John 7

Jesus and his Brothers

1After this, Jesus travelled in Galilee; he did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jewish authorities there were wanting to kill him. 2#Lev 23.34; Deut 16.13The time for the Festival of Shelters was near, 3so Jesus' brothers said to him, “Leave this place and go to Judea, so that your followers will see the things that you are doing. 4No one hides what he is doing if he wants to be well known. Since you are doing these things, let the whole world know about you!” 5(Not even his brothers believed in him.)

6Jesus said to them, “The right time for me has not yet come. Any time is right for you. 7The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I keep telling it that its ways are bad. 8You go on to the festival. I am not going#7.8 I am not going; some manuscripts have I am not yet going. to this festival, because the right time has not come for me.” 9He said this, and then stayed on in Galilee.

Jesus at the Festival of Shelters

10After his brothers had gone to the festival, Jesus also went; however, he did not go openly, but secretly. 11The Jewish authorities were looking for him at the festival. “Where is he?” they asked.

12There was much whispering about him in the crowd. “He is a good man,” some people said. “No,” others said, “he is misleading the people.” 13But no one talked about him openly, because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities.

14The festival was nearly half over when Jesus went to the Temple and began teaching. 15The Jewish authorities were greatly surprised and said, “How does this man know so much when he has never had any training?”

16Jesus answered, “What I teach is not my own teaching, but it comes from God, who sent me. 17Whoever is willing to do what God wants will know whether what I teach comes from God or whether I speak on my own authority. 18A person who speaks on his own authority is trying to gain glory for himself. But he who wants glory for the one who sent him is honest, and there is nothing false in him. 19Moses gave you the Law, didn't he? But not one of you obeys the Law. Why are you trying to kill me?”

20“You have a demon in you!” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?”

21Jesus answered, “I performed one miracle, and you were all surprised. 22#Gen 17.10; Lev 12.3Moses ordered you to circumcise your sons (although it was not Moses but your ancestors who started it), and so you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. 23#Jn 5.9If a boy is circumcised on the Sabbath so that Moses' Law is not broken, why are you angry with me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? 24Stop judging by external standards, and judge by true standards.”

Is he the Messiah?

25Some of the people of Jerusalem said, “Isn't this the man the authorities are trying to kill? 26Look! He is talking in public, and they say nothing against him! Can it be that they really know that he is the Messiah? 27But when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from. And we all know where this man comes from.”

28As Jesus taught in the Temple, he said in a loud voice, “Do you really know me and know where I am from? I have not come on my own authority. He who sent me, however, is truthful. You do not know him, 29but I know him, because I come from him and he sent me.”

30Then they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31But many in the crowd believed in him and said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more miracles than this man has?”

Guards are Sent to Arrest Jesus

32The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about Jesus, so they and the chief priests sent some guards to arrest him. 33Jesus said, “I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I shall go away to him who sent me. 34You will look for me, but you will not find me, because you cannot go where I will be.”

35The Jewish authorities said among themselves, “Where is he about to go so that we shall not find him? Will he go to the Greek cities where our people live, and teach the Greeks? 36He says that we will look for him but will not find him, and that we cannot go where he will be. What does he mean?”

Streams of Life-giving Water

37 # Lev 23.36 On the last and most important day of the festival Jesus stood up and said in a loud voice, “Whoever is thirsty should come to me, and 38#Ezek 47.1; Zech 14.8whoever believes in me should drink. As the scripture says, ‘Streams of life-giving water will pour out from his side.’ ”#7.38 Jesus' words in verses 37–38 may be translated: “Whoever is thirsty should come to me and drink. 38 As the scripture says, ‘Streams of life-giving water will pour out from within anyone who believes in me.’ ” 39Jesus said this about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were going to receive. At that time the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not been raised to glory.

Division among the People

40Some of the people in the crowd heard him say this and said, “This man is really the Prophet!”#7.40 the Prophet: See 1.21.

41Others said, “He is the Messiah!”

But others said, “The Messiah will not come from Galilee! 42#2 Sam 7.12; Mic 5.2The scripture says that the Messiah will be a descendant of King David and will be born in Bethlehem, the town where David lived.” 43So there was a division in the crowd because of Jesus. 44Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.

The Unbelief of the Jewish Authorities

45When the guards went back, the chief priests and Pharisees asked them, “Why did you not bring him?”

46The guards answered, “Nobody has ever talked like this man!”

47“Did he fool you, too?” the Pharisees asked them. 48“Have you ever known one of the authorities or one Pharisee to believe in him? 49This crowd does not know the Law of Moses, so they are under God's curse!”

50 # Jn 3.1–2 One of the Pharisees there was Nicodemus, the man who had gone to see Jesus before. He said to the others, 51“According to our Law we cannot condemn anyone before hearing him and finding out what he has done.”

52“Well,” they answered, “are you also from Galilee? Study the Scriptures and you will learn that no prophet ever comes#7.52 no prophet ever comes; one manuscript has the Prophet will not come. from Galilee.”

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