John 7
7
Jesus Goes to the Feast of Booths
1After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He didn’t want to travel around in Judea. That was because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him. 2The Jewish Feast of Booths was near. 3Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea. Then your disciples there will see the works that you do. 4No one who wants to be well known does things in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” 5Even Jesus’ own brothers did not believe in him.
6So Jesus told them, “The time for me to show who I really am is not here yet. For you, any time would be the right time. 7The people of the world can’t hate you. But they hate me. This is because I am a witness that their works are evil. 8You go to the feast. I am not going up to this feast. This is because my time has not yet fully come.” 9After he said this, he stayed in Galilee.
10But when his brothers had left for the feast, he went also. But he went secretly, not openly. 11At the feast the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus. They were asking, “Where is he?”
12Many people in the crowd were whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.”
Others replied, “No. He fools the people.” 13But no one would say anything about him openly. They were afraid of the leaders.
Jesus Teaches at the Feast
14Jesus did nothing until halfway through the feast. Then he went up to the temple courtyard and began to teach. 15The Jews there were amazed. They asked, “How did this man learn so much without being taught?”
16Jesus answered, “What I teach is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. 17Here is how someone can find out whether my teaching comes from God or from me. That person must choose to do what God wants them to do. 18Whoever speaks on their own does it to get personal honor. But someone who works for the honor of the one who sent him is truthful. Nothing about him is false. 19Didn’t Moses give you the law? But not one of you obeys the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”
20“You are controlled by demons,” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?”
21Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed. 22Moses gave you circumcision, and so you circumcise a child on the Sabbath day. But circumcision did not really come from Moses. It came from Abraham. 23You circumcise a boy on the Sabbath day. You think that if you do, you won’t break the law of Moses. Then why are you angry with me? I healed a man’s entire body on the Sabbath day! 24Stop judging only by what you see. Judge in the right way.”
People Don’t Agree About Who Jesus Is
25Then some of the people of Jerusalem began asking questions. They said, “Isn’t this the man some people are trying to kill? 26Here he is! He is speaking openly. They aren’t saying a word to him. Have the authorities really decided that he is the Messiah? 27But we know where this man is from. When the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.”
28Jesus was still teaching in the temple courtyard. He cried out, “Yes, you know me. And you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority. The one who sent me is true. You do not know him. 29But I know him. I am from him, and he sent me.”
30When he said this, they tried to arrest him. But no one laid a hand on him. The time for him to show who he really was had not yet come. 31Still, many people in the crowd believed in him. They said, “How will it be when the Messiah comes? Will he do more signs than this man?”
32The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering things like this about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.
33Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time. Then I will go to the one who sent me. 34You will look for me, but you won’t find me. You can’t come where I am going.”
35The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man plan to go? Does he think we can’t find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks? Will he go there to teach the Greeks? 36What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you won’t find me’? And what did he mean when he said, ‘You can’t come where I am going’?”
37It was the last and most important day of the feast. Jesus stood up and spoke in a loud voice. He said, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38Does anyone believe in me? Then, just as Scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from inside them.” 39When he said this, he meant the Holy Spirit. Those who believed in Jesus would receive the Spirit later. Up to that time, the Spirit had not been given. This was because Jesus had not yet received glory.
40The people heard his words. Some of them said, “This man must be the Prophet we’ve been expecting.”
41Others said, “He is the Messiah.”
Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee? 42Doesn’t Scripture say that the Messiah will come from the family line of David? Doesn’t it say that he will come from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?” 43So the people did not agree about who Jesus was. 44Some wanted to arrest him. But no one laid a hand on him.
The Jewish Leaders Do Not Believe
45Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees. They asked the guards, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”
46“No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards replied.
47“You mean he has fooled you also?” the Pharisees asked. 48“Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in him? 49No! But this mob knows nothing about the law. There is a curse on them.”
50Then Nicodemus, a Pharisee, spoke. He was the one who had gone to Jesus earlier. He asked, 51“Does our law find a man guilty without hearing him first? Doesn’t it want to find out what he is doing?”
52They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Look into it. You will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”
53Then they all went home.
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John 7: NIrV
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Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®
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John 7
7
Jesus’ Brothers Disbelieve
1After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, #Matt. 21:38; 26:4; John 5:18; 7:19, 25; 8:37, 40because the Jews sought to kill Him. 2#Lev. 23:34; Deut. 16:13–15; Neh. 8:14, 18; Zech. 14:16–19Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. 3#Matt. 12:46; Mark 3:21; John 7:5, 10; Acts 1:14His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. 4For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” 5For #Ps. 69:8; Mic. 7:6even His #Matt. 12:46; 13:55; Mark 3:21; John 7:3, 10brothers did not believe in Him.
6Then Jesus said to them, #John 2:4; 8:20“My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. 7#(John 15:19)The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me #John 3:19because I testify of it that its works are evil. 8You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, #John 8:20for My time has not yet fully come.” 9When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.
The Heavenly Scholar
10But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. 11Then #John 11:56the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, “Where is He?” 12And #John 9:16; 10:19there was much complaining among the people concerning Him. #Matt. 21:46; Luke 7:16; John 6:14; 7:40Some said, “He is good”; others said, “No, on the contrary, He deceives the people.” 13However, no one spoke openly of Him #(John 9:22; 12:42; 19:38)for fear of the Jews.
14Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and #Ps. 22:22; Matt. 4:23; 5:2; 7:29; Mark 6:34; Luke 4:15; 5:3; John 8:2taught. 15#Matt. 13:54; Mark 6:2; (Luke 4:22); Acts 2:7And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?”
16Jesus answered them and said, #Deut. 18:15, 18, 19; John 3:11“My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. 17#Ps. 25:9, 14; Prov. 3:32; Dan. 12:10; John 3:21; 8:43If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. 18#John 5:41He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who #John 8:50seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and #John 8:46; (2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15; 7:26; 1 Pet. 1:19; 2:22)no unrighteousness is in Him. 19#Ex. 24:3; Deut. 33:4; Acts 7:38Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? #Matt. 12:14Why do you seek to kill Me?”
20The people answered and said, #John 8:48, 52“You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?”
21Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work, and you all marvel. 22#Lev. 12:3Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, #Gen. 17:9–14; Acts 7:8but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because #John 5:8, 9, 16I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? 24#Deut. 1:16; Prov. 24:23; John 8:15; James 2:1Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
Could This Be the Christ?
25Now some of them from Jerusalem said, “Is this not He whom they seek to #Matt. 21:38; 26:4; Luke 22:2; John 5:18; 8:37, 40kill? 26But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. #John 7:48Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? 27#Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3; Luke 4:22However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.”
28Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, #John 8:14“You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and #John 5:43I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me #Rom. 3:4is true, #John 1:18; 8:55whom you do not know. 29But #Matt. 11:27; John 8:55; 17:25I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.”
30Therefore #Mark 11:18they sought to take Him; but #Matt. 21:46; John 7:32, 44; 8:20; 10:39no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. 31And #Matt. 12:23many of the people believed in Him, and said, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?”
Jesus and the Religious Leaders
32The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him. 33Then Jesus said to them, #John 13:33“I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I #(Mark 16:19; Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9; Heb. 9:24; 1 Pet. 3:22)go to Him who sent Me. 34You #Hos. 5:6will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you #(Matt. 5:20; 1 Cor. 6:9; 15:50; Rev. 21:27)cannot come.”
35Then the Jews said among themselves, “Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to #Ps. 147:2; (Is. 11:12; 56:8; Zeph. 3:10); James 1:1; 1 Pet. 1:1the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36What is this thing that He said, ‘You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come’?”
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
37#Lev. 23:36; Num. 29:35; Neh. 8:18On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, #(Is. 55:1)“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38#Deut. 18:15He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, #Is. 12:3; 43:20; 44:3; 55:1; (John 6:35); Rev. 21:6; 22:17out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39#Is. 44:3; (Joel 2:28); John 1:33But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet #John 12:16; 13:31; 17:5glorified.
Who Is He?
40Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is #Deut. 18:15, 18the Prophet.” 41Others said, “This is #John 4:42; 6:69the Christ.”
But some said, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee? 42#Ps. 132:11; Jer. 23:5; Mic. 5:2; Matt. 2:5; (Luke 2:4)Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, #1 Sam. 16:1, 4where David was?” 43So #John 7:12there was a division among the people because of Him. 44Now #John 7:30some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.
Rejected by the Authorities
45Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why have you not brought Him?”
46The officers answered, #Matt. 13:54, 56; Luke 4:22“No man ever spoke like this Man!”
47Then the Pharisees answered them, “Are you also deceived? 48Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? 49But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.”
50Nicodemus #John 3:1, 2; 19:39(he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, 51#Deut. 1:16, 17; 19:15“Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?”
52They answered and said to him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for #(Is. 9:1, 2); Matt. 4:15no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.”
An Adulteress Faces the Light of the World
53And everyone went to his own house.
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.