Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of John 7:25
Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill?
25. Then said some ] Or, Some therefore said (see on Joh 6:53, Joh 7:11; Joh 7:15), i.e. in consequence of Christ’s vindication of Himself. These inhabitants of the capital know better than the provincials, who speak in Joh 7:20, what the intentions of the hierarchy really are.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Those who here speak are said to be of Jerusalem, (probably citizens), who knew more of the designs and counsels of the chief priests and elders, than those who said before, Joh 7:20, Thou hast a devil: who seeketh to kill thee?
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
25-27. some of them of Jerusalemthecitizens, who, knowing the long-formed purpose of the rulers to putJesus to death, wondered that they were now letting Him teach openly.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Then said some of them of Jerusalem,…. Who were inhabitants of Jerusalem, and so are distinguished from the people, Joh 7:20, who came up out of the country to the feast; so Jose ben Jochanan is called , “a man of Jerusalem” c; that is, an inhabitant of it: now these men living in the city, knew more of the temper and disposition, the designs and attempts, of the chief priests, Scribes, and elders, to take away the life of Christ; and therefore say,
is not this he whom they seek to kill? they knew that they had formed a design to kill him, ever since the passover before the last; when he wrought the miracle referred to in the text, and that they had been ever since plotting against his life, and were now at this feast seeking an opportunity to lay hold on him and kill him.
c Pirke Abot, c. 1. sect. 4, 5.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Some therefore of them of Jerusalem ( ). The people of the city in contrast to the multitude of pilgrims at the feast. They form a separate group. The word is made from and occurs in Josephus and IV Maccabees. In N.T. only here and Mr 1:5. These Jerusalem people knew better than the pilgrims the designs of the rulers (Vincent).
Is not this? ( ;). Expecting affirmative answer. Clearly they were not as familiar with the appearance of Jesus as the Galilean multitude (Dods).
They seek (). The plural refers to the group of leaders already present (7:15) to whom the Jerusalem crowd probably pointed. They knew of their threats to kill Jesus (5:18).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Them of Jerusalem [] . Literally, of the Jerusalemites, who knew better than the multitude the designs of the priesthood. The word occurs only here and Mr 1:5.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “Then said some of them of Jerusalem.” (elegon oun tines ek ton lerosolumiton) “Then certain ones of the Jerusalemites said,” inquiringly, as a matter of inquiry. They did not know Him as well as the Galileans who had come up to Jerusalem for the feast.
2) “Is not this he,” (ouch houtos estin) “Is not this one,” the one, of whom Moses spoke, and who claims Moses spoke prophetically of Him, Deu 18:15; Deu 18:19.
3) “Whom they seek to kill?” (hon zetousin apokteinai) “The one whom they are seeking to kill?” Apparently the plot to kill Him had been widely whispered by the fourth day of the feast, Joh 5:16; Joh 5:18, even before He openly told them there in the temple that He knew about their covenant to kill Him, Joh 7:19.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
25. Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem; that is, those to whom the rulers had communicated their plots, and who knew how much Christ was hated; for the people at large — as we saw lately — looked upon this as a dream, or as madness. Those persons, therefore, who knew with what inveterate rage the rulers of their nation burned against Christ, have some reason for wondering that, while Christ in the temple not only converses openly but preaches freely, the rulers say nothing to him. But they err in this respect, that in a miracle altogether Divine they do not take into account the providence of God. Thus carnal men, whenever they behold any unusual work of God, do indeed wonder, but no consideration of the power of God ever enters into their mind. But it is our duty to examine more wisely the works of God; and especially when wicked men, with all their contrivances, do not hinder the progress of the Gospel so much as they would desire, we ought to be fully persuaded that their efforts have been rendered fruitless, because God, by interposing his word, has defeated them.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
MIXED EMOTIONS CONCERNING JESUS
Text 7:25-36
25
Some therefore of them of Jerusalem said, Is not this he whom they seek to kill?
26
And lo, he speaketh openly, and they say nothing unto him. Can it be that the rulers indeed know that this is the Christ?
27
Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when the Christ cometh, no one knoweth whence he is.
28
Jesus therefore cried in the temple, teaching and saying, Ye both know me, and know whence I am; and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not.
29
I know him; because I am from him, and he sent me.
30
They sought therefore to take him: and no man laid his hand on him, because his hour was not yet come.
31
But of the multitude many believed on him; and they said, When the Christ shall come, will he do more signs than those which this man hath done?
32
The Pharisees heard the multitude murmuring these things concerning him; and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to take him.
33
Jesus therefore said, Yet a little while am I with you, and I go unto him that sent me.
34
Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, ye cannot come.
35
The Jews therefore said among themselves, Whither will this man go that we shall not find him? Will he go unto the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks?
36
What is this word that he said, Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me; and where I am, ye cannot come?
Queries
a.
What did the people of Jerusalem mean when they said, when the Christ cometh, no one knoweth whence he is.
b.
Did Jesus mean that they actually knew Him as the Messiah? (Joh. 7:28)
c.
When would they seek Him and not find Him?
Paraphrase
Some of the Jerusalemites, recognizing the profound wisdom of Jesus words, said, Is not this the man whom the rulers seek to kill, yet behold, he speaks openly and boldly in the temple and they say not one word to Him. Some said, Can it be possible that our rulers have come to recognize this man as the Christ? Others replied, No, we know where this man comes fromwhen the Christ comes, no one will know where He comes from. Exasperated at their unbelief, Jesus cried aloud, as He taught in the temple and said, So you think you know me? and where I am from? To the contrary I have not come to you as a mere mortalon my own authority. He who sent me is the One True God, and Him you do not know. I know Him because I came from His very presence and He sends me with His commission. The rulers, hearing Jesus words, were eagerly seeking to arrest Him. However, in the Divine providence of God, His hour had not yet come, and no one laid a hand upon Him. Great numbers of the feast crowds were following Him and saying among themselves, When the Christ comes He will not do more signs than this man has done, will He? The Pharisees heard the crowd mumbling these things concerning Him and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple police in order that they might arrest Him. Then Jesus said, I am going to be with you only a little time more and then I go away unto Him that sent Me. You will look for Me but you will not find Me, and where I am you are not able to come. At this the Jews said among themselves, Where is this fellow about to go that we shall not be able to find him? Will He go to the Jews that are scattered in the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What does he mean when he says, You shall seek and shall not find me, and where I am you are not able to come?
Summary
There are many opinions concerning Jesus at the Feast. Some say He cannot possibly be the Christothers say He must bethe rulers are determined to kill Him. Jesus claims unequivocally to be sent from the very presence of God and soon to return to the Father. Jesus then warns the Jews of a time when they will diligently seek Him but they will not be able to find Him.
Comment
In Joh. 7:25 John uses the word Hierosolumton (Greek for Jerusalemites) to make a distinction between the definitely hostile rulers of the Jews (Joh. 7:15), the crowds of pilgrims from Galilee, Perea and Judea (Joh. 7:20), and these city dwellers or Jerusalemites. Why their opinion of Jesus was important enough for John to include it in an extremely abridged account of the Life of Christ we do not know. But notice that they seem to be well informed as to the premeditated intentions of the rulers, while the pilgrims who have come from afar are shocked at the suggestion of Jesus impending execution (cf. Joh. 7:19).
The Jerusalemites were shocked at the boldness with which Jesus openly denounced the rulers. Neither could they understand the hesitancy of the Jews to have Jesus silenced or arrested. Their amazed reaction is an impulsive, Can it be that the rulers have been persuaded that this man is the Christ? To say, as some commentators, that the question is asked in derision does not suit the context. These city dwellers knew very well the attitude of the rulers in the past (cf. Joh. 5:18). But now the Nazarene was even more bold and there was no official action being taken. They could only conclude that the rulers had recognized Jesus as the Messiah.
Yet, with a moments deliberation, they knew this man could not be the Messiah. The rulers may have made a mistake but not these peoplethey knew where Jesus was from! Some of them knew that He was from Nazareth and some, perhaps, knew His family.
There seems to have been a popular theory that the Messiah, when He came, would appear suddenly and no one would know where He came from. The origin of this theory is obscured by vagueness, but there are some passages in the Jewish apocryphal books and Rabbinical writings such as this extract: A roe appears and then is hid; so the Redeemer shall first appear and then be concealed, and then again be concealed and then again appear. So the Redeemer shall first appear and then be hid, and then, at the end of forty-five days, shall reappear, and cause manna to descend. (Barnes, Notes on the New Testament, Luke and John, Baker Book House, 1956, page 258.) There are also passages in the canonical books such as Isa. 53:2; Isa. 53:8; Dan. 7:13; Mal. 3:1, from which the people may have started this theory. On the other hand, it appears that many of the Jews knew the Messiah was to be born at Bethlehem (cf. Mat. 2:5 and Joh. 7:42). Jesus may have been correcting their theory in Mat. 24:23, when He said, Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there, believe it not. And again in Mat. 24:26, If they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert, go not forth; behold, he is in the secret chambers, believe it not. When the great tribulation was to come upon Jerusalem in 70 A.D., the people in that city would certainly look in every direction for a sudden appearance of the Messiah.
The origin of their false theories about the Messiah is of minor importance here. Of major importance is the self-willed rejection of Jesus by these Jerusalemites and His ironic condemnation of their ignorance of the One True God.
Their unbelief vexed the Lords heart. He was exasperated, yet heartbroken; ironic in tongue, yet concerned for their souls. He cried out, So you think you know me? and you know where I am from? We believe Jesus was using irony and was not making a statement of fact. We further feel the words of Jesus are better punctuated interrogatively. Our most ancient manuscripts indicate that there were no punctuation marks at all in the original New Testament. But time after time Jesus said emphatically the people did not know Him (cf. Joh. 3:11; Joh. 5:18; Joh. 5:37-38; Joh. 6:42; Joh. 6:60-62; Joh. 8:19; Joh. 8:42-43; Joh. 8:55-59; Joh. 14:9). Jesus was not averse to using irony (cf. Luk. 13:31-32; Mar. 7:9).
They knew His mother and brothers and sistersthey knew His boyhood homebut they did not know Him. They were like so many of our modernists today. They accepted Jesus as a wise teacher, but they knew too much to accept Him as the Divine Son of God.
Then Jesus declares that He comes not on His own authority (see our comments on Joh. 5:32-32, Vol. I, pages 192193). Jesus comes forth from the presence of the One True God. It is no wonder they reject Him as the Divine Messiahthey do not know the One True God. Jesus had said essentially the same thing six months before at the Passover in this same city (cf. Joh. 5:37-44), and He repeats it again and again (cf. Joh. 8:19; Joh. 8:55). They did not know God for the same reason the Gentiles of Rom. 1:25; Rom. 1:28 did not know Godthey did not want to know God. And for this reason, thousands of every generation do not know Godthey refuse to have Him in their lives because His Word condemns their carnal minds and deeds.
In Joh. 7:29, Jesus claims to have come from the presence of the Father with a Divine commission. The Greek word apesteilen, from which we get apostle, means sent with a commission, or by the authority of another. This is the word Jesus uses for sent in Joh. 7:29. Jesus is called the Apostle . . . of our confession in Heb. 3:1.
The rulers of Jerusalem had sought to kill Jesus even before the close of His first year of ministry. At the second Passover of His public ministry they sought the more to kill Him (cf. Joh. 5:18). Now they were trying again to take Him into custody (Joh. 7:30). But, strangely enough, no one laid a hand on Him, The excuses His antagonists had for not taking action against Him at this time are not made known. Perhaps they were afraid of the multitudes of pilgrims who were in favor of His teaching (Joh. 7:31). One thing is certain, the proper time for His suffering within the Divine scheme had not yet arrived and the Providence of an omnipotent God overruled the designs of evil men.
In contrast to the rejection of Jesus as the Messiah by the Jerusalemites and the rulers, many of the pilgrims there for the Feast of Tabernacles were clamoring after His teaching. We agree with Hendriksen that the words in Joh. 7:31 many believed on him do not necessarily indicate true, living faith. There were many in Galilee who believed in Him until the time of testing at the Sermon on the Bread of Life. Then multitudes forsook Him.
Their materialistic attitude is revealed in the remainder of Joh. 7:31. They were enamored of His wonderful miracles and signs. But six months later, in this same city, they, too, will forsake Him when they realize He is not to be a materialistic Messiah. The construction of the Greek in Joh. 7:31 shows the people to have asked the question expecting a negative answer. In other words, the pilgrims are asking each other and expecting confirmation of each other that the wonders and signs of this man can only mean He is the Messiah they are looking for.
The Pharisees, hearing the teeming multitudes mumbling among themselves that the Nazarene is the long looked for Messiah, must take drastic steps for a serious situation. The Pharisees and chief priests were bitter enemies, yet they united in this Satanic pact to destroy a common foe, Jesus the Nazarene.
In Joh. 7:33-34, Jesus speaks a solemn and fearful warning. Yet, He speaks it in a voice full of tenderness. They have decided secretly to kill Him, but He knows it and tries to tell them that He is aware of it. He warns them further that the time will come when they shall seek Him, but be unable to find Him. This does not mean that there would come a time when it would be impossible for these Jews to find Jesus unto salvation and forgiveness. We know, in fact, that many thousands did seek Him and find Him for salvation (cf. Act. 2:1-47; Act. 3:1-26; Act. 4:1-37; Act. 5:1-42). We believe Jesus refers to a time of great sorrow or tribulation when they would search desperately for the Messiah to lead, deliver and comfort them. Just such a time occurred in 70 A.D. at the destruction of Jerusalem (cf. Mat. 24:1-51; Josephus Wars of the Jews, Books V and VI). Jesus here warns that He will be unavailable for such leadership and deliverance. He will soon ascend unto His Father in Heaven (cf. Joh. 13:33; Joh. 13:36-38).
The Jews glibly cast aside any seriousness to His warnings. They joke about His prophetic warnings. Where will He go, they say, to our people who are scattered throughout the world (the Dispersion)? In sarcasm and ridicule they ask if He will go among the Gentiles and teach them. Little do they know how the gospel of Christ will be rejected by their countrymen and then taken by the apostles to the Gentiles (cf. Act. 13:46-52; Act. 28:25-28).
The Jews are perplexed (Joh. 7:36). Their carnal minds are not able to comprehend that He was sent forth from the presence of Jehovah and will soon return to heaven. But amazingly, Jesus does not answer their question. He has more relevant teaching He wishes to give the multitudes. What He says in Joh. 7:37-39 will be more pertinent at this time than a discussion of eschatology, and so the Lord merely ignores their sarcastic question.
Quiz
1.
Where would the people get the idea that the appearance of the Messiah would be sudden and secret?
2.
How do you think Joh. 7:28 should be punctuated?
3.
What does the word apostle mean?
4.
Why was Jesus not arrested at this time?
5.
Do you think the belief of the multitudes was sincere or superficial?
6.
When would the Jews seek the Messiah and be unable to find Him?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(25) Then said some of them of Jerusalem.These Jerusalemites are distinct from the multitude of Joh. 7:20, and are acquainted with the intention which seemed so impossible to the latter.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Reasonings of the Jerusalemites and Jesus’s reply, Joh 7:25-29.
The Lord’s reference in Joh 7:23, to his miracle at Bethesda, (Joh 7:2-9,) months before, awakens the recollections of a number of permanent inhabitants of the capital of his person, miracle, and the conspiracy of the Jews against him.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
25. Seek to kill Thus refuting the interruption of the others in Joh 7:20.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘Some therefore of those of Jerusalem said, “Is not this he whom they seek to put to death? And see, he speaks openly and they say nothing to him. Can it be that the Rulers indeed know that this is the Messiah?”.’
Some of the people of Jerusalem now asked questions among themselves. The threat to Jesus was drawing attention to Him. They were puzzled. They knew what was intended against Him and yet they could see that He was speaking openly, and that the authorities, who had not hidden their plans, were doing nothing. Why were they not arresting Him? (This again brings out the dishonesty of the Judaisers. 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 recognise this man as the Messiah (the Christ)?’ The very reluctance of the authorities to act suggested to the people that the authorities recognised that He was someone special. It does not appear to have struck them that it was because of their fear of riots. They were probably not so aware as the leadership were of the volatility of the Galileans gathered in the city.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Net Is Drawing Tighter – Questions Among The People ( Joh 7:25-35 ).
It is quite clear that the impact of Jesus’ ministry has been such that everyone is talking about Him. The whole of Jerusalem is stirred He has become a prominent topic of conversation. His Name is on everyone’s lips whether in support or derogatory. And many are puzzled as to why if Jesus is a false prophet He has not been arrested. This led them to think that perhaps the leadership were in favour of His claims without being willing to give open support. They could not have been further from the truth. And that is why the religious leadership would now determine that it was time to act.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The origin of Jesus:
v. 25. Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this He whom they seek to kill?
v. 26. But, lo, He speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ?
v. 27. Howbeit we know this man whence He is; but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence He is.
v. 28. Then cried Jesus in the Temple as He taught, saying, Ye both know Me, and ye know whence I am; and I am not come of Myself, but He that sent Me is true, whom ye know not.
v. 29. But I know Him; for I am from Him, and He hath sent Me.
v. 30. Then they sought to take Him; but no man laid hands on Him, because His hour was not yet come. A diversion was created at this point by the inquiry of some local people that may have come upon the scene at that moment. They were surprised at Christ’s teaching so openly. He was surely the man whom the chief men in the nation had sought to kill and were even then planning to put out of the way. The inference was that the rulers had been convinced as to the truth of Christ’s claims and were reconsidering their intention of putting Him to death. But this idea, in turn, is dismissed, as the babblers continue to express their conviction that they knew the origin of this man who was teaching before them; but concerning the Christ, the Messiah, the supposition had gained ground that no one would know whence He would come. This idea was due to a misunderstanding of some Old Testament passages referring to the eternity of the Messiah and to sections of apocryphal literature which were circulating among the Jews in those days. In this man Jesus they saw nothing miraculous. His powerful testimony of His heavenly origin they did not believe, and the miracles which He did in healing the sick were insignificant in their eyes. Their position is shared by a great many modern critics, the foolishness of whose reason renders them just as blind. Jesus, in the midst of this excited babel of voices, purposely cried out loudly at this point, to attract attention to Himself and to His words. For the sake of getting their interest, He places Himself on their side. They thought they knew whence He was; a bit of scornful irony. Their entire ideas concerning the Messiah were indistinct and hazy, and just as foolish were their conjectures as to His origin. They should know that Jesus did not presume upon the mission which He is now trying to fulfill. It is in truth and beyond all doubt God that sent Him. But of the essence of this God, the heavenly Father, they had not the faintest idea in spite of all their boasting. He that does not know the Son cannot understand the essence of the Father. Jesus is well acquainted with the Father, for He has His ministry, His ambassadorship, from Him. For the Jews to draw this conclusion from their knowledge of Christ’s origin that He was a self-constituted prophet and therefore not the Messiah, is to make the biggest mistake that is possible in the wide world. This frank statement again made the Jews angry; they sought to seize Him; their hands fairly itched to be laid upon Him in reigning fury. But they were held back by a power that lamed their hands, for the hour of Jesus bad not yet come. The time when He should enter into the glory of His Father by the path of suffering and death was not yet at hand. The enemies of Christ can do nothing unless God gives them permission.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Joh 7:25-28. Then said some of them, &c. The inhabitants of Jerusalem, always Christ’s bitter enemies, asked with surprize, if our Lord’s boldness, and the silence of the rulers, proceeded from their having acknowledged him as the Messiah; at the same time, in derision of his pretensions they added, howbeit, we know this man whence he is, that is, we know his parents and relations, (ch. Joh 6:42.) but then Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is; alluding to the popular sense of Isa 53:8 who shall declare his generation? The Greek phrase , rendered whence he is, signifies in the Hellenistic Greek of the Old Testament, who is his father. Thus 2Sa 1:13. David says to the young man, Whence art thou? and he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite. If we judge of this question by the answer, to ask whence art thou? is as much as to ask “of what father, stock, and family do you come? of whom were you born?” Take the speech of the Jews in this sense, and their confession is in point: we know this man whence he is, “who is his father?” as they said before, chap. Joh 6:42 but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is, that is, who is his father? How could they say then, that the Messiah was to be born at Bethlehem, and that they knew he was to be a descendant of David? David was his remote ancestor; and they knew that by father or mother Christ must descend from him; but who was his immediate father, if he was born of a virgin, they must own they were ignorant; but whatever theypretended, Jesus would not allow that they knew his Father, or whence he came; thereby intimating that they wanted not this character of the Messiah in him, Joh 7:28. The words should have been rendered interrogatively thus, “Do you indeed know me, and whence I am? No; ye do not,”as Tertullian resolves the question, negatively: and then, concealing his true original, as his manner was, that they might not ground an accusation before the time on what he had said, he passes to his works which were the proofs of his divine mission; yet so as to leave room to infer from his discourse, that he was the Son of God, and not the son of Joseph: and, or yet, I came not of myself; but he is true who sent me, whom ye know not; that is, “God the Father is my true Father, whom you know not, though you say ye know whence I am, and who is my Father; and this you may be assured of, from my doing the works of God.” it might be with respect to his extraordinary birth of a virgin, that the Jews at first spoke of the Messiah as the Son of God: and their asserting, that when Christ COMETH, or is born, none knoweth whence he is, might be an allusion to Isa 53:8 above mentioned. But be this as it may, this doctrine is expressed in the traditionary writings of the Jews to this effect, in Beresh. Rab. on Gen 37:2. “The Messiah is the Seed that shall come from another place:” by which they mean, that he shall have another principle of generation, as appears by the different ways of their varying the phrase in other places. Thus from Rabbi Berachia, in the same book, we are told that “the birth of the Messiah alone shall be without defect;” which could not be, if he was born as other men are. Jarchi cites the following passages from the same place: “His birth shall not be like that of other creatures. None shall know the Father before he tells it. The Redeemer that shall come, shall be without father.” And in Berachoth, is the following remarkable passage: “The birth of the Messiah shall be like the dew from the Lord,as drops upon the grass, expect not labour (or action) of men.” It would be endless to enumerate all that has been said by the rabbinical writers to this purpose: what has been produced is sufficient to prove, that it was a Jewish opinion that the birth of the Messiah should be extraordinary, if not miraculous; and that his Father should not be known, whatever his mother might be.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Joh 7:25-27 . ] in consequence of this bold vindication. These , as distinct from the uninitiated of Joh 7:20 , as inhabitants of the Holy City, have better knowledge of the mind of the hierarchical opposition; they wonder that the Sanhedrim should let Him speak so boldly and freely, and they ask, “ After all, do they not know in very deed that this ” etc.? This, however, is only a momentary thought which strikes them, and they at once answer it themselves.
] does not denote the birth-place , which was known both in the case of Jesus (Joh 7:41 ) and of the Messiah (Joh 7:42 ), but the descent ; not, indeed, the more remote , which in the case of the Messiah was undoubted as being Davidic , but (comp. Joh 6:42 ) the nearer father, mother, family (Mat 13:55 ). Comp. Joh 19:9 ; Homer, Od . p. 373: , ; Soph. Trach . 1006; Eur. Rhes . 702; Heliod. iv. 16, vii. 14.
.] is in antithesis with , and it therefore takes the lead. The popular belief that the immediate ancestry of the Messiah would be unknown when He came, cannot further be historically proved, but is credible, partly from the belief in His divine origin (Bertholdt, Christol . p. 86), and partly from the obscurity into which the Davidic family had sunk, and was supported, probably, by the import of many O. T. passages, such as Isa 53:2 ; Isa 53:8 , Mic 5:2 , and perhaps also by the sudden appearance of the Son of man related in Dan 7 (Tholuck), and is strongly confirmed by the description in the book of Enoch of the heavenly Messiah appearing from heaven (Ewald). The passages which Lcke and De Wette quote from Justin ( c. Tryph . pp. 226, 268, 336, ed. Col.) are inapplicable, as they do not speak of an unknown descent of the Messiah, but intimate that, previous to His anointing by Elias, His Messiahship was unknown to Himself and others. The beginning of Marcion’s Gospel (see Thilo, p. 403), and the Rabbinical passages in Lightfoot and Wetstein, are equally inapplicable.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
25 Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill?
Ver. 25. Then said some of them of Jerusalem ] That knew more of the ruler’s mind than the common people, who believed not that there was any such deadly designs, Joh 7:26 . Howbeit these wits of Jerusalem take no notice at all of God’s hand in Christ’s deliverance, and his present boldness in so extreme a danger.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
25 31. ] HE HIMSELF IS FROM THE FATHER.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
25, 26. ] The inhabitants of Jerusalem know better than the the mind of their rulers towards Jesus; and suspect some change in their purpose, on account of His being thus permitted to teach freely.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Joh 7:25-31 . Opinion of inhabitants of Jerusalem regarding Jesus . Knowing the hostility of the authorities, they express surprise that Jesus should be allowed to teach openly; and wonder whether the authorities themselves can have changed their opinion about Him. This they find it difficult to believe, because on the point of origin Jesus does not satisfy Messianic requirements.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Joh 7:25 . , in consequence of the bold denunciation which they had heard from the lips of Jesus. [or , or ], distinct from the of Joh 7:20 , which was unaware of any intention to kill Him; but themselves not so familiar as the Galileans with the appearance of Jesus, and therefore they asked: . Or the words may only be a strong way of expressing their astonishment at the inactivity of the authorities. ; “Can it be that the rulers indeed know that this man is the Christ?” But this idea, again, is at once dismissed, . “Howbeit we know this man whence He is: but when the Christ comes, no one knows whence He is.” There was a general belief that the Christ would spring from David’s line and be born in Bethlehem; see Joh 7:42 . The words “no one knows whence He is” must refer to the belief encouraged by the Apocalyptic literature that He would appear suddenly “in the clouds” or “from the sun”. Cf. 4 Ezr 7:28 , 13:32, Apoc. Baruch 13:32; with Mr. Charles’ note; and other passages cited in Drummond’s Messiah , 279 ff. Different sections of the community may have had different expectations. The surmises of the Jerusalemites came to the ears of Jesus, and stirred Him to further and more emphatic statements, . From the repetition of the words “in the Temple,” Westcott gathers that a break occurred between this scene and the last; but this idea seems to be precluded by the continuity of the conversation. Jesus takes up the words of the doubters, Some interpreters think there is a touch of irony in the first clauses; thus Weizscker translates: “So? mich kennet ihr und wisset wo ich her bin? Und doch bin ich,” etc. Similarly Lcke and Godet. But this is unnecessary. Jesus concedes their ability to identify Him as the carpenter of Nazareth. This knowledge they had; but the knowledge which they had not was of far greater importance. To know my native place and to be able to recognise me as Jesus is not enough; for I am not come at my own prompting. To deduce from your knowledge of my origin that I am a self-constituted prophet and therefore not the Messiah, is to mistake; for I am not come of myself. To know me apart from Him that sent me is empty knowledge. He that sent me has a real existence, and is not a fancy of mine. You indeed do not know Him; but I know Him because from Him I have my being and He has sent me. Weiss rightly observes that (Joh 7:29 ) does not include under its government. Jesus knew the Father because He was from Him; but His being sent was the result, not the cause, of His knowledge. These statements exasperated the Jews, (Joh 7:30 ) . They sought to seize or apprehend Him. , Doric and Hellenistic for , “I press”; in later Greek “I catch” (Joh 21:3 ), “I arrest,” Joh 7:32 , etc. But “no one laid hands [or, ‘his hand,’ R.V [60] ] upon Him, for His hour was not yet come”; the immediate cause being that they were not all of one mind, and feared resistance on the part of some of the people.
[60] Revised Version.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Joh 7:25-31
25So some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is this not the man whom they are seeking to kill? 26Look, He is speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to Him. The rulers do not really know that this is the Christ, do they? 27However, we know where this man is from; but whenever the Christ may come, no one knows where He is from.” 28Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, “You both know Me and know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. 29I know Him, because I am from Him, and He sent Me.” 30So they were seeking to seize Him; and no man laid his hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. 31But many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, “When the Christ comes, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will He?”
Joh 7:25 “Is this not the man whom they are seeking to kill” The grammatical form of this question expects a “yes” answer (cf. Joh 5:47; Joh 7:19). This is the first in a series of questions through Joh 7:36.
Joh 7:26
NASB, REV,
NET”He is speaking publicly”
NKJV”He speaks boldly”
NRSV, NJB”he is speaking openly”
See Special Topic: Boldness (parrhsia) at Joh 7:4.
NASB”The rulers do not really know that this is the Christ, do they”
NKJV”Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ”
NRSV”Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Messiah”
TEV”Can it be that they really know that he is the Messiah”
NJB”Can it be true the authorities have recognized that he is the Christ”
This grammatical construction expects a “no” answer. However, it does express a possibility (cf. Joh 1:31; Joh 4:29).
Joh 7:27 “we know where this man is from; but whenever the Christ may come, no one knows where He is from” This refers to a rabbinical Messianic tradition based on Mal 3:1 that the Messiah would appear suddenly in the temple. This is found in I Enoch 48:6 and IV Ezras 13:51-52.
Joh 7:28 In this verse Jesus makes two statements.
1. that God sent Him (cf. Joh 3:17; Joh 3:34; Joh 5:36; Joh 5:38; Joh 6:29; Joh 7:29; Joh 8:42; Joh 10:36; Joh 11:42; Joh 17:3; Joh 17:18; Joh 17:21; Joh 17:23; Joh 17:25; Joh 20:21)
2. that they do not know God (cf. Joh 5:37; Joh 5:42; Joh 8:19; Joh 8:27; Joh 8:54-55; Joh 16:3)
John records that Jesus “cried out” (cf. Joh 7:37; Joh 12:44; Mat 8:29). Jesus raised His voice to be heard. In a sense, this functions in a literary sense like Jesus’ use of an initial “Amen” or “Amen, Amen.” He wanted these ironic statements to be emphasized! Joh 7:29 shows the problem! They think He is from Galilee (cf. Joh 7:41), but in reality, He is from heaven!
“He who sent Me is true” The Father is true (cf. Joh 3:33; Joh 8:26; 1Jn 5:20) and so is the Son (cf. Joh 7:18; Joh 8:16). See Special Topic at Joh 6:55.
Joh 7:29 “I know Him, because I am from Him, and He sent Me” This is another example of the vertical dualism in John. This statement was considered blasphemy by the Jewish leaders and confirmed their need to have Jesus killed. See Special Topic: Send (Apostell) at Joh 5:24.
Joh 7:30 “they were seeking to seize Him” This is an imperfect tense verb which implies (1) they started seeking to seize Him or (2) they tried again and again to arrest Him but they did not want to cause a riot among the pilgrims who believed Him to be the Messiah.
“because His hour had not yet come” This is a recurrent prophetic idiom which asserts a divine timetable (cf. Joh 2:4; Joh 7:6; Joh 7:30; Joh 8:20; Joh 12:23; Joh 12:27; Joh 13:1; Joh 17:1).
Joh 7:31 “But many of the crowd believed in Him” This was true faith in Jesus even though it was filled with misconceptions about His Messianic task. No one has “perfect” faith (cf. Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, the Twelve). See Special Topic at Joh 2:23.
This always happens when the gospel is presented. Some believe, some doubt, and some get angry. Here is the intersection of the mystery of
1. divine election
2. human sinfulness
There is mystery here. I am always shocked by unbelief in the presence of so much light. This is probably the origin of Jesus’ words about setting family members against each other. The gospel brings peace to some and conflict to others!
“When the Christ comes, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will He” The Greek grammatical form expects a “no” answer.
In A Theology of the New Testament, George E. Ladd has an interesting comment on the use of “signs” to encourage faith in Jesus:
“The question of the relationship of the signs to faith is not easy, because the data seem to look in two different directions. Sometimes signs are designed to lead to faith in Jesus (Joh 2:23; Joh 6:14; Joh 7:31; Joh 10:42). On the other hand, there were those who beheld the signs and did not believe (Joh 6:27; Joh 11:47; Joh 12:37). Furthermore, on occasion Jesus rebukes the Jews because they will not believe unless they see signs (Joh 4:48; Joh 6:30). The answer must be found in a sort of tension between signs and faith. It requires faith to recognize the true meaning of the signs and their witness to Jesus; to those who had no faith, the signs are merely meaningless prodigies. To those who are responsive, the signs are the means of confirming and deepening faith. It is clear that Jesus’ signs were not designed to compel faith. On the other hand, the works of Jesus are sufficient testimony to those able to see what is happening in his mission. Jesus’ works will serve as a means of condemnation and confirming blind men in their sinfulness” (p. 274).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Jerusalem. See note on Mat 15:1. Compare Mar 1:5.
seek = are seeking.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
25-31.] HE HIMSELF IS FROM THE FATHER.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Joh 7:25. , of the people of Jerusalem) who knew what was going on in the city.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Joh 7:25
Joh 7:25
Some therefore of them of Jerusalem said, Is not this he whom they seek to kill?-Some from Jerusalem not of the ruling order knew of their purpose to kill him and were astonished at his boldness.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
the Unavoidable Christ
Joh 7:25-31
The freedom with which Jesus preached arrested the attention of the people in Jerusalem, and many wondered whether the cessation of hostility indicated a tacit admission on the part of the authorities that Jesus was what He claimed to be. But they were deferred in arriving at this final conclusion by the consideration that the origin of the Messiah would be unknown, Joh 7:27. Jesus answered this objection in Joh 7:28-29. He says in effect: What you say is true: the Messiahs origin is not known: but my origin is unknown, because it is from God, whom you, notwithstanding your profession, do not know. I know Him, but to you He is only a venerable Name. The knowledge of the birth at Bethlehem and the lowly family of Jesus, will not explain the mystery of His Person or the secret of His influence on men. All that can only be accounted for by His divine glory as the Only-Begotten of the Father. His hearers immediately recognized the greatness of these claims, which appeared to them blasphemous, though to us they are the literal truth. While the adversaries of Jesus were strengthened in their purpose, His friends were confirmed in their faith. Joh 7:31 is a decided advance upon Joh 7:12. See 2Co 2:16.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
of Jerusalem: Joh 7:10, Joh 7:11
Is not: Joh 7:20
Reciprocal: Psa 22:22 – I will Mar 12:12 – feared Luk 2:11 – which Luk 22:53 – I was Joh 5:16 – and sought Joh 7:12 – some Joh 7:19 – Why Joh 8:37 – but
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
5
These people of Jerusalem were local citizens, who knew about the plans of the rulers to kill Jesus. They thought they recognized Him as the victim who was to be slain, and were puzzled that he was still at liberty.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
WE see in these verses, the obstinate blindness of the unbelieving Jews. We find them defending their denial of our Lord’s Messiahship, by saying, “We know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is.” And yet in both these assertions they were wrong!
They were wrong in saying that they “knew whence our Lord came.” They meant no doubt to say that He was born at Nazareth, and belonged to Nazareth, and was therefore a Galilean. Yet the fact was, that our Lord was born at Bethlehem, that He belonged legally to the tribe of Judah, and that His mother and Joseph were of the house and lineage of David. It is incredible to suppose that the Jews could not have found this out, if they had honestly searched and inquired. It is notorious that pedigrees, genealogies, and family histories were most carefully kept by the Jewish nation. Their ignorance was without excuse.
They were wrong again in saying that “no man was to know whence Christ came.” There was a well-known prophecy, with which their whole nation was familiar, that Christ was to come out of the town of Bethlehem. (Mic 5:2; Mat 2:5; Joh 7:42.) It is absurd to suppose that they had forgotten this prophecy. But apparently they found it inconvenient to remember it on this occasion. Men’s memories are often sadly dependent on their wills.
The Apostle Peter, in a certain place, speaks of some as “willingly ignorant.” (2Pe 3:5.) He had good reason to use the expression. It is a sore spiritual disease, and one most painfully common among men. There are thousands in the present day just as blind in their way as the Jews. They shut their eyes against the plainest facts and doctrines of Christianity. They pretend to say that they do not understand, and cannot therefore believe the things that we press on their attention, as needful to salvation. But, alas, in nineteen cases out of twenty it is a willful ignorance! They do not believe what they do not like to believe. They will neither read, nor listen, nor search, nor think, nor inquire honestly after truth. Can any one wonder if such persons are ignorant? Faithful and true is that old proverb,-“There are none so blind as those who will not see.”
We see, for another thing, in these verses, the overruling hand of God over all His enemies. We find that the unbelieving Jews “Sought to take our Lord: but no man laid hands on Him, because his hour was not yet come.” They had the will to hurt him, but by an invisible restraint from above, they had not the power.
There is a mine of deep truth in the words before us, which deserves close attention. They show us plainly that all our Lord’s sufferings were undergone voluntarily, and of His own free will. He did not go to the cross because He could not help it. He did not die because He could not prevent His death. Neither Jew nor Gentile, Pharisee nor Sadducee, Annas nor Caiaphas, Herod nor Pontius Pilate, could have injured our Lord, except power had been given them from above. All that they did was done under control, and by permission. The crucifixion was part of the eternal counsels of the Trinity. The passion of our Lord could not begin until the very hour which God had appointed. This is a great mystery. But it is a truth.
The servants of Christ in every age should treasure up the doctrine before us, and remember it in time of need. It is “full of sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable comfort to godly persons.” Let such never forget that they live in a world where God overrules all times and events, and where nothing can happen but by God’s permission. The very hairs of their heads are all numbered. Sorrow and sickness, and poverty, and persecution, can never touch them, unless God sees fit. They may boldly say to every cross,-“Thou couldst have no power against me, except it were given thee from above.” Then let them work on confidently. They are immortal, till their work is done. Let them suffer patiently, if needs be that they suffer. Their “times are in God’s hand.” (Psa 31:15.) That hand guides and governs all things here below, and makes no mistakes.
We see lastly, in these verses, the miserable end to which unbelievers may one day come. We find our Lord saying to His enemies,-“Ye shall seek Me, and shall not find Me; and where I am thither ye cannot come.”
We can hardly doubt that these words were meant to have a prophetical sense. Whether our Lord had in view individual cases of unbelief among His hearers, or whether He looked forward to the national remorse which many would feel too late in the final siege of Jerusalem, are points which we cannot perhaps decide. But that many Jews did remember Christ’s sayings long after He had ascended into heaven, and did in a way seek Him and wish for Him when it was too late, we may be very sure.
It is far too much forgotten that there is such a thing as finding out truth too late. There may be convictions of sin, discoveries of our own folly, desires after peace, anxieties about heaven, fears of hell,-but all too late. The teaching of Scripture on this point is clear and express. It is written in Proverbs,-“Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me.” (Pro 1:28.) It is written of the foolish virgins in the parable, that when they found the door shut, they knocked in vain, saying, “Lord, Lord, open to us.” (Mat 25:11.) Awful as it may seem, it is possible, by continually resisting light and warnings, to sin away our own souls. It sounds terrible, but it is true.
Let us take heed to ourselves lest we sin after the example of the unbelieving Jews, and never seek the Lord Jesus as a Savior till it is too late. The door of mercy is still open. The throne of grace is still waiting for us. Let us give diligence to make sure our interest in Christ, while it is called to-day. Better never have been born than hear the Son of God say at last, “Where I am, thither ye cannot come.”
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Notes-
v25.-[Then said some of…Jerusalem, etc.] It is likely that these speakers were some of the lower orders who lived at Jerusalem, and knew what the rulers wanted to do to our Lord. They can hardly be the same as “the people” at Joh 7:20. They, being probably strangers to the plans of the priests and Pharisees, said, “Who goeth about to kill Thee?” These, on the other hand, say, “Is not this He whom they seek to kill?”
v26.-[But, lo, He speaketh boldly, and they say nothing, etc.] There appears to have been a restraining power put on our Lord’s enemies at this juncture. (See Joh 7:30.) It certainly seems to have struck the people before us as a remarkable thing, that our Lord should speak out so boldly, openly, and publicly, and yet no effort be made by the rulers to apprehend Him and stop His teaching. No wonder that they asked the question which immediately follows: “Have our rulers changed their mind? Are they convinced at last? Have they really found out that this is truly the Messiah, the Christ of God?”
The Greek words would be more literally rendered, “Have the rulers truly learned that this man is truly the Christ?”
v27.-[Howbeit we know this man whence He is.] This means that they knew that our Lord was from Nazareth of Galilee. This, we must remember, was the universal belief of all the Jews. When our Lord rode into Jerusalem, just before His crucifixion, the multitude said, “This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.” (Mat 21:11.) When an inscription was put over His head on the cross, in the letters of the three languages, it was, “Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews.” (Joh 19:19. See also Mat 13:55; Mar 6:3; Luk 4:22.) Yet we know all this time that the Jews were mistaken, and that our Lord was in reality born at Bethlehem, according to prophecy. (Mic 5:2.) We can hardly doubt that the Jews might have found out this if they had taken the pains to inquire narrowly into the early history of our Lord’s life. In a nation so strict about pedigrees and birth places, such a thing could not be hid. But it seems as if they would not take pains to inquire, and satisfied themselves with the common story of His origin, as it gave them an additional excuse for not receiving Him as the Messiah.
The entire ignorance which appears to have prevailed among the Jews, about all the circumstances of our Lord’s miraculous conception, and His birth at Bethlehem, is certainly rather remarkable. Yet it should be remembered that thirty years had passed away between our Lords birth and His public ministry,-that His mother and Joseph were evidently in a very humble position and might easily be overlooked, as well as all that happened to them,-and that living quietly at Nazareth, their journey to Bethlehem at the time of “the taxing” would soon be forgotten by others.
After all we must not forget that it is part of God’s dealings with man, not to force conviction and belief on any one. The obscurity purposely left over our Lord’s birth place was a part of the moral probation of the Jewish nation. If, in their pride and indolence and self-righteousness, they would not receive the abundant evidence which our Lord gave of His Messiahship, it could not be expected that God would make unbelief impossible, by placing His birth of a virgin at Bethlehem beyond the reach of doubt. In this, as in everything else, if the Jews had honestly desired to find out the truth, they might have found it.
[When Christ cometh, no man knoweth, etc.] It is rather difficult to see what the Jews meant by these words. Most writers think that they referred to the mysterious language of Isaiah about Messiah,-“Who shall declare His generation;” (Isa 53:8;) or to Micah’s words,-“Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting;” (Mic 5:2;) and that they had in view the Divine and heavenly origin of Messiah, which all Jews allowed would be a mystery. Yet it is hard to understand why they did not say, “When Christ cometh, He shall be born in Bethlehem,” and why they should be supposed to speak of our Lord’s earthly origin in the beginning of the verse, and of Messiah’s Divine origin in the end. There seems no explanation except to suppose that these speakers were singularly ignorant Jews, who did not know that Messiah was to be born at Bethlehem, and only knew that His birth was to be a mysterious thing. This is a possible view, if not a very probable one.-The argument of the speakers before us would then be as follows:-“When Messiah comes, He is to come suddenly, as Malachi foretold, saying, ‘the Lord shall suddenly come to His temple,’ (Mal 3:1,) unexpectedly, mysteriously, and taking people by surprise. This man therefore, who is sitting in the temple among us, cannot be the Messiah, because we know that He came from Nazareth in Galilee, and has been living there for more than thirty years.”-The prophecy about Messiah being born at Bethlehem, they conveniently dropped out of sight, and in fact never dreamed that it was fulfilled by our Lord. The only prophecy they chose to look at was the one in Malachi (Mal 3:1,) and as the Lord did not appear to fulfill that, they concluded that He could not be the Christ. In religious matters people are easily satisfied with very imperfect and superficial reasoning, when they want to be satisfied and to be spared further trouble. Men never want reasons to confirm their will. This seems to have been the case with the Jews.
Rupertus mentions a common tradition of the Jews,-that when Christ came, He would come at midnight, as the angel came at midnight when the first-born were destroyed in Egypt, and he thinks it may have been in their minds here.
Hutcheson observes that “not comparing of Scripture with Scripture, but taking any single sentence that seems to plead for that we would be at, is a very great nursery and cause of error. Such is the Jews’ reasoning here. They catch at one thing, speaking of Messiah’s Divinity, and take no notice of other places.”
Besser quotes a saying of Luther’s: “The Jews are poor scholars. They have caught the sound of the prophet’s clock, (Mic 5:2,) but they have not noted the stroke aright. He who does not hear well, imagines well. They heard that Christ was so to come, that none should know whence He came. But they understood not right, that coming from God He was to be born of a virgin, and come secretly into the world.”
v28.-[Then cried Jesus…temple…taught.] This is a remarkable expression. We find our Lord departing from His usual practice, when we read that He “cried,” or raised His voice to a high pitch. Generally speaking the words in Matthew apply strictly, quoted from Isa 42:2,-“He shall not strive nor cry, neither shall any man hear His voice in the street.” (Mat 12:19.) Yet we see there were occasions when He did see it right to cry aloud and lift up His voice, and this is one. The perverse ignorance of the Jews, their persistence in blindness to all evidence, and the great opportunity afforded by the crowds around Him in the temple courts, were probably reasons why he “cried.”
Our Lord is only said to have “cried” or lifted up His voice in four other passages in the Gospels:-viz., Mat 27:50; Mar 15:37; Joh 7:37, and Joh 12:44. The Greek for “cried” in Mat 27:46 is even a stronger word than that before us.
[Ye both know me, and…whence I am.] This is an undeniably difficult expression; partly because it is hard to reconcile with Joh 8:14, and partly because it is not clear how the Jews could be said to “know our Lord” and “whence He was.” The explanations suggested are various.
(1) Some, as Grotius, Lampe, Doddridge, Bloomfield, Tittman, and A. Clarke, would have the sentence read as a question:-“Do you both know Me, and do ye know whence I am? Are you quite sure that you are correct in saying this?”-In this view it would be rather like the mode of expression used by our Lord in Joh 16:31,-“Do ye now believe?” where the interrogative forms the beginning of the sentence.
(2) Some, as Calvin, Ecolampadius, Beza, Flacius, Gualter, Rollock, Toletus, Glassius, Olshausen, Tholuck, Stier, and Webster, think that the sentence is spoken ironically:-“Truly you do know me and whence I am, and poor miserable knowledge it is, worth nothing at all.”-Bengel and others object to this view, that our Lord never spoke ironically. Yet it would be hard to show that there is no irony in Joh 10:32, if not in Mat 26:45, and Mar 7:9.
(3) Some think, as Chrysostom, Cocceius, Jansenius, Diodati, Bengel, Henry, Burkitt, Hengstenberg, Alford, Wordsworth, and Burgon, that the sentence is a simple affirmation:-“It is true that you know me and whence I am. I grant that in a certain sense you are right. You know where I have been brought up, and who my relatives according to the flesh are. And yet in reality you know very little of me. Of my Divine nature and my unity with my Father ye know nothing at all.”-On the whole I prefer this last view to either of the other two.
[And I am not come of myself, etc.] This sentence and the rest of the verse are evidently elliptical, and must be paraphrased to give a full idea of the sense:-“And yet ye do not really and thoroughly know me; for I am not come of myself, independent of God the Father, and without commission, but sent by the Father into the world. And He that sent me has proved Himself true to His promises by sending me, and is indeed a real true Person, the true and faithful God of Israel, whom ye, with all your profession, do not know.”
Here too, as elsewhere, our Lord’s expression, “not come of myself,” points directly to that intimate union between Himself and God the Father, which is so constantly referred to in the Gospel of John.
Here too, as elsewhere, our Lord charges on the unbelieving Jews ignorance of the God whom they professed to serve, and for whose honor they professed to be jealous. With all their boasted zeal for true religion and the true God, they did not really know God.
The word “true,” here, is of doubtful interpretation. It means “truthful,” according to Cyril, Chrysostom, Theophylact, Lampe, Tholuck. But it is not clear that this is so. Alford maintains that it must mean “really existent.” Trench takes the same view in his “New Testament Synonyms.”
v29.-[But I know him, etc.] The knowledge of which our Lord here speaks, is that peculiar and intimate knowledge which is necessarily implied in the unity of the three Persons of the Trinity, in the Godhead. There is a high and deep sense in which the Son knows the Father, and the Father knows the Son, which we cannot pretend to explain, because it is far above our capacities. (Joh 10:15.) The Jews knew nothing rightly of God the Father. Jesus, on the contrary, could say, “I know him,” as no one else could. “Neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him.” (Mat 11:27.)
The expression “I am from Him,” must not be confined and cramped down to mean only that our Lord had come like any prophet of old, with a message and commission from God. It declares the relationship between God the Father and God the Son: “I am from Him by eternal generation,-always one with Him,-always equal with Him,-but always a distinct person;-always the only-begotten Son,-always from Him.”
The expression “He hath sent me,” is like the preceding one, something far more than the mere assertion of a prophet’s commission. It is a declaration that He was the Sent One,-the Messiah, the Prophet greater than Moses, whom the Father had always promised to send:-“I am the Seed of the woman sent to bruise the serpent’s head. I am He whom the Father covenanted and engaged to send for the redemption of a lost world. I am He whom the Father hath sent to be the Saviour of lost man. I proclaim myself the Sent One,-the Christ of God.”
Bishop Hall paraphrases the two verses thus: “Ye mutter secretly that ye know me, and the place of my birth and parentage; but ye are utterly mistaken, for I have a Father in heaven whom ye know not. I came not of myself, but my Father is He that sent me, who is the God of truth; of whom ye, after all your pretences of knowledge, are utterly ignorant. But I do perfectly know Him, as I have good reason; for both I am from Him by eternal generation, and am by Him sent into the world to do the great work of redemption.”
v30.-[Then they sought to take him.] This last declaration seems to have raised the anger of the Jerusalem multitude, who were listening to our Lord. With the characteristic keenness of all Jews they at once detected in our Lord’s language a claim to be received as the Messiah. Just as on a former occasion, they saw, in His “calling God His Father,” that He “made Himself equal with God,” (Joh 5:18,( so here in His saying “I am from Him: He hath sent me,” they saw an assertion of His right to be received as Messiah.
[But no man…hour not yet come.] This restraint on our Lord’s enemies can only be accounted for by direct Divine interposition. It is like Joh 8:20, and Joh 18:6. It is clear that they could do nothing against Him except by God’s permission, and when God, in His wisdom, was pleased to let it be done. Our Lord did not fall into His enemies’ hands through inability to escape, but because the “hour had come,” when He voluntarily undertook to die as a substitute.
The doctrine before us, let us note, is full of comfort to God’s people. Nothing can hurt them except and until God permits. We are all immortal till our work is done. To realize that nothing happens in this world except by the eternal counsels of our Father, and according to His eternal plans, is one grand secret of living a calm, peaceful, and contented life.
Besser quotes a saying of Luther’s: “God has appointed a nice, easy hour, for everything; and that hour has the whole world for its enemy: it must attack it. The devil shoots and throws at the poor clock-hand, but in vain: for all depends on the hour. Till the hour comes, and the hand has run its course, the devil and the world shall accomplish nothing.”
v31.-[Many of the people.] This means the common people-the lower orders, in contradistinction to the Pharisees and chief priests.
[Believed on Him.] There seems no reason to think that this was not a true faith, so far as it went. But it would not be safe perhaps to conclude that it was more than a general belief that our Lord must be the Messiah, the Christ, and that He deserved to be received as such.
[When Christ cometh…more miracles…done.] This language must clearly have been used by people who were familiar with many of our Lord’s miracles wrought in Galilee, and knew a good deal about His ministry. So few miracles probably had been wrought as yet in and round Jerusalem, that the language would hardly be used by Jerusalem people. The word “more” probably means not only more in number, but “greater” in character.
The question raised by these people was a fair and reasonable one:-“What greater evidence could any one give that He is the Christ, than this man has given? He could not work greater miracles, even if He worked more numerous ones. What then are we waiting for? Why should we not acknowledge this man as the Christ?”
v32.-[The Pharisees heard that the people murmured…him.] This would be more literally translated, “The Pharisees heard the people murmuring:” they actually heard with their own ears the common people, as they walked about the temple courts, and gathered in the streets of Jerusalem, at the crowded time of the feast, keeping up their under conversation about our Lord. Here, as at Joh 7:12, the word we render “murmuring” does not necessarily imply any finding fault, but only a dissatisfied and restless state of mind, which found vent in much conversation and whispering among the people.
[And the Pharisees…sent officers to take Him.] It would seem that the talk and stir of men’s minds about our Lord so alarmed and irritated the rulers of the Jews, that they resolved even now in the midst of the feast to arrest Him, and so stop His preaching. What day of the feast this was, and what interval elapsed between this verse and Joh 7:37, where we are told of “the last day” of the feast, we are not told. It seems probable that the officers sought an opportunity for taking our Lord, but could find none,-partly because of the crowds that surrounded Him, and partly because of a Divine restraint laid upon them; and that this was the state of things for three days at least.
Full well did these Pharisees justify our Lord’s character of them in another place: “Ye neither go in yourselves into the kingdom: neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.” (Mat 23:13.)
v33.-[Then said Jesus unto them.] The officers of the Pharisees and their supporters seem clearly to be the persons whom our Lord here addresses. Not only were they, through Divine restraint, unable to lay hands on Him, but they were obliged to stand by and listen to Him. They dared not seize Him for fear of the people, and yet dared not go away to report their inability to carry out their orders.
[Yet a little while, etc.] There is probably an under-tone of sadness and tenderness about this and the following sentences. It is as though our Lord said, “Ye have come to lay hands on me, and yet ye might well bear with me. I am only a little time longer with you, and then, when my time is come for leaving the world, I shall go back to my Father who sent me.” Or else it must mean, “Ye are sent to lay hands on me, but it is useless at present; Ye cannot do it: because my hour is not yet come. I have yet a little longer time to minister on earth; and then, and not till then, I go to Him that sent me.” Alford takes this view.
The Jews of course could not understand whom our Lord meant by “Him that sent me,” and this saying must necessarily have seemed dark and mysterious to them.
v34.-[Ye shall seek me…shall not find me.] These words seem addressed both to the officers and to those who sent them,-to the whole body, in fact, of our Lord’s unbelieving enemies:-“A day will come too late, when you will anxiously seek me, and bitterly lament your rejection of me, but too late. The day of your visitation will be past and gone, and you will not find me.”
There is a great Bible truth taught here, as elsewhere, which is far too much overlooked by many,-I mean the possibility of men seeking salvation when it is too late, and crying for pardon and heaven when the door is shut for ever. Men may find out their folly and be filled with remorse for their sins, and yet feel that they cannot repent. No doubt true repentance is never too late; but late repentance is seldom true. Pharaoh, King Saul, and Judas Iscariot, could all say, “I have sinned.” Hell itself is truth known too late. God is unspeakably merciful, no doubt. But there is a limit even to God’s mercy. He can be angry, and may be provoked to leave men alone. People should often study Pro 1:24-31; Job 27:9; Isa 1:15; Jer 11:11; Jer 14:12; Eze 8:18; Hos 5:6; Mic 3:4; Zec 7:13; Mat 25:11-12.
These words very possibly received a most awful fulfillment during the siege of Jerusalem, forty years after they were spoken. So think Chrysostom, Theophylact, and Euthymius.
But they were probably found true by many of our Lord’s hearers long before that time. Their eyes were opened to see their folly and sin, after our Lord had left the world.
Burgon remarks, that to this very day the Jews are in a sense seeking the Messiah, and yet not finding Him.
[Where I am, thither ye cannot come.] The place our Lord speaks of here is evidently heaven. Some have thought, as Bengel, that the words, “where I am,” should be translated, “where I go.” But it is neither a natural nor usual sense to put on the words. Nor is it necessary. There was a sense in which the Son of God could say with perfect truth, “Where I am, thither ye cannot come.” As God, he never ceased to be in heaven, even when He was fulfilling His ministry on earth during His incarnation. As God, He could truly say, “where I am,” and not merely where “I was,” or where “I shall be.” It is like Joh 3:13, where our Lord speaking to Nicodemus, calls Himself the “Son of man which IS in heaven.” The expression is one of the many texts proving our Lord’s divinity. No mere man speaking on earth could speak of heaven as a place “where I am.” Augustine strongly maintains this view.
[Ye cannot come.] This is one of those expressions which show the impossibility of unconverted and unbelieving men going to heaven. It is a place where they “cannot come.” Their own nature unfits them for it. They would not be happy if they were there. Without new hearts, without the Holy Ghost, without the blood of Christ, they could not enjoy heaven. The favorite notion of some modern theologians, that all mankind are finally to go to heaven, cannot possibly be reconciled with this expression. Men may please themselves with thinking it is kind and loving and liberal and large-hearted to teach and believe that all men and women of all sorts will finally be found in heaven. One word of our Lord Jesus Christ’s overturns the whole theory.-Heaven is a place, He says to the wicked, where “ye cannot come.”
The word “ye” is emphatical, and in the Greek stands out in strong contrast to the “I” of the sentence.
v35.-[Then said the Jews…themselves.] The expression “Jews” here can hardly be confined to the Pharisees and rulers. It must mean at any rate those among them who heard our Lord say the words in the preceding verse. Whoever they were, they were probably not friendly to Him.
[Whither will He go…not find Him.] This would be more literally rendered, “Whither is this man about to go.” They could put no meaning of a spiritual kind on our Lord’s words.
[Will He go…dispersed…Gentiles, etc.] This would be more literally rendered, “Is He about to go to the dispersion among the Greeks, and to teach the Greeks?” The Greek language, and Greek literature, and Greek philosophy, had so thoroughly leavened Asia Minor and Syria and Palestine, that the expression “Greeks” in the New Testament is often equivalent to Gentiles, and stands for any people who are not Jews. Thus Rom 2:9-10; Rom 3:9; 1Co 10:32; 1Co 12:13. Yet it is a singular fact that this is the only passage in the New Testament where the word “Greek,” standing alone and not in contradistinction to Jews, is rendered “Gentile.”
The verse teaches two interesting things. One is the fact that the existence of a large number of Jews scattered all over the Gentile world was acknowledged as notorious in our Lord’s time. The other is the impression that it proves to have prevailed among the Jews that a new teacher of religion might be expected to go to the Jews scattered among the Gentiles, and, beginning with them, proceed to teach the Gentiles. This is in fact precisely what the Apostle Paul and his companions afterwards did. They did “go to the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles.” The idea stated here of “teaching the Gentiles” was probably the suggestion of those who hated our Lord. How much the Jews detested the opening of the door of salvation to the Gentiles, we know from the Acts of the Apostles.
Some, as Chrysostom, Theophylact, Hengstenberg, and many others, think that the words “dispersed among the Gentiles” mean the Gentiles themselves dispersed and scattered all over the world, and not the Jews. But our own version seems far more likely. There is an awkwardness in calling the Gentiles “the dispersion,” and it is an expression nowhere else used. James calls the Jews “the twelve tribes scattered abroad.” (Jam 1:1.)
v36.-[What manner of saying, etc.] This question of the Jews is the language of people who saw that there was probably some deep meaning in our Lord’s words, and yet were unable to make out which He meant. Hating our Lord bitterly, as many of them did,-determined to kill Him the first opportunity,-vexed and annoyed at their own inability to answer Him, or to stop His influence with the people,-they suspected everything that fell from His lips.-“Do not these words of His imply some mischief? Is there not some evil at the bottom of them? Do they not indicate that He is going to dishonor the law of Moses by pulling down the wall of partition between Jew and Gentile?”
Fuente: Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospels
Joh 7:25. Some therefore of them of Jerusalem said, Is not this he whom they seek to kill? The speakers are a different class from those hitherto introduced,they of Jerusalem: these seem to have more knowledge of the designs of the Jews than was possessed by the multitude (Joh 7:20).
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Joh 7:25-27. Then While our Lord was thus discoursing in the temple; some of them of Jerusalem Some of the inhabitants of the city, who knew more of the designs of the sanhedrim than the others who had spoken before; said, Is not this he whom they seek to kill? Seek an opportunity to put to death? But lo He is not only come up hither to the feast, but speaks openly and freely in the very temple itself, and they are so far from seizing him, that they do not so much as say any thing to prohibit him. Do the rulers know indeed Are they now fully convinced; that this is the very Christ And that therefore they were mistaken in their former censures? Howbeit, we know this man, whence he is And therefore have sufficient reason to conclude, that he cannot be the Messiah: for, when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is This Jewish tradition was true in regard to his pre-existing and divine nature: in that respect, according to the obvious popular sense of Isa 53:8, None could declare his generation: but it was not true with regard to his human nature, for both his family, and the place of his birth, were plainly foretold. And it is evident from Mat 2:4-5, that the Jews apprehended the Messiah was to be born at Bethlehem; and from a multitude of other places, that they knew he was to be a descendant of David. Archbishop Tillotson supposes, that the words, no man knoweth whence he is, refer to an expectation the Jews had, that he would be born of a virgin. As for the notion which Justin Martyr mentions, that the Messiah should, for a while, be hid, it seems more modern, and they must put a strange interpretation on Isa 53:8; Mic 5:2; and Psa 110:4, to draw any such consequence from these passages, as Dr. Whitby and M. LEnfant suppose they did. Doddridge.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
ADDITIONAL NOTES BY THE AMERICAN EDITOR.
Vv. 25-36.
1. The are evidently a different class from the , and are more fully acquainted with the desires of the rulers; but even they are left in some doubt and perplexity. That the supposed designs are not carried out is a matter of surprise to them, so that they even ask doubtingly whether it can be that the rulers, after all, recognize that Jesus is the Christ. This accurate description of the state of mind of all parties is what a later writer, of the introvertive character of this author, would have been little disposed to think of or to give. It comes into the narrative, from time to time, incidentally, and testifies of the eye and ear witness.
2. In Joh 7:28 Jesus acknowledges what they claim as to their knowledge of His origin, but affirms that He has a different origin which they do not understand. He thus, in reality, meets the difficulty in their minds, and shows that He can be the Christ whose origin is unknown, notwithstanding the fact that they know whence He is. This explanation, notwithstanding what Godet says in opposition to it, seems to be the most simple one and meets the demands of the passage.
3. The words I am from Him, of Joh 7:29, may, not improbably, imply a community of essence between Jesus and God, as Godet holds; but whether it can be positively affirmed that it must have this meaning, and cannot be in a parallelism of meaning withHe has sent me, may be questioned. Meyer holds, with Godet, that the clause He has sent me is not dependent on . Weiss ed. Mey. holds the same view. There seems to be no difficulty in adopting either construction, but, if the latter clause is independent, the argument for Godet’s view of the meaning of the former clause becomes stronger.
4. The reference in Joh 7:34, You shall seek me and not find me, etc., must, it would seem, be to a seeking for the Messiah as connected with the securing of the life and blessedness of the Messianic kingdom. This verse can hardly be unconnected in thought with Joh 8:21, where dying in their sins takes the place of the words not find me, of this verse. The thought is apparently, therefore, that, after rejecting Him and after His death, they would, in their continual seeking after the Messiahwhich He truly wascontinually fail, and so they would die in their sins and be separated from Him and His kingdom. The reference to the Divine judgments in the destruction of Jerusalem, which Meyer gives, is not suggested by the passage, and is too limited for the general character of the expression. Weiss is correct, also, in denying the position taken by Meyer, that the explanation given above is inconsistent with the distinct personal reference, and empties the words of their tragic nerve and force. The force, says Weiss, properly, lies in the fact that in their seeking after a Messiah they will, without being themselves conscious of it, be seeking after Him who is the only true Messiah, but is then forever separated from them.
Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)
Joh 7:25-36. Results in Jerusalem.The surprise of the Jews at His accusation of murder shows that they were ignorant of the plans of their leaders. Some of the Jerusalemites are better informed, and cannot understand the inaction of their rulers. Have they been convinced? But He does not fulfil the expected conditions. Messiah is to appear suddenly. This view is found in Enoch and 4 Esdras (cf. also Justin, Trypho, 49, 110). Jesus in reply contrasts their knowledge of Him and His origin with their ignorance of God who sent Him, in words which appear blasphemous. They seek to lay hands on Him. The crowd is on His side. Messiah Himself could not perform greater works. The Pharisees get anxious at their attitude. The Priests, always mentioned first when action is needed, send to arrest Him. Jesus knows His danger. He tells His friends that He will not be with them long. They will want Him, but will not be able to follow. The Jews deride the idea. Perhaps He is thinking of a journey to the Diaspora, where teaching like His might find a more sympathetic audience, not simply among Jews but among the Greeks themselves. They are, however, perplexed at what He says. This portrait of opinion at Jerusalem cannot be the product of the authors own time.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
7:25 {10} Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill?
(10) Many marvel that the endeavours of the enemies of God have no success, but in the meanwhile they do not acknowledge the strength and power of God.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Jesus’ origin and destiny 7:25-36
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Though many of the Jewish pilgrims in the temple courtyard did not realize how antagonistic the religious leaders were to Jesus (Joh 7:20), some of the locals did. They marveled that Jesus was speaking out publicly and the authorities were not opposing Him. They expected that if Jesus were a deceiver they would lock Him up, but if He was the Messiah they would acknowledge Him as such. The authorities acted as they did because they feared the people. The situation led some of the locals to suspect that the leaders might really believe that Jesus was the Messiah.