ST JOHN
CHAPTER 7
Jesus’ kinsmen believe not—He teaches his Father’s doctrine and proclaims his divine sonship—Truth may be known through obedience—He offers living water to all men—Divers opinions concerning him.
[ This great Feast obviously dominates the physical setting and provides the context for the symbols employed by Jesus through these chapters. The Feast of Tabernacles is similar to the American tradition of Thanksgiving in that it is a harvest festival of thankfulness for the earth's bounty. Regarding the Feast of Tabernacles, Easton's Bible Dictionary states:
Tabernacles, Feast of - the third of the great annual festivals of the Jews (Lev. 23:33-43). It is also called the "feast of ingathering" (Ex. 23:16; Deut. 16:13). It was celebrated immediately after the harvest, in the month Tisri, and the celebration lasted for eight days (Lev. 23:33-43). During that period the people left their homes and lived in booths formed of the branches of trees. The sacrifices offered at this time are mentioned in Num. 29:13-38. It was at the time of this feast that solomon's temple was dedicated (1 Kings 8:2).
Mention is made of it after the return from the Captivity. This feast was designed (1) to be a memorial of the wilderness wanderings, when the people dwelt in booths (Lev. 23:43), and (2) to be a harvest thanksgiving (Neh. 8:9-18). The Jews, at a later time, introduced two appendages to the original festival,
viz., (1) that of drawing water from the Pool of Siloam, and pouring it upon the altar (John 7:2, 37), as a memorial of the water from the rock in Horeb; and (2) of lighting the lamps at night, a memorial of the
pillar of fire by night during their wanderings.
"The feast of Tabernacles, the harvest festival of the Jewish Church, was the most popular and important
festival after the Captivity. At Jerusalem it was a gala day. It was to the autumn pilgrims, who arrived on the 14th (of the month Tisri, the feast beginning on the 15th) day, like entrance into a silvan city. Roofs and courtyards, streets and squares, roads and gardens, were green with boughs of citron and myrtle, palm and willow. The booths recalled the pilgrimage through the wilderness. The ingathering of fruits prophesied of the spiritual harvest.", Valling's Jesus Christ, p. 133.
Jesus makes use of the pouring out of the water (cf. 7:37-38), the light from the lamps (cf. 8:12), and Moses' shepherding of the Exodus and Wandering in the Wilderness (cf. 10:11). Jesus also draws heavily on the tradition of Simchat Torah, the end and beginning of the Law, which John calls "the last day, that great day of the feast" (cf. 7:37), to point out the Pharisees' hypocrisy when it comes to the Law (cf. 7:19).
Two primary things characterized the Feast of Tabernacle from the other feasts. First; was the illumination of the Temple and Second; the other the pouring of a vessel of water into a basin that was located at the base of the altar. First the golden vessel of water was filled at the pool of Sloam and taken to the altar.
For additional info on Feast Of Tabernacles see Lesson I Am the LIght Of The World
Methods of the Pharisees
One of the major themes in these chapters is the conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees. The Pharisee's motives and tactics are exposed to full view herein. They are self-promoting, they find fault where there is none, they rationalize and falsely justify, and when backed into a corner and proven to be wrong they retaliate with ad hominem arguments, personal attacks, insults, and intimidation in an effort to silence those who prove them wrong (cf. 7:35, 7:52, 8:22, 8:48, 8:52, 9:22, 9:28, 9:34, 10:20). Thus, we have an extreme example of unrighteous dominion. This is held up in sharp contrast to Jesus and his disciples (cf. 10:10).
Power and Powerlessness
Throughout John's Gospel (cf. JST 4:1-2, 5:16), but more specifically in these chapters, we see the lack of power Jesus' enemies have and the great power Jesus has (cf. 7:1, 7:30, 7:44, 8:20, 8:59, 10:31, 10:39). It is not until Jesus submits to them when his time is come (cf. 7:8, 10:17-18) and relinquishes his power that his enemies are able to do anything to him. And when he does, the tenor of John's Gospel completely changes. In the present text we see Jesus defiantly standing up to the Sanhedrin and its crony Pharisees, publicly attacking them, exposing them as frauds. They go around trying to kill him, but are powerless to accomplish it. When Jesus finally submits he becomes quiet and passive, and the Sanhedrin successfully pulls all of its strings to have him executed by the Romans.
The irony of the situation is classically that of John. Jesus has all power in heaven and earth but never abuses it, he uses it only to heal others physically and spiritually. The Sanhedrin and ruling elite Pharisees have some earthly power and abuse it all they can, but are still powerless to accomplish their goals, until Jesus submits. The power struggle is one that is classically OT in flavor. The Lord has all the power and men struggle against him. He engineers history as He sees fit, and men fight against Him to accomplish their own will, but only end up doing so when it fits in with His will. ]
1 AFTER these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry , [ A better translation would be "he would not walk in Judea", supplied by the Concordant Literal New Testament (CLNT). The folowers of Jesus were not sure if it safe to walk there either for fear they would be arrested or prosecuted. ] because the Jews [ John is referring to the Pharisees in specific and not the Jewish people in general. There were obviously "Jews" in Galilee per 6:41 and 6:52, but only in Jerusalem did they have sufficient power, and perhaps motive, to seek Jesus' death. It was the political class of the jews that were primarily upset with him as he was taking away from their power structure. ] sought to kill him. [ This is happening about 6 months before he will be cricified. ]
2 Now the Jews’ feast of tabernacles [ The Feast of Tabernacles was an annual Jewish feast held six months after the Feast of the Passover. It lasted eight days and commemorated the Lord’s blessings to the children of Israel during their travels in the wilderness. It also celebrated the year’s harvest and marked the end of the harvest season. The Jews considered this feast the greatest and most joyful of all their feasts. ] was at hand.
3 His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples [ Or go hang around those that believe your teachings. In otherwords the Galileans that he is currently speaking with are skeptical of his teachings and reject them - so go be with those that care! ] also may see the works that thou doest.
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. [ What is the message given to Jesus in verses 4 & 5? In a form of mockery the people are saying no one here believes you so go to Judea - the religious capital and test your luck there. ]
5 For neither did his brethren [ Is he literally speaking to his relatives here? the Greek "adelphos" has both literal and figurative usage in the NT. Here, the usage appears to be literal in reference to his relatives. We are later informed they are believers in Acts 1:14, but at present they are not believers. ] believe in him. [ If we assume that he is literally talking to his kinfolk then we can understand why Jesus does not attack them directly as he does the Galileans; but alluded to their worldliness. ]
7 The world cannot hate you; [ Because you are following the traditions of the world - you are one of them. Notice how this is worded; he is not as blunt as he has been; but rather he makes a more general reference that alludes to their worldliness - because they are his family his message is a little softer. Here, however, dealing with his family he is much more gentle with them despite their present lack of faith and acceptance. ] but me it hateth, [ And now the Savior tells us why the world hates him. ] because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. [ Because I declare things as they are, I am not here to be popular; I am here to do the will of the Father; and that means calling upon men to repent. ]
8 Go ye up unto this feast: [ Held in the fall around the time of the yearly harvest or in-gathering, pointed both backward to the time when God gathered Israel out of Egypt and forward to the time of “the final harvest when Israel’s mission should be completed, and all nations gathered unto the Lord”. ] I go not up yet unto this feast; [ Four major aspects of the Feast of Tabernacles: (1) dwelling in booths, or sukkot; (2) the lighting of the lamp- stands in the Court of the Women; (3) the additional sacrifices and offerings throughout the week; and (4) the drawing of water from the Pool of Siloam and its pouring on the altar of the temple. Each of these ceremonies was deliberately designed to stir deep religious recollections and feelings in the hearts and minds of the participants. ] for my time is not yet full come.
10 ¶ But when his brethren were gone up, [ After his family leaves to go; And where were they going to go? to Jerusalem to the feast of tabernacles ] then went he also up [ So Jesus traveled from Galilee to Jerusalem to attend this feast at the temple. ] unto the feast, [ The Feast of Tabernacles lasted eight days, beginning on a Sabbath and ending on the next Sabbath (see Leviticus 23:39). It was also known as the Feast of Booths, or sukkot, because of the temporary booths or shelters participants constructed and lived in during the week-long festival. Moses instructed the children of Israel throughout their generations to make booths of “the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook” (Leviticus 23:40). They were to dwell in these booths all week so they would always remember that the Lord “made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when [he] brought them out of the land of Egypt” (Leviticus 23:43).
Thoughtful dwellers in these temporary booths might have pondered on their continual dependence upon the Lord God of Israel for deliverance (as they contemplated their historic deliverance from Egypt), direction (as they reflected on the Lord leading them through the wilderness), and security (as they gratefully considered the promised land in which they now lived). During the days of Israel’s sovereignty, those dwelling in booths during the Feast of Tabernacles may have also thought about the freedom granted to them through the Lord (not entirely different from other holidays celebrating national freedom in many countries). However, in Jesus’ day, if celebrants pondered such freedom, their prayers would have been offered as a hope for future deliverance from Roman subjugation. Following the evening sacrifice on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, the gates of the temple were left open so the public could gather in the Court of the Women and participate in the lighting of four giant lampstands, each over seventy feet (twenty-one meters) tall. Each lampstand had four golden bowls filled with oil at their tops. Priests climbed ladders to each bowl and lit the wicks, which were made from the worn-out clothing of the priests col- lected throughout the year. The light from the lampstands was so bright that it was said to light up every courtyard in Jerusalem. The lighting ceremony was accompanied with music, singing, and dancing that lasted well into the night and even into the early morning. It is unclear whether the ritual was performed anew every day or whether the lamps were simply kept lit through- out the week of the festival.
While most participants in the Feast of Tabernacles would never see the sacred lampstand, or menorah, found in the holy place of the temple, where only priests were allowed, this celebration brought a likeness of the same symbol into public view. Just as the golden lampstand in the holy place stood before the most holy place in the temple, these four impressive lampstands may have stirred participants to reflect on the need for inspired enlighten- ment to prepare them to return to God’s presence.
Throughout the Feast of Tabernacles more additional sacrifices were offered than were offered during Passover, the other major sacrificial feast— twice the number of rams and lambs and five times the number of bullocks. In addition, Alfred Edersheim points out that the number of each sacri- fice—70 bullocks, 14 rams, 98 lambs, and 336 ephahs of flour for the meat offering—is divisible by seven. The number seven often signifies comple- tion and perfection in Hebraic symbolism.15 Many Israelites living in Jesus’ day seem to have forgotten the true purpose and meaning of these sacri- fices, which was to point them toward the Messiah (see 2 Nephi 25:24–25; Jacob 4:5). While sacrifice under the Mosaic law served several purposes, one major reason God instituted these sacrifices was to signify the “great and last sacrifice,” which would accomplish the “infinite atonement which will suffice for the sins of the world” (see Alma 34:9–14). ] not openly, but as it were in secret. [ He chose not to go with his brethern but separately and quietly. As with all major feasts of the Jews, it was likely crowded—which made it possible for the Savior to arrive and stay “in secret”. ]
11 Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he? [ The Sanhedrin and Pharisees are actively looking for him. ]
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. [ What did the people have to say about Jesus as the waited for him to arrive? What was their overall attitude toward him? It appears that some had made up their minds that he was good; made them up that he was bad; and some I supposed came to see and then decide. ]
14 ¶ Now about the midst of the feast [ While surrounded by all of this symbolism. ] Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. [ Jesus kind of commandeers the temple grounds and uses it as his classroom. This makes it tough for the Pharisees, because people are believing Jesus. The Sadducees is here directing the temple right there. Here's the political class, the ruling class, the Sadducees, and they are upset. They're the ones over the temple. But this temple is absolutely central, and Jesus in in the temple telling them, "I am the fulfillment of the feast. I am actually the Feast of Tabernacles fulfilled here in the temple." The eight- day feast allowed Jesus to teach in the temple “about the midst of the feast”. The pilgrims here had been living in booths for several days, participated in the stirring ceremonies of the lighting of the lampstands, rejoiced in the pouring of the water on the altar multiple times, and been involved in the additional animal sacrifices. The feast provided an intense physical learning experience that had the potential to prepare the hearts and minds of the people who heard the Savior’s teachings to accept him as the Messiah. ]
15 And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned? [ The Jewish learning consisted in the knowledge of their own scriptures, and the traditions of their elders. As this learning was taught at the Jewish schools, and our Lord had never attended there, they were astonished to find him excelling in that sort of learning, of which they themselves professed to be the sole teachers. ]
16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. [ What message is he sending to the people? see John 7 :17 1) He is the son of God 2) His teachings are of God not teachings of Man. Elder Neal A Maxwell said it this way " it is extremely important to get straight what happened in that premortal council. It was not an unstructured meeting, nor was it a discussion between plans, nor an idea producing session, as to how to formulate the plan for salvation and carry it out. Our Father's plan was known, and the actual question put was whom the Father should send to carry out the plan" Deposition of a Disciple 11 see also Moses 4:3.]
17 If any man will do his will, [ Who's will? God's will. So if you want to know do as he asks you to do and see if you don't feel something. Jesus is the example as he was completely submissive to the will of the Father in all things, he knew. ] he shall know of the doctrine, [ How do we know then? How do we prove it so to speak? ] whether it be of God, [ So how would we know if it is of God? D&C 88:67. Elder Oaks said, this was at a Mission President's seminar in June of 2001 and it got republished in the Ensign. But he said, "In my study of the scriptures I have noted most revelation to the children of God comes when they are on the move, not when they are sitting back in their habitations waiting for the Lord to tell them the first step to take." That's a very first Nephi 4:6 thing. "I was led by the Spirit not knowing beforehand." But Nephi didn't wait and say, "Okay, tell me exactly how I'm going to get the plates of brass." He just moved. God can't steer a parked car. ] or whether I speak of myself. [ Sinning and knowing the Father are contradictory. What do those who speak of themselves look to accomplish? see the next verse. They are looking for some kind of gain for themselves (power, money...), so you can look to see what the person who is speaking is really after and determine where their message is coming from. ]
18 He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: [ So the second way to know of the source of the doctrine is to look to see what is in it for the preacher. ] but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.
19 Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me? [ Kind of interesting when you think about this here. Who was the one that gave Moses the law in the first place, and here he (Jesus - the law giver) is teaching them and they want to kill him, to break the ten commandments. Not only break the ten commandments but break it by killing the very one who gave them. Christ is trying really hard to teach them that he is here to fulfill the law and they just don't get it. The scribes and Pharisees announced our Lord to the multitude as a deceiver; this was based on the facts that he was not an exact observer of the law, he had healed a man on the Sabbath day, and consequently must be a false prophet. And insinuated, that the interests of religion required him to be put to death because he 1. Violated the law; and, 2. he was a false prophet and deceiver of the people leading them astray. The Savior answers them as so: If I deserve death for curing a man on the Sabbath, and desiring him to carry home his bed, which you consider a violation of the law, you are more culpable than I am, for you circumcise a child on the Sabbath, which requires much more energy, and is of so much less use than what I have done to the infirm man. But, if you think you do not violate the law by circumcising a child on the Sabbath, how can you condemn me for having cured one of yourselves, who has been afflicted thirty and eight years? If you consider my conduct with the same eye with which you view your own, far from finding any thing criminal in it, you will see much reason to give glory to God. Why, therefore, go ye about to kill me, as a transgressor of the law, when not one of yourselves keeps it? ]
20 The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee? [ The answer from the Jews comes - Oh you are crazy; why would anyone want to kill you for healing a man on the Sabbath. So as to turn the opinion of the people that if he is marked as crazy, or deomnic they will not beloeve him. It is just one thing after another, the Jews will not let up. ]
22 Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) [ Where did the law of circumcision come from? It was first given to Abraham; not Moses. ] and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man. [ So Jesus replies you some how understand the law enough to know that the law implies that you are allowed to do good on the sabbath - since you circumcise your children according to the law eight days after they are born, and if that falls on the sabbath then it is considered a good work and is therfore ok. You know the law is founded on the principles of mercy and justice - does not healing a man on the sabbath then conform to those laws? mercy, justice. ]
23 If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, [ Have some part of him taken away. You're angry at me for healing. It is ok to cause pain on the Sabbath, but healing people on the Sabbath you get upset? ] 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? [ Another translation from the original words would render it "I have made the man whole" Which would add more power to the statement as the Savior implies then that he has healed him in both body and spirit, and would imply that it has greater importance in doing it without delay - further proof that he did not violate the law, but understood it and fulfilled it. Reference to the creation and the Sabbath day symbolic of that wholeness, that completion. so, here is the great creator speaking to his creations and of what he will make whole in all of us as we are going through the process of creation ourselves individually, to be made whole in him. And the celebration of the Sabbath, that wholeness in him. ]
24 Judge not according to the appearance, [ You are so quick to judge, too quick as a result you judge unrighteously. To apply the law you must first seek to understand the law. And when you understand the law you will understand both the spirit and the letter of it. Here if they truely understood the law they would have realized that the Law to rest on the Sabbath was 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 fellowmen; and endeavour to judge of the merit or demerit of an action, not from the first impression it may make upon your prejudices but from its tendency, and the motives of the person, as far as it is possible for you to acquaint yourselves with them; still believing the best, where you have no certain proof to the contrary. ] but judge righteous judgment.
26 But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ?
27 Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is. [ The generality of the people knew very well that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, in the city, and of the family, of David; see ver. 42. But, from Isaiah Isa. liii. 8, Who shall declare his generation? they probably thought that there should be something so peculiarly mysterious in his birth, or in the manner of his appearing, that no person could fully understand. Had they considered his miraculous conception, they would have felt their minds relieved on this point. The Jews thought that the Messiah, after his birth, would hide himself for some considerable time; and that when he began to preach no man should know where he had been hidden, and whence he had come. The rabbins have the following proverb: Three things come unexpectedly:
1. A thing found by chance. 2. The sting of a scorpion: and, 3. The Messiah. It was probably in reference to the above that the people said, No man knoweth whence he is. However, they might have spoken this of his parents. We know that the Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem, of the family of David; but no man can know his parents: therefore they rejected him: chap. vi. 42, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? ]
28 Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am: [ “The Hebrew, Ehyeh, signifying I Am, is related in meaning and through derivation with the term Yahveh or Jehovah. The central fact connoted by this name, I Am, or Jehovah, the two having essentially the same meaning, is that of existence or duration that shall have no end, and which, judged by all human standards of reckoning, could have had no beginning; the name is related to such other titles as Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” James E. Talmage. “Jesus the Christ ” so he says ok if you say you know me, and you know from where I came - then... ] and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me [ Since you have got so much information concerning me, add this to it, to make it complete; that I am not come of myself; I am no self-created or self-authorized prophet; I came from God:-the testimony of John the Baptist, the descent of the Holy Ghost, the voice from heaven, the purity of my doctrine, and the multitude of my miracles, sufficiently attest this. ] is true, whom ye know not. [ Now, God who is true has borne testimony of me; but ye know him not, so you do not comprehend that testimony. One thing that's interesting is as they're leaving the church in the narratives, they'll reference, "The church this, the church doesn't do this," and a lot of reference to the church itself. And in coming back you don't even see hardly any reference to church. You see relationship with God. They've experienced Him. Here they're replacing religion for God himself, these people here at the time, and not seeing the being who is their God before them. And so there is something about coming to experience God, knowing him, feeling him, that is essential. "We're not striving for conversion to the church. We're striving to be converted to the Lord." ]
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? [ What were some of the reasons people believed he was the Christ? He performed miracles - see also 37-41. ]
32 ¶ The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him; and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him.
33 Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, [ I don't have long left to dwell among you, then I will be gone. So Jesus knows that it is getting toward the end of his ministry. ] and then I go unto him that sent me.
[ He will die and return to the Father. ]
34 Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: [ When the Roman armys come to destroy you; you will search for a Savior but you will not find one because you have rejected me; you shall be cut off then in your sins. ] and where I am, thither ye cannot come.
35 Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? [ So they are confused as to where he is going to go. ] will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles? [ They think he is just going away to some distant place for a time, like an extended vacation - maybe to let things just cool down - at least that is what they are thinking as they do not comprehend what he meant by "I go unto him that sent me". Are we like that when God gives us a command but we do not undeerstand why? We don't have all the information, or we are not assembling what we do have correctly. ]
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? [ He is the one who rents the veil on the day of his crucifixion and resurrection which makes it possible for us to come through to him. ]
37 In the last day, [ Remember he is at the Feast of The Tabernacle - so the last day of the Feast. Jesus waited until “the last day, that great day of the feast” to stand and cry to all the people within the temple. On the seven days they professed to offer sacrifices for the seventy nations of the earth, but on the eighth day they offered sacrifices for Israel; therefore the eighth day was more highly esteemed than any of the others. The Savior waited until the “great day of the feast,” on which there was no water-pouring ceremony, to publicly declare that he was the source of “living water.” In the absence of the celebration involving the waters of Siloam, his words invited the people to come unto him as the only true source for salvation. What is special about the last day of the feast of the Tabernacle? The fourth significant event of the Feast of Tabernacles is the pouring of the water from the pools of Shilom over the altar. The “the drawing of water from Siloam and its libation [pouring] on the altar (of this it was said that he who has not seen the joy of the drawing of water at the Feast of Tabernacles does not know what joy is)” (Bible Dictionary, “Feasts,” 673) What was this meant to symbolize? Symbolic of Moses fetching the water from the rocks for Israel to drink while she was in the wilderness. ] that great day of the feast, Jesus stood [ Jesus stood, teachers normally sat like at the Sermon on the Mount, and cried. And he let them know, "You want water, come to me," and out of his belly will flow rivers of living water. Living water is water that does not stagnate. so, a water in a cistern is not living water and if you wanted water to do certain things, you needed living water. Jesus just upstaged the whole thing and said, "If you really want water, come to me." ] and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. [ What is the object lesson he is using here? So, here it's the last day of the feast Jesus steps in and says this. They don't go get the water on the last day of the feast, I think it's all the previous days, and he stands up and it says, he cried saying, 'If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. ]
38 He that believeth on me, [ Those who believe in Jesus Christ. ] as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. [ The Pool of Siloam received its water from the Gihon Spring, a natural water source, making the water in Siloam “living water,” or water suitable for ritual purification. The concept of “living water” is critical to understanding the significance of this ceremony. Living water had to come directly from God (via rain or other “pure” or natural sources, such as a spring). It was used for all ordinances and rituals requiring water in the law of Moses. Based on recent archaeological research, the Pool of Siloam was likely a mikveh, an ancient ritual bath for purification, and not a reservoir for drinking water.18 Thus the water from Siloam symbolized the cleansing and sanctification necessary to prepare one to return to God. The water-pouring ritual was also accompanied by a prayer of gratitude for the rains that had brought forth the harvest of the previous year and a plea for rain for the coming year to provide another harvest. On the eighth day of the feast, the “great day of the feast,” which was also a Sabbath day, the water drawing and pouring ceremony was not performed, but a prayer for rain was still offered with the sacrifices. Thus reflective participants in this ritual were drawn into a commemorative environment of gratitude and purification that signified their constant dependence on God—all centered on the most sig- nificant sacrificial site in all Israel, the altar of the temple. Jesus Christ if the living water, those who believe on him will have the living water. Rev 22:1,17, "A river of water of life precedes from the throne of the Lamb and waters the tree of life and all are invited to come." So, here's John just elucidating the power of what he said here. It is from me, from this atoning sacrifice that living water will proceed from the throne of the Lamb and water the tree of life and give us access to life. ]
39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, [ They felt the message - it rang true. It had a familiar spirit, so to speak. ] which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
40 ¶ Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet. [ When he teaches he sounds like a prophet, a man of God. He has the spirit with him. It is interesting that they are so willing to discuss him - Is he a prophet? Is this the Christ? Did he not come from Galilee? but is anyone talking about what he is teaching here? They are caught up in the teacher and not the teaching. ]
41 Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? [ The prophets had declared that the Messiah was to come from the tribe of Judah, and from the family of David, and should be born in the city of Bethlehem, these Jews, imagining that Christ had been born in Galilee, concluded that he could not be the Messiah. Had they examined the matter a little farther, they would have found that he had his birth exactly as the prophets had foretold; but, for want of this necessary examination, they continued in unbelief, and rejected the Lord. ]
42 Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?
45 ¶ Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him?
51 Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, [ "Maybe we should hear him out. How about that? Maybe we should hear him out. Can't we just be fair a little bit?" ] and know what he doeth?