John 7:1-36

After this, Jesus walked [from place to place] in Galilee, for He would not walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him. Now the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles (Booths) was approaching. So His brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go to Judea, so that Your disciples [there] may also see the works that You do. No one does anything in secret when he wants to be known publicly. If You [must] do these things, show Yourself openly to the world and make Yourself known!” For not even His brothers believed in Him. So Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come; but any time is right for you. The world cannot hate you [since you are part of it], but it does hate Me because I denounce it and testify that its deeds are evil. Go up to the feast yourselves. I am not going up to this feast because My time has not yet fully come.” Having said these things to them, He stayed behind in Galilee. But [afterward], when His brothers had gone up to the feast, He went up too, not publicly [with a caravan], but quietly [because He did not want to be noticed]. So the Jews kept looking for Him at the feast and asking, “Where is He?” There was a lot of whispered discussion and murmuring among the crowds about Him. Some were saying, “He is a good man”; others said, “No, on the contrary, He misleads the people [giving them false ideas].” Yet no one was speaking out openly and freely about Him for fear of [the leaders of] the Jews. When the feast was already half over, Jesus went up into the temple [court] and began to teach. Then the Jews were perplexed. They said, “How did this man become learned [so versed in the Scriptures and theology] without formal training?” Jesus answered them by saying, “My teaching is not My own, but His who sent Me. If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know whether the teaching is of God or whether I speak on My own accord and by My own authority. He who speaks on his own accord seeks glory and honor for himself. But He who seeks the glory and the honor of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness or deception in Him. “Did not Moses give you the Law? And yet not one of you keeps the Law. Why do you want to kill Me [for not keeping it]?” The crowd answered, “You have a demon [You are out of Your mind]! Who wants to kill You?” Jesus replied, “I did one work, and you are all astounded. [John 5:1-9] For this reason Moses has given you [God’s law regarding] circumcision (not that it originated with Moses, but with the patriarchs) and you circumcise a man [even] on the Sabbath. If, to avoid breaking the Law of Moses, a man undergoes circumcision on the Sabbath, why are you angry with Me for making a man’s whole body well on the Sabbath? Do not judge by appearance [superficially and arrogantly], but judge fairly and righteously.” Then some of the people of Jerusalem said, “Is this not the Man they want to kill? Look, He is speaking publicly, and they say nothing to Him! Is it possible that the rulers really know that this is the Christ? But we know where this Man is from; whenever the Christ comes, no one will know where He is from.” Then Jesus called out as He taught in the temple, “You know Me and know where I am from; and I have not come on my own initiative [as self-appointed], but He who sent Me is true, and Him you do not know. I know Him Myself because I am from Him [I came from His very presence] and it was He [personally] who sent Me.” So they were eager to arrest Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His time had not yet come. But many from the crowd believed in Him. And they kept saying, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs and exhibit more proofs than this Man?” The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things [under their breath] about Him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent guards to arrest Him. Therefore Jesus said, “For a little while longer I am [still] with you, and then I go to Him who sent Me. You will look for Me, and will not [be able to] find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.” Then the Jews said among themselves, “Where does this Man intend to go that we will not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion [of Jews scattered and living] among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? What does this statement of His mean, ‘You will look for Me, and will not [be able to] find Me; and where I am, you cannot come’?”