John 7

Jesus at the Feast of Booths

1After these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for he did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. 2Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near. 3So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples also may see the works that you are doing. 4For no one does anything in secret while seeking to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5For not even his brothers believed in him. 6Jesus 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 testify about it that its works are evil. 8You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, because my time has not yet been fulfilled.” 9After saying these things to them, he remained in Galilee.

10But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not openly but as in secret. 11So the Jews were seeking him at the feast and saying, “Where is he?” 12And there was much murmuring about him among the crowds. Some were saying, “He is good,” but others were saying, “No, but he leads the crowd astray.” 13Yet no one spoke openly about him for fear of the Jews.

Teaching at the Feast

14Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and was teaching. 15Then the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this man know letters, having never learned?” 16So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17If anyone wills to do his will, he will know concerning the teaching, whether it is from God or whether I speak 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 yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” 20The crowd answered, “You have a demon. Who seeks to kill you?” 21Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work, and you all marvel. 22Because of this Moses has given you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and on the Sabbath you circumcise a man. 23If 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 whole man well on the Sabbath? 24Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

Is This the Christ?

25So some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is this not the one whom they seek to kill? 26And look, he speaks openly, and they say nothing to him. Can it be that the rulers truly know that this is the Christ? 27But we know where this man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where he is from.” 28Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, “You both know me and know where I am from. And I have not come from myself, but he 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, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31But many from the crowd believed in him and said, “When the Christ comes, will he do more signs than this man has done?”

Officers Sent to Arrest Jesus

32The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to seize him. 33Therefore Jesus said, “Yet a little time I am with you, and I go to the one who sent me. 34You will seek me and will not find me; and where I am, you are not able to come.” 35Then 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 among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36What is this word that he said, ‘You will seek me and will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am, you are not able to come’?”

Rivers of Living Water

37Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his inner being will flow rivers of living water.’” 39Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Division among the People

40Some from the crowd, when they heard these words, were saying, “This truly is the Prophet.” 41Others were saying, “This is the Christ.” But some were saying, “Surely the Christ does not come from Galilee, does he? 42Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” 43So there was a division among the crowd because of him. 44And some of them wanted to seize him, but no one laid hands on him.

The Unbelief of the Authorities

45Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46The officers answered, “Never has a man spoken like this.” 47Then the Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been led astray? 48Has any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? 49But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” 50Nicodemus, who had come to him before, being one of them, said to them, 51“Does our law judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing?” 52They answered and said to him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

53And each went to his own house.