Commentary on the Gospel of John

                                 Chapter Seven

                                                                                                                                              Verses 20-24

These Jews hated Jesus so much that they accused Him of having a devil. Hatred can cause a person to stop thinking. If they had thought about Jesus, they would have realized that Jesus could not have a devil because devils are totally evil and can do no good whatsoever. But they had all seen or had heard about Jesus doing many compassionate miracles.

Apparently, at that feast, Jesus had healed someone on the Sabbath, and all these Jews had seen it. These Jews were so rigid about the law and the Sabbath, with their own invented restrictions that they added to the law, that they used their assumed authority, not for the glory of God, but to gain control over others. Many people enjoy having control over others. They did what a lot of religious cult leaders do. They hated Jesus because He did good works on the Sabbath, and He would not bend to their control.

Jesus reminded these religious Jews that Moses had renewed the rite of circumcision that God had given to Abraham and their fathers. Jesus meant that circumcision was just as important as the law. Circumcision meant that every faithful Jew had a special covenant with God that they would be God's chosen people who would inherit the land that God had given them for an everlasting habitation. Genesis 17:9-14. This meant that if the eighth day after a male child was born fell on a Sabbath, then the priests would circumcise that infant because that would be a good work that would seal that baby to an everlasting covenant with God. That covenant happened to be just as important as was the law. Jesus then asked these Jews why they were angry with Him for doing a good work of healing a man on the Sabbath. Good works were just as important as being obedient to the law.

Jesus then made one of the most profound statements that He ever made. "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." Jesus meant that God gave the law, not only to show humans that they were sinners, but also to show humans that they should strive to do right toward God and their fellow man. The law should teach humans that they should love God with all their hearts, and they should also love their neighbors which means all humans. Matthew 22:34-40. The law should teach humans to be wise and virtuous, not rigidly righteous. Being rigidly righteous can harm people, but being virtuous means to be loving and compassionate. God desires that humans be loving and virtuous, not rigidly righteous. Matthew 12:1-14; Mark 2:27-28. Jesus even taught that a person could demonstrate a better obedience to the spirit of the law if one skirted the rigid law in showing love and compassion than if one held strictly to the rigidity of the law. Matthew 12:1-8.