Joh 7 | ISV | STEP | The Unbelief of Jesus’ Brothers After this, Jesus traveled about in Galilee, for he didn't want to travel in Judea because the Jews were trying to kill him.

John 7

1 The Unbelief of Jesus’ Brothers

After this, Jesus traveled about ^{▼▼Lit. walked} in Galilee, for he didn't want to travel ^{▼▼Lit. to walk} in Judea because the Jews ^{▼▼I.e. Jewish leaders} were trying to kill him.John 5:16, 18 2 Now the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles ^{▼▼Or Booths} was approaching.Lev 23:34 3 So his brothers said to him, “You should leave this place and go to Judea, so that your disciples can see the works that you're doing.Matt 12:46; Mark 3:31; Acts 1:14 4 For no one acts in secret if he wants to be known publicly. If you're going to do these things, you should reveal yourself to the world!” 5 For not even his brothers believed in him.Mark 3:21

6 Jesus told them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. ^{▼▼Lit. ready}John 2:4 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify against it that its works are evil.John 3:19; 15:19 8 Go up to the festival yourselves. I am not yet ^{▼▼Other mss. lack yet} going to this festival, for my time has not yet fully come.”John 8:6, 30 9 After saying this, he remained in Galilee. 10 Jesus Arrives in JerusalemBut after his brothers had gone up to the festival, he went up himself, not openly but, as it were, ^{▼▼Other mss. lack as it were} in secret. 11 The Jews ^{▼▼I.e. Jewish leaders} kept looking for him at the festival, saying, “Where is that man?”John 11:56 12 And there was a great deal of discussion about him among the crowds. ^{▼▼Other mss. read crowd}

Some were saying, “He is a good man,” while others were saying, “No, he is deceiving the crowd!”Matt 21:46; Luke 7:16; John 6:14, 40; 9:16; 10:19 13 No one, however, would speak openly about him for fear of the Jews. ^{▼▼I.e. Jewish leaders}John 9:22; 12:42; 19:38

14 Jesus Openly Declares His AuthorityHalfway through the festival, Jesus went up to the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews ^{▼▼I.e. Jewish leaders} were astonished and remarked, “How can this man be so educated when he has never gone to school?”Matt 13:54; Mark 6:2; Luke 4:22; Acts 2:7

16 Jesus replied to them, “My teaching is not mine but comes from the one who sent me.John 3:11; 8:28; 12:49 17 If anyone wants to do his will, he will know whether this teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own.John 8:43 18 The one who speaks on his own seeks his own praise. But the one who seeks the praise of him who sent him is true, and there is nothing false in him.John 5:41; 8:50 19 Moses gave you the law, didn't he? Yet none of you is keeping the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”Exod 24:3; Deut 33:4; Matt 12:14; Mark 3:6; John 1:17; 11:53; Acts 7:38

20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is trying to kill you?”John 8:48, 52; 8:20

21 Jesus answered them, “I performed one work, and all of you are astonished. 22 Moses gave you circumcision—not that it is from Moses, but from the Patriarchs—and so you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.Gen 17:10; Lev 12:3 23 If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because I made a man perfectly well on the Sabbath?John 5:8-9, 16 24 Stop judging by appearances, but judge with righteous judgment!”Deut 1:16-17; Prov 24:23; John 8:15; James 2:1

25 Is This the Christ?Then some of the people of Jerusalem began saying, “This is the man they are trying to kill, isn't it? 26 And look, he is speaking in public, and they are not saying anything to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? ^{▼▼I.e. the Messiah}John 7:48 27 We know where this man comes from. But when the Christ ^{▼▼I.e. the Messiah} comes, no one will know where he comes from.”Matt 13:55; Mark 6:3; Luke 4:22

28 At this point Jesus, still teaching in the temple, shouted, “So you know me and know where I have come from? I have not come on my own accord. But the one who sent me is true, and he is the one you do not know.John 1:18; Rom 3:4 29 I know him because I have come from him and he sent me.”Matt 11:27; John 10:15

30 Then they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him because his hour had not yet come.Mark 11:18; Luke 19:47; 20:19; John 8:20, 37, 44; 20:19 31 However, many in the crowd believed in him, saying, “When the Christ ^{▼▼I.e. the Messiah} comes, he won't do more signs than this man has done, will he?”Matt 12:23; John 3:2; 8:30

32 Officers Are Sent to Arrest JesusThe Pharisees heard the crowd debating these things about him, so the high priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest him.

33 Then Jesus said, “I will be with you only a little while longer, and then I am going back to the one who sent me.John 13:33; 16:16 34 You will look for me but will not find me. ^{▼▼Other mss. lack me} And where I am, you cannot come.”Hos 5:6; John 8:21; 13:33

35 Then the Jews ^{▼▼I.e. Jewish leaders} said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go so that we will not find him? Surely he's not going to the Dispersion ^{▼▼I.e. the Jewish communities outside of Israel} among the Greeks and teach the Greeks, is he?Isa 11:12; James 1:1; 1Pet 1:1 36 What does this statement mean that he made, ^{▼▼Lit. said} ‘You will look for me but will not find me,’ and ‘Where I will be, you cannot come’?”

37 Rivers of Living WaterOn the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and shouted, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me ^{▼▼Other mss. lack to me} and drink!Lev 23:36; Isa 55:1; John 6:35; Rev 22:17 38 The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have rivers of living water flowing from his heart.”Deut 18:15; Prov 18:4; Isa 12:3; 44:3; John 4:14 39 Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who were believing in him were to receive. For the Spirit ^{▼▼Other mss. read Holy Spirit} was not yet present, ^{▼▼Other mss. read given} because Jesus had not yet been glorified.Isa 44:3; Joel 2:28; John 12:16; 16:7; Acts 2:17, 33, 38

40 Division among the PeopleWhen they heard these words, some in the crowd were saying, “This really is the Prophet,”Deut 18:15, 18; John 1:21; 6:14 41 while others were saying, “This is the Christ!” ^{▼▼I.e. the Messiah}

But some were saying, “The Christ doesn't come from Galilee, does he?John 1:46; 4:42 42 Doesn't the Scripture say that the Christ is from David's family and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”1Sam 16:1, 4; Ps 132:11; Jer 23:5; Mic 5:2; Matt 2:5; Luke 2:4 43 So there was a division in the crowd because of him.John 7:12; 9:16; 10:19 44 Some of them were wanting to seize him, but no one laid hands on him.John 7:30

45 The Unbelief of the AuthoritiesThen the officers returned to the high priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why didn't you bring him?”

46 The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like that!”Matt 7:29

47 Then the Pharisees replied to them, “You haven't been deceived, too, have you? 48 None of the authorities or Pharisees has believed in him, has he?John 12:42; Acts 6:7; 1Cor 1:20, 26; 2:8 49 But this mob that does not know the law—they are accursed!” 50 One of their number, Nicodemus (the man who had previously gone to him), said to them,John 3:2 51 “Surely our law does not condemn ^{▼▼Or judge} a person without first hearing from him and finding out what he is doing, does it?”Deut 1:17; 17:8; 19:15

52 They answered him, “You aren't from Galilee, too, are you? Search and see that no prophet comes from Galilee.”Isa 9:1-2; Matt 4:15; John 1:41, 46 53 Then each of them went to his own home.