John 7:44 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

NIV: Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.

NASB: And some of them wanted to arrest Him, but no one laid hands on Him.

CSB: Some of them wanted to seize him, but no one laid hands on him.

NLT: Some even wanted him arrested, but no one laid a hand on him.

KJV: And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him.

NKJV: Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.

There are several instances in the Gospels where Jesus is targeted for arrest, but manages to escape. Some of those events have a supernatural feel to them. For example, when Jesus is cornered on a tall, narrow, walkway but still manages to evade capture (John 10:23–24; 10:39). Others seem fairly mundane. Here, for instance, Jesus is in the midst of a deeply divided, highly emotional crowd. Those looking to arrest Him might be enraged, but that does not make them stupid—angry commoners taking Jesus by force is liable to start an all-out riot (John 7:30).

The wording of this passage suggests that it is the crowd, not necessarily the authorities, who are intimidated by the crowd. Separately, there is a group of officials, sent by the Pharisees, who are on their way to arrest Jesus (John 7:32). These men will not follow through on that mission, but their reasoning has more to do with Jesus' words than the prospect of a riot (John 7:45–46).

John 7:37–52 shows how Jesus' public ministry challenges the traditional views of Judaism. This causes infighting among both the people and the Jewish leaders themselves. The people hear His words, see His miracles, and begin to wonder if Jesus really is the Promised One. Once again, the religious leaders attempt to arrest Jesus, but the officers are so impressed by His words that they leave Him alone. When Nicodemus, a Pharisee, makes a plea for due process, he is mocked and his suggestion is ignored. Moments such as this will eventually lead the Jewish leaders to extreme measures against Jesus.

Six months after the feeding of thousands, and the public debate which followed, Jesus plans to attend the Feast of Booths (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 gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 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”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.

Accessed 5/5/2024 7:39:56 AM