Chapter 7:1-39 Jesus Teaches at the Feast

7:1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for He would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill Him.

For He would not walk in Jewry - Instead of this, some MSS., versions, read, ουγαρ ειχεν εξουσιαν, He had not authority, or liberty to walk, etc. That is, He was no longer tolerated, and could not preach publicly in Judea, but at the risk of His life.

7:2 Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand.

Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand - Which began on the fifteenth day of the month Tisri, which answers to part of our September; when the Jews erected tents or booths, in which they dwelt, and ate their meals during this festival;

7:3 His brethren therefore said unto Him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that Thy disciples also may see the works that Thou doest.

His brethren - said - It is generally supposed that these were the children of the sisters of His mother Mary; but some of the ancients have stated that Joseph had several children by a former wife.

7:4 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.

No man that doeth any thing in secret, etc. - They took it for granted that Christ was influenced by the same spirit which themselves felt; and that therefore he should use every opportunity of exhibiting Himself to the public.

7:5 For neither did His brethren believe in Him.

For neither did His brethren believe in Him - At first they might take to Him, and embrace Him as the Messiah, and expect He would set up a temporal kingdom; in which they might hope, on account of their relation to Him, according to the flesh to enjoy great honors and privileges; but finding that He was not inclined to anything of that nature, they grew sick of Him, and rejected Him, as the Messiah.

7:6 Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready.

Our Lord Jesus Christ did everything, as it were, by the clock. His life was an orderly one; it was all arranged in the eternal purpose of God.

7:7 The world cannot hate you; but Me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.

The world cannot hate you - The Jews will not persecute you, because ye are in their sentiments and interests. Ye also expect a worldly Messiah.
But Me it hateth - Because I condemn its injustice, its pride, its ambition, and its maxims, by My life and doctrine.

7:8 Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for My time is not yet full come.

I go not up yet unto this feast - Porphyry accuses our blessed Lord of falsehood, because He said here, I will not go to this feast, and yet afterwards He went; and some interpreters have made more ado than was necessary, in order to reconcile this seeming contradiction. 

*To me the whole seems very simple and plain. Our Lord did not say, I will not go to this feast; but merely, I go not yet, ουπω, or am not going, i.e. at present; because, as He said John 7:6, and repeats here, His time was not yet come - He had other business to transact before He could go. And it is very likely that his business detained Him in Galilee till the feast was half over: for we do not find Him at Jerusalem till the middle of the feast.

7:9 When He had said these words unto them, He abode still in Galilee.

He abode still in Galilee - and went not up with His brethren, nor at all at present; showing hereby a firmness and resolution of mind.

7:10 But when His brethren were gone up, then went He also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.

....yet in the most private manner, that He might escape those who would lie in wait for Him, and sought to kill Him: and this He did, not through fear of death, but because His hour was not yet come;

7:11 Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, Where is He?

and said, where is He? - not naming His name; either through contempt, which might be the case of the far greater part; or through fear of the Jews; or because that He was so well known.

7:12 And there was much murmuring among the people concerning Him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but He deceiveth the people.

for some said He is a good man - a man of a good principle, of a good life and conversation; others said: nay - or denied Him to be a good man. but He deceiveth the people - drawing them off from the law of Moses.

7:13 Howbeit no man spake openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

Howbeit, no man spoke openly of Him - So loud as to be overheard, at least by many, but in a secret and whispering way;

7:14 Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.

Now about the midst of the feast - About the fourth day of it, for it lasted eight days; this might be on the sabbath day, which sometimes was , "in the middle of the feast" .

7:15 And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?

saying, how knoweth this man letters? -  or "the Scriptures", which are called "holy letters".

7:16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not Mine, but His that sent Me.

“I am not the inventor of what I say; I am but a messenger, delivering the message of Him that sent Me.”

7:17 If any man will do His will, He shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of Myself.

he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of Myself - not a man of mere natural knowledge and learning, or a man of theory and speculation, is a judge of doctrine.

7:18 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.

But he who speaks to the glory of God, and does not say, “Behold me; “but, “Behold the Lamb of God,” he it is whom God has sent.

7:19 Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill Me?

why go ye about to kill Me? - an harmless and innocent man, who never injured you in your persons and properties; and which is a proof of their not keeping that body of laws Moses gave them, since "thou shalt not kill" is one of them.

7:20 The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill Thee?

Thou hast a devil - The crowd, who made this answer, were not in the secret of the chief priests. who goeth about to kill thee? - no man; for they could not believe that any man, or body of men, would be so wicked, as to attempt to take away the life of so harmless a person, and who did so much good both to the bodies and souls of men.

7:21 Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel.

I have done one work - that is, on the sabbath day; meaning, His cure of the man that had had a disorder eight and thirty years, who lay at Bethesda's pool; and ye all marvel.

7:22 Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man.

Surely, there was never a more triumphant answer than that.

7:23 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?
Every whit whole - The law of circumcision required the removal of a small portion of flesh, which was considered a blot and reproach among the Hebrews, because it confounded them with the nations who were not in covenant with God. Christ, to this, opposes the complete cure of the infirm man, who was diseased throughout his whole body: if the one was permitted on the Sabbath day, for the reason already alleged, surely the other had stronger reasons to recommend it.

7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

Judge not according to the appearance - Attend to the law, not merely in the letter, but in its spirit and design. Learn that the law which commands men to rest on the Sabbath day is subordinate to the law of mercy and love, which requires them to be ever active to promote God's glory in the comfort and salvation of their fellow creatures.

7:25 Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this He, whom they seek to kill?

Then said some of them of Jerusalem - Who were inhabitants of Jerusalem, and so are distinguished from the people, is not this He whom they seek to kill? - they knew that they had formed a design to kill Him.

7:26 But, lo, He speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ?

But lo, He speaketh boldly - And with great freedom, and openly and publicly in the temple, as if He had a licence from the chief priests for so doing: Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ?

7:27 Howbeit we know this man whence He is: but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence He is.

They had a notion.

7:28 Then cried Jesus in the temple as He taught, saying, Ye both know Me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of Myself, but He that sent Me is true, whom ye know not.

Then cried Jesus in the temple as He taught - Overhearing the reasonings of these men, exalted His voice as He was teaching in the temple, and in the midst of his discourse, publicly before all the people, in the temple, spoke out with a loud voice, that all might hear: Ye both know Me, and ye know whence I am - Our Lord takes them up on their own profession, and argues from it.

7:29 But I know Him: for I am from Him, and He hath sent Me.

for I am from Him;...and he hath sent Me; in an office capacity to redeem His people.

7:30 Then they sought to take Him: but no man laid hands on Him, because His hour was not yet come.

but no man laid hands on Him - though they had a good will to it, they had no power to do it, being restrained by the, secret providence of God.

7:31 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?

And many of the people believed on Him - Whilst some were displeased at His doctrine, others were induced by His miracles to believe on Him, as an extraordinary person, if not the Messiah; and these were the common people, especially those that came out of the country; for the city Jews, and above all the rulers, were very averse to Him.

7:32 The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning Him; and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.

The people murmured such things - The people began to be convinced that He was the Messiah; and this being generally whispered about, the Pharisees thought it high time to put Him to death, lest the people should believe on Him; therefore they sent officers to take Him.

7:33 Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto Him that sent Me.

And then I go unto Him that sent Me - still confirming His mission from God, 

expressing His death by going, 

and as being voluntary, 

and signifying His glory.

7:34 Ye shall seek Me, and shall not find Me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come.

Ye shall seek Me -That is, the Messiah, who Me was; meaning, that after Mis departure they should be in great distress, and be very much on the inquiry after, and solicitous for the coming of the Messiah, to be a Redeemer and Deliverer of them out of their troubles: and shall not find me - no Messiah will appear, no Savior will be sent, no Redeemer will come to relieve them; they shall inquire, and look for one in vain, as they did.

7:35 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?

whither will He go that we shall not find Him? - what distant, or obscure part of the world will He betake himself to, and there hide Himself, that so He cannot be found?

7:36 What manner of saying is this that He said, Ye shall seek Me, and shall not find Me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come?

What manner of saying is this that He said - It is not easy to be understood; ye shall seek Me, and shall not find Me, and where I am, thither ye cannot come? repeating the words of Christ just now expressed by Him.

7:37 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.

In the last day, that great day of the feast - That is, of tabernacles, which was usually called "the feast", in distinction from the passover and Pentecost; and the eighth day of it was called , "the last day of the feast" as here: and it was a "great day".

7:38 He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of His belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Or, “out of the very midst of Him.”

7:39 (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.)

But this spake He of the Spirit - These are the word showing, that by rivers of living water, He meant the Spirit in His gifts and graces; and which is the plain sense of the passages referred to by Him.

Chapter 6:66-71 Peter's Confession of Faith

6:66 From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him.
Many of His disciples went back - They no longer associated with Him, nor professed to acknowledge Him as the Messiah. None of these were of the twelve.

6:67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
Will ye also go away? - These words are very emphatical. Will You abandon Me?

6:68 Then Simon Peter answered Him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.

That was a very conclusive way of answering one question by another: “Will ye also go away?” “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.”

6:69 And we believe and are sure that Thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.

the son of the living God - this they knew, and were sure of, both by John's testimony, and by the Father's voice from heaven; which three of them heard, at Christ's transfiguration on the mount.

6:70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?

Hypocrites and betrayers of Christ are no better than devils. 

Judas not only had a devil, 

but he was a devil.

6:71 He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray Him, being one of the twelve.

When a man forsakes the living God, and gives way to avarice, which appears to have been the case with Judas, he is fit for any thing in which Satan may choose to employ him. 

Beware of the love of money! The cursed lust of gold induced a disciple of Christ to betray his God: and has it not been the ruin of millions since?