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 honour. But someone who works for the honour 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.
John 7
English Standard Version
Jesus at the Feast of Booths
1After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews[1] were seeking to kill him. (Joh 5:18; Joh 8:37; Joh 8:40; Joh 11:53)2Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. (Le 23:34; Joh 5:1; Joh 6:4)3So his brothers[2] said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. (Mt 12:46; Joh 7:5; Joh 7:10)4For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” (Joh 14:22; Joh 18:20)5For not even his brothers believed in him. (Mt 13:57; Mr 3:21; Joh 7:3; Joh 7:10)6Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. (Joh 2:4; Joh 7:8; Joh 7:30)7The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. (Joh 3:19; Joh 15:18; Joh 15:24; Col 1:21; 1Jo 3:12)8You go up to the feast. I am not[3] going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” (Joh 2:4)9After saying this, he remained in Galilee.10But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. (Joh 7:3; Joh 7:5)11The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?” (Joh 7:1; Joh 11:56)12And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.” (Joh 7:32; Joh 7:40; Joh 7:47)13Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him. (Joh 9:22; Joh 12:42; Joh 19:38; Joh 20:19)14About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. (Joh 7:28)15The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning,[4] when he has never studied?” (Lu 2:47; Lu 4:22; Joh 7:46; Ac 4:13)16So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. (Joh 3:17; Joh 3:34; Joh 8:28; Joh 12:49; Joh 14:10; Joh 14:24)17If anyone’s will is to do God’s[5] will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. (Ps 25:9; Da 12:10; Joh 5:30; Joh 8:31; Joh 8:43; Joh 14:21; Joh 14:23; Php 3:15)18The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. (Joh 5:41; Joh 8:50)19Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” (Joh 1:17; Joh 7:1; Joh 7:23)20The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” (Mt 11:18; Mr 3:22; Lu 7:33; Joh 8:48; Joh 8:52; Joh 10:20)21Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. (Joh 5:2; Joh 7:23)22Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. (Ge 17:10; Le 12:3)23If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well? (Mt 12:2; Joh 5:16)24Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” (De 1:16; Isa 11:3; Joh 8:15; 2Co 10:7)
32The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. (Joh 7:12; Joh 7:45)33Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. (Joh 12:35; Joh 13:33; Joh 14:19; Joh 16:5; Joh 16:16)34You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” (Joh 8:21; Joh 13:33)35The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? (Isa 11:12; Zep 3:10; Joh 8:22; Joh 12:20; Jas 1:1; 1Pe 1:1)36What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?” (Joh 7:34)
40When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” (Mt 21:11; Joh 1:21; Joh 6:14; Joh 7:31)41Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? (Joh 1:46; Joh 7:26; Joh 7:52)42Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” (1Sa 16:1; Ps 89:3; Mic 5:2; Mt 1:1; Mt 2:1; Mt 2:5; Lu 2:4)43So there was a division among the people over him. (Joh 7:12; Joh 9:16; Joh 10:19)44Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. (Joh 7:30)45The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” (Joh 7:32)46The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” (Mt 7:29)47The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? (Joh 7:12)48Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? (Joh 12:42; 1Co 1:20; 1Co 1:26; 1Co 2:8)49But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.”50Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, (Joh 3:1; Joh 19:39)51“Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” (De 1:16; De 17:6; De 19:15; Pr 18:13; Ac 23:3)52They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.” (Jos 19:13; 2Ki 14:25; Joh 7:41)