The Chosen Key Word in this Chapter is “Judge” it comes from the Greek Word “krino” which means “to judge, to discern.”
Jesus goes up to a major feast in secret, and by the end, the crowd is completely divided over who He really is. Welcome to Bible Life Basics Chapter Reviews, I am Chris and this is John 7.
With Jewish leaders seeking to kill Him, Jesus stays in Galilee, avoiding Judea, but goes up to the Feast of Tabernacles secretly rather than publicly, after His brothers, who do not yet believe in Him, urge Him to show Himself openly. Midway through the feast, Jesus begins teaching in the temple, astonishing people with His learning despite never having formally studied. He challenges His listeners to judge righteous judgment, “krino” in Greek, rather than judging by mere appearance, pointing out that they seek to kill Him for healing a man on the Sabbath while circumcising on the Sabbath themselves without objection.
The crowd grows increasingly divided, some wondering if He might be the Christ, others insisting the Christ’s origin would be unknown while they know exactly where Jesus is from. Officers sent to arrest Him return empty-handed, testifying, “Never man spake like this man.” On the final, great day of the feast, Jesus stands and cries out, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink,” promising that “out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water,” which John explains refers to the Holy Spirit, not yet given since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
Nicodemus, the same Pharisee who visited Jesus by night earlier, defends Him before the council, asking whether their law judges a man without first hearing him. The others dismiss this, mocking the idea that any prophet could come out of Galilee, and the meeting ends in unresolved division, each person going to their own house.
Even the officers sent specifically to arrest Jesus returned unable to do it, simply because no one had ever spoken the way He spoke. His words carried an authority that even His enemies’ own agents couldn’t ignore, a authority that continues to divide opinion about who He truly is even now.
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