Bible Reading Plan

John 7

Chapter 7

The Unbelief of Jesus' Brothers

¹ After this, Jesus traveled in Galilee,^(a) since He did not want to travel in Judea^(b) because the Jews^(c) were trying to kill Him.^{(d) 2} The Jewish Festival of Tabernacles^[a][b](e) was near, ³ so His brothers^(f) said to Him, "Leave here and go to Judea so Your disciples can see Your works^(g) that You are doing. ⁴ For no one does anything in secret while he's seeking public recognition. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world." ⁵ (For not even His brothers believed in Him.)

⁶ Jesus told them, "My time^(h) has not yet arrived, but your time is always at hand. ⁷ The world cannot hate⁽ⁱ⁾ you, but it does hate Me because I testify about it—that its deeds are evil. ⁸ Go up to the festival yourselves. I'm not going up to the festival yet,^[c] because My time has not yet fully come." ⁹ After He had said these things, He stayed in Galilee.

Jesus at the Festival of Tabernacles

¹⁰ After His brothers had gone up to the festival, then He also went up, not openly but secretly. ¹¹ The Jews were looking for Him at the festival and saying, "Where is He?" ¹² And there was a lot of discussion about Him among the crowds. Some were saying, "He's a good^(j) man." Others were saying, "No, on the contrary, He's deceiving^(k) the people." ¹³ Still, nobody was talking publicly about Him because they feared the Jews.

¹⁴ When the festival was already half over, Jesus went up into the temple complex^(l) and began to teach. ¹⁵ Then the Jews were amazed and said, "How does He know the Scriptures,^(m) since He hasn't been trained?"

¹⁶ Jesus answered them, "My teaching isn't Mine but is from the One who sent Me.^{(n) 17} If anyone wants to do His will,^(o) he will understand whether the teaching is from God or if I am speaking on My own. ¹⁸ The one who speaks for himself seeks his own glory.^(p) But He who seeks the glory^(q) of the One who sent Him is true,^(r) and there is no unrighteousness in Him.^{(s) 19} Didn't Moses^(t) give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law!^(u) Why do you want to kill Me?"

²⁰ "You have a demon!" the crowd responded. "Who wants to kill You?"

²¹ "I did one work,^(v) and you are all amazed," Jesus answered. ²² "Consider this: Moses has given you circumcision^(w)—not that it comes from Moses but from the fathers^(x)—and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.^{(y) 23} If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath^(z) so that the law of Moses^(aa) won't be broken, are you angry at Me because I made a man entirely well on the Sabbath? ²⁴ Stop judging^(ab) according to outward appearances; rather judge according to righteous judgment."

The Identity of the Messiah

²⁵ Some of the people of Jerusalem^(ac) were saying, "Isn't this the man they want to kill? ²⁶ Yet, look! He's speaking publicly and they're saying nothing to Him. Can it be true that the authorities^(ad) know He is the Messiah?^{(ae) 27} But we know where this man is from.^(af) When the Messiah comes, nobody will know where He is from."

²⁸ As He was teaching in the temple complex,^(ag) Jesus cried out, "You know Me and you know where I am from. Yet I have not come on My own, but the One who sent Me^(ah) is true. You don't know Him;^{(ai) 29} I know Him because I am from Him, and He sent Me." ^(aj)

³⁰ Then they tried to seize Him. Yet no one laid a hand on Him because His hour^[d] had not yet come. ³¹ However, many from the crowd believed in Him and said, "When the Messiah comes, He won't perform more signs than this man has done,^(ak) will He?"

³² The Pharisees^(al) heard the crowd muttering these things about Him, so the chief priests^(am) and the Pharisees sent temple police to arrest Him.

³³ Then Jesus said, "I am only with you for a short time.^(an) Then I'm going to the One who sent Me.^{(ao) 34} You will look for Me, but you will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come." ^(ap)

³⁵ Then the Jews^(aq) said to one another, "Where does He intend to go so we won't find Him? He doesn't intend to go to the Dispersion^[e](ar) among the Greeks^(as) and teach the Greeks, does He? ³⁶ What is this remark He made: ‘You will look for Me, and you will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come'^(at) ?"

The Promise of the Spirit

³⁷ On the last and most important day of the festival,^(au) Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone is thirsty, he should come to Me ^[f](av) and drink!^{(aw) 38} The one who believes in Me,^(ax) as the Scripture^(ay) has said,^[g] will have streams of living water^(az) flow^(ba) from deep within him." ³⁹ He said this about the Spirit.^(bb) Those who believed in Jesus were going to receive the Spirit,^(bc) for the Spirit^[h] had not yet been received^[i][j] because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

The People Are Divided over Jesus

⁴⁰ When some from the crowd heard these words, they said, "This really is the Prophet!"^{[k](bd) 41} Others said, "This is the Messiah!" But some said, "Surely the Messiah doesn't come from Galilee, does He? ⁴² Doesn't the Scripture^(be) say that the Messiah comes from David's^(bf) offspring^[l] and from the town of Bethlehem,^(bg) where David once lived?" ⁴³ So a division^(bh) occurred among the crowd because of Him. ⁴⁴ Some of them wanted to seize Him,^(bi) but no one laid hands on Him.

Debate over Jesus' Claims

⁴⁵ Then the temple police^(bj) came to the chief priests^(bk) and Pharisees, who asked them, "Why haven't you brought Him?"

⁴⁶ The police answered, "No man ever spoke like this!"^[m](bl)

⁴⁷ Then the Pharisees responded to them: "Are you fooled^(bm) too? ⁴⁸ Have any of the rulers^(bn) or Pharisees believed in Him? ⁴⁹ But this crowd, which doesn't know the law, is accursed!"

⁵⁰ Nicodemus^(bo)—the one who came to Him previously, being one of them—said to them, ⁵¹ "Our law doesn't judge a man before it hears from him and knows what he's doing, does it?"^(bp)

⁵² "You aren't from Galilee^(bq) too, are you?" they replied. "Investigate and you will see that no prophet arises from Galilee."^[n](br)

[⁵³ So each one went to his house.