John 7

Jesus Goes to the Feast of Tabernacles

1 After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life.2 But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near,3 Jesus' brothers said to him, “You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do.4 No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.”

5 For even his own brothers did not believe in him.
6 Therefore Jesus told them, “The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right.7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil.8 You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come.”

9 Having said this, he stayed in Galilee.
10 However, after his brothers had left for the Feast, he went also, not publicly, but in secret.

11 Now at the Feast the Jews were watching for him and asking, “Where is that man?”

12 Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.”
Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.”

13 But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the Jews.

Jesus Teaches at the Feast

14 Not until halfway through the Feast did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach.

15 The Jews were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having studied?”
16 Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me.17 If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.18 He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.

19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”

20 “You are demon‑possessed,” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?”
21 Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all astonished.22 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a child on the Sabbath.23 Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath?

24 Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.”

Is Jesus the Christ?

25 At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn't this the man they are trying to kill?26 Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Christ?

27 But we know where this man is from; when the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.”
28 Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him,

29 but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.”
30 At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come.

31 Still, many in the crowd put their faith in him. They said, “When the Christ comes, will he do more miraculous signs than this man?”

32 The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.
33 Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time, and then I go to the one who sent me.

34 You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.”
35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks?

36 What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”
37 On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”

39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

40 On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.”

41 Others said, “He is the Christ.”
Still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee?42 Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David's family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?”43 Thus the people were divided because of Jesus.

44 Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.

Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders

45 Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn't you bring him in?”

46 “No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards declared.
47 “You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted.48 “Has any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him?

49 No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law–there is a curse on them.”
50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked,

51 “Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?”

52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”

((The earliest and most reliable manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not have John 7:53‑8:11.))

53 Then each went to his own home.

JOHN 7

Jesus' Brothers //Don't Have Faith in Him

1 Jesus decided to leave Judea and to start going through Galilee because the leaders of the people wanted to kill him. 2 t It was almost time for the Festival of Shelters, 3 and Jesus' brothers said to him, “Why don't you go to Judea? Then your disciples can see what you are doing. 4 No one does anything in secret, if they want others to know about them. So let the world know what you are doing!”

5 Even Jesus' own brothers had not yet become his followers.
6 Jesus answered, “My time hasn't yet come, t but your time is always here. 7 The people of this world cannot hate you. They hate me, because I tell them that they do evil things. 8 Go on to the festival. My time hasn't yet come, and I am not going.”

9 Jesus said this and stayed on in Galilee.

Jesus //at the Festival of Shelters

10 After Jesus' brothers had gone to the festival, he went secretly, without telling anyone.
11 During the festival the leaders of the people looked for Jesus and asked, “Where is he?” 12 The crowds even got into an argument about him. Some were saying, “Jesus is a good man,” while others were saying, “He is lying to everyone.”

13 But the people were afraid of their leaders, and none of them talked in public about him.
14 When the festival was about half over, Jesus went into the temple and started teaching.

15 The leaders were surprised and said, “How does this man know so much? He has never been taught!”

16 Jesus replied:
I am not teaching something I thought up. What I teach comes from the one who sent me. 17 If you really want to obey God, you will know if what I teach comes from God or from me. 18 If I wanted to bring honor to myself, I would speak for myself. But I want to honor the one who sent me. This is why I tell the truth and not a lie.

19 Didn't Moses give you the Law? Yet none of you obey it! So why do you want to kill me?

20 The crowd replied, “You're crazy! What makes you think someone wants to kill you?”

21 Jesus answered:
I worked one miracle, t and it amazed you. 22 t Moses commanded you to circumcise your sons. But it wasn't really Moses who gave you this command. It was your ancestors, and even on the Sabbath you circumcise your sons 23 t in order to obey the Law of Moses. Why are you angry with me for making someone completely well on the Sabbath?

24 Don't judge by appearances. Judge by what is right.
25 Some of the people from Jerusalem were saying, “Isn't this the man they want to kill? 26 Yet here he is, speaking for everyone to hear. And no one is arguing with him. Do you suppose the authorities know he is the Messiah?

27 But how could that be? No one knows where the Messiah will come from, but we know where this man comes from.”
28 As Jesus was teaching in the temple, he shouted, “Do you really think you know me and where I came from? I didn't come on my own! The one who sent me is truthful, and you don't know him.

29 But I know the one who sent me, because I came from him.”
30 Some of the people wanted to arrest Jesus right then. But no one even laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come.t

31 A lot of people in the crowd put their faith in him and said, “When the Messiah comes, he surely won't perform more miraclest than this man has done!”

Officers Sent To Arrest Jesus

34 You will look for me, but you won't find me. You cannot go where I am going.”
35 The people asked each other, “Where can he go to keep us from finding him? Is he going to some foreign country where our people live? Is he going there to teach the Greeks?t

36 What did he mean by saying that we will look for him, but won't find him? Why can't we go where he is going?”

Streams of Life-Giving Water

39 Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit, who would be given to everyone that had faith in him. The Spirit had not yet been given to anyone, since Jesus had not yet been given his full glory.t

The People Take Sides

44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him.

The Leaders //Refuse To Have Faith in Jesus

45 When the temple police returned to the chief priests and Pharisees, they were asked, “Why didn't you bring Jesus here?”

46 They answered, “No one has ever spoken like this man!”
47 The Pharisees said to them, “Have you also been fooled? 48 Not one of the chief priests or the Pharisees has faith in him.

49 And these people who don't know the Law are under God's curse anyway.”
50  t Nicodemus was there at the time. He was a member of the council, and was the same one who had earlier come to see Jesus.t He said,

51 “Our Law doesn't let us condemn people before we hear what they have to say. We cannot judge them before we know what they have done.”

52 Then they said, “Nicodemus, you must be from Galilee! Read the Scriptures, and you will find that no prophet is to come from Galilee.”

A Woman Caught in Sin