John 7: 25 – 53
The Enemy of My Enemy Is My Friend
25 Now some of them from Jerusalem said, “Is this not He whom they seek to kill? 26 But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? 27 However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.” 28 Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, “You both know Me, and you know where I Am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me Is true, Whom you do not know. 29 But I know Him, for I AM from Him, and He sent Me.” 30 Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. 31 And many of the people believed in Him, and said, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?” 32 The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him. 33 Then Jesus said to them, “I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him Who sent Me. 34 You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I Am you cannot come.” 35 Then the Jews said among themselves, “Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What is this thing that He said, ‘You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come’?” 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. 45 Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why have you not brought Him?” 46 The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this Man!” 47 Then the Pharisees answered them, “Are you also deceived? 48 Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? 49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” 50 Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, 51 “Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?” 52 They answered and said to him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.” 53 And everyone went to his own house.
In our last study we learned that our Lord Jesus went up to Jerusalem and went to the Temple and there He taught the people. Since It is quite clear that the impact of Jesus’ ministry has been such that everyone is talking about Him. You can imagine that when they heard that He was in fact at the Temple teaching you can imagine how everyone would rush to see and hear Him. Of course this news also aroused the notice of the religious leaders who hated Him. They came to see and hear our Lord Jesus for the wrong reasons. They wanted evidence to arrest Him and their hatred was so demonic that they schemed to put Him to death.
Observing the evil herd of self righteous phonies He said this to them for all to hear - 19 Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?”
This remark by our Lord upset the people who were listening and were not aware of the dark overtones that were in the air. They thought that He was exaggerating. But the evil murderers knew exactly what He meant. They were uncomfortably aware that He was right. The people answered and said, “You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?” This statement ‘You have a demon’ was probably the equivalent of our use of ‘you’re mad’, not intended to be taken literally, but as a dismissive comment. Yet we see that not all the people were ignorant to the fact of the plan to murder The Lord Jesus Christ for they now speak up.
25 Now some of them from Jerusalem said, “Is this not He whom they seek to kill? 26 But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?
Now hearing some other people state that the religious leaders were indeed planning to kill The Lord Jesus the people now were questioning themselves whether this be true or not? They were puzzled. They started questioning as to the possible murderous attack being planned against Him yet they could see that He was speaking openly, and that the authorities were doing nothing. Why were they not arresting Him? This again brings out the dishonesty of these evil schemers. If their cause had been righteous surely they would have acted openly and immediately.
Thus they could only come to one conclusion. ‘Can it be that in spite of their attitude the authorities recognize this man as the Messiah (the Christ)?’ The very reluctance of the authorities to act suggested to the people that the religious leaders recognized that our Lord Jesus Christ Was Someone special. It does not appear to have struck them that it was because of their fear of riots.
27 However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.”
This, however, raised a further problem for them. There were differing views about the origin of the Messiah. Some said his origin would be unknown, others that he would be born in Bethlehem. The inhabitants of Jerusalem mostly adhered to the former view
28 Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, “You both know Me, and you know where I Am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me Is true, Whom you do not know. 29 But I know Him, for I AM from Him, and He sent Me.”
They may have thought that they knew His origin, our Lord Jesus says, but they did not. For if they had known it they would have known that He had not come at His own devising. They would have known that He was sent by God.
30 Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.
They were clearly having difficulty in arresting Him. Have you ever thought why? Elsewhere in the other Gospels we are told it was because they were afraid of the people who saw our Master and Lord Jesus as a prophet. In other words they would not do it openly but were striving to find some means to do it privately so that no one know they were the culprits behind this evil doing. In the Gospel of Matthew chapter 26 verse 55 we learn how our Holy Lord Jesus would later accuse them of this when He said, ‘I was daily with you teaching in the Temple yet you did not arrest me’.
Please note that His hour (the hour of His death) was not yet come. Until God was ready they would not be able to touch Him. This also applies to you and me for out Holy God controls our lives in the same way.
31 And many of the people believed in Him, and said, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?”
Many believed that He Was The Messiah. These believed because of the signs that they had witnessed, but they were not yet the kind of believers that our Lord Jesus wanted. They were not committed to His teaching, they only had a hope that He might be the long awaited Messiah.
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.
This surge of support for our Precious Holy Lord Jesus clearly had the key leaders worried. At last they had made up their minds that it was now time to act. They felt that they delayed any longer they would miss their chance to get rid of Him.
We will see the statement ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend’ consistently occurs against our Lord. This statement is from an ancient proverb which suggests that two opposing parties can or should work together against a common enemy. The connection of the Chief Priests with the Pharisees is interesting as in the normal course of events they would have had as little to do with each other as possible. But in this case it was necessary for it was the Pharisees who had picked up on what the crowds were saying. However, as they had themselves no means of arresting Jesus in the Temple, they had to go to those who did have that power and seek their cooperation. Thus the two opposing parties (who were used to dealing with each other in the Sanhedrin) acted together in bringing about the sending of the Temple police. The apostle John clearly knew about the detail of Temple policing.
33 Then Jesus said to them, “I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him Who sent Me. 34 You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I Am you cannot come.”
I am sure that you are comfortable with seeing how these schemes are being enacted by these evil religious phonies. I want now to show you Proverbs 1. I am sure you will see it now in a different light. Here our Lord is speaking about these very acts being planned against Him and how they had rejected His Love and Presence.
“10 My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. 11 If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait to shed blood; Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause; 12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, and whole, like those who go down to the Pit. 13 We shall find all kinds of precious possessions, we shall fill our houses with spoil; 14 Cast in your lot among us, let us all have one purse”— 15 My son, do not walk in the way with them, keep your foot from their path; 16 For their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood. 17 Surely, in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird; 18 But they lie in wait for their own blood, they lurk secretly for their own lives. 19 So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; It takes away the life of its owners. 20 Wisdom calls aloud outside; She raises her voice in the open squares. 21 She cries out in the chief concourses, at the openings of the gates in the city she speaks her words: 22 “How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge. 23 Turn at my rebuke; Surely I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you. 24 Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, 25 Because you disdained all my counsel, and would have none of my rebuke, 26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, 27 When your terror comes like a storm, and your destruction comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. 28 “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. 29 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, 30 They would have none of my counsel and despised my every rebuke. 31 Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies. 32 For the turning away of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; 33 But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil.”
There are two points brought out here by our Lord. First of all is that they would look for Him at the feast of the Passover and be unable to find Him because He would have gone to His death on the cross. Then they would not be able to follow Him where He was going because He was going to His Father. His disappearance would be a triumph and not a tragedy.
The second point which our Lord points out continues to be a problem for the Jews even to this day. Having rejected Jesus, they would continue looking for The Messiah and The Prophet, but will never find Him, for because of the hardness of their hearts He would have gone where they could not come. They would have lost their opportunity. And it was somewhere that they would never be able to go unless they believed and were saved. He was still trying to make them think about things, but all it did was puzzle them. They could not believe that such Scriptures applied to them.
35 Then the Jews said among themselves, “Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What is this thing that He said, ‘You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come’?”
When we read this verse we see that the Jews are confused. Then they confuse us by saying all this stuff about the possibility of Him going to the Greeks. Now what is all this about? The dispersion among the Greeks refers to Jews who were cast out of Israel and who were in other countries. You see the world to a Jew was composed of two parts – Jews and the rest of the world humans referred to them all as Greeks. I believe that this comment was nothing but sarcastic. For no one claiming to be the Messiah would consider such an action.
I was taught that I have to watch what I say because it may come true. For example, in the Gospel of John chapter 11, we read about how our Lord Jesus Christ brought Lazarus back to life. So, look what happens just after this, “Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. “If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation. And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient fo that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad
Did you catch on what just happened? This Caiaphas, without knowing, spoke a prophecy of how our Great Lord and King would gather His sheep from all around the world into one flock. We see the same thing happen in the comments by the Pharisees.
Our Merciful and Great God was stirring the hearts of all us Greeks [Gentiles] who had found that the God of the Jews Was attractive. Many had joined them as ‘God-fearers’, without being circumcised and becoming wholly Jews. It was among these especially that the Gospel would find a firm welcome.
Meanwhile the Feast of Tabernacles was drawing to a close with its emphasis on harvest and the prayers for rain for the coming year. The people were totally dependent on that rain for survival, and during the seven days of this feast a ceremonial procession would gather water each day from the pool of Siloam and carry it to the Temple. There it was poured out before God at the time of the morning sacrifice while the people chanted the words of Isaiah 12.3 - ‘with joy you will draw water from the wells of deliverance’. It was their cry for rain in the coming season.
But it also looked forward to the great expected time of deliverance, that time when God would step in and deliver His people from their oppressors, the time when the land would flourish as it never had before, seeing rain in abundance and when the pouring out of the Spirit would produce fruitfulness of another kind in the hearts of men. It was a time of high excitement. The people were ever filled with an expectancy that God would act. And what was happening about Jesus had added to that excitement.
The detailed celebration of the Feast was as follows. Early on each of the seven mornings of the feast the high priest would lead a procession from the Pool of Siloam to the temple. Another priest, again accompanied by crowds, would at the same time fill a golden ewer with water from the pool. He would then carry it through the Water Gate on the south side of the temple and into the temple courtyard. There he would ceremoniously pour the water into a silver basin on the west side of the brazen altar from which it would flow through a tube to the base of the altar.
Many Jews would accompany these priests. Some of them would drink from the pool while others would chant Isaiah 55.1 and 12.3: "Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters -- with joy draw water from the springs of salvation." This was such a happy occasion that the Mishnah stated, "He who has never seen the joy of the water-drawing has never in his life seen joy." (Sukkoth 5.1). The priest would then pour water into the basin at the time of the morning sacrifice. Another priest would also pour the daily drink offering of wine into another basin at the same time. Then they would pour the water and the wine out before the Lord.
The pouring out of water represented God's past provision of water in the wilderness and His provision of refreshment in the future times of the Messiah. The pouring out of wine symbolized God's bestowal of His Spirit in the days to come. Every male present would simultaneously shake his small bundle of willow and myrtle twigs with his right hand and hold a piece of citrus fruit aloft with his left hand. The twigs represented stages of the wilderness journey marked by different kinds of vegetation, and the citrus fruit symbolized the fruit of the Promised Land. Everyone would also cry, "Give thanks to the Lord!" three times. Worshippers in the temple courtyard would then sing the ‘Hallel’ which are from the book of Psalms 113-118. So by the end of the seven days excitement was at its peak, and all were thinking of the future work of God’s Spirit. This would be followed by the eighth day, possibly ‘the great day of the feast’.
Whether in fact the ‘great day of the feast, was the seventh day or the eighth day is disputed. The seventh day was a festal Sabbath, and while during the first six days the priests walked once round the altar, on the seventh day they walked round it seven times. Thus it was seen as an important day. But the feast had come to be seen as one of eight days so that ‘the last day’ would naturally be interpreted as the eighth day.
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.”
Please note our Lord’s words, ‘If any man thirst let him come to me and drink.’ His words were like the cry of the water-seller in Isaiah 55.1. As with the water-seller He was not teaching but making a public announcement and offer. His actions would be especially noticeable because it was usual for a Jewish teacher to speak sitting down. This time, however, He stood. What He was saying was thus intended to be seen as a proclamation.
The people’s minds would be filled with the events of the week that had gone before and there would be a feeling of joy and well-being in their hearts. So His words would catch the mood of the moment and they would be open to hear.
The prophet Isaiah wrote in chapter 55 verse 3 of his book the cry of the water-seller, “Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters, and he who has no money, come, buy and eat, yes, come and buy wine and milk, without money and without price”, was immediately followed by the promise of the renewal of the everlasting covenant. The Lord Jesus’ offer, however, differed somewhat as He was able to offer what the water seller could not, living water through belief in Him.
At such a time, reference to flowing water would immediately bring to people’s minds the water poured out daily before God at the Temple, symbolizing rain and fruitfulness, and the coming deliverance. Their minds were full of it. Thus the ‘birth from above, birth from water’ which John stated in chapter 3 verse 6 is here seen in the spiritual rain which would feed the spiritual springs and provide plentiful water for the people to drink. It will result from response to His words. In the words of His previous preaching, ‘he who believes in Me will never thirst’ and this would be associated in the minds of the people with the ‘drawing of water from the wells of deliverance’.
But now a new promise was added. ‘He who believes on me, as the Scripture has said, out of his inner being will flow rivers of living water.’ This went beyond what had been taught before. Now they were not only to receive life but were to expect to be purveyors of that life to the world. It was a promise that the great outpouring of the Spirit promised by the prophets was approaching, resulting in rivers of water for all. What John’s baptism pointed to was about to be fulfilled.
So now our Great and Mighty God Jesus was promising something even greater than previously. Men had been told that they could be born from above, and drink of the water of life through putting their full trust in Jesus, but now was added the concept that they would then become the source of life to others. Water would flow out from them to others.
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.
Now we need to stop and think about these verses. The promise in verse 37 was available to the people as they listened, and as it had been to the Samaritans who believed. They could come and drink freely then. But the promise stated in verse 38 awaited the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus. Then would an overflowing stream of living water flow out from His people to the world. Men were already experiencing the work of the Spirit, but once the Spirit was ‘given’ then the comparative trickle would become a flood. The ‘not yet’ would become ‘now’. ‘The Spirit was not yet’ does not mean there has been no work of the Spirit at all. It means that the abundant outpouring promised by the prophets had not yet come.
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?”
Our Lord Jesus’ words stirred up the people, who were already in a high state of excitement because of the Feast. Therefore some said, ‘this is the anticipated Prophet’, others said, ‘this is the Messiah’. Expectancy was at this time high among the people of Palestine. As people will they dreamed of deliverance from what they saw as the Roman tyranny. And as a result of their past history and their belief that God was the God Who acted on their behalf, they awaited a great Prophet like Moses, or a great deliverer. Could this be the One they were waiting for?
Like today the troublemakers got to get there vile remarks added. Can you see John pick up on this remark also by making sure this comment is included in his narrative of the life our Precious Holy Lord and God Jesus Christ. For I think you can agree that almost everyone who read or heard of this comment would say that people knew that the Lord Jesus was born in Bethlehem and was a direct descendent of David. In fact our Lord Jesus’ earthly step father Joseph be king of Israel if it wasn’t put to a stop due to his ancestor Coniah’s sin.
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.
There arose a division. The chief religious leaders wanted His arrest while there were others in the crowd wanted to support Him. The city was divided.
45 Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why have you not brought Him?” 46 The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this Man!”
Sitting waiting in their quarters the leading religious authorities were seething. The last thing that they wanted was a popular uprising in support of Jesus, for it would both undermine their own status, and bring the wrath of Pilate on them. Thus when their officials returned without carrying out Jesus’ arrest they treated them with angry disdain. We note that the Chief Priests and the Pharisees were still together. Both wanted to see that their plan was successfully carried through. Such was their hatred and fear of Jesus that they were willing to put up with each other for a time.
Stop and think about this situation. Put yourselves in the position of the officers. You are instructed by the mayor, the District Attorney, , and the top city officials to go and arrest Jesus. You come back without having carried out these instructions. If you were asked how come you did not complete your assignment, would your answer be – Well we got there where He was speaking and we scrutinized the scene. We listened in to His speech and noticed how it had really reached the crowd. We never heard someone whose words had such an impact. Anyway, there was a huge amount of people there so we felt that if we acted and arrested Him then there would be more problems than our manpower could handle.
If you were a police officer do you think your officials would buy this reasoning?
47 Then the Pharisees answered them, “Are you also deceived? 48 Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? 49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.”
The Pharisees, of course, had not had to face the huge crowds and could therefore afford to be brave, and they responded with disdain. They thought that they were unified in their plans to arrest and ultimately put to death of Holy Lord Jesus. However, in their midst there was one man whose heart was softening to the truth that Jesus Was indeed the promised Messiah so timidly he spoke up.
50 Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, 51 “Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?” 52 They answered and said to him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.” 53 And everyone went to his own house.
Nicodemus’ question was asked in such a way as to expect a negative reply, but he soon found that he was on the wrong track. These people of the Law were not willing to listen to the Law when it did not suit them. Thus once again their failure to genuinely observe the Law is being emphasized. But as the next verse tells us Jesus was not being given justice because He was a Galilean. Prejudice overrode the truth.
The reply tells us all we need to know about the genuineness of these particular Pharisees. What Nicodemus had suggested was basic justice and in accord with the law of Moses. But they dismissed it with the contempt of men who were not even prepared to consider the truth of Jesus’ claims.
We see the same words of prejudice being spewed out by ignorant evil people who abide in cities and well populated states. They feel that the rest of our citizens are worthless human beings who they call ‘fly over’ areas or where it is worthless to land your plane and spend some time there.
These city of Jerusalem people thought like some of our people who work and live in Washington That you are not also fellow citizens but useless peons.
Now who are the stupid people? Look again at their statement to Nicodemus - ‘Are you also from Galilee? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise in Galilee’. Why, who but a Galilean could suggest such a thing indeed that He Is The Messiah? Was Nicodemus then a Galilean?
These great religious scholars should have done their homework. In fact, of course, Jonah had been from Galilee but they were thinking rather of a future prophet. To them Galilee was now outside any consideration. Galileans were only to be seen as second rate citizens at best. A lesson to be learned here is that there is no purpose or reason to get into a debate with any crowd bent on evil.
