John 7 NLT
1 After this, Jesus traveled around
Galilee. He wanted to stay out of Judea, where the Jewish leaders were plotting
his death.
2 But soon it was time for the Jewish
Festival of Shelters,
3 and Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave
here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles!
4 You can’t become famous if you hide like
this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!”
5 For even his brothers didn’t believe in
him.
6Jesus replied, “Now is not the right time for
me to go, but you can go anytime.
7 The world can’t hate you, but it does
hate me because I accuse it of doing evil.
8 You go on. I’m not going to this
festival, because my time has not yet come.”
9 After saying these things, Jesus
remained in Galilee.
10 But after his brothers left for the
festival, Jesus also went, though secretly, staying out of public view.
11 The Jewish leaders tried to find him at
the festival and kept asking if anyone had seen him.
12 There was a lot of grumbling about him
among the crowds. Some argued, “He’s a good man,” but others said, “He’s
nothing but a fraud who deceives the people.”
13 But no one had the courage to speak
favorably about him in public, for they were afraid of getting in trouble with
the Jewish leaders.
14 Then, midway through the festival, Jesus
went up to the Temple and began to teach.
15 The people were surprised when they
heard him. “How does he know so much when he hasn’t been trained?” they asked.
16 So Jesus told them, “My message is not
my own; it comes from God who sent me.
17 Anyone who wants to do the will of God
will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own.
18Those who speak for themselves want glory only
for themselves, but a person who seeks to honor the one who sent him speaks
truth, not lies.
19 Moses gave you the law, but none of you
obeys it! In fact, you are trying to kill me.”
20 The crowd replied, “You’re demon
possessed! Who’s trying to kill you?”
21 Jesus replied, “I did one miracle on the
Sabbath, and you were amazed.
22 But you work on the Sabbath, too, when
you obey Moses’ law of circumcision. (Actually, this tradition of circumcision
began with the patriarchs, long before the law of Moses.)
23 For if the correct time for circumcising
your son falls on the Sabbath, you go ahead and do it so as not to break the
law of Moses. So why should you be angry with me for healing a man on the
Sabbath?
24 Look beneath the surface so you can
judge correctly.”
25Some of the people who lived in Jerusalem
started to ask each other, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?
26 But here he is, speaking in public, and
they say nothing to him. Could our leaders possibly believe that he is the
Messiah?
27 But how could he be? For we know where
this man comes from. When the Messiah comes, he will simply appear; no one will
know where he comes from.”
28 While Jesus was teaching in the Temple,
he called out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I come from. But I’m not here
on my own. The one who sent me is true, and you don’t know him.
29But I know him because I come from him, and he
sent me to you.”
30 Then the leaders tried to arrest him;
but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come.
31 Many among the crowds at the Temple
believed in him. “After all,” they said, “would you expect the Messiah to do
more miraculous signs than this man has done?”
32 When the Pharisees heard that the crowds
were whispering such things, they and the leading priests sent Temple guards to
arrest Jesus.
33 But Jesus told them, “I will be with you
only a little longer. Then I will return to the one who sent me.
34 You will search for me but not find me.
And you cannot go where I am going.”
35 The Jewish leaders were puzzled by this
statement. “Where is he planning to go?” they asked. “Is he thinking of leaving
the country and going to the Jews in other lands? Maybe he will even teach the
Greeks!
36 What does he mean when he says, ‘You
will search for me but not find me,’ and ‘You cannot go where I am
going’?”
37 On the last day, the climax of the
festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may
come to me!
38Anyone who believes in me may come and drink!
For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his
heart.’”
39 (When he said “living water,” he was
speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But
the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his
glory.)
40 When the crowds heard him say this, some
of them declared, “Surely this man is the Prophet we’ve been expecting.”
41Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others
said, “But he can’t be! Will the Messiah come from Galilee?
42 For the Scriptures clearly state that
the Messiah will be born of the royal line of David, in Bethlehem, the village
where King David was born.”
43 So the crowd was divided about
him.
44 Some even wanted him arrested, but no
one laid a hand on him.
45 When the Temple guards returned without
having arrested Jesus, the leading priests and Pharisees demanded, “Why didn’t
you bring him in?”
46 “We have never heard anyone speak like
this!” the guards responded.
47 “Have you been led astray, too?” the
Pharisees mocked.
48 “Is there a single one of us rulers or
Pharisees who believes in him?
49 This foolish crowd follows him, but they
are ignorant of the law. God’s curse is on them!”
50 Then Nicodemus, the leader who had met
with Jesus earlier, spoke up.
51 “Is it legal to convict a man before he
is given a hearing?” he asked.
52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee,
too? Search the Scriptures and see for yourself—no prophet ever comes from
Galilee!”
53 Then the meeting broke up, and everybody
went home.
