John 7:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For not even his brothers believed in him.

NIV: For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

NASB: For not even His brothers believed in Him.

CSB: (For not even his brothers believed in him.)

NLT: For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.

KJV: For neither did his brethren believe in him.

NKJV: For even His brothers did not believe in Him.

Of all the people in the world who should have accepted Jesus as Messiah, his immediate family would be at the top of the list. After all, nobody knew Him as well or saw His character as clearly. And yet, this same familiarity seems to produce the opposite effect. Jesus' own brothers—other biological children of Mary—don't yet accept His ministry or His mission. Part of this is cultural: Jewish tradition suggested that the Messiah would be relatively unknown prior to His emergence (John 7:27).

This also supports several ideas explored in the gospel of John. Later in this chapter, Jesus will point out that obedience must come before knowledge, otherwise people will not believe (John 7:17). A year earlier, after healing a man at the Pool of Bethesda, Jesus pointed out that the men rejecting Him were well-educated in the Scriptures but refused to believe (John 5:39–40). Seeing miracles won't convince those who aren't looking for spiritual truth (Luke 16:31). Judas Iscariot is the prime example of someone who was presented with as much proof as could possibly be offered, yet still rejected Christ.

On a more positive note, tradition suggests that at least two of Jesus' siblings became believers after His resurrection. These include both the author of the New Testament book of James and the author of the New Testament book of Jude.

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.