John 7:25

Ἔλεγον οὖν, in consequence of the bold denunciation which they had heard from the lips of Jesus. τινὲς ἐκ τῶν Ἱεροσολυμιτῶν [or Ἱεροσολυμειτῶν, or Ἰεροσολυμειτῶν], distinct from the ὄχλος of John 7:20, which was unaware of any intention to kill Him; but themselves not so familiar as the Galileans with the appearance of Jesus, and therefore they asked: Οὐχ οὗτος … λέγουσι. Or the words may only be a strong way of expressing their astonishment at the inactivity of the authorities. μήποτε ἀληθῶς … ὁ Χριστός; “Can it be that the rulers indeed know that this man is the Christ?” But this idea, again, is at once dismissed, ἀλλὰ τοῦτον … ἐστίν. “Howbeit we know this man whence He is: but when the Christ comes, no one knows whence He is.” There was a general belief that the Christ would spring from David's line and be born in Bethlehem; see John 7:42. The words “no one knows whence He is” must refer to the belief encouraged by the Apocalyptic literature that He would appear suddenly “in the clouds” or “from the sun”. Cf. 4 Ezra 7:28, Ezra 13:32, Apoc. Baruch 13:32; with Mr. Charles' note; and other passages cited in Drummond's Messiah, 279 ff. Different sections of the community may have had different expectations. The surmises of the Jerusalemites came to the ears of Jesus, and stirred Him to further and more emphatic statements, Ἔκραξεν οὖν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ. From the repetition of the words “in the Temple,” Westcott gathers that a break occurred between this scene and the last; but this idea seems to be precluded by the continuity of the conversation. Jesus takes up the words of the doubters, Κἀμὲ οἴδατε … Some interpreters think there is a touch of irony in the first clauses; thus Weizsäcker translates: “So? mich kennet ihr und wisset wo ich her bin? Und doch bin ich,” etc. Similarly Lücke and Godet. But this is unnecessary. Jesus concedes their ability to identify Him as the carpenter of Nazareth. This knowledge they had; but the knowledge which they had not was of far greater importance. To know my native place and to be able to recognise me as Jesus is not enough; for I am not come at my own prompting. To deduce from your knowledge of my origin that I am a self-constituted prophet and therefore not the Messiah, is to mistake; for I am not come of myself. To know me apart from Him that sent me is empty knowledge. He that sent me has a real existence, and is not a fancy of mine. You indeed do not know Him; but I know Him because from Him I have my being and He has sent me. Weiss rightly observes that ὅτι (John 7:29) does not include κἀκεῖνος με ἀπέστειλεν under its government. Jesus knew the Father because He was from Him; but His being sent was the result, not the cause, of His knowledge. These statements exasperated the Jews, (John 7:30) Ἐζήτουν οὖν αὐτὸν πιάσαι. They sought to seize or apprehend Him. πιάζω, Doric and Hellenistic for πιέζω, “I press”; in later Greek “I catch” (John 21:3), “I arrest,” John 7:32, etc. But οὐδεὶς ἐπέβαλεν “no one laid hands [or, ‘his hand,' R.V [60]] upon Him, for His hour was not yet come”; the immediate cause being that they were not all of one mind, and feared resistance on the part of some of the people.

[60] Revised Version.