What does John 7:40 mean?
Once again, Jesus' preaching results in mixed reactions from the crowd. His recent claims involved the concept of "living water" (John 7:37–38). In fact, He mentioned that theme during a ritual meant to recall God's miraculous provision of water for the nation of Israel (Exodus 17:1–7). Jesus has mentioned this before (John 4:10–14; 6:35), but some in the crowd might have been hearing it for the first time.Some in Jerusalem have already come to believe in Jesus' words, mostly due to His miracles (John 7:31). Those who believe Jesus is telling the truth see Him as a fulfillment of the prophecy given in Deuteronomy 18:15 (John 6:14). Interestingly, some see a distinction between Moses' predicted successor and the Promised One referred to as the Messiah (John 7:41).
Not everyone supports what Jesus is saying, however. Some mistakenly think the Old Testament predicts Messiah in a way which Jesus does not fulfill (John 7:42, 52).