PART  I:  The Beginning of the Feast (7:1-13)

• Narrator:  Jesus stays in Galilee; Jewish authorities trying to kill him; Feast of Tabernacles is near (v. 1-2)

  • Brothers:  "Go to Judea, so your disciples may see your works; show yourself to the world" (vv. 3-4)

    • Narrator:  His brothers [said this because they] did not believe in him (v. 5)

      • Jesus:  "My hour has not yet come; your hour is always ready"
        "The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I testify: its works are evil"
        "You go to the feast; I'm not going to this feast; my hour has not yet been fulfilled" (vv. 6-8)

    • Narrator:  Jesus stayed in Galilee; but afterwards went up to the feast secretly (vv. 9-10)

  • Jews seek:  "Where is he?"; Crowds dispute: "He is a good man" vs. "He misleads the people" (vv. 11-12)

• Narrator: No one spoke openly about him, because they feared the Jewish authorities (v. 13)

PART  II:  The Middle of the Feast (7:14-36)

A: Jesus Teaches in the Temple (vv. 14-24)

• Narrator: In the middle of the festival week, Jesus went to the temple and taught (v. 14)

• Jews are amazed: "How does he know scripture, without having studied?" (v. 15)

  • Jesus: "My teaching is not my own, but from God, who sent me...; 
    whoever speaks on his own seeks his own glory; whoever seeks God's glory is truthful...;
    Moses gave you the law, but you don't keep it. Why are you trying to kill me?" (vv. 16-19)

    • Crowd: "You are possessed! Who is trying to kill you?" (v. 20)

  • Jesus: "I did one work and you are amazed (cf. 5:1-18);
    you perform circumcisions on the sabbath, without breaking Moses' Law;

  • so why are you angry that I made an entire person well on the sabbath?
    Stop judging superficially, but judge justly." (vv. 21-24)

• Jerusalemites: "Isn't he the one they're trying to kill? Do the authorities realized he's the MESSIAH?
  We know where he is from; no one will know where the MESSIAH is from" (vv. 25-27)

B: Various Groups Argue about Jesus (vv. 25-36)

• Narrator: Jesus cried out in the temple area as he was teaching... (v. 28a)

  • Jesus: "You claim to know where I am from! Yet I come from the one who sent me;
    I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me. (vv. 28b-29)

    • Narrator: They tried to arrest him, but didn't; his hour had not yet come; but many believed in him (vv. 30-31a)

      • Crowd believes: "When the MESSIAH comes, will he do more signs than this man has done?" (v. 31b)

    • Narrator: Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring; Chief Priests sent guards to arrest him (v. 32)

  • Jesus: "I'll be with you only a little longer; then I go to the one who sent me;
    you'll look, but not find me; where I am, you cannot come" (vv. 33-34)

• Jews: "Where is he going, that we won't find him? Surely not to the diaspora Greeks? 
  What did he mean, 'You'll look but not find me; where I am, you can't come?" (vv. 35-36)

PART  III:  The Last Day of the Feast (7:37-52)

A: Jesus Preaches about Living Water, the Spirit (vv. 37-39)

• Narrator: On the last/greatest day of the feast, Jesus arose and proclaimed... (v.37)
  • Jesus: "Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink; 
    scripture says about believers, 'Rivers of living water will flow from within them'" (v. 38)
• Narrator: He said this about the Spirit that believers would receive after Jesus is glorified (v.39)

Note: we might have expected the Johannine Jesus to say, "I am the living water...", which he never explicitly says in this Gospel.

B: The Crowds Argue about the Messiah (vv. 40-44)

• Narrator: When they heard this, some in the crowd said... (v. 40a)
  • Crowd: "He's truly the PROPHET"; others said, "He's the MESSIAH";
  • others dispute, "The MESSIAH won't come from Galilee, but from David's family, from Bethlehem" (vv.40b-42)
• Narrator: the crowd was divided; some wanted to arrest him, but didn't (vv. 43-44).

C: The Authorities Argue about Jesus (vv. 45-52)

• Chief Priests and Pharisees ask the guards: "Why didn't you arrest him?" (v. 45; cf. v. 32)
  • Guards testify: "No one ever spoke like he does!" (v. 46)
    • Pharisees reprimand them: "Have you also been misled? 
      Have any authorities believed in him? The crowd does not know the Law!" (vv. 47-49)
  • Nicodemus defends: "Does our law condemn someone before hearing him and investigating?" (vv. 50-51)
• Pharisees insult him: "Are you from Galilee too? No prophet arises from Galilee!" (v.52)

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