John 7

Joh 7:1
After these things, Jesus was walking in Galilee,
for he wouldn't walk in Judea,
because the Jews sought to kill him.

What a way to start a chapter,
Did I miss something?

turning back a page or two
trying to remember why they sought to kill him...

Oh yeah, in chapter 6
Jesus really puts himself on the stand
by claiming to be the bread of life,
and making strong statements about himself
like:

Joh 6:40
This is the will of the one who sent me,
that everyone who sees the Son,
and believes in him,
should have eternal life;
and I will raise him up at the last day.

and

Joh 6:47
Most certainly, I tell you,
he who believes in me has eternal life.

I can see what got them all stirred up!
The will kill him for blasphemy, right?

nope.

For reasons I don't understand,
what really got them upset
was the fact that he healed a man on the sabbath.

Healing on the Sabbath? DEATH!
Claiming to be the path to God?
hmmm... ok.

but these verses seem to clearly indicate
that it was the healing that got them
mobbin up for a lynchin

Joh 7:19
Didn't Moses give you the law,
and yet none of you keeps the law?
Why do you seek to kill me?"
Joh 7:20
The multitude answered,
"You have a demon!
Who seeks to kill you?"
Joh 7:21
Jesus answered them,
"I did one work,
and you all marvel because of it.
Joh 7:22
Moses has given you circumcision
(not that it is of Moses, but of the fathers),
and on the Sabbath you circumcise a boy.
Joh 7:23
If a boy receives circumcision on the Sabbath,
that the law of Moses may not be broken,
are you angry with me,
because I made a man completely healthy
on the Sabbath?

That strikes me as supreme irony,
that it was the act of helping someone
that triggers such a negative reaction

Joh 7:30
They sought therefore to take him;
but no one laid a hand on him,
because his hour had not yet come.

The thought crossed my mind
that I would've liked to witness that event.
I have a mental picture of them trying to grab him
and Jesus somehow slipping away.
(Maybe its my love of the movies,
the suspense, the drama, the excitement)
but looking up the Greek word for "sought"
(#2212) it seems that it means more like
they "plotted" or "desired" to arrest him,
but didn't.
(slightly more boring as far as movie scenes go,
but probably more accurate)

Speaking of my mental misperceptions...

Jesus' brothers are mentioned several times
in this chapter. Here's the shortest one:

Joh 7:5
For His brothers did not believe in Him.

Every time I hear of "his brothers"
my brain does a little back flip.
I guess I just grew up thinking that
Jesus was an only child,
I just can't imagine him having brothers and sisters.

and you know what's funny?
When I first read about his brothers last week,
my first thought
(after the brain flip of course)
was to ask myself this question;
"I wonder if he was the youngest?"
I don't know why I thought that,
but it took me a couple of seconds to realize
that he had to be the OLDEST
because of the virgin Mary thing.

So HEY!
That's a bona fide Bible interpretation, isn't it?
I figured out all by myself
that Jesus was the eldest based on scripture.

but I still can't picture him as an older brother.

I wonder if he was virtually normal
until John saw the spirit descending on him
like a dove.
The whole last chapter he has been saying
how nothing comes from Him,
it comes THROUGH him from God.
but from God.
Could he have been just a normal child?
Maybe none of that was appparent in his childhood
because the spirit wasn't upon him yet.

and then I read

Joh 7:39
(But He spoke this about the Spirit,
which they who believed on Him should receive;
for the Holy Spirit was not yet given,
because Jesus was not yet glorified.)

So does this mean Jesus had the spirit
but no one else?
Or that the spirit was "not yet"
(that would blow my whole "spirit" theory)
Some translations say
"not yet given"
or
"not yet present"
or
"not yet"

and those three imply different things in my mind.
not yet - might mean it doesn't even exist yet,
not yet present - allows the possibility that it could exist,
but maybe not among them
not yet given - allows the possibility that Jesus had it
but no one else.

I wish I knew which of those were closest to the truth

.