Although the Lord is God the Creator, He lived on earth as a man and suffered persecution at the hands of His creatures.

In the scene of the case in ch. 6 there was the Feast of the Passover. In the scene of this case in ch. 7 there is the Feast of Tabernacles. The Feast of the Passover is the first of the Jewish annual feasts, and the Feast of Tabernacles is the last (Lev. 23:5, 34). The Feast of the Passover, being the first feast of the year, implies the beginning of man's life (cf. Exo. 12:2-3, 6), which involves man's seeking for satisfaction and results in man's hunger. The Feast of Tabernacles, being the last feast of the year, implies the completion and success of man's life (cf. Exo. 23:16), which will end and will result in man's thirst. In the scene of the Feast of the Passover, the Lord presented Himself as the bread of life, which satisfies man's hunger. In the scene of the Feast of Tabernacles, the Lord promised that He would flow forth the living water, which quenches man's thirst.

After the full harvest of their crops, the Jewish people observed the Feast of Tabernacles to worship God and enjoy what they had reaped (Deut. 16:13-15). Hence, this feast signifies the completion, achievement, and success in man's career, man's study, and other matters of human life, including religion, with the joy and enjoyment thereof.

God ordained the Feast of Tabernacles so that the children of Israel would remember how their fathers, while wandering in the wilderness, had lived in tents (Lev. 23:39-43), expecting to enter into the rest of the good land. Hence, this feast is a reminder that today people are still in the wilderness and need to enter into the rest of the New Jerusalem, which is the eternal tabernacle (Rev. 21:2-3). Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob also lived in tents and looked forward to this eternal tabernacle (Heb. 11:9-10), in which there will be a river of water of life proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb to quench man's thirst (Rev. 22:1, 17). At the end of such a feast, which had such a background, Christ cried out the promise of the rivers of living water, which will satisfy man's expectation for eternity (vv. 37-39).

Although the Lord is the eternal, infinite, unlimited God, He lived here on earth as a man, being limited even in the matter of time.

Although He is the Almighty God, as a man under persecution the Lord was limited also in relation to His activity.

Although He is the omniscient God, as a lowly man the Lord appeared to be illiterate.

Or, countenance, face, sight.

Inward, subjective understanding. So in the next verse.

Inward, subjective understanding. So in the next verse.

See note John 1:14⁵.

See note John 1:6¹.

The last day here signifies that all the enjoyment of any success in the human life will end. There is a "last day" to every kind of material thing of the physical life.

In the principle set forth in ch. 2, this also is the changing of death into life. The source of death is the tree of knowledge, and the source of life is the tree of life. This book shows us that life is in opposition to death (John 5:24-25; 8:24; 11:25-26).

The rivers of living water are the many flows of the different aspects of life (cf. Rom. 15:30; 1 Thes. 1:6; 2 Thes. 2:13; Gal. 5:22-23), originating from the one unique river of water of life (Rev. 22:1), which is God's Spirit of life (Rom. 8:2).

The Spirit of God was there from the beginning (Gen. 1:1-2), but at the time the Lord spoke this word, the Spirit as the Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9), the Spirit of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:19), was not yet, because the Lord had not yet been glorified. Jesus was glorified when He was resurrected (Luke 24:26). After Jesus' resurrection, the Spirit of God became the Spirit of the incarnated, crucified, and resurrected Jesus Christ, who was breathed into the disciples by Christ in the evening of the day on which He was resurrected (John 20:22). The Spirit is now the "another Comforter," the Spirit of reality promised by Christ before His death (John 14:16-17). When the Spirit was the Spirit of God, He had only the divine element. After He became the Spirit of Jesus Christ through Christ's incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection, the Spirit had both the divine element and the human element, with all the essence and reality of the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ. Hence, the Spirit is now the all-inclusive Spirit of Jesus Christ as the living water for us to receive (vv. 38-39).

The Lord was born in Bethlehem (Luke 2:4-7) but was raised in Nazareth of Galilee, a city that was despised by people at that time. He was the seed of David, but He came as a Nazarene (Matt. 2:23). He grew up "as a root out of a dry ground," having "no form nor comeliness," "no beauty that we should desire Him," and was "despised and rejected of men" (Isa. 53:2-3). Hence, we should know Him not according to the flesh (2 Cor. 5:16) but according to the Spirit.

Or, judge.

Many ancient manuscripts omit John 7:53; 8:1-11.