EXPLORING JOHN'S GOSPEL
Chapter 7: John 7
Jesus and His Brothers
Read John 7:1-9.
This chapter tells about what different people thought about Jesus. Some didn’t want to believe in Him. Some were blinded by their own ideas that didn’t agree with Jesus’ teaching. Some hated Him because He preached against the bad things they did.
At this time Jesus’ own brothers did not believe that He was the Messiah. Later they did. Many of Jesus’ enemies were converted after His resurrection. Some of those who are enemies of the gospel now may accept Jesus if we pray for them. Jesus told his followers to love their enemies and to pray for them.
Back to Top
Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles
Read John 7:10-24.
Seven verses in this chapter tell us that Jesus was in danger. Read verses 1, 13, 19, 25, 30, 32, and 44. In spite of the danger, He kept on teaching and went to a religious celebration in Jerusalem. Many of Jesus’ followers are in danger now. We should pray that God will give them courage to keep on teaching, preaching, or witnessing.
Jesus’ teaching surprised the leaders. They knew that He had not attended the schools of higher education. The truths He taught came from God.
Read verse 17. If we are willing to do what God wants us to do, He will let us know the truth. Many persons who don’t believe the gospel have this problem: they can’t recognize the truth because they aren’t willing to obey God. Even persons who didn’t believe there was a God have found Him by praying sincerely: “God, if there is a God, please reveal Yourself to me. Let me know the truth and I will follow You.”
For You to Do
1. Do you know people who hate the gospel? Pray for them.
2. Do all of your brothers and sisters believe in Jesus? Pray for them.
Some were still complaining that Jesus had healed sick people on the Sabbath. One law sometimes seems to be against another. When this happens, Jesus taught that we should obey the most important one. For example, the law said that no work was to be done on the Sabbath; it said also that every male child was to be circumcised on the eighth day. If the eighth day was a Sabbath, the people broke the law of the Sabbath in order to keep the law of circumcision. Jesus taught that the law of kindness was more important than the law of the Sabbath.
For You to Do
3. Why was Jesus’ teaching so great?
a) Because He attended schools of higher education.
b) Because the priests and the Pharisees were His teachers.
c) Because His teaching was from God.
4. Pray for your unsaved friends that God will make them willing to give up their sins so they can see the truth of the gospel.
5. Pray for those who are in danger because they are following Jesus.
Back to Top
Is He the Messiah?
Read John 7:25-31.
The people were surprised to see Jesus teaching in the temple because they knew that the religious leaders were trying to kill Him. But they could not kill Him until it was God’s time for Him to die. Jesus knew that God had sent Him and that God would help Him finish His work. So He kept on teaching right in the temple. Because He had the courage to do what God wanted Him to, many more persons believed in Him and were saved from their sins.
For You to Do
Fill in the blanks.
6 What did the leaders want to do to Jesus?
7 Who had sent Jesus?
8 Is it always easy to do what God wants you to do?
9 Who will take care of you?
Back to Top
Guards Are Sent to Arrest Jesus
Read John 7:32-36.
The fact that more people were believing on Jesus made the Pharisees more determined than ever to kill Him. Jesus knew that they were going to have Him killed. He had come to earth in order to die for our sins. He talked about His death as going away where they could not follow Him. His work would be over then. He would go back to heaven to be with God, His Father. Those who follow Jesus will go to heaven when they die.
For You to Do
10 How do we know Jesus had enemies?
a) The chief priests wanted to kill Him.
b) The Roman governor sent to have Him arrested.
c) The crowds all wanted to kill Him.
Back to Top
Streams of Living Water
Read John 7:37-39.
Jesus said, “Whoever is thirsty should come to me and drink.” We have already learned that Jesus compared salvation to the water of life. But verse 39 makes it clear that here the water was being compared to the Holy Spirit, who would be given to believers after they were saved. After a person is saved from his sins, he should desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit. In the book of Acts, we see that believers were filled with the Holy Spirit after they received Jesus as their Savior.
For You to Do
11. When Jesus said, “Whoever is thirsty should come to me and drink,” what was He talking about?
a) About salvation which He called the water of life.
b) About the Holy Spirit who would be given to believers after they were saved.
c) About the water from the Jordan River.
Back to Top
Division Among the People
Read John 7:40-44.
People had different opinions about Jesus then, just as they do today. Those were right who said He was the Prophet that God had promised, the Messiah, the Son of God.
Jesus lived in the province of Galilee, but He had been born in Bethlehem. Both Luke and Matthew give us the list of Jesus’ ancestors, showing that He was a descendent of David. He fulfilled the prophecies about the Messiah.
For You to Do
Fill in the blanks.
12. Where did the people say the Messiah would be born?
13. Where was Jesus born?
14. Was Jesus a descendent of David?
Back to Top
The Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders
Read John 7:45-52.
The Pharisees wanted to have Jesus arrested. One of the guards said, “Nobody has ever talked the way this man does!” No one could speak as Jesus did because no one else was God. We should learn what Jesus says about things and put His teachings above whatever anyone else says.
For You to Do
15. What did one of the guards testify about Jesus?
a) “Nobody has ever talked the way this man does!”
b) “No prophet ever comes from Galilee.”
c) “How does this man know so much when he as never been to school?”
Check Your Answers
3. c) Because His teaching was from God.
6. Kill Him.
7. God.
8. No.
9. God.
10. a) The chief priests wanted to kill him.
11. b) About the Holy Spirit who would be given to believers after they were saved.
12. Bethlehem.
13. Bethlehem.
14. Yes.
15. a) “Nobody has ever talked the way this man does!”
Back to Top
Go to John 8
