John 7:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him.

NIV: After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him.

NASB: After these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him.

CSB: After this, Jesus traveled in Galilee, since he did not want to travel in Judea because the Jews were trying to kill him.

NLT: After this, Jesus traveled around Galilee. He wanted to stay out of Judea, where the Jewish leaders were plotting his death.

KJV: After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him.

NKJV: After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.

As did chapter 6, chapter 7 opens with an understatement. The time gap between the end of chapter 5 and the start of chapter 6 was about six months. Here there is a similar leap: from the time of Passover to the Feast of Booths (John 7:2). This puts the events of the next few chapters around six months prior to Jesus' eventual crucifixion.

The gospel of John presents Jesus as unfailingly obedient to God's timeline. Conflict with the religious leaders of Jerusalem is inevitable. So, Jesus spends much of His time in Galilee, away from their direct influence. This only delays the eventual outcome, of course. Jesus has already done enough to earn a death sentence in their eyes: they interpret His earlier actions as a form of blasphemy (John 5:18). This desire to see Jesus killed will be inflamed by His actions during the Feast of Booths.

As is usually the case in the gospel of John, the term "the Jews" is a reference to the religious leaders of Jerusalem and their supporters. This is an important distinction when interpreting the reactions of the crowd to Jesus' words. "The Jews," as described here, are a somewhat separate group from "the people."

John 7:1–13 describes Jesus' surprisingly quiet entry to a major Jewish festival. Jesus' brothers—other biological sons of Mary—tease Him about seeking publicity. Instead, Jesus attends alone, and does not teach or preach publicly until the middle of the week-long festival. In the meantime, the people of Jerusalem are ''muttering'' about Jesus, wondering when or if He will appear.

Six months after the feeding of thousands, and the public debate which followed, Jesus plans to attend the Feast of Booths, also called the Festival of Tabernacles. Rather than going publicly, He chooses to arrive privately, and after His family. While teaching and preaching there, Jesus once again comes into conflict with local religious leaders. The crowds take note of His profound words, history of miracles, and the inability of the religious leaders to silence Him. This causes the people to openly question their spiritual leaders. This embarrassment is a milestone in the effort to permanently silence Jesus.

John chapter 7 is the beginning of the end of Jesus' public ministry. The feeding of thousands in chapter 6 was the pinnacle of His earthly popularity. That enthusiasm was dampened when Jesus explained the true meaning of His ministry. Here, in chapters 7 and 8, Jesus will confront His critics at a major Jewish festival, using metaphors drawn from ritual celebrations to highlight themes from His preaching. The following chapters include additional miracles and teachings from Jesus, as His eventual crucifixion draws nearer.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.