In what ways does John 7:20 connect to Jesus' earlier teachings in John? The Immediate Voice of the Crowd John 7:20: “You have a demon,” the crowd replied. “Who is trying to kill You?” • Jesus has just asked, “Why are you trying to kill Me?” (7:19), exposing the leaders’ secret plot. • The Jerusalem crowd responds with denial and the slanderous charge that He is demon-possessed. Echoes of an Earlier Plot to Kill Jesus (John 5:16-18) • At the pool of Bethesda Jesus healed on the Sabbath; the Jews “began to persecute Jesus” and “were trying all the more to kill Him” because He called God His own Father (5:16-18). • By referencing a murder plot in 7:19, Jesus recalls this earlier hostility. John 7:20 shows the crowd still blind to the leaders’ intent already revealed in chapter 5. Repeated Charge of Demon Possession (John 8:48, 52; 10:20) • Calling Jesus demon-possessed becomes a familiar insult: – “Do we not rightly say that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” (8:48) – “Now we know You have a demon!” (8:52) – “He has a demon and is insane. Why listen to Him?” (10:20) • John 7:20 is the first instance, preparing the reader for the pattern of rejection that follows. Light Rejected by Darkness (John 1:5, 11; 3:19-20) • John began by declaring, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (1:5). • Jesus taught that “people loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (3:19). • The crowd’s accusation in 7:20 is an embodiment of that darkness—preferring slander to truth when confronted by the Light. Misunderstanding Jesus’ Death Predictions (John 2:19-21; 3:14-16; 6:51) • Earlier Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (2:19)—a veiled reference to His death and resurrection. • He foretold being “lifted up” like the bronze serpent (3:14-16) and offered His flesh “for the life of the world” (6:51). • The crowd’s incredulous question, “Who is trying to kill You?” (7:20), shows their blindness to the divine necessity of His coming sacrifice already foretold. Law-Keeping Versus True Righteousness (John 5:39-47; 7:21-24) • In chapter 5 Jesus charged the leaders with failing to believe Moses while claiming loyalty to him (5:45-47). • In chapter 7 He again exposes their hypocrisy: they break Moses’ law by plotting murder even while scrutinizing His Sabbath healing (7:21-24). • The crowd’s denial in 7:20 highlights the gap between outward law-keeping and inward rebellion—an issue Jesus had raised since chapter 5. Summary Threads Between John 7:20 and Earlier Teachings • Ongoing murderous intent first revealed in John 5. • Repeated slander of demon possession pointing to hardened unbelief. • Fulfillment of the prologue’s light-versus-darkness theme. • Continued misunderstanding of His prophesied death. • Exposure of legalistic hypocrisy versus true righteousness. John 7:20 is therefore no isolated moment; it gathers up themes Jesus has been proclaiming since the opening chapters and shows the crowd still resisting the truth He lovingly presses upon them. |
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