John 7:25-53

Author: Kevin McKee

25 At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? 26 Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Messiah? 27 But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.”

28 Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, 29 but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.”

30 At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 Still, many in the crowd believed in him. They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?”

32 The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.

33 Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the one who sent me. 34 You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.”

35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? 36 What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”

37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”  39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

40 On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.”

41 Others said, “He is the Messiah.”

Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee? 42 Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?” 43 Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. 44 Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.

45 Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”

46 “No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards replied.

47 “You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted. 48 “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? 49 No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.”

50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked,51 “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”

52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”

53 Then they all went home,

Key Verse

“Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” John 7:38

Central Truth

When you believe in the words of Jesus about who he is and what life is truly about (Him), you will become a source of life and love through the Holy Spirit.

Devotional

As Jesus continues his ministry, he heads to Jerusalem for the Festival of Tabernacles and it is clear there is something special about him. The people in Jerusalem cannot decide if they think he is a teacher, a prophet, or the Messiah. The religious leaders (Pharisees) are opposed to Jesus as his ministry and words threaten their influential positions.

This is all happening during the Festival of Tabernacles, which remembers and celebrates how God provided life to the Israelites while in the desert and ultimately delivered them. One of the main rites of the festival involved pouring water as a prayer and asking God to pour out blessings on his people, but the climax of the festival is where the priests circle an altar seven times and pour out water again, asking for God to save them. The meaning is powerful since the Israelites were in a desert, water meant life and renewal.

So on the greatest day of the Festival, where they pour water and ask God to save them, Jesus boldly tells everyone who he is by saying that if they believe in him, they will have rivers of living water flowing from within them. What Jesus is saying with several rich references to the Old Testament, is that he is God and by believing in him, we are saved, just like the Festival ceremony is aimed at. We are saved by his sacrifice, but we will become sources of life and love through the Holy Spirit!

The Pharisees are decisively opposed to Jesus but Nicodemus, the Pharisee Jesus talked to previously in John, is beginning to believe in Jesus, showing that even people that once doubted can become sources of life/living water too.

Discussion Questions:

1.           Why is it so important to believe in who Jesus is and what he says?

2.           How does the Holy Spirit make us rivers of living water?

3.           Has the Holy Spirit put someone on your heart for you to be a source of life to? What should you be praying                 for about them?

Kevin McKee

Kevin is a deep-thinking Jesus-follower who loves his sweet family, the Word of God, and the body of Christ. He is an avid sports fan and a collector of odd and obscure jerseys. We are blessed to have him serve our youth and their families at Saturn Road. He and his wife, Kimberly, along with their son, Jett, have worked and worshipped here since 2018.