MPV Commentary

With Jesus' teaching and miracles gaining popularity, the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders were getting increasingly uncomfortable. They saw Him as a threat to their authority and power.

In John 7:1-13, we see that Jesus' brothers didn't believe in Him at first, but after He began His ministry, they started to spread rumors about Him. This was likely an attempt to discredit Him among the people. However, Jesus' response shows that He knew what was going on and wasn't fazed by their attempts.

Jesus then went up to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, where He taught in the temple courts. The crowds were amazed at His teaching, but the Pharisees and other leaders didn't believe in Him. They questioned how someone from Galilee could be the Messiah, since the Scripture said the Messiah would come from David's line and be born in Bethlehem.

Jesus' brothers tried to get Him to go back to Galilee with them, but He declined, saying that His time had not yet come. Meanwhile, the Pharisees sent officers to arrest Him, but they returned empty-handed because no one knew where Jesus was.

The next day, Jesus stood up and cried out in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink!" This was a reference to the living water that He had promised earlier. The Scripture says that out of His belly would flow rivers of living water, which refers to the Holy Spirit.

The people were amazed at Jesus' words, but some said, "This is the Christ," while others asked how the Messiah could come from Galilee since the Scripture said he would be from David's line and born in Bethlehem. The Pharisees were still trying to arrest Jesus, but they couldn't because of the crowd.

Nicodemus, a member of the council, spoke up in Jesus' defense, saying that their law didn't condemn anyone without first hearing them out. However, his words fell on deaf ears as the Pharisees continued to mock and scorn him. In the end, everyone went home, unable to carry out their plans against Jesus.

This passage shows us that even in the midst of opposition and persecution, Jesus remained calm and focused on His mission. He knew that His time had not yet come, but He was still calling people to come to Him and drink from the living water.