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John Lesson 11 PDF
John Lesson 11 PDF
of Tabernacles SCRIPTURE
JOHN 7
Lesson Questions
First Day: Read Lesson 10 Notes.
The notes and lecture fortify the truth of the passage for understanding and application to daily life.
1. What in the lecture helped you better understand Jesus as the Bread of Life and His heart
to receive people who turn to Him for salvation?
2. How did the notes help you recognize God’s work in your life this week?
© BSF 1960-2023 (This material may be downloaded from mybsf.org and used by BSF class members in connection
Lesson 11 | 151
with their personal BSF class studies. It may not be otherwise reproduced without BSF’s written permission.)
c. What do you learn from Jesus’s answer in verses 6-8?
b. How do these responses remind you of the way people, including Christians, view
Jesus today?
5. How did the people in the temple courts react when Jesus began to teach?
7. a. Jesus challenged the Jewish leaders about their response to His Sabbath healing
recorded in 5:1-15. What corrective words did He offer in verses 22-24?
b. In what ways might you be tempted to rely on “mere appearances” alone? How could
you begin to assess situations and people in a godly way? (See also 1 Samuel 16:7.)
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Fourth Day: Read John 7:25-36.
Jesus’s claims of authority incited controversy and opposition.
8. a. What caused the Jewish religious leaders to try to arrest Jesus? Why did they fail?
9. a. What did Jesus mean when He said, “You will not find me; and where I am, you
cannot come”?
10. In what ways do you sometimes find Jesus’s words or biblical truths challenging to
understand? What helps you? (See also 1 Corinthians 2:6-16.)
11. a. To whom did Jesus refer when He spoke of “rivers of living water”?
b. How does “living water” flow from within a believer? What does this mean practically?
c. In what ways does this passage reveal the unity of purpose and work between the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? (Reread John 7:16-17.)
c. When have you struggled to balance logical facts, public opinion, and God’s truth?
13. a. What argument did Nicodemus offer in defense of Jesus? How was his input received?
b. How willing are you to courageously stand for truth in a hostile crowd? What holds
you back?
14. What truth about Jesus or the people around Him most impacted you this week?
Passage Discovery (homiletics, word study, etc.) for Group and Administrative Leaders: John 7
Focus Verse
“Jesus answered, ‘My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me.’”
(John 7:16)
Outline
● Confrontation regarding Jesus’s Timing – John 7:1-10
Engage
While some people relish controversy for its dramatic value, others fear conflict and seek
consensus at any cost. Differing opinions often escalate to create friction as people
passionately promote their own conclusions above other ideas. In many places today,
not only disregarding alternative views but “canceling” those with whom we disagree
appears acceptable. What should we do when the Bible’s teaching causes disruption or
disagreement? How swayed should we be by public opinion? How do we navigate a world
in which defining your own “truth” is both acceptable and promoted?
Jesus’s words and ways incited a barrage of varying opinions when He entered the public
arena. At every turn, His own family, Israel’s religious leaders, and casual observers
questioned who He was as well as what He said and did. A rising wave of dissenting voices
resisted the resolute truth Jesus proclaimed. Jesus proceeded to speak boldly for God and
as God, unhindered by public opinion. Words that could have unified people instead divided
them. The human heart has not changed. We still wrestle with internal conflict and continue
to fear being outnumbered. How can we navigate a world in which discord abounds? Jesus
confronts confusion with clarifying truth. As we study God’s Word, let us train our ears to
hear God speak louder than all the other voices in our world.
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The Setting – 7:1-2
Due to mounting hostility, Jesus remained around Galilee, rather than going to Jerusalem
where Jewish opposition might prematurely escalate. Jesus’s path to Jerusalem and His
sacrificial death unfolded on His Father’s timetable, not man’s. The events in this chapter
occurred “when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near.” Around six months had elapsed
between Jesus’s miracles and teaching on the Bread of Life that occurred close to Passover.2
The Feast of Tabernacles was one of three feasts the Mosaic Law required Jewish men to
attend.3 By the first century, most Jews considered it good enough to attend one of the three
feasts per year. The people built structures of leaves and branches during this popular feast,
which celebrated the harvest of grapes and olives and commemorated God’s faithfulness
during the wilderness wandering. Later in this account, Jesus drew on the feast’s symbolism
in His teaching.
The resistance Jesus faced from His own family members should help prepare believers to
stand firm even when people close to us do not understand our allegiance to God. The world’s
value system, our families, our friends, and conflicting emotions within us can tempt us to
resist God’s ways. Like Jesus, a steadfast commitment to follow God means following His path
regardless of what others recommend.
Jesus certainly performed miracles that demonstrated His divine authority, but He did not offer
signs of God’s power merely to stun crowds or create a spectacle. Most often, He healed the
sick and spoke God’s truth to ordinary people. Most of His followers were not people who
were impressive by the world’s standards.4 God confronts this world’s value system with His
better ways.
● Feast of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:4-6, 9-11): For seven days beginning the
night after Passover, bread was made without yeast and offerings were brought
to the Lord. On the second day of the feast, the priest presented a sheaf of barley
representing the harvest to the Lord.
● Feast of Weeks (Leviticus 23:15-21): Also known as Pentecost, this feast was
celebrated seven weeks after Passover. The first of the wheat harvest and animal
sacrifices were offered to the Lord. Harvesters were to leave the corners of their
fields untouched to allow the poor and immigrants to gather food for themselves.
● Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33-39): Five days after the Day of Atonement, on
the fifteenth day of the seventh month, worshipers celebrated the grape and olive
harvests. The people assembled to thank God for His blessings. They ceased from
regular work and built shelters of branches to remember God’s faithfulness in the
wilderness.
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moments and days.6 In a greater measure than we experience, Jesus faced family pressure and
demands on His time. Jesus’s constant surrender to His Father sets an example for us. Jesus
did everything His Father asked Him to do, but not everything others demanded of Him.
A rebellious heart refuses to embrace what God declares. Those who declare their own
supposed truth speak on their own authority for personal gain. By contrast, a person who
lives in God’s truth seeks God’s glory, not their own. Belief in Jesus is our ultimate moral
responsibility and a great, gracious work of God in a human heart. God awakens our desire to
know and seek Him.11 As we respond in faith, God continues to draw us to Himself and reveal
His truth to us.
Jesus knew the real heart condition of the Jewish leaders and fickle crowd who stood before
Him. The religiously astute had accused the Lord of the Sabbath of breaking their laws.12
Divinely aware, Jesus understood that the leaders sought to kill Him.
Clarity – 7:28-32
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Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—One God in Three Persons
The Doctrine of The Trinity
As humans, we struggle to understand the width and breadth of God’s all-encompassing
nature.1 The unity of purpose that exists and operates within the three persons of God is
equally beautiful and mysterious. In John 7, Jesus revealed that He spoke on behalf of His
Father. He promised the indwelling Holy Spirit as the source of living water to satisfy the
soul-thirst of all who believe in Him. The unity among God the Father, God the Son, and God
the Holy Spirit continues to humble and baffle us.
The Bible clearly upholds the union of the three persons of the Godhead. Though distinct,
all three are fully God and work harmoniously with one another to accomplish God’s plan.
As God reveals His truth to us, we increasingly come to appreciate the majesty of the
triune God we worship. God the Father sent God the Son into the world to save sinners.2
God the Holy Spirit sparks new life within believers; seals them as God’s children; and
provides ongoing, indwelling power to live for God.3 The past, present, and future aspects of
salvation involve all three persons of God.4
Anyone who fails to appreciate the beautiful cooperation and community among the three
persons of God misses an awesome glimpse of God Himself. Though human limitations
do not allow us to grasp the totality of wonder surrounding God, whatever we understand
is more than enough to humble us before His greatness. Many attempt the impossible—to
confine God to the boundaries of their intellect or personal approval. In Jesus’s day and
ours, most people reject truth they cannot understand.
Jesus came representing His Father’s heart, accomplishing His Father’s will, and
demonstrating His Father’s authority. The Holy Spirit draws us to Christ and gives
us the power to surrender with obedience to the Father. Believers can rejoice in the
boundlessness of God that exceeds the confines of their own minds. The simple unity,
complex diversity, and amazing cooperation within the three persons of God should lead
us to worship a God who surpasses us in every way. If you are a believer, will you marvel at
all God has done to save you? If you have not yielded to God, in all His infinite wisdom and
wonder, will you do so today?
1. God’s higher ways: Isaiah 55:8-9
2. The Father sent the Son: 1 John 4:14
3. The Holy Spirit: Acts 2:38; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30
4. Three persons: Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:30-36; Ephesians 1:3-10; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:1-4
God’s timing ruled outcomes. Despite the controversy and confusion, many in the crowd
believed in Jesus. The indignant Pharisees overheard the whispers of the crowd and sent the
temple guards to arrest Jesus.
The last day of the festival differed from the others.15 This eighth day commemorated the new
era initiated by the Israelites’ entrance into the promised land of Canaan. No water was drawn
on this day, symbolizing the Israelites’ transition from the desert to the waters of Canaan.
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Confusion Abounds – 7:40-49
The Bewildered Crowd – 7:40-44
The puzzled crowd remained split over Jesus’s words. The truth about Jesus divides people.
Some saw Jesus as a prophet, some as the promised Messiah. Others questioned Jesus’s origin
from Galilee, not realizing He was born in Bethlehem. Some wanted to seize and silence Jesus,
but no one laid a hand on Him. Almost everyone who comes to faith in Jesus has questions.
When people truly seek to believe, God provides the insight needed to put faith in His Son.
Conflict and division swirled around Jesus. Nothing has changed. The reality of who Jesus is
thrills and strengthens believers, while those who reject Him remain shrouded in a cloud of chaos.
The varying voices of the crowd leave us mired in a sea of churning opinions. Jesus confronts
confusion with clarifying truth. The question, “Who is Jesus, and what is your response to Him?”
divides people today and will continue to do so until He returns. How do you answer that question?
Take to Heart
Hold Fast
Jesus’s person, message, and mission created a storm of misconceptions, speculation,
and misguided conclusions. Jesus’s own brothers encouraged Him to seek a public forum
at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. They did not understand that public accolades and
prominence did not fit Jesus’s agenda. As Jesus slipped into Jerusalem and taught in the
temple, people rejected His claims of speaking on behalf of His Father. They denied Jesus’s
Jesus captured the hearts of a believing minority while the vast majority remained astonished
and puzzled but unbelieving. As then, the distorted conclusions of the vocal crowd today
mostly fall short. Opinion polls will never represent unchanging truth. People who put their faith
in Christ stand apart from, not with, the crowd. Jesus’s authority challenges everything this
world promotes as important. Even if our initial steps toward Christ meet opposition, like the
appeal of Nicodemus to the angry Pharisees, standing with and for Jesus matters most. Jesus
speaks with God’s authority for our ultimate good.
Apply It
When Jesus’s brothers suggested He find a bigger stage to showcase His wonders, Jesus
refused. He operated on God’s timetable alone. His life, His words, His works, His followers,
and His enemies proceeded as God ordained. No one could take His life until the time God
predetermined. Jesus’s trust in His Father’s plan removed fear of the future or pressure to
conform to any other agenda. What holds you back or coerces you forward as you navigate
life? When we find our security in God Himself, we need not waver in fear or uncertainty about
the future. How do you respond when obeying God brings difficulty? What can the world take
away that surpasses what Christ gives you? Believers live safe in the arms of Christ forever—
even if they die a martyr’s death. No compromise with this world ever matches what obeying
Christ delivers. Eternal gain matters more than temporary loss.
No one likes confusion. Clarity and consistency appeal to us. However, in times when opinions
rage and people constantly question established facts, we struggle to know what to believe.
Views about Jesus divided the crowd gathered in Jerusalem. Nothing has changed. In every
age, the clatter of opinions seeks to question what God has declared. How can we discern truth
when so many varying thoughts abound? Is there a way to unwaveringly stand on what the Bible
teaches and on Jesus’s declarations without being combative or judged as narrow-minded?
Following Jesus requires taking a path the majority rejects. Believers must be increasingly
comfortable standing with God despite how others respond. God helps His children trust Him
and uphold truth with grace and courage. The Bible clarifies what the world seeks to distort. How
has God’s unchanging truth helped you navigate the ever-mutating agenda of this world?
Jesus promised that “rivers of living water” would flow from within those who believed in Him.
God intends for His children to share the cleansing, refreshment, and restoration He pours
into them with spiritually thirsty people. Living water does not stagnate in a pool but flows like
a river that brings blessings to others. In what way might you be stingy or self-satisfied with
God’s abundant blessings? We should not hoard spiritual blessings but see the opportunities
God gives us to extend His grace to others. The benefits of your salvation are for today, not
just for eternity. Do you study the Bible just for personal rewards or to be strengthened and
equipped to reach out to others? Whom do you know who would benefit from the Christian
fellowship you so enjoy? If you are a believer, a stream of living water flows vibrantly from
within you. God’s own Spirit empowers you to share what you know and love about Jesus with
others. Where is God sending you to speak for Him?
164 | Lesson 11 All Scripture quotations in this publication are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ® NIV ®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.