John 7 & 8 Class Discussion

1. 7:1-13 Why did Jesus’ brothers want him to go to the feast in Jerusalem? Why did He decide not to go with them? Class Comments: They wanted him to prove himself. “If you’re so great, why not show it?” They seemed to want a confrontation with the Jewish leaders. He didn’t go with them because it was not yet his time to go. He would go with them on his terms, not theirs. His physical brothers – James, Joses, Simon, and Judas – are listed in Matthew 13:55. Though at this time they did not believe, the crucifixion and resurrection changed them. James later became a leader in the church in Jerusalem, and probably wrote the book of James, and Jude is the author of the book that bears his name.
2. 7:14-24 What is the answer to the Jews’ question in verse 15? Class Comments: He is the Word incarnate! His teaching wasn’t his own; it was from God.
3. This section seems to include a lot of confusion and controversy about the nature and identity of Christ. Note the confusion and/or controversy in the following passages:
   a. 7:25-27 – The rulers’ reaction indicates they think He is the Christ, but he couldn’t be, because “we know where he’s from.”
   b. 7:28-31 – They knew him, they knew where he was from. He claimed to know God and be from God. They wanted to arrest him, but no one touched him, because his hour had not yet come. But many believed. Would the Christ do any more than this man had been doing?
   c. 7:32-36 – Jesus: I’m going where you will not find me. The crowd thought only in the physical realm. (Would he go outside Judea, to the Jews of the Dispersion – or even to the Gentiles?) He spoke of the spiritual realm, of going to the cross – and beyond, at His ascension.
   d. 7:37-44 – Jesus speaks of living water and the Spirit. The crowd says, “This is the Prophet. This is the Christ.” But it can’t be the Christ, because He will come out of Bethlehem, while this man is from Galilee. (They were apparently ignorant of his birthplace.)
   e. 7:45-52 – The officers were afraid to seize Jesus because of the words he spoke. The priests and Pharisees accused them of being deceived. Nicodemus asks for justice, and the priests and Pharisees accuse him of being a [despicable] Galilean. Other indication of ignorance: They said “No prophet has arisen out of Galilee,” yet that was the home of the prophet Jonah (2 Kings 14:25 – Gath Hepher, 5 miles from Nazareth.
4. 8:1-11 How did the scribes and Pharisees hope to trap Jesus with this situation? Class Comments: They were trying to make him contradict himself, knowing he would forgive the woman and thereby contradict Moses’ law. Also see Matthew 5:28 – Jesus’ view of adultery was stricter than that of the law. Other notes: This passage is absent in the older Greek manuscripts. It appears in at least three other places in some manuscripts: after John 7:36, after John 21:25, and after Luke 21:38.
5. 8:12-20 What two witnesses does Jesus call to confirm that He is the light of the world? Class Comments: Himself, and His Father. Contrary to what they say, he is qualified to testify of himself. Other notes: It’s no coincidence that at this festival he calls himself the light of the world. Light ceremonies played a big part in the Feast of Tabernacles in Jesus’ day, according to The Feast of Tabernacles in the Days of Jesus. 
6. 8:21-30 What is the consequence for those who do not believe that Jesus is who He claimed to be? Class Comments: They will die in their sins. V. 28 – “But when you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM.”
7. 8:31-47 Who is Jesus instructing in this passage? How does their concept of freedom differ from His? Class Comments: He’s instructing Jews who believe him. As Jews who were still subject to the law of Moses, they didn’t understand what he said about spiritual freedom and felt threatened when he implied they were not free. Another misstatement here: They claimed to be under bondage to no one, but they had been in bondage in Egypt, Babylon, and Assyria and were now subjects of Rome.
8. 8:48-59 What is the significance of how Jesus identifies Himself in verse 58? (Also read Exodus 3:13-15.) Class Comments: He identifies himself as I AM, the name of the God of Abraham. At this, they took up stones to stone him, but he hid himself and left the temple. [His time had not yet come.]