:9-23; 7:7-25; 1Jn. 3:4).

Nicodemus, who was a Pharisee as well as a disciple of Christ, stated that their law doesn’t judge anyone before hearing him and know what he knows.

The chief priests and Pharisees stated ignorance of facts that some claimed to know in John 7:27, that when the Messiah would be born He would hide Himself and that when He appeared no man would know from where He had come. Christ was not born in Galilee, but in Bethlehem (Matt. 2:1-23; Luke 2:1-52). If they had searched they would have found that Jonah, Hosea, Elijah, Elisha, and others were from the Northern kingdom and not from Judea.

Rivers of Living Water

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John 7:37-39 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, 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. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) 

‘The last day, that great day of the feast’ it was the eighth day, the great day of the feast because it was a day of great assembly and offering sacrifices for Israel. The first seven days they professed to offer sacrifices for other nations (Lev. 23:34-36). On this day a priest drew water from the pool of Siloam in a golden vessel and brought it to the temple. When the morning sacrifice was on the altar he poured this water mingled with wine upon it, while the people were singing with great joy. It was perhaps at this time that the Lord made His great prophecy of the fullness of the Holy Spirit in the life of each believer in Him.

The 20th New Testament prophecy that is being fulfilled for those who believe all that Jesus has done and commanded in that they will receive the Holy Spirit after the new birth. ‘Any man’ of every race and generation from the beginning of the fulfilment of this prophecy can experience the ‘rivers of living waters’ (Acts 2:38-39; 5:32; Gal. 3:14).

The conditions of receiving the Holy Spirit as given in verse 37, are first to ‘thirst’ which means the ardent, eager, famishing, keen, and all-consuming craving and passion of the soul for complete union with God and the fullness of the Spirit (Psa. 42:2; 63:1; 143:6; Isa. 41:17; 44:3). Secondly, to come unto Him meaning the complete surrender of the life to do the whole will of God as light (knowledge of the Word) is received (Isa. 55:1; Matt. 11:28-30; 1Jn. 1:7). Thirdly, to drink, which means the whole-hearted reception into one’s life of the gifts, the fruit, and operations of the Holy Spirit (1Cor. 12:4-13; Gal. 5:22-23). And lastly, it states in verse 38, to believe on Him which means to believe in and obey to the letter the whole gospel program (John 14:12-15; Matt. 28:20; Mark 16:15-20; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-8; 5:32).

‘Out of his belly’ the Greek word for belly is koilia which refers to hollow, bowels, belly, the midst of a thing. Here it means the innermost being or part of man; the soul and spirit, as the seat of the intellect, emotions and desires (Psa. 31:9; Pro. 18:8; 20:27; John 7:38).  ‘Shall flow rivers of living water’ – out of the believer will flow unlimited power to do the works of Christ as John 14: 12 states. It will be a constant flow from the believer of the Spirit without measure – the measure Christ experienced.

Where I Am

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John 7:32-36 The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him; and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him. Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me. You shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither you cannot come. Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles? What manner of saying is this that he said, You shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither you cannot come? 

The Pharisees heard that the people murmured about Jesus being the Christ and they and the chief priests sent officers to arrest Him. Jesus responded by giving the nineteenth New Testament prophecy which was fulfilled: that He will be with them only a little longer – He was crucified 7 months later at the next Passover when He becomes the Passover lamb for all men – and then He went back to the Father at the ascension. They shall seek Him, and not find Him was a prophetic reference to the nation seeking a deliverer in vain when the Romans would come and destroy their city in 70 AD.

And where He will be (in Heaven), they cannot come. One must meet certain conditions to go up to where He now is. If one is cut off in his sins he will never be able to go there, but if one is saved from them he will go there at death or after the rapture (2Cor. 5:8; Php. 1:21-24; Heb. 12:23; Rev. 6:9-11).

The Jews thought that Jesus would go someplace else on earth and teach other nations (Gentiles simply means non-Israelites nations).  They did not comprehend that He would die for them and return to Heaven.

Can This Be the Christ?

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John 7:25-31 Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill? But, lo, he speak boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ? Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man know whence he is. Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, You both know me, and you know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom you know not. But I know him: for I am from him, and he has sent me. Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come. And many of the people believed on him, and said, When Christ come, will he do more miracles than these which this man has done? 

The question arose under the people if Jesus was not the one whom the Pharisees seek to kill because He spoke with such wisdom and authority; and if the rulers would indeed know that He (Jesus) is the very Christ (the anointed)?

The Rabbis taught from Isaiah 53:8 that when the Messiah would be born He would hide Himself and that when He appeared no man would know from whence He had come. They had a proverb, “Three things come unexpectedly: a thing found by chance, the sting of a scorpion, and the Messiah.”

Isaiah 53:8 reads that “he was cut off out of the land of the living,” not that He would hide Himself.

Christ answered in verse 28 and 29 their argument by saying that since they know Him and know where He came from, they should add to their knowledge that He did not come of Himself and was no self-appointed prophet. He came from God whom He knew, but whom the Rabbis did not know.

They then wanted to arrest Him, but no man was able to touch Him until His time (to be crucified) has come. God’s power backed up by innumerable angels would not allow Him to be arrested at this time (Matt. 26:53; Luke 22:53; John 18:6).

Many of the people believed He was the Christ because of the miracles He has done.

Judge Righteous Judgment

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John 7:19-24 Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keep the law? Why go you about to kill me? The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who go about to kill thee? Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and you all marvel. Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and you on the sabbath day circumcise a man. If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are you angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day? Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. 

Moses gave the nation of Israel the Law as he received it from God, and the whole summary of the Law (Matt. 22:37-40) was to love God, serve AND obey Him (Deut. 6:5; 7:9; 10:12; 11:1, 13).  Jesus accused the Pharisees of violating the very law they professed to respect and obey, they only kept up the Law for outward appearance that would produce the praise of men and produce followers for their religion (Matt. 23).

Many strangers (people) at the feast were ignorant of the plots of the Pharisees to killed Jesus, so they were astonished at His announcement that they seek Him to kill Him.

This ‘one work’ from verse 21 was the healing of the man on the sabbath (John 7:23; 5:1-16). The Pharisees accused Him of breaking the law and, in the interest of religion, thought He should be killed. He replied that they did more work on the sabbath in circumcising a boy than He did in healing a man, so who was the greater sinner?

The law concerning circumcision was given to Abraham (Gen. 17:9-14); Moses only mentioned the law in Exodus 12:44, 48 and Leviticus 12:3.

‘Judge not according to the appearance’ – Jesus answered those who tried to kill Him for obeying His Father that the covenant of healing (Ex. 15:26) should be obeyed as much as the covenant of circumcision (Gen. 17:9-14); that sickness in their midst proved that they had broken God’s covenant.