The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV

by John MacArthur

  6:45 Jesus paraphrased Is. 54:13 to support the point that if someone comes to faith and repentance to God, it is because they have been “taught,” and hence drawn, by God. The “drawing” and “learning” are just different aspects of God’s sovereign direction in the person’s life. Those taught by God to grasp the truth are also drawn by God the Father to embrace the Son.

  6:49, 50 Jesus contrasted the earthly and heavenly bread. The manna that was given in the wilderness, although sent from heaven to help sustain the Israelites for their physical needs, could not impart eternal life nor meet their spiritual needs as could the “bread of life” (v. 48) that came down from heaven in the person of Jesus the Messiah. The proof of this contrast centers in the irrefutable fact that all the fathers died who ate the wilderness manna.

  6:51–59 This section may be divided into 3 divisions: 1) Jesus’ pronouncement (v. 51); 2) the crowd’s perplexity (v. 52); and 3) Jesus’ promises (vv. 53–59).

  6:51 This pronouncement exactly reiterates vv. 33, 35, 47, 48. My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world. Jesus refers here prophetically to His impending sacrifice upon the cross (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24). Jesus voluntarily laid down His life for evil, sinful mankind (10:18; 1 John 2:2).

  6:52 quarreled. Once again the perplexity of the Jews indicates that they failed to understand the spiritual truth behind Jesus’ illustration. Every time Jesus had given them a veiled saying or physical illustration, the Jews failed to see its spiritual significance (e.g., 3:4; 4:15). The Mosaic law prohibited the drinking of blood or the eating of meat with blood still in it (Lev. 17:10–14; Deut. 12:16; Acts 15:29). The Jews, unable to go beyond the mere physical perspective, were perplexed and angered.

  6:53–58 eat…drink. Jesus’ point was an analogy that has spiritual, rather than literal, significance: just as eating and drinking are necessary for physical life, so also is belief in His sacrificial death on the cross necessary for eternal life. The eating of His flesh and drinking of His blood metaphorically symbolize the need for accepting Jesus’ cross work. For the Jews, however, a crucified Messiah was unthinkable (cf. Acts 17:1–3). Once again, the Jews, in their willful and judicial blindness, could not see the real spiritual significance and truth behind Jesus’ statements. Moreover, Jesus’ reference here to eating and drinking was not referring to the ordinance of communion for two significant reasons: 1) communion had not been instituted yet, and 2) if Jesus was referring to communion, then the passage would teach that anyone partaking of communion would receive eternal life.

  6:60–71 These verses constitute the reaction of Jesus’ disciples to His sermon on the “bread of life.” As with the crowds’ response in Jerusalem (chap. 5) and in Galilee (chap. 6), the response of many of His disciples was unbelief and rejection of Him. John lists two groups and their reactions: 1) the false disciples’ reaction of unbelief (vv. 60–66), and 2) the true disciples’ reaction of belief (vv. 67–71). After this sermon, only a small nucleus of disciples remained (v. 67).

  6:61 His disciples complained. Many of Jesus’ disciples had the same reaction as the Jews in v. 41 and of the first generation of Israelites to manna, i.e., they murmured (Ex. 16:2).

  6:64 Jesus knew. Reminiscent of Jesus’ words in 2:23–25, Jesus knew the hearts of men, including those disciples who followed Him. He supernaturally knew that many did not believe in Him as Messiah and Son of God so He did not entrust Himself to them. These false disciples were simply attracted to the physical phenomena (e.g., miracles and food), and failed to understand the true significance of Jesus’ teaching (v. 61).

  6:65 I have said. See notes on vv. 37, 44. Although men and women are commanded to believe and will be held accountable for unbelief, genuine faith is never exclusively a matter of human decision. Once again, in the face of unbelief, Jesus reiterated God’s sovereignty involved in selection for salvation.

  6:66 disciples…walked with Him no more. The language indicates that the abandonment was decisive and final (cf. 1 Pet. 2:6–8; 1 John 2:19).

  6:69 we have come to believe. Peter’s words were somewhat pretentious in that he implied that the true disciples somehow had superior insight and, as a result, came to belief through that insight.

  6:70 Did I not choose you, the twelve. In response to Peter’s words that the disciples had come to believe in Jesus, He reminds them that He sovereignly chose them (vv. 37, 44, 65). Jesus would not allow even a whisper of human pretension in God’s sovereign selection. a devil. The word “devil” means “slanderer” or “false accuser.” The idea perhaps is better rendered “one of you is the devil.” This meaning is clear from 13:2, 27; Mark 8:33; Luke 22:3. The supreme adversary of God so operates behind failing human beings that his malice becomes theirs (cf. Matt. 16:23). Jesus supernaturally knew the source and identified it precisely. This clearly fixes the character of Judas, not as a well intentioned but misguided man trying to force Jesus to exert His power and set up His kingdom (as some suggest), but as a tool of Satan doing unmitigated wickedness (see notes on 13:21–30).

  6:71 Iscariot. The word most likely is from a Heb. word meaning “man of Kerioth,” the name of a village in Judah. As with the other 3 gospels, as soon as he was named, he became identified as the betrayer.

  John 7

  7:1—8:59 The main thrust of this section can be summarized as “high intensity hatred” since the smoldering dislike of Jesus in chaps. 5, 6 erupted into a blazing inferno. The culmination of this hatred occurs in 11:45–57 where the Jewish authorities plot to kill the Son of God, culminating ultimately in His crucifixion. Both chapters deal with Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. Especially noteworthy is the fact that two major themes associated with Tabernacles, i.e., water and light, come to prominence in these two chapters (vv. 37–39; 8:12). At the next Passover following this celebration of Tabernacles, Jesus was crucified. The central truth that dominates this whole passage is that Jesus was on a divine timetable. His life was not random, but operated according to God’s sovereign and perfect timing and direction.

  7:1–13 This section has two parts: 1) Jesus’ avoidance of the wrong time in God’s sovereign plan (vv. 1–9), and 2) Jesus’ perfect obedience to the right time in God’s sovereign plan (vv. 10–13).

  7:1 After these things. A 6 month gap most likely took place between chaps. 6 and 7. While chap. 6 occurred around Passover (6:4—Apr.), chap. 7 occurs at the Feast of Tabernacles (Oct.). John wrote nothing about those months since his purpose was not to present an exhaustive chronology of Christ’s life but to portray Him as the Messiah and Son of God and show how men reacted to Him. walked in Galilee. Chapter 6 indicates Jesus spent two days with the multitude of 20,000 people (6:22), but He spent 7 months teaching His 12 disciples who believed in Him. This phrase subtly highlights the great importance of discipleship, for Jesus concentrated great lengths of time upon training His future spiritual leaders.

  7:2 Feast of Tabernacles. See note on 5:1. The Feast of Tabernacles was associated in the OT with the ingathering of the harvest of grapes and olives (Ex. 23:16; Lev. 23:33–36, 39–43; Deut. 16:13–15), while grain was reaped between Apr. and June. The feast occurred for 7 days from the 15th to the 21st of Tishri (Sep.–Oct.). According to Josephus, this feast was the most popular of the 3 principal Jewish feasts (Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles). People living in rural areas built makeshift structures of light branches and leaves to live in for the week (hence, “booths” or “tabernacles”; cf. Lev. 23:42) while town dwellers put up similar structures on their flat roofs or in their courtyards. The feast was known for water-drawing and lamp-lighting rites to which Jesus makes reference (“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink”—vv. 37, 38 and “I am the light of the world”—8:12).

  7:3 His brothers. Matthew 13:55 lists Jesus’ brothers as “James, Joses, Simon, and Judas.” James authored the NT epistle that bears his name and became the leader of the Jerusalem church and Judas (or Jude) wrote the epistle that also bears his name. Beca
use of Jesus’ virgin birth, they were only the half-brothers of Jesus since Mary, not Joseph, was Jesus’ only human parent (cf. Matt. 1:16, 18, 23; Luke 1:35).

  7:4 to be known openly…. show Yourself to the world. Jesus’ brothers wanted Him to put on a display of His miracles. Although the text does not clearly state their motivation, perhaps they made the request for two reasons: 1) they wanted to see the miracles for themselves to determine their genuineness, and 2) they may have had similar crass political motives as did the people, namely that He would become their social and political Messiah. Jerusalem’s acceptance of Him was to be the acid test for them as to whether His own family would believe in Him as Messiah.

  7:5 As with the crowds in Jerusalem and Galilee, even His own brothers did not believe in Him at first. They did not become His followers until after the resurrection (Acts 1:14; 1 Cor. 15:7).

  7:6 My time has not yet come. This recalls the response to Jesus’ mother at the wedding in Cana (see 2:4). It also reveals the first reason why Jesus would not go to the feast: it was not in God’s perfect timing. The sentence reveals Jesus’ complete dependence on and commitment to the Father’s sovereign timetable for His life (cf. 8:20; Acts 1:7; 17:26). Furthermore, Jesus never committed Himself to being motivated by unbelief, even that of His own half-brothers. your time is always ready. Because Jesus’ brothers did not believe in Him, they were of the world and therefore, knew nothing of God or His purposes. Because of unbelief, they did not listen to His word, did not recognize God’s schedule, and could not perceive the incarnate Word before them. As a result, any time would do for them, preferably that moment.

  7:7 The world cannot hate you. The world cannot hate Jesus’ brothers because they belonged to the world and the world loves its own (cf. 15:18, 19). The evil world system and all who reject the Word and Son of God lie in the control of the evil one himself (1 John 5:19). I testify of it that its works are evil. A true born-again believer who is living a life for God’s glory should experience the hatred and antagonism of the world (cf. 15:18–25; 16:1–3; 2 Tim. 3:12).

  7:8 My time has not yet fully come. This reveals the second reason why Jesus would not go to the feast in Jerusalem. The Jews could not kill Him before God’s perfect timing and plan was ready (cf. Gal. 4:4). Jesus’ commitment to God’s timetable would not permit any deviance from what God had decreed.

  7:10 in secret. The assumption is that the Father had directed Jesus to permit Him to go to Jerusalem. The secrecy of His journey indicates His maximum discretion which was the complete opposite of what His brothers had demanded of Him (cf. v. 4).

  7:11 the Jews sought Him. The contrast between the phrase “the Jews” in this verse and “the people” in v. 12 indicates that the term “Jews” designates the hostile Jewish authorities in Judea who were headquartered in Jerusalem. The search for Jesus was certainly hostile in intent.

  7:12, 13 complaining among the people. The crowds, made up of Judeans, Galileans, and Diaspora (scattered) Jews, expressed various opinions regarding Christ. The spectrum ranged from superficial acceptance (“He is good”) to cynical rejection (“He deceives the people”). The Jewish Talmud reveals that the latter view of deception became the predominant opinion of many Jews (Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 43a).

  7:14–24 The increasing hostility to Jesus did not prevent His teaching ministry. Instead, Jesus relentlessly set forth His claims regarding His identity and mission. In the midst of the Feast of Tabernacles, when Jews from all over Israel had migrated into Jerusalem, Jesus once again began to teach. In this section, Jesus set forth the justification of His ministry and taught with authority as God’s Son. In this passage, 5 reasons are set forth as to why Jesus’ claims regarding Himself are true: 1) His supernatural knowledge originated from the Father Himself (vv. 15, 16); 2) His teaching and knowledge could be confirmed by testing (v. 17); 3) His actions demonstrated His selflessness (v. 18); 4) His impact on the world was startling (vv. 19, 20); and 5) His deeds demonstrated His identity as the Son of God (vv. 21–24).

  7:14 middle of the feast. Jesus may have waited until the middle of the feast in order to prevent a premature “triumphal entry” that some may have forced upon Him for political motivations. into the temple and taught. Jesus taught according to the custom of the teachers or rabbis of His day. Prominent rabbis would enter the temple environs and expound on the OT to crowds who sat around them.

  7:15 marveled. Jesus’ knowledge of Scripture was supernatural. The people were amazed that someone who had never studied at any great rabbinical centers or under any great rabbis could display such profound mastery of Scripture. Both the content and manner of Jesus’ teachings were qualitatively different than any other teacher.

  7:16 His who sent Me. The qualitative difference of Jesus’ teaching was found in its source, i.e., the Father gave it to Him (8:26, 40, 46, 47; 12:49, 50). It originated from God the Father Himself, in contrast to rabbis who received it from man (Gal. 1:12). While rabbis merely relied on the authority of others (a long chain of human tradition), Jesus’ authority centered in Himself (cf. Matt. 7:28, 29; Acts 4:13).

  7:17 If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know. Those who are fundamentally committed to doing God’s will will be guided by Him in the affirmation of His truth. God’s truth is self-authenticating through the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit (cf. 16:13; 1 John 2:20, 27).

  7:18 He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him. While other saviors and messiahs acted for their own selfish interests, thereby revealing their falseness, Jesus Christ as God’s Son came solely to glorify the Father and accomplish the Father’s will (2 Cor. 2:17; Phil. 2:5–11; Heb. 10:7).

  7:19, 20 kill Me. If Jesus were another religious fake, the world never would have reacted in such hatred. Since the evil world system loves its own, its hatred toward Him demonstrates that He came from God (15:18, 19).

  7:21 one work. The context makes clear (vv. 22, 23) that Jesus had reference to the healing of the paralytic that evoked the beginning of persecution against Him by the Jewish authorities because it took place on the Sabbath (see 5:1–16).

  7:22 but from the fathers. The patriarchal period during the time of Abraham when God instituted the sign of circumcision (Gen. 17:10–12), which was later included as part of the Mosaic covenant at Sinai (Ex. 4:26; 12:44, 45). This observation not only depreciated the Jewish esteem for Moses, but even more importantly showed that this rite was antecedent to the Mosaic law and took precedence over it (Gal. 3:17). Furthermore, circumcision antedates the Sabbath law also.

  7:23 on the Sabbath. The law required that circumcision occur on the eighth day (Lev. 12:1–3). If a child was born on the Sabbath, then the eighth day would fall again on the subsequent Sabbath, when the Jews would circumcise the child. Jesus’ point was that the Jews broke their own Sabbath law with the circumcision of the child. Their hypocrisy is evident. I made a man completely well. Jesus used an argument of the lesser to the greater. If ceremonial cleansing of one part of the body is permitted on the Sabbath through the act of circumcision (the less), how much more so should the actual healing of the entire body be permitted on the Sabbath (the greater).

  7:24 with righteous judgment. While Jesus forbade harsh, censorious judgment that self-righteous legalism promotes (Matt. 7:1), He demanded the exercise of moral and theological discernment.

  7:25–36 In this section, John once again reiterated the claims of Jesus to His identity as the Messiah and Son of God. He focused on His divine origin and citizenship. While some believed in Him at this time (v. 31), the religious leaders became even more angry at Him and nefariously planned to seize Him (v. 32). Jesus confronted the people with 3 dilemmas recorded in these verses: 1) the problem of dense confusion (vv. 25–29); 2) the problem of divided conviction (vv. 30–32); and 3) the problem of delayed conversion (vv. 33–36). These 3 problems left Jerusalem in a state of utter despair.

  7:26 He speaks boldly. What surprised the masses was that in spite of the ominous threat from the reli
gious authorities (vv. 20, 32), Jesus boldly proclaimed His identity. Do the rulers know. The question indicates the crowds and the rulers were in great confusion and uncertainty as to who Jesus was and what to do about Him. They did not really have any firm convictions regarding Jesus’ identity, for their question reveals their doubt and unbelief. They were also perplexed at the religious leaders’ failure to arrest and silence Him if He really were a fraud. Such dense confusion caused the crowd to wonder if the religious authorities in private concluded that He was indeed the Christ. Mass confusion among all groups reigned regarding Jesus. Christ. See notes on 1:20, 41.

  7:27 no one knows where He is from. Only information regarding Messiah’s birthplace was revealed in Scripture (Mic. 5:2; Matt. 2:5, 6). Beyond that, a tradition had developed in Jewish circles that Messiah would appear suddenly to the people, based on a misinterpretation of Is. 53:8 and Mal. 3:1. In light of this, the meaning of this phrase most likely is that the identity of the Messiah would be wholly unknown until He suddenly appeared in Israel and accomplished Israel’s redemption. In contrast, Jesus had lived His life in Nazareth and was known (at least superficially) to the people (v. 28).