John 7

Jesus and His Brothers

1After this, Jesus traveled around Galilee. He wanted to stay out of Judea, where the Jewish leaders were plotting his death. 2But soon it was time for the Jewish Festival of Shelters, 3and Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles! 4You can’t become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!” 5For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.

6Jesus replied, “Now is not the right time for me to go, but you can go anytime. 7The world can’t hate you, but it does hate me because I accuse it of doing evil. 8You go on. I’m not going#7:8 Some manuscripts read not yet going. to this festival, because my time has not yet come.” 9After saying these things, Jesus remained in Galilee.

Jesus Teaches Openly at the Temple

10But after his brothers left for the festival, Jesus also went, though secretly, staying out of public view. 11The Jewish leaders tried to find him at the festival and kept asking if anyone had seen him. 12There was a lot of grumbling about him among the crowds. Some argued, “He’s a good man,” but others said, “He’s nothing but a fraud who deceives the people.” 13But no one had the courage to speak favorably about him in public, for they were afraid of getting in trouble with the Jewish leaders.

14Then, midway through the festival, Jesus went up to the Temple and began to teach. 15The people#7:15 Greek Jewish people. were surprised when they heard him. “How does he know so much when he hasn’t been trained?” they asked.

16So Jesus told them, “My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me. 17Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own. 18Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honor the one who sent him speaks truth, not lies. 19Moses gave you the law, but none of you obeys it! In fact, you are trying to kill me.”

20The crowd replied, “You’re demon possessed! Who’s trying to kill you?”

21Jesus replied, “I did one miracle on the Sabbath, and you were amazed. 22But you work on the Sabbath, too, when you obey Moses’ law of circumcision. (Actually, this tradition of circumcision began with the patriarchs, long before the law of Moses.) 23For if the correct time for circumcising your son falls on the Sabbath, you go ahead and do it so as not to break the law of Moses. So why should you be angry with me for healing a man on the Sabbath? 24Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.”

Is Jesus the Messiah?

25Some of the people who lived in Jerusalem started to ask each other, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? 26But here he is, speaking in public, and they say nothing to him. Could our leaders possibly believe that he is the Messiah? 27But how could he be? For we know where this man comes from. When the Messiah comes, he will simply appear; no one will know where he comes from.”

28While Jesus was teaching in the Temple, he called out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I come from. But I’m not here on my own. The one who sent me is true, and you don’t know him. 29But I know him because I come from him, and he sent me to you.” 30Then the leaders tried to arrest him; but no one laid a hand on him, because his time#7:30 Greek his hour. had not yet come.

31Many among the crowds at the Temple believed in him. “After all,” they said, “would you expect the Messiah to do more miraculous signs than this man has done?”

32When the Pharisees heard that the crowds were whispering such things, they and the leading priests sent Temple guards to arrest Jesus. 33But Jesus told them, “I will be with you only a little longer. Then I will return to the one who sent me. 34You will search for me but not find me. And you cannot go where I am going.”

35The Jewish leaders were puzzled by this statement. “Where is he planning to go?” they asked. “Is he thinking of leaving the country and going to the Jews in other lands?#7:35 Or the Jews who live among the Greeks? Maybe he will even teach the Greeks! 36What does he mean when he says, ‘You will search for me but not find me,’ and ‘You cannot go where I am going’?”

Jesus Promises Living Water

37On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! 38Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”#7:37-38 Or “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from the heart of anyone who believes in me.’” 39(When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given,#7:39 Several early manuscripts read But as yet there was no Spirit. Still others read But as yet there was no Holy Spirit. because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)

Division and Unbelief

40When the crowds heard him say this, some of them declared, “Surely this man is the Prophet we’ve been expecting.”#7:40 See Deut 18:15, 18; Mal 4:5-6. 41Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others said, “But he can’t be! Will the Messiah come from Galilee? 42For the Scriptures clearly state that the Messiah will be born of the royal line of David, in Bethlehem, the village where King David was born.”#7:42 See Mic 5:2. 43So the crowd was divided about him. 44Some even wanted him arrested, but no one laid a hand on him.

45When the Temple guards returned without having arrested Jesus, the leading priests and Pharisees demanded, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”

46“We have never heard anyone speak like this!” the guards responded.

47“Have you been led astray, too?” the Pharisees mocked. 48“Is there a single one of us rulers or Pharisees who believes in him? 49This foolish crowd follows him, but they are ignorant of the law. God’s curse is on them!”

50Then Nicodemus, the leader who had met with Jesus earlier, spoke up. 51“Is it legal to convict a man before he is given a hearing?” he asked.

52They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Search the Scriptures and see for yourself—no prophet ever comes#7:52 Some manuscripts read the prophet does not come. from Galilee!”

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[The most ancient Greek manuscripts do not include John 7:53–8:11.]

53Then the meeting broke up, and everybody went home.

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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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