John 7:37 - 53

The Great Day of the Feast

I. THE SYMBOL—vv. 37–39

A. Satisfaction—v. 37. Man has a hunger and thirst that can be satisfied by Christ alone. He is not only “The Bread of Life” but He is also “The Water of Life.”

B. Scripture—v. 38. If one believes in Christ, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water. This would be: (1) emotion, (2) excitement, and (3) enjoyment.

C. Spirit—v. 39. Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was not yet given, since Jesus was not yet glorified. Later, Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit (John 16). Also Jesus promised the Holy Spirit (Acts 1), and the promise was fulfilled (Acts 2).

II. THE SAVIOR—vv. 40–44

A. Reception—v. 40. Some accepted Christ as the Messiah. Some felt He was a prophet. The same is true today. Some will accept, while others will reject Him.

B. Reasoning—vv. 41–42. They began to reason. They did not accept God’s Word. Had they accepted God’s Word, they would have seen how the Old Testament Scriptures spoke of Christ.

C. Rejection—vv. 43–44. Rather than accept His Word, and accept Christ by faith, they rejected Him. Some even tried to arrest Him. The words of John 1:11–12 have been and always will be true.

III. THE SINCERITY—vv. 45–53

A. The problem—v. 45. The police could not bring themselves to arrest Christ. What wrong had He done? Christ did no wrong. His teaching brought conviction. Rather than changing, they chose to destroy Christ.

B. The power—v. 46. “Never man spake like this man.” What words! No man ever taught or preached like He did. What power! What greatness!

C. The problem—vv. 47–49. The leaders thought those who believed in Christ were deceived. They felt Christ had some type of magic, which led the people astray. They asked if any of the Jewish leaders believed in Him.

D. The person—vv. 50–51. Then Nicodemus spoke up, “Is it legal to convict a man before he is even tried?”—LB.

E. The pity—vv. 52–53. They were so narrow-minded that they could not believe Christ could come out of Galilee.