John-Rivers in the Heart
Orient John 7:1-52
After the Passover and the feeding of the 5,000, time passes and another Jewish festival is held, the Feast of Booths. Jesus initially goes privately then openly teaches in the temple. Escalating conflict with the Jewish leaders arises, especially after He declares, during the water drawing ceremony, that He is the living water. The Pharisees finally take steps to arrest Him but the offers tasked with this mission fail to do so, as they are amazed by His words. As we’ve come to expect in this greater section within the book of John, his words are often misunderstood and the miracles He performs are debated among the people as proof of his identity as Messiah.
Introduction
Between high school and college, I did some traveling through Europe. Growing up in a small town, I was amazed to be at places I’d only read about in books like the Colosseum, the Eifel Tower, and Buckingham Palace to name a few. One of my favorite places to visit in any of the major cities we toured was the cathedrals. I could sit for hours in the silence, looking at the stained-glass windows and feel soul-deep peace. Though they were iconic and stoic, it wasn’t taking in the solemn history that left me in awe but sensing the hundreds of years fellow believers encountered God in these holy spaces. The friends who I was traveling with had a different experience. They could respect these places as historically significant, but didn’t view Jesus as their Savior but a good man and a teacher. The characters in today’s biblical narrative had the same dispute, who is Jesus? Is He the Prophet, the Messiah, or a demon-possessed deceiver as the Pharisees claimed? Who do you think He is? Read and ask Jesus to strengthen your belief in Him or open your eyes to the truth of His divinity.
Opening Prayer
Jesus, today I want to sit under your teaching because I desire to do God’s will. I submit to Your authority because I do not seek my glory but Yours. You are Living Water and I am thankful to have received your Spirit. No one speaks like You. Open up my ears to hear and receive today as I read Your word.
Meditation
Read and reread the following passage, taking God’s word in deeply. As you do be sensitive to a phrase or verse the Holy Spirit emphasizes to you personally.
John 7
1 After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. 2 Now the Jews' Feast of Booths was at hand. 3 So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For not even his brothers believed in him. 6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. 8 You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.”9 After saying this, he remained in Galilee.
10 But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private.11 The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?” 12 And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.” 13 Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him.
14 About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” 16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” 20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” 21 Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. 22 Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man's whole body well? 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? 26 And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? 27 But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” 28 So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. 29 I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” 30 So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. 33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34 You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.”35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”
37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
40 When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” 43 So there was a division among the people over him. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.
45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” 47 The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? 48 Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him?49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” 50 Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them,51 “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” 52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”
Paraphrase
Rewrite the phrase or verse that the Holy Spirit highlighted during meditation. What is your take away?
Reflect
1. Our reading today is all about the debate among various groups-who is Jesus? Who do you say He is? What would you say if someone asked you to explain Him and why you believe?
2. In the first part of the chapter, Jesus’s brothers are frustrated that He won’t publicly proclaim Himself and show His miraculous power. Their timing for His unveiling was different than what the Father had planned. His family wanted to see His power on display; His Father directed him instead to the sacrificial humility of the cross for our salvation. Have you ever been in a situation where someone was encouraging you to do something but you sensed it wasn’t God’s timing? How did you handle it?
3. Jesus explains why He must go privately to the festival--He is hated because He exposes the world’s deeds as evil. We live in a post-modern world where morality is determined by popular opinion, not biblical truth. Knowing the pressure believers would face, Jesus teaches about this concept 4 times in the book of John[1] alone. Do you struggle to fit into with the world’s values and still be a Christian? Have you been in a situation where you were hated because of your association with Christ? What was that like and how did you stay faithful?
4. Lately I’ve been struggling to find people that can give me godly advice for decisions and trials I face. Most people say “I think” instead of “God says…” Jesus tells us in verse 18 that people who seek the glory of God can be trusted. Where do you go when seeking advice? Do the sources you lean on need to change?
5. The climax of this passage Is found in verses 37-39 where Jesus invites them to see the prophecy of Isaiah 55:1 fulfilled, inviting them, like He did the woman at the well, to drink deeply from His living water (the deep inner satisfaction of the Holy Spirit taking residence inside the believer). The language here implies a great abundance that flows out to others. Are you drinking deep enough that you are a blessing to others?
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, You are everything to me, my Savior, Redeemer, and example. I want to have the words to explain You to others. Prepare hearts and sharpen my mind for me to share that there is no one like You, the perfect God-Man. Let me trust Your timing for my life in all things and lean on those who know Your words to speak into my life. I am not of the world and want to stop trying to behave as if I belong here. I am a stranger and alien and my true home is heaven. I am done calling good evil and evil good. I want to keep my eyes on You even if I experience the world’s hate. You are the source of everything I need and You alone satisfy. Let Your Spirit well up within me to experience abundant life and let that joy flow out to others as I glorify You and submit to You in my life.
Continue praying personally to the Lord with what He showed you during mediation and reflection.
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