Text: John 7:37-44 (NKJV)
37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
38 "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
40 Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet."
41 Others said, "This is the Christ." But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee?
42 "Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"
43 So there was a division among the people because of Him.
44 Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.
Before we go into a deeper look on this text, let's pray:
Opening Prayer
Background/Context
This took place at the Feast of Booths (Sukkot), or Feast of Tabernacles
Late September to Late October (Jewish calendar month Tishri)
Feasts from the Old Testament:
Exodus 23:14-16 (NKJV)
14 " Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year:
15 "You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; none shall appear before Me empty);
16 "and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field.
Feast of Ingathering -- A festival where people would gather to give thanksgiving to the LORD for the results of the harvest.
People would also build temporary tents or 'booths' and mainly live in them for seven full days, serving as a means of remembrance of the Israelites dwelling in these tents as they went through the wilderness after the LORD delivered them from Egypt. This is also a means of remembering the LORD's presence with His people even in 40 years of wilderness times:
Leviticus 23:42-43 (NKJV)
42 'You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths,
43 'that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.' "
Walkthrough
I. Jesus' Call to the People (37-39)
John 7:37-39
37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
38 "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
A. He Refreshes (37)
Knowing Jesus leads to flowing rivers of Living Water from our lives.
Parallel: John 4 when He revealed to the Samaritan woman that He was the source of living water. This means that Jesus is the continual source of renewal and refreshing spiritually. Only through Him comes this continual vitality! Note that there are rivers of this abundance -- a deluge!
B. He Outflows (38)
There is no exact quote here from Scripture that Jesus is using. I find it convincing that Jesus is summarizing the heart of Scripture and the whole of its testimony. Continually, Jesus refers to Himself as being what Scriptures testify to. Jesus states this plainly in John 5:39 --
John 5:39 - "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.
Main point: Jesus is what the heart of Scripture is all about.
"Heart" in some translations here is the Greek word koili,aj, which literally means 'belly' or 'womb.' It's translated heart here since Jesus is saying that from the depths of our being will come refreshment.
Barnes elaborates on this point in his commentary:
"Out of his belly - Out of his midst, or out of his heart. The word "belly" is often put for the midst of a thing, the center, and the heart, Matthew 12:40. It means here that from the man shall flow; that is, his piety shall be of such a nature that it will extend its blessings to others."
Challenge: Is your faith flowing out to bless others? If not, how can you grow in this area? Perhaps this could be related to outreach, service, and spending time with the Lord to reenergize.
C. He Brings Transformation (39)
Today, this flowing and renewal comes from the transformation by the Holy Spirit.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is not an 'IT' -- the Holy Spirit is fully God, and is one of the three Persons of the Trinity.
The Holy Spirit is not the Father, and the Holy Spirit is not the Son. The Holy Spirit is sent to lead us to conviction of sin, to lead us to Jesus, and to bring glory to the Father.
The Holy Spirit is our Comforter, as Jesus refers to Him as such in John 16. He was promised, and He dwells within those who believe in Jesus. Paul mentions this in 1 Corinthians 3:16. We receive the Holy Spirit when we trust in Jesus, as John notes in this verse (John 7:39).
He empowers us to serve Him in whatever way He has called us, as well as gives us specific gifts according to that calling (cf. 1 Corinthians 12-14, Romans 12, Ephesians 4). We are called to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), and to walk in the Spirit (Romans 8, Galatians 5:25).
As a result of the Holy Spirit's work, we will be both energized and will grow closer to Him. The results of the Holy Spirit's work are found as the somewhat well-known Fruit (literally, outgrowing results) of the Spirit:
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
John explains that the Holy Spirit was not yet given, but after Jesus' glorification, the Spirit was sent. We see this happening at Pentecost in Acts chapter 2. We can be filled to various levels, and I do believe that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit refers to a deeper infilling of the Holy Spirit. Some may speak in tongues (other languages, whether of humans or angels), some may prophesy, and yet Paul states to the Saints in Corinth that not all will speak in tongues. Speaking in Tongues is no requirement for Salvation. The Holy Spirit brings a real fire into the lives of people, and He empowers us to live lives pleasing to the Father.
Challenge: Receive this renewal from the Holy Spirit! We are called to continually be filled with the Spirit, and we need His refreshing as we go through the trials and struggles of life. Now that Jesus has Resurrected and has been glorified, let's pursue the best gifts from Him.
II. Mixed Opinions (40-42)
John 7:40-42
40 Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet."
41 Others said, "This is the Christ." But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee?
42 "Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"
A. What did People Believe about Jesus?
40: Prophet
41: A man from Galilee
-- Many did not know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem
Jesus' birth was full of unsettling circumstances -- Herod a was an unstable and narcissistic king, and he did not want to be usurped by the King of Kings, so he put out a decree to murder all children under the age of 2 in Bethlehem and its surrounding areas (cf. Matthew 2:16). As a result of several dreams, angel revelations, and obedient actions by Joseph and Mary, Jesus was spared, and they began living in Galilee.
People seemed to know Jesus as the carpenter from Galilee. He never studied rabbinic thought or theory, and the Jews noted that, and yet He spoke with great authority and knowledge of the Scriptures.
John 7:15 - "And the Jews marveled, saying, 'How does this Man know letters, having never studied?'"
The Pharisees were a people so established in their own egos and authority and high position that many, if not most of them, would not soften their heart to Jesus' teaching. Jesus often took these religious leaders to task for their failure to recognize that God desires repentant people who do not trust in their own righteousness. We cannot save ourselves, and God reached down to us by providing Jesus, so that through Him, we can be forgiven of any wrongs done -- our debts are revoked only through Him!
John 8:24 - "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."
41: Some believed that Jesus was The Christ (Messiah)
B. Who Got it Right?
With all the mixed opinions, who had it right?
Prophet (40): Somewhat correct. He spoke for God. Some even view Jesus today as only a Prophet.
- We see that Jesus was able to forthtell, or proclaim, the truth of God, whether hidden or not.
- We also see that Jesus was also able to foretell, or see what would happen.
What are some things that Jesus forthtold?
- That He was sent by God (Tons of places in John)
- That He was the Messiah (John 4)
- That He was the source of spiritual renewal and regeneration (John 4, John 7)
- That He was the only Way to God (John 14:6)
- That He brought freedom from sin (John 8:31-36)
And turn all those 'was' statements into 'is' statements, and you still have the truth.
Even from His life lived out and recounted by His disciples, we also see that He brought healing, restoration, forgiveness, and hope of eternal life.
What are some things that Jesus foretold?
- His Death
- His Crucifixion
- The core reason for the necessity of His Crucifixion
If Jesus were a Prophet, His words would be true. Many accounts of Jesus' words have Him stating that He is the only Way to God. Do you believe that He was the Savior of the world?
A man from Galilee (41): Nope. This was his region of familiarity, but again, Jesus was actually born in Bethlehem. Jesus was also no ordinary man, and everyone seemed to know that from His unique and outstanding life.
The Christ (41): Totally correct. We see that Jesus was the One sent from the Father, promised ages ago, even to us promised from the first sin sacrifice (announcement of the curse, see Genesis 3:15).
C. Controversy and Tension (43-44)
People indeed had mixed opinions, and so much so that the officials did not want to arrest Him, even at the prodding of the religious leaders. Imagine the tension in the crowd -- some believed totally, and some rejected totally. It was a moment of extreme polarity and controversy-- Jesus was present with them, and opinions were completely scattered.
Application & Conclusion
(1) Jesus refreshes, outflows, and brings transformation -- follow Him and experience this fullness of life.
(2) As we are commanded, let's continually be filled with the Holy Spirit. Ask and receive.
(3) In the midst of mixed opinions, stick to Jesus as the promised Messiah.
(4) Let's reflect on Jesus as our Promised Messiah
Jesus as the Promised Messiah:
Here are some major statements from Jesus throughout John, and let's just meditate on His words --
3:36 (John the Baptizer) – “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
6:35 – “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
6:40 – “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
10:9 – “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture."
11:25-26 – Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
12:46 – “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.”
14:5-6 – Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Let us follow our Messiah in all faithfulness and obedience. Let's pray:
Closing Prayer
Bibliography
Barnes, Albert. Barnes' Notes on the New Testament. Public Domain. Accessible via Christian Classics Ethereal Library.
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Brief Outline
Background/Context
I. Jesus' Call to the People (37-39)
----- A. He Refreshes (37)
----- B. He Outflows (38)
----- C. He Brings Transformation, via the Holy Spirit (39)
II. Mixed Opinions (40-44)
----- A. What did People Believe about Jesus? (40-42)
----- B. Who Got it Right? (40-42)
----- C. Controversy & Tension (43-44)
Application & Conclusion
