John 7:22

The antecedent of "On account of this" or "Yet" (Gr. dia touto) is unclear. It could refer to what precedes. This interpretation would yield a translation such as "you all marvel because of this." [Note: Bruce, p. 177; J. N. Sanders, Commentary on the Gospel According to St. John, p. 207.] However, John consistently placed this phrase first when he used it in other clauses. [Note: Carson, The Gospel . . ., p. 314.] Probably Jesus was referring to His healing of the paralytic (John 7:21) as representing God’s desire for physical wholeness.

Moses prescribed circumcision for the physical wellbeing of the Israelites as well as for other reasons (Leviticus 12:3). The Jews recognized this and consequently circumcised male infants on the eighth day following their births even if that day was a Sabbath. Normally observant Jews did no work on the Sabbath.

Jesus’ parenthetic reference to the fact that the circumcision legislation really began with the patriarchs and not Moses was probably a sleight depreciation of Moses. Jesus’ critics claimed to follow Moses faithfully, but in keeping the circumcision law they were not truly honoring him but Abraham (Genesis 17:9-14). Technically Moses only incorporated the circumcision law into the Mosaic Code, as he did many other older laws.