Here is a teaching of part 1 of chapter 7 of the book of John. If you want to check out previous Bible studies and chapters going forward, join our group here. Once you get added into that Facebook group, you can go to the "units" tab and you'll see all of the chapters and their study guides as they are being taught.
Part 1 of John Chapter 7:
1 After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life. 2 But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, 3 Jesus' brothers said to him, "You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. 4 No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world." 5 For even his own brothers did not believe in him. 6 Therefore Jesus told them, "The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. 8 You go to the feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come."
So I'm just going to stop right there and discuss a few things with you guys. So Jesus was in Galilee, purposely staying away from the Jews because they sought to kill him. And whenever the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was near Jesus' brothers said that he ought to go to Judea and show his disciples the miracles that he can do. They wanted him to prove himself with a bigger audience in the public and they knew there would be a lot of people there in Judea. In verse five it says, "For even his own brothers did not believe in him," So Jesus' own brothers didn't support him even before and after the resurrection, which we'll read more on that. We see this in other books of the Bible from other disciples in Matthew and Luke about Jesus' brothers and his own people not receiving him. There were verses before in these Bible studies that I've done in John also, even in chapter 1: 11 it says, "He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him." So then in chapter 7 verse 6, Jesus said that the time for him has not yet come and for them anytime is right. Jesus was so submitted to the will of God the Father and he was submitted to the time that was right for him to show himself to the world. He wasn't just going to go out in the public to show himself or listen to his brothers or any other person, he was submitted to doing the will of God the Father. Jesus said that for them anytime is right because his brothers weren't submitted to God the Father's will in the way that he was, so it was okay for them to go out in public. Anytime for them was right, because they weren't fully submitted to the work that Jesus was submitted to.
In verse seven he says that, "the world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify is that what it does is evil." So his brothers agreed with the opinions of that day of what was good and evil, and because they agreed with that, the world didn't hate him. But Jesus was bold about confronting the sins of the people of that world. He came on a mission to save the world from their sins, he knew that we were sinners, and he didn't just come to be a public figure as his brothers said. He came to save the world, to live a sinless life, die on the cross for our sins, raise three days later, so that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. So Jesus boldly confronted these people about their sins and the world hated him for that. We'll see later on in these chapters with this Bible study of the book of John about the crucifixion and all of that.
9 Having said this, he stayed in Galilee. 10 However, after his brothers had left for the Feast, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. 11 Now at the Feast the Jews were watching for him and asking, "Where is that man?" 12 Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, "He is a good man." Others replied, "No, he deceives the people." 13 But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the Jews. 14 Not until halfway through the Feast did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. 15 The Jews were amazed and asked, "How did this man get such learning without having studied?"
16 Jesus answered, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. 17 If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18 He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?"
So I'm going to stop right there and discuss a few things with you guys. So after Jesus told his brothers to go ahead to the feast, he ended up going to the feast but he went in secret. It wasn't time for him to go out publicly so he went and secret to this feast and the Jews were watching for him and wanting to know where he was at. So about halfway through the feast, Jesus went to the temple courts and he began to teach these people and we see throughout the book of John, where Jesus is teaching the Jews and some people take his teaching and believe in him and some of them don't. It says in verse 15 that the Jews were amazed and they asked, "How did this man get such learning without having studied?" Jesus goes on to say in verses 16-19 that his teaching is not his own and it comes from God the Father and he says that if anyone chooses to do God's will then they'll know whether Jesus' teaching comes from God or whether it's him who speaks on his own. As we know from these chapters and these Bible studies that I've done, Jesus is submitted to God's will. He didn't do things to honor himself, but to honor God the Father and to save the world. He came to save the world and not condemn the world. In everything that Jesus did, he was fully submitted to the ministry, to the mission, and to God the Father's will.
So some of these people that were saying that Jesus deceives the people and that was not true because Jesus was fully submitted to God's will and to the honor of God the Father. Everything that he said was true and nothing that came out of his mouth was false and he reiterates this here in verse 18. Then in verse 19 he says, "Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?" So the religious leaders didn't keep the law and they were the ones that were guilty, not him. Jesus lived a sinless life. These religious leaders were the ones that were not keeping the law that Moses had given them.
20 "You are demon-possessed," the crowd answered. "Who is trying to kill you?" 21 Jesus said to them, "I did one miracle, and you are all astonished. 22 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a child on the Sabbath. 23 Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath?" 24 Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment."
So I'm going to stop right here and discuss a few things with you guys. So after Jesus said, "Why are you trying to kill me?" The crowd answered that he's demon possessed, because the crowd didn't realize as that the rulers wanted to kill Jesus and they just thought that he was crazy and paranoid and they didn't know why he was saying that they were trying to kill him. So in verse 21 Jesus said, "I did one miracle and you are all astonished." So they sought to kill him because he performed this miraculous sign on the Sabbath day, because based on the rabbi's interpretation of the law they couldn't perform work on the Sabbath day. But like he says here in verses 22-23, negative work like cutting flesh or the circumcision of a child is okay to do on the Sabbath, they even recommend doing it on the Sabbath, but these Jewish leaders are angry at Jesus and wanting to kill him because he healed a broken man on the Sabbath. Which what Jesus did was even better work to do on the Sabbath then cutting flesh or circumcision, something that was acceptable for them. Then here in verse 24 where he says, "Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment." The Jewish leaders had decided that Jesus appeared to be a sinner based on the rabbi's interpretation of not doing work on a Sabbath. They thought that they were righteous because they were seeking to kill someone that had broken the law, or they thought he had broken the law by performing work on a Sabbath, even though they recommend circumcision on a Sabbath. The judgment that they were making against Jesus was not right. It was more right for him to heal a broken man on a Sabbath than it is for them to perform circumcision on a Sabbath.
Verse 24 just goes to show that in our day and our time with the laws that the government has made, with the things that are socially acceptable in this world, they're not always the right thing. That's why we as Christians have to make sure that we're doing what's right. It is important for us to know what is right and what is wrong based on what God says is right and wrong and not on what is socially acceptable, because a lot of things in this world that are socially acceptable are not acceptable in God's eyes. Even though Jesus does forgive us of our sins and whenever we're saved, we have the Holy Spirit within us, and all of that, we still need to make sure that we're doing what is right and we're not judging others based on mere appearance or thinking that we're holier than thou. It's so important to always remember to focus on ourselves and the inner work that needs to be done with us and not focus on what we think others should be doing. We shouldn't focus on thinking what they're doing is wrong and what we're doing is right just based on appearances, we have no right to judge anyone, only God can judge us and that's just something to always remember. So I'm going to stop right here with this Bible study. Next week we'll go into part two of chapter seven of the book of John.
John Ch 7 Study Guide Part 1
1. Why did Jesus tell his brothers that the right time had not come for him, but for them anytime was right?
2. Where does Jesus’ teaching come from?
3. Why does the crowd say that Jesus is demon possessed?
4. Why was circumcision acceptable on the Sabbath, but not healing someone?
5. Why does Jesus tell the Jews to stop judging by appearances and make a right judgment?
6. In today’s time, is everything that is socially acceptable always the right thing to do? Why or why not?
7. What is your biggest takeaway from this Bible Study?
Before I let you go want to say a quick prayer.... Lord I pray that you lift up every single person reading this right now. I pray that you open up their eyes to see the truth of your words, you open up their hearts, their minds, and their spirit to you Lord. I pray that they know that what you say is true, right, and just, and that they know not to judge based on mere appearances. I pray that they know that you have all the judgment in the world, but you didn't come to judge the world or condemned the world, you came to save the world. I just pray that our eyes are open to see the truth of your words and to spread the truth of your words to other people, to let other people know about you, how amazing you are, and your love, mercy, grace, and all of the amazing things. I love you so much Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen.
I love you guys so much.
Never forget to choose faith over fear.
-Lorena Camille (Faith Fuels My Fire)
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