John 7
7
1After this, Jesus spent his time going from place to place in Galilee. He did not want to do so in Judea because the Jews were out to kill him. 2But as it was almost time for the Jewish festival of the Tabernacles, 3his brothers told him, “You ought to leave and go to Judea so your followers will be able to see what miracles you can do. 4No one who wants to be famous keeps what they do hidden. If you can do such miracles, then show yourself to the world!” 5For even his own brothers really didn't believe in him.
6Jesus told them, “This is not my time to go, not yet; but you can go whenever you want, for any time's the right time for you. 7The world has no reason to hate you, but it does hate me, because I make it clear that its ways are evil. 8You go on to the festival. I'm not going to this festival because this is not the right time for me, not yet.” 9After saying this he stayed behind in Galilee.
10After his brothers left to go to the festival, Jesus also went, but not openly—he stayed out of sight. 11Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were searching for him and kept on asking, “Where is he?” 12Many people in the crowds were complaining about him. Some said, “He's a good man,” while others argued, “No! He deceives people.” 13But no one dared to speak openly about him because they were afraid of what the Jewish leaders would do to them.
14When the festival was halfway through, Jesus went to the Temple and began to teach. 15The Jewish leaders were very surprised, and asked, “How does this man have so much learning#7:15. In the sense of religious education. when he hasn't been educated?”
16Jesus answered, “My teaching is not from me but from the one who sent me. 17Anyone who chooses to follow what God wants will know if my teaching comes from God or if I'm only speaking for myself. 18Those who speak for themselves want to glorify themselves, but someone who glorifies the one who sent him is truthful and not deceitful. 19Moses gave you the law, didn't he? Yet none of you keeps the law! Why are you trying to kill me?”
20“You're demon-possessed!” the crowd replied. “No one's trying to kill you!”
21“I did one miracle#7:21. On the Sabbath, referring back to what happened in 5:1-9. and you're all shocked by it,” Jesus replied. 22“However, because Moses told you to circumcise—not that it really came from Moses, but from your forefathers before him—you perform circumcision on the Sabbath. 23If you circumcise on the Sabbath to make sure that the law of Moses isn't broken, why are you angry with me for healing someone on the Sabbath? 24Don't judge by appearances; decide what is right!”
25Then some of those from Jerusalem began wondering, “Isn't this the one they're trying to kill? 26But see how openly he's speaking, and they're saying nothing to him. Do you think the authorities believe he's the Messiah? 27But that's not possible because we know where he comes from. When the Messiah comes, nobody will know where he's from.”
28While he was teaching in the Temple, Jesus called out in a loud voice, “So you think you know me and where I'm from? However, I did not come for my own sake. The one who sent me is true. You don't know him, 29but I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.”
30So they tried to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him because his time had not yet come. 31However, many of the crowd did put their trust in him. “When the Messiah appears, will he do more miraculous signs than this man has done?” they said. 32When the Pharisees heard the crowd whispering this about him, they and the chief priests sent guards to arrest Jesus.
33Then Jesus told the people, “I'll be with you just a little longer, but then I'll return to the one who sent me. 34You'll search for me but you won't find me; and you can't come where I'm going.”
35The Jews said to each other, “Where could he be going that we couldn't find him? Is he planning to go to those scattered among the foreigners,#7:35. Literally, “Greeks.” and teach the foreigners? 36What does he mean by saying, ‘You'll search for me but you won't find me; and you can't come where I'm going’?”
37On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and shouted out in a loud voice, “If you're thirsty, come to me and drink. 38If you trust in me, you will have streams of life-giving water flowing out from within you, as Scripture says.”#7:38. The closest reference appears to be Song of Songs 4:15. 39He was referring to the Spirit that those who trusted in him would later receive. The Spirit hadn't been given yet because Jesus hadn't yet been glorified.
40When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This man is definitely the Prophet!”#7:40. See 6:14. 41Others said, “He is the Messiah!” Still others said, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee? 42Doesn't Scripture say that the Messiah comes from David's lineage, and from David's home town of Bethlehem?”#7:42. Referring to Micah 5:2. 43So the crowd had a strong difference of opinion about him. 44Some wanted to arrest him, but nobody laid a hand on him.
45Then the guards returned to the chief priests and the Pharisees who asked them, “Why didn't you bring him in?”
46“Nobody ever spoke like this man does,” the guards replied.
47“Have you been fooled too?” the Pharisees asked them. 48“Has a single one of the rulers or Pharisees believed in him? No! 49But this crowd knows nothing about teachings of the law—they're damned anyway!”
50Nicodemus, who had previously gone to meet Jesus, was one of them and asked them, 51“Does our law condemn a man without a hearing and without finding out what he actually did?”
52“So you're a Galilean as well, are you?” they replied. “Check the Scriptures and you'll discover that no prophet comes from Galilee!” 53Then they all went home,#7:53. The following section (7:53-8:11) does not appear in this location in all manuscripts. However, it surely represents an authentic account.
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John 7: FBV
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
