Welcome to a year in the Bible with Daily Grace.

My name is Kristen and my name is Katie.

And we want to spend a few minutes a day with you

walking through the New Testament, one chapter at a time.

This year we will fix our gaze upon Christ so that we may know him,

not only with our minds, but with our hearts.

Together we will learn that who Jesus is changes everything.

Hello, hello. Welcome to a year in the Bible with Daily Grace. My name is Katie, and we are back

for another day in the Gospel of John. Today, we are studying John 7. As always, you can follow along with us in the Behold

studies from the Daily Graceco or the free reading plan linked in the show notes. In chapter 7,

we see opposition against Jesus and his ministry begin to come to a boil. Crowds are divided in what

they think of him. Some believe that Jesus is the Messiah. Others believe he's a prophet,

and the Pharisees believe that he's an enemy. But all the while, the undercurrent flowing through

this chapter is that Jesus is in control. God is sovereign over all details of Jesus' life, even as the tension rises.

Let's dive in, shall we? Chapter 7 happens amidst a festival called the Festival of Shelters,

also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or the Feast of Boots. This is one of Israel's three yearly

festivals that is celebrated at harvest time, a celebration of gratitude for God's present and past

provision. The Israelites would travel to Jerusalem and build temporary shelters to remember

God's provision through the wilderness in their exodus from

Egypt. So, at a time when Israel was thanking God for his provision, most failed to recognize

God's ultimate provision, walking and teaching and healing among them, a man by the name of Jesus Christ.

The chapter opens up with Jesus in Galilee while most Jews would be traveling to Judea.

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