John 7:14

John 7:14-18 . Now about the midst of the feast — Which lasted eight days; Jesus went up into the temple and taught — Probably on the sabbath day. His business was to preach the gospel of the kingdom, and he readily did it in every time and place of concourse: and doubtless vast multitudes would be assembled in the temple on this occasion. And the Jews who heard him marvelled — Were amazed, both at the excellence and importance of the doctrines which he delivered, and at the clear, convincing, and forcible manner in which he declared them: saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned — How comes he to be so well acquainted with sacred literature, as to be able thus to expound the Scriptures with such propriety and gracefulness; having never learned — Seeing he hath never learned this at any place of education? Jesus answered, My doctrine is not mine — It is not the product of human wisdom: I have neither been taught it by masters, nor have I acquired it by my own study: but his that sent me — It is the doctrine of God, who has inspired me with it because I am his messenger. If any man will do his will — Εαν τις θελη , if any man be willing, especially if he be also desirous and determined, in dependance on divine grace, to do God’s will, as far as he is acquainted with it; he shall know of the doctrine, &c. — A universal rule this with regard to all persons and doctrines.

They that are thoroughly willing and desirous to comply with the will of God, shall certainly have his will made known to them. Observe here, reader, who these are: they are such as are impartial and sincere in their inquiries concerning it, and are not biased by any carnal inclinations or interests; they are such as are convinced of the infinite importance of knowing and doing his will, in order to their eternal salvation, being persuaded that only those that know and do it shall enter the kingdom of heaven: Matthew 7:21 . They are such as carefully and diligently use the means which God has appointed to be used in order thereto; especially the means of prayer, for supernatural light, and of hearing, reading, and meditating on the word of God. Such shall know the doctrine of Christ, and the will of God; 1st, Because Christ has promised to give them that knowledge, namely, by opening the eyes of their understanding, which he is well able to do. Those who improve the light they have, and carefully walk according to it, shall, by divine grace, have that light increased, and be thereby secured against all destructive and hurtful errors. 2d, Because they are prepared to receive that knowledge. Those that are inclined to submit to the rules of the divine law, are disposed to admit the rays of the divine light. Those whose desire and care it is to resemble God, are in the fittest disposition to become acquainted with him.

{4} Now about the {d} midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. (4) Christ uses goodness to strive against the wickedness of the world: in the meanwhile most men are offended even by that fame by which they ought to have been stirred up to embrace Christ. (d) About the fourth day of the feast.

14, 15. about the midst of the feast—the fourth or fifth day of the eight, during which it lasted. went up into the temple and taught—The word denotes formal and continuous teaching, as distinguished from mere casual sayings. This was probably the first time that He did so thus openly in Jerusalem. He had kept back till the feast was half through, to let the stir about Him subside, and entering the city unexpectedly, had begun His "teaching" at the temple, and created a certain awe, before the wrath of the rulers had time to break it.

About the third or fourth day of the feast (which continued seven days) our Lord, being (as was said before) come up privately and by stealth, as it were, to Jerusalem, first appears in the temple preaching. What our Saviour at this time discoursed about the evangelist doth not tell us; but doubtless it was the things of the kingdom of God, which were the usual themes or arguments of his discourse, as we may also understand by the latter part of it. Our Lord probably deferred his preaching to the middle of the feast, partly, because the Pharisees’ heat in hunting after him was now a little over; and that there might be a fuller concourse of people to hear him.

14 . about the midst of the feast ] Literally, But now, when the feast was at the middle , or was half way past ; i.e. about the fourth day. But the expression is a vague one, so that we cannot be certain which day. went up into the temple ] Whether He had been in Jerusalem or not since the beginning of the Feast, is uncertain: see on John 7:10 . This is perhaps the first occasion of His publicly teaching in the Temple; when He cleansed it ( John 2:13-17 ) He delivered no discourse.

John 7:14 . Μεσούσης , in the middle ) This Feast of Tabernacles is described at large: The beginning of it at John 7:10 , etc., the middle of it in this verse, and the end of it, John 7:37 , “In the last day, that great day of the feast.” The feasts were good opportunities for edification.— ἀνέβη , He went up ) The first day of the feast had been the 11th day of October, as I have observed in the Harmon. Evang . p. 85 (Ed. ii. p. 140), and so the third day of the week [Tuesday]; for on that twenty-ninth year of Dion, the Sunday letter was [178]. Therefore the Sabbath fell in the middle of the feast; and on a Sabbath day the audience was a crowded one, beyond that on all the other days of the middle of the feast, and His speech concerning the Sabbath was seasonable, John 7:22 , “Ye on the Sabbath day circumcise a man. If a man on the Sabbath, etc., are ye angry with Me because,” etc.— εἰς τὸ ἱερόν , into the temple ) straightway, so as that He did not turn aside anywhere else first.[179] [178] the Vatican MS., 1209: in Vat. Iibr., Rome: fourth cent.: O. and N. Test. def. [179] He made straight for the temple first of all.—E. and T.

(14) Now about the midst of the feast. —Better, But now, when it was the middle of the feast. (Comp. John 7:8 .) This was the technical Chōl Mō’ēd or Mō’ēd Katōn, “ the Middle of the Feast,” or “the Lesser Feast.” He had taken no part in the greater festival itself, and now He appears in the Temple, as far as we know, for the first time as a public teacher, probably ( John 7:19 ) as an expounder of some Scripture which had been read.