--- title: "John 7 - Study King James Bible with the fourfold gospel" description: "Read John 7 with the fourfold gospel commentary. 1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him. 2 Now the Jews’ feast of tabernacles wa" image: "/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg" url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-fourfold-gospel/john/7" --- [ Read](/kjv/john/7)[ Commentary](/study/john/7)[ Interlinear](/interlinear/john/7) Audio 1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him. 2 Now the Jews’ feast of tabernacles was at hand. 3 His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judæa, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. 4 For *there is* no man *that* doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world. 5 For neither did his brethren believe in him. 6 Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready. 7 The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. 8 Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for my time is not yet full come. 9 When he had said these words unto them, he abode *still* in Galilee. 10 ¶ But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. 11 Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he? 12 And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people. 13 Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews. 14 ¶ Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. 15 And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned? 16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. 17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or *whether* I speak of myself. 18 He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. 19 Did not Moses give you the law, and *yet* none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me? 20 The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee? 21 Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel. 22 Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man. 23 If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day? 24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. 25 Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill? 26 But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ? 27 Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is. 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. 29 But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me. 30 Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come. 31 And many of the people believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this *man* hath done? 32 ¶ The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him; and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him. 33 Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and *then* I go unto him that sent me. 34 Ye shall seek me, and shall not find *me*: and where I am, *thither* ye cannot come. 35 Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles? 36 What *manner of* saying is this that he said, Ye shall seek me, and shall not find *me*: and where I am, *thither* ye cannot come? 37 In the last day, that great *day* of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet *given*; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) 40 ¶ Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet. 41 Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? 42 Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was? 43 So there was a division among the people because of him. 44 And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him. 45 ¶ Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him? 46 The officers answered, Never man spake like this man. 47 Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived? 48 Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him? 49 But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed. 50 Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,) 51 Doth our law judge *any* man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth? 52 They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet. 53 And every man went unto his own house. [John 6](/study/john/6) [John 8](/study/john/8) ## Commentary To verse 1 **P A R T S I X T H.** FROM THE THIRD PASSOVER UNTIL OUR LORD’S ARRIVAL AT BETHANY. (Time: One Year Less One Week.) LXV. JESUS FAILS TO ATTEND THE THIRD PASSOVER. SCRIBES REPROACH HIM FOR DISREGARDING TRADITION. (Galilee, probably Capernaum, Spring A. D. 29.) aMATT. XV. 1-20; bMARK VII. 1-23; dJOHN VII. 1. d**1 And after these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Judæa, because the Jews sought to kill him.** [John told us in his last chapter that the passover was near at hand. He here makes a general statement which shows that Jesus did not attend this passover. The reason for his absence is given at [John 5:18](/kjv/john/5/18).] **** a**1 Then there come to Jesus from Jerusalem** b**1 And there are gathered together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, who had come from Jerusalem, 2 and had seen that some of his disciples ate their bread with defiled, that is, with unwashen, hands.** [Evidently several days intervened between the address of [John 6:22-40](/kjv/john/6/22-40). and the events recorded here, for the Pharisees and scribes would not be likely to leave Jerusalem until after the passover. [Isaiah 29:13](/kjv/isaiah/29/13)]**,** a**saying,** b**as it is written, This people** [394] **honoreth me with their lips, But their heart is far from me. 7 But in vain do they worship me, Teaching** ***as their*** **doctrines the precepts of men. 8 Ye leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men. 9 And he said unto them, Full well do ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your tradition.** [These Pharisees coming from Jerusalem could find nothing wherein Jesus or his disciples transgressed the law, so they eagerly grasped this transgression of the tradition as affording ground for an accusation. Jesus does not deny their charge, but justifies his disciples by attacking the whole traditional system, basing his attack upon a pointed prophecy which condemns it. It is hard for us to learn and apply the distinction between serving God as God wishes to be served, and serving him according to our own wishes and notions.] **** a**4 For God {**b**Moses} said** [that is, God said it through Moses]**,** **Honor thy father and thy mother; and, He that speaketh evil of father or mother, let him die the death** [see [Exodus 20:12](/kjv/exodus/20/12), [Deuteronomy 5:16](/kjv/deuteronomy/5/16), [Exodus 21:17](/kjv/exodus/21/17), [Leviticus 20:9](/kjv/leviticus/20/9)]**:** **11 but ye say, If a man {**a**Whosoever} shall say to his father or his mother, That wherewith thou mightest have been profited by me** b**is Corban, that is to say, Given** ***to God;*** **** a**6 he shall not honor his father.** b**12 ye no longer suffer him to do ought for his father or his mother;** a**And ye have made {**b**13 making} void the word of God by {**a**because of} your tradition.** b**which ye have delivered: and many such like things ye do.** [Leaving for a moment the main question concerning uncleanness and washing, Jesus makes good his indictment against their tradition by giving an example of the mischievous way in which it set aside God’s commandments. The law required the honoring of parents, and for any one to cast off his parents in their old age, thus subjecting them to beggary or starvation, was to do more than to speak evil of them. Such conduct was practically to curse them, and to incur the death penalty for so doing. But at this point the Pharisees interfered with their tradition, which taught that [395] a son could say of that part of his estate by which his parents might be profited, It is a gift; that is, a gift to God, and by thus dedicating that part to God, he would free himself from his obligation to his parents. Thus tradition undid the law. God’s law leads to pure and acceptable worship, while human additions and amendments make worship vain, if not abominable. There is probably not one such addition or amendment which does not to a greater or less degree make some commandment void.] **14 And he called to him the multitude again, and said unto them** [Having been accused by the scribes and Pharisees of a breach of their tradition, Jesus points out to *them* generally the iniquity of tradition, for it lay within their power as leaders to remedy the whole system of things. Having done this, he turns to the *multitude* and answers before them as to the offense with which he is specifically charged. Thus he gives to the leaders general principles, and to the common people the single instance]**,** **Hear me all of you, and understand:** a**11 Not that which entereth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which proceedeth out of the mouth, this defileth a man.** b**15 there is nothing from without a man, that going into him can defile him: but the things which proceed out of the man are those that defile the man. 17 And when he was entered into the house from the multitude,** a**12 Then came the disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, when they heard this saying?** [The entire speech offended them. He charged them with hypocrisy. He showed that their tradition, which they reverenced as a revelation from God, led them into sin, and he disturbed their self-complacency by showing that the ceremonial cleanness, which was founded on tradition, and in which they prided themselves, was worthless in comparison with the moral cleanness required by God’s law, which they had ignored. It grieved the disciples to see Jesus offend these reverend gentlemen from Jerusalem. Like many modern disciples their respect for men counteracted their zeal for truth.] **13 But he answered and said, Every** [396] **plant which my heavenly Father hath planted not, shall be up rooted up.** [God had planted the law with its doctrine: he had planted the Hebrew religion as given by Moses. He had not planted the tradition of the elders; so it, and the religion founded upon it, was doomed to be rooted up.] **14 Let them alone: they are blind guides. And if the blind guide the blind, both shall fall into a pit.** [This proverbial expression is found in the Sermon on the Mount. See [Psalms 37:1](/kjv/psalms/37/1), [Psalms 37:2](/kjv/psalms/37/2)). The words of Jesus are full of encouragement to those who adhere to the simple teachings of God; for they show that God guarantees that every error shall be uprooted, and that every teacher of error or false religion shall participate in the judgment which uproots, and shall fall into the pit of ruin; and his disciples, no matter how numerous, shall share his fate. In this particular instance, the destruction of Jerusalem was the pit. The Jewish leaders led their disciples into it, and God uprooted their system of tradition, that the pure gospel might be sowed in the room which they occupied.] **15 And Peter answered and said unto him, Declare unto us the parable.** [The word "parable" is used here in its looser sense to indicate an obscure saying.] **** b**his disciples asked of him the parable.** [They asked what he meant by the words contained in the [Matthew 15:11](/kjv/matthew/15/11). **18 And he saith {**a**said,}** b**unto them,** a**Are ye even yet** b**so without understanding also?** [It was to be expected that the multitude, swayed by the teaching of the Pharisees, would be slow to grasp what Jesus said about uncleanness; but the disciples, having been so long taught of him, and having felt free to eat with unwashed hands, should have been more quick of understanding.] **Perceive ye not, that whatsoever from without goeth into the man,** ***it*** **cannot defile him; 19 because it goeth not into his heart, but** a**passeth into the {**b**his} belly, and goeth out into {**a**and is cast out into} the** [397] **draught?** b***This he said,*** **making all meats clean. 20 And he said,** a**18 But the things which proceed out of the mouth come forth out of the heart; and they defile the man.** b**That which proceedeth out of the man, that defileth the man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men,** a**come forth {**b**proceed,}** a**evil thoughts,** b**fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22; covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye** [an envious eye] a**false witness, railings: {**b**railing,} pride, foolishness: 23 all these evil things proceed from within, and** a**20 these are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashen hands, defileth not the man.** [Thus Jesus sets forth the simple doctrine that a man’s moral and spiritual state is not dependent upon the symbolic cleanness of his physical diet, much less is it dependent on ceremonial observances in regard to things eaten, or the dishes from which they are eaten. Of course, Jesus did not mean at this time to abrogate the Mosaic law of legal uncleanness. These uncleannesses worked no *spiritual* defilement, but were merely typical of such; for the food in no way touched or affected the mind or soul, the fountains of spiritual life, but only the corporeal organs, which have no moral susceptibility. The Pharisees had erred in confusing legal and spiritual defilement, and had added error to error by multiplying the causes of defilement in their tradition. By thus showing that legal defilement was merely symbolic, Jesus classed it with all the other symbolism which was to be done away with when the gospel reality was fully ushered in ( [Colossians 2:16](/kjv/colossians/2/16), [Colossians 2:17](/kjv/colossians/2/17)). In saying, therefore, that Jesus made all meats clean, Mark does not mean that Jesus then and there repealed the law. The declaration of such repeal came later ( [Acts 10:14](/kjv/acts/10/14), [Acts 10:15](/kjv/acts/10/15)). He means that he there drew those distinctions and laid down those principles which supplanted the Mosaic law when the kingdom of God was ushered in on the day of Pentecost. Here was the fountain whence Paul drew all his teaching concerning things clean and unclean.] [398] * It was a whole year.--J. W. McG. [FFG 393-398] ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com","name":"Real Bible Believers","description":"RBB","publisher":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/search?q={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-fourfold-gospel/john/7#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg","width":672,"height":448,"caption":"Real Bible Believers"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-fourfold-gospel/john/7#webpage","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-fourfold-gospel/john/7","name":"John 7 - Study King James Bible with the fourfold gospel","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-fourfold-gospel/john/7#primaryimage"},"author":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"description":"Read John 7 with the fourfold gospel commentary. 1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him. 2 Now the Jews’ feast of tabernacles wa","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-fourfold-gospel/john/7#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-fourfold-gospel/john/7"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-fourfold-gospel/john/7#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study","name":"Study Bible"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-fourfold-gospel","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-fourfold-gospel","name":"the fourfold gospel"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-fourfold-gospel/john","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-fourfold-gospel/john","name":"John"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-fourfold-gospel/john/7","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-fourfold-gospel/john/7","name":"7"}}]},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","width":512,"height":512},"logo":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo"},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/RBiblebeliever","https://www.facebook.com/RBibleBelievers"]}]} ```