What is the meaning of John 7:28? Still teaching in the temple courts • Jesus openly teaches in the very heart of Jewish worship, emphasizing the public nature of His mission (John 18:20). • His presence in the temple fulfills Malachi 3:1—“the Lord you seek will suddenly come to His temple.” • By teaching there during the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:14), He offers living truth to crowds gathering for ritual celebration, echoing His earlier zeal for His Father’s house (John 2:13-17). You know Me • The listeners recognize Jesus as the man from Nazareth who has performed miracles (John 6:2) and spoken with authority (Matthew 7:28-29). • Their knowledge is superficial—focusing on His human upbringing—contrasted with the deeper revelation of His divine identity (Matthew 16:16). • Even demons “know” Him (Mark 1:24), showing that mere recognition without faith is insufficient. You know where I am from • The crowd assumes permanent earthly origins (Matthew 13:55), unaware of His pre-existent glory (John 1:1-3). • Micah 5:2 foretold Messiah’s goings-forth “from eternity,” highlighting that Bethlehem and Nazareth were only earthly stages in an eternal plan. • Jesus later clarifies, “I came down from heaven” (John 6:38), insisting on a heavenly provenance hidden from unbelief. I have not come of My own accord • The Son submits to the Father’s sending, modeling perfect obedience (John 5:19-30). • Isaiah 61:1 anticipated this commissioning: “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news.” • His voluntary submission does not deny equality with the Father (Philippians 2:5-8); rather, it magnifies divine unity and purpose (John 10:30). He who sent Me is true • Jesus anchors His authority in the Father’s absolute reliability (Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2). • “True” underscores God’s faithfulness to covenant promises, now embodied in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). • By pointing to the Father’s truthfulness, Jesus exposes the crowd’s inconsistency: they claim loyalty to God yet reject His sent One (John 5:46). You do not know Him • Despite covenant privilege (Romans 9:4-5), many Jews lack genuine relationship with the Father, evidenced by their rejection of the Son (John 8:19). • Jeremiah 9:24 declares that true boasting is “to understand and know Me,” a knowledge the crowd forfeits through unbelief. • Jesus’ accusation anticipates later statements: “The world did not know Him” (John 1:10) and “they have not known the Father, nor Me” (John 16:3). • Saving knowledge requires the Spirit’s revelation (1 Corinthians 2:9-10) and humble faith (James 4:6). summary John 7:28 reveals the tension between outward familiarity with Jesus and inward ignorance of His divine origin and mission. Teaching publicly in the temple, He declares that while people think they know Him, they miss His heavenly sending, the Father’s truth, and therefore true knowledge of God. The verse calls every hearer to move from superficial recognition to faith-filled acknowledgment that Jesus is the One sent by the true Father, worthy of trust and obedience. |
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