Lesson for July 6, 2025
The Book of John
Lesson 22
Chapter 7:32-39
Verses 32-36
“The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about Him, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest Him. 33 Therefore Jesus said, ‘For a little while longer I am going to be with you, and then I am going to Him Who sent Me. 34 You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.’ 35 The Jews then said to one another, ‘Where does this Man intend to go that we will not find Him? He does not intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks, does He? 36 What is this statement that He said, ‘You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come’?”
I am going to Him Who sent Me refers to the resurrection of Christ. The uniqueness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ sets Him apart from all other human beings. In the Person of Christ, God manifested Himself to all mankind. This was planned in eternity past with each of us in mind. The purpose of this plan was to resolve the Angelic Conflict. You may recall it as the rebellion of Satan with one third of the angels against God. In order to resolve this conflict and show Satan and the fallen angels that God was fair in sentencing them to the Lake of Fire, God created mankind. If throughout the history of the world only one person trusted Jesus Christ as Savior, it would prove that God was just in His sentence. As we know, many have trusted Christ as Savior and Satan’s doom is sure. (Matthew 27:57-28:15; Mark 15:42-16:1-14; Luke 23:50-24:1-49; John 19:38- 20:1-23)
The resurrection of Jesus Christ guarantees a believer not only eternal life, but also a glorified resurrection body. The glorified body of a believer will be like that of Christ. For those Church Age believers who die before the Rapture occurs, their soul and spirit go into the presence of the Lord. At the Rapture, the soul and spirit are returned to the glorified body. (I Corinthians 15:51-57; II Corinthians 5:1-8; Philippians 3:21; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I John 3:2)
Where I am, you cannot come refers to the ascension of Christ. After the Resurrection, Jesus Christ led a group of His disciples to a place near Bethany and there He ascended to Heaven. Upon His entrance into Heaven, Jesus was seated at the right hand of God. The payment for sin by our Savior was accepted by God the Father, as evidenced by the place of honor that He was given in Heaven.
This acceptance also means that we are accepted. Every believer is seated positionally with Jesus Christ at the right hand of the Father. The humanity of Jesus Christ is now higher in order than the angels (while He was on earth His humanity was lower in order than the angels). Because in Christ we are positionally higher than angels, we have guardian angels that serve us. (Ephesians 1:6, 2:6; Hebrews 1:13-14, 2:9-11, 10:10-14)
Jesus prophesied that He would ascend into Heaven and return to God the Father in John 3:13; 6:62; 14:2, 12; 16:5, 10, 17, 28. The Ascension was visible because the disciples could see Jesus going up into the atmospheric heaven until a cloud hid Him from their view. The resurrection was bodily, in that it was His body that ascended. He was received by clouds. Jesus went up in the clouds of Heaven, the very clouds that hid the rest of the Ascension. (Mark 16:19-20; Luke 24:50-53; Acts 1:9-11; Ephesians 4:8-9)
The Ascension concluded with the arrival of Christ into Heaven. This is so important that fifteen specific passages speak of His arrival into Heaven. (Acts 3:20-21; 9:3-6; 22:6-10; 26:13-18; Philippians 3:20; I Thessalonians 1:10; 4:16; I Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:14; 6:20; 7:26, 9:24; I John 2:1; Revelation 1:17; 5:5-12)
Jesus prophesied when He said He would go to the Father, and the Ascension fulfilled it. (John 14:28) The Ascension means that Jesus is preparing a place for us. (John 14:2). The Ascension means that God the Father has exalted His Son above every creature and given Him a name that is above every name. Upon His arrival into Heaven, it completed the Exaltation of Christ. (Ephesians 1:19-23; Philippians 2:9-11) The Ascension means that Christ is the Head of the Church. (Colossians 1:18) The Ascension means that Christ has become our High Priest making intersession for us. The Ascension began a new type of ministry in which the Holy Spirit permanently indwells believers. (John 7:39, 16:7; Acts 2:33). The Ascension means that Jesus Christ is our forerunner into Heaven; we will follow Him. (Hebrews 6:20) The Ascension means that because Christ is seated at the right hand of God the Father, believers are seated at the right hand of the Father as well (positionally). The Ascension means that the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit could be given. (Ephesians 4:7-11) The Ascension means Christ will come again in like manner as He left, in the clouds of Heaven. The Ascension means that the Old Testament saints are now in Heaven. Before His ascension, the Old Testament saints were in a compartment of Hades called Paradise. When Jesus ascended, He took the Old Testament saints with Him to Heaven. (Ephesians 4:8)
What is this statement that He said, ‘You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come refers to the session of Christ. Session means to be seated. Theologically, the session of Jesus Christ means that upon His entrance into Heaven, after the Ascension, He was seated in the place of highest honor at the right hand of God. This demonstrated that the justice and righteousness of God the Father regarding sin were completely satisfied by the death of Christ on the Cross.
Verses 37-39
“Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38 The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ 39 But this He said in reference to the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
Verse 37 – the same thing stated in slightly different language. “In the last day” – last day of the feast of the tabernacles. The custom was to take a golden pitcher out of the temple, usually carried by the high priest. They all dressed up and had the orchestra, band, and singers who would come marching down through Jerusalem singing beautiful songs. Then they would stop at the pool of Siloam and have a big ceremony.
During the ceremony, they would fill the golden pitcher with water from the pool of Siloam. Then they would go through the streets of Jerusalem, all the way to the Temple steps, where they would break out in singing the passage from Isaiah 12:3, “Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation.”
Jesus explained Isaiah 12:3 this way, “If anyone thirst, let him come to me, and drink. The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” For seven days they had been going down to the pool of Siloam, they had been putting water in a golden pitcher, carrying the water back to the Temple, singing and chanting. On the eighth day, the ceremony was discontinued, but it was still on their minds, so Jesus used the ceremony to share the Gospel in terms of drinking water. Notice, the word “drink” is clearly shown to be a metaphor for faith in this passage.
From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water is a reference to the Holy Spirit indwelling believers to cleanse, refresh, empower, and guide them. It is the Holy Spirit Who teaches and empowers believers, so they can live the Christian Way of Life. The image of flowing rivers of living water pictures the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers who stay in fellowship with God a maximum amount of time and consistently rely on the filling of the Holy Spirit to glorify Jesus Christ.
But this He said in reference to the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. Jesus now prophesied the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. There are two dispensations in which the Holy Spirit is given to believers. The Holy Spirit is given to permanently indwell all believers in the Church Age. The filling of the Holy Spirit in the Church Age produces the character of Christ, according to Galatians 5:22-23. In the Millennium, the Holy Spirit is also given to permanently indwell all believers. The filling of the Spirit in the Millennium also produces the character of Christ, according to Ezekiel 36:27.
For the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. As long as Jesus was on earth, the Holy Spirit could not permanently indwell believers. Jesus lived in the Age of Israel where the Holy Spirit’s ministry to believers was called “enduement.” Enduement meant that the Holy Spirit would temporarily indwell and empower certain individuals in the Age of Israel so they could perform certain tasks assigned to them by God. (Psalm 51:11; Isaiah 61:10-11) Once Jesus ascended into Heaven (40 days after the Resurrection) and was seated at the right hand of the Father and glorified, the Church Age could begin. (Psalm 110:1) The Church Age began on the Day of Pentecost (fifty days after the Resurrection), as prophesied in Joel 2:28-29. At this same time, the Holy Spirit was given to permanently indwell believers, according to Acts 2:1-4.