John 7
7
Jesus’ Brothers Do Not Believe in Him
1 And after these things Jesus was going about in Galilee. For he did not want to go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. 2Now the feast of the Jews—the feast of Tabernacles—was near. 3So his brothers said to him, “Depart from here and go to Judea, so that your disciples also can see your works that you are doing. 4For no one does anything in secret and yet he himself desires to be publicly recognized.#Literally “with openness” If you are doing these things, reveal yourself to the world!” 5(For not even his brothers believed in him.)
Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles
6So Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. 7The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I am testifying about it, that its deeds are evil. 8You go up to the feast. I am not#Most manuscripts read “not yet” here, but this is obviously an easier reading intended to reconcile the statement with Jesus’ later actions going up to this feast, because my time is not yet completed.#Or “fulfilled” 9And when he#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had said”) which is understood as temporal had said these things, he remained in Galilee.
10But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not openly, but (as it were) in secret. 11So the Jews were looking for him at the feast, and were saying, “Where is he?” 12And there was a lot of grumbling concerning him among the crowds; some were saying, “He is a good man,” but others were saying, “No, but he deceives the crowd.” 13However, no one was speaking openly about him for fear of the Jews.
14Now when the feast was already half over,#Literally “now it being already in the middle of the feast” Jesus went to the temple courts#*Here “courts” is supplied to distinguish this area from the interior of the temple building itself and began to teach.#*The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to teach”) 15Then the Jews were astonished, saying, “How does this man possess knowledge,#Literally “know letters” because he#*Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“been taught”) which is understood as causal has not been taught?” 16So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not mine, but is from the one who sent me. 17If anyone wants to do his will, he will know about my#*Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun teaching, whether it is from God or I am speaking from myself. 18The one who speaks from himself seeks his own glory. But the one who seeks the glory of the one who sent him—this one is true, and there is no unrighteousness in him. 19Has not Moses given you the law, and none of you carries out the law? Why do you seek to kill me?”
20The crowd replied, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” 21Jesus answered and said to them, “I performed one work, and you are all astonished. 22Because of this Moses has given you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but 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 would not be broken, are you angry with me because I made a whole man well#Or “a man entirely well” on the Sabbath? 24Do not judge according to outward appearance, but judge according to righteous judgment!”
Is Jesus the Christ?
25Then some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem began to say,#*The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to say”) “Is this not the one whom they are seeking to kill? 26And behold, he is speaking openly and they are saying nothing to him! Can it be that the rulers truly know that this man is the Christ? 27Yet we know where this man is from, but the Christ, whenever he comes—no one knows where he is from!”
28Then Jesus cried out in the temple courts,#*Here “courts” is supplied to distinguish this area from the interior of the temple building itself teaching and saying, “You both know me and you know where I am from! And I have not come from myself, but the one who sent me is true, whom you do not know. 29I know him, because I am from him and he sent me.”
30So they were seeking to seize him, and no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31But from the crowd many believed in him and were saying, “Whenever the Christ comes, he will not perform more signs than this man has done, will he?”#*The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase “will he”
32The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things about him, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers in order to take him into custody .#Literally “that they could seize him” 33Then Jesus said, “Yet a little time I am with you, and I am going to the one who sent me. 34You will seek me and will not find me,#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation#Some manuscripts explicitly state “me” and where I am, you cannot come.”
35So the Jews said to one another, “Where is this one going to go, that we will not find him? He is not going to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks, is he?#*The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase “is he” 36What is this saying that he said, ‘You will seek me and will not find me,#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation#Some manuscripts explicitly state “me” and where I am, you cannot come’?”
The Promise of the Spirit
37Now on the last day of the feast—the great day—Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and let him drink, 38the one who believes in me.#An alternative punctuation of vv. 37–38 reads: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and let him drink. 38 The one who believes in me, just as the scripture said, ‘Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.’ ” Just as the scripture said, ‘Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.’ ”#A quotation from the Old Testament of uncertain origin; texts most often suggested are Isa 44:3; 55:1; 58:11; Zech 14:8 39Now he said this concerning the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were about to receive. For the Spirit was not yet given,#A few manuscripts supply the participle “given” here; while it is unlikely this represents the original reading, many English versions nevertheless supply “given” to avoid the impression that the Spirit did not exist prior to this point because Jesus had not yet been glorified.)
Different Opinions About Jesus
40Then, when they#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal heard these words, some from the crowd began to say,#*The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to say”) “This man is truly the Prophet!” 41Others were saying, “This man is the Christ!” But others were saying, “No, for the Christ does not come from Galilee, does he?#*The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase “does he” 42Has not the scripture said that the Christ comes from the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” 43So there was a division in the crowd because of him. 44And some of them were wanting to seize him, but no one laid hands on him.
45So the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees. And they said to them, “Why#Literally “because of what” did you not bring him?” 46The officers replied, “Never has a man spoken like this!” 47Then the Pharisees replied to them, “You have not also been deceived, have you?#*The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase “have you” 48None#Literally “not anyone” of the rulers or of the Pharisees have believed in him, have they?#*The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase “have they” 49But this crowd who does not know the law is accursed!”
50Nicodemus, the one who came to him previously—who was one of them—said to them, 51“Our law does not condemn a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?”#*The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase “does it” 52They answered and said to him, “You are not also from Galilee, are you?#*The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase “are you” Investigate and see that a prophet does not arise from Galilee!” 〚53And each one went to his own house.#John 7:53–8:11 is not found in the earliest and best manuscripts and was almost certainly not an original part of the Gospel of John; one significant group of Greek manuscripts places it after Luke 21:38
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John 7: LEB
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John 7
7
Jesus' brothers don't have faith in him
1Jesus decided to leave Judea and to start going through Galilee because the Jewish leaders wanted to kill him. 2It was almost time for the Festival of Shelters,#Lv 23.34; Dt 16.13. 3and Jesus' brothers said to him, “Why don't you go to Judea? Then your disciples can see what you are doing. 4No one does anything in secret, if they want others to know about them. So let the world know what you are doing!” 5Even Jesus' own brothers had not yet become his followers.
6Jesus answered, “My time hasn't yet come,#7.6 My time hasn't yet come: See the note at 2.4. but your time is always here. 7The people of this world cannot hate you. They hate me, because I tell them that they do evil things. 8Go on to the festival. My time hasn't yet come, and I am not going.” 9Jesus said this and stayed on in Galilee.
Jesus at the Festival of Shelters
10After Jesus' brothers had gone to the festival, he went secretly, without telling anyone.
11During the festival the Jewish leaders looked for Jesus and asked, “Where is he?” 12The 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.” 13But the people were afraid of their leaders, and none of them talked in public about him.
14When the festival was about half over, Jesus went into the temple and started teaching. 15The leaders were surprised and said, “How does this man know so much? He has never been taught!”
16Jesus replied:
I am not teaching something that I thought up. What I teach comes from the one who sent me. 17If you really want to obey God, you will know if what I teach comes from God or from me. 18If I wanted to bring honour to myself, I would speak for myself. But I want to honour the one who sent me. That is why I tell the truth and not a lie. 19Didn't Moses give you the Law? Yet none of you obey it! So why do you want to kill me?
20The crowd replied, “You're mad! What makes you think someone wants to kill you?”
21Jesus answered:
I performed one miracle,#7.21 one miracle: The healing of the lame man (5.1-18; see also the note at 2.11). and it amazed you. 22Moses 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#Lv 12.3; Gn 17.10. 23in order to obey the Law of Moses. Why are you angry with me for making someone completely well on the Sabbath?#Jn 5.9. 24Don't judge by appearances. Judge by what is right.
25Some of the people from Jerusalem were saying, “Isn't this the man they want to kill? 26Yet here he is, speaking for everyone to hear. And no one is arguing with him. Do you suppose the authorities know that he is the Messiah? 27But how could that be? No one knows where the Messiah will come from, but we know where this man comes from.”
28As 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. 29But I know the one who sent me, because I came from him.”
30Some of the people wanted to arrest Jesus there and then. But no one even laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come.#7.30 his time had not yet come: See the note at 2.4. 31A lot of people in the crowd put their faith in him and said, “When the Messiah comes, he won't perform more miracles#7.31 miracles: See the note at 2.11. than this man has done!”
Officers sent to arrest Jesus
32When the Pharisees heard the crowd arguing about Jesus, they got together with the chief priests and sent some temple police to arrest him. 33But Jesus told them, “I will be with you a little while longer, and then I will return to the one who sent me. 34You will look for me, but you won't find me. You cannot go where I am going.”
35The Jewish leaders 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?#7.35 Greeks: Perhaps Gentiles or Jews who followed Greek customs. 36What 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
37On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and shouted, “If you are thirsty, come to me and drink!#Lv 23.36. 38Have faith in me, and you will have life-giving water flowing from deep inside you, just as the Scriptures say.”#Ez 47.1; Zec 14.8. 39Jesus 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.#7.39 had not yet been given his full glory: In the Gospel of John, Jesus is given his full glory both when he is nailed to the cross and when he is raised from death to sit beside his Father in heaven.
The people take sides
40When the crowd heard Jesus say this, some of them said, “He must be the Prophet!”#7.40 the Prophet: See the note at 1.21. 41Others said, “He is the Messiah!” Others even said, “Can the Messiah come from Galilee? 42The Scriptures say that the Messiah will come from the family of King David. Doesn't this mean that he will be born in David's home town of Bethlehem?”#2 S 7.12; Mic 5.2. 43The people started taking sides against each other because of Jesus. 44Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him.
The leaders refuse to have faith in Jesus
45When the temple police returned to the chief priests and Pharisees, they were asked, “Why didn't you bring Jesus here?”
46They answered, “No one has ever spoken like that man!”
47The Pharisees said to them, “Have you also been fooled? 48Not one of the chief priests or the Pharisees has faith in him. 49And these people who don't know the Law are under God's curse anyway.”
50Nicodemus was there at the time. He was a member of the council, and was the same one who had earlier come to see Jesus.#7.50 who had earlier come to see Jesus: See 3.1-21. He said,#Jn 3.1,2. 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.”
52Then 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
53Everyone else went home,
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