NIV Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition - Flipbook - Page 37
page 1813
6:61
qMt 11:6
6:62
rMk 16:19; Jn 3:13;
17:5
6:63
s2Co
3:6
6:64
2:25
tJn
6:65
37,44
uver
6:66
60
vver
6:67
wMt 10:2
6:68
16:16
xMt
6:69
8:29; Lk 9:20
yMk
6:70
zJn 15:16,19
aJn 13:27
7:1
bJn 1:19
cJn 5:18
7:2
dLev
23:34; Dt 16:16
7:3
eMt 12:46
7:5
fMk 3:21
7:6
gMt 26:18
7:7
hJn
iJn
15:18,19
3:19,20
7:8
jver 6
7:11
11:56
kJn
•
J ohn
7:1 1
offend you? q 62Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to w
here he was before! r
63The Spirit gives life; s the f lesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you — they
are full of the Spirit a and life. 64Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For J esus
had known t from the beginning w
hich of them did not believe and who would betray
him. 65He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the
Father has enabled them.” u
66 From this time many of his disciples v turned back and no longer followed him.
67“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. w
68 Simon Peter answered him, x “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of
eternal life. 69We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” y
70 Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, z the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” a
71 (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, t hough one of the T
welve, was later
to betray him.)
2. Jesus encounters conflict with the religious leaders
Jesus’ Brothers Ridicule Him (121 )
After this, J esus went around in Galilee. He did not want b to go about in Judea because
the Jewish leaders b there were looking for a way to kill him. c 2But when the Jewish
Festival of Tabernacles d was near, 3Jesus’ brothers e said to him, “Leave Galilee and go
to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. 4No one who wants to
become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to
the world.” 5For even his own brothers did not believe in him. f
6 Therefore Jesus told them, “My time g is not yet here; for you any time will do. 7The
world cannot hate you, but it hates me h because I testify that its works are evil. i 8You
go to the festival. I am not c going up to this festival, because my time j has not yet fully
come.” 9After he had said this, he s tayed in Galilee.
7
Jesus Teaches Openly at the Temple (123 )
10 However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but
in secret. 11Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for J esus k and asking,
“Where is he?”
a
63 Or are Spirit; or are spirit b 1 Some manuscripts not have authority c 8 Some manuscripts not yet
6:63, 65 The Holy Spirit gives spiritual life; without the work of the
6:70 In response to Jesus’ message, some people left; others stayed
Holy Spirit, we cannot even see our need for new life (14:17). All spiritual
renewal begins and ends with God. He reveals truth to us, lives within
us, and then enables us to respond to that truth.
6:66 Why did Jesus’ words cause many of his followers to desert him?
(1) They may have realized that Jesus wasn’t going to be the conquering Messiah-King they expected. (2) Jesus refused to give in to their
self-centered requests. (3) Jesus emphasized faith, not deeds. (4) Jesus’
teachings were difficult to understand, and some of his words were
offensive. As we grow in our faith, we may be tempted to turn away
because Jesus’ lessons are difficult. Will your response be to give up,
ignore certain teachings, or reject him? Instead, ask God to show you
what his teachings mean and how they apply to you. Then persist with
courage to act on God’s truth.
6:67-68 After many of Jesus’ followers had deserted him, he asked
the 12 disciples if they were also going to leave. Peter replied, “Lord, to
whom shall we go?” In his straightforward way, Peter answered for all
of us—there is no other way. Though there are many philosophies and
self-styled authorities, Jesus alone has the words of eternal life. People
today want to go their own way or no way at all. They look to their own
imaginations, instincts, or some intangible wisdom inside them. People
look everywhere for eternal life and miss Jesus, the only source of it. Stay
with him, especially when you are confused or feel alone.
6:67 Jesus offers no middle ground. When he asked the disciples if they
would also leave, he was showing that they could either accept or reject
him. Jesus was not trying to repel people with his teachings. He was simply
telling the truth and giving them a choice. The more the people heard
Jesus’ real message, the more they divided into two camps—the honest
seekers who wanted to understand more and those who rejected Jesus
because they didn’t like what they had heard.
and truly believed; and some, like Judas, stayed but tried to use Jesus
for a personal agenda. Many people today turn away from Jesus. Others
pretend to follow him, going to church for status, the approval of
family and friends, or business contacts. But only two real responses
to Jesus are a vailable—you either accept him or reject him. How have
you responded?
6:71 For more information on Judas, see his profile on page 1701.
7:2 The Festival of Tabernacles is described in Leviticus 23:33-44. This
event occurred in October, about six months after the Passover celebration mentioned in John 6:2-5. The festival commemorated the days
when the Israelites wandered in the wilderness and lived in shelters
(Leviticus 23:43).
7:3-5 Jesus’ brothers had a difficult time believing in him. Some of
these brothers (James, for example) would eventually become leaders
in the church, but for several years they were embarrassed by him. After
Jesus died and rose again, they finally believed in him. Today we have
every reason to believe in Jesus because we have the full record of his
miracles, death, and resurrection. We also have the evidence of what the
gospel has done in people’s lives through the centuries. Don’t miss this
opportunity to believe in God’s Son.
7:7 Because the world hated Jesus, we who follow him can expect that
many people will oppose us as well. If circumstances are going too well,
ask if you are following Jesus as you should. We can be grateful when
life goes well, but we must not pursue a comfortable life at the cost of
following Jesus halfheartedly or not at all.
7:10 Jesus came with the greatest gift ever offered, so why did he often
act secretly? Was he being deceptive to his brothers (7:6-9)? Perhaps he
meant, “I’m not going until the Father tells me to do so.” The religious
leaders hated him, and many would refuse his gift of salvation no matter