John 7:2-39

New King James Version

²^(A)Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. ³^(B)His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. ⁴For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” ⁵For ^(C)even His ^(D)brothers did not believe in Him.

⁶Then Jesus said to them, ^(E)“My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. ⁷^(F)The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me ^(G)because I testify of it that its works are evil. ⁸You go up to this feast. I am not ^[a]yet going up to this feast, ^(H)for My time has not yet fully come.” ⁹When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.

The Heavenly Scholar

¹⁰But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. ¹¹Then ^(I)the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, “Where is He?” ¹²And ^(J)there was much complaining among the people concerning Him. ^(K)Some said, “He is good”; others said, “No, on the contrary, He deceives the people.” ¹³However, no one spoke openly of Him ^(L)for fear of the Jews.

¹⁴Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and ^(M)taught. ¹⁵^(N)And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?”

¹⁶^[b]Jesus answered them and said, ^(O)“My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. ¹⁷^(P)If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. ¹⁸^(Q)He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who ^(R)seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and ^(S)no unrighteousness is in Him. ¹⁹^(T)Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? ^(U)Why do you seek to kill Me?”

²⁰The people answered and said, ^(V)“You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?”

²¹Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work, and you all marvel. ²²^(W)Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, ^(X)but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. ²³If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because ^(Y)I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? ²⁴^(Z)Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

Could This Be the Christ?

²⁵Now some of them from Jerusalem said, “Is this not He whom they seek to ^(AA)kill? ²⁶But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. ^(AB)Do the rulers know indeed that this is ^[c]truly the Christ? ²⁷^(AC)However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.”

²⁸Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, ^(AD)“You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and ^(AE)I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me ^(AF)is true, ^(AG)whom you do not know. ²⁹^[d]But ^(AH)I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.”

³⁰Therefore ^(AI)they sought to take Him; but ^(AJ)no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. ³¹And ^(AK)many of the people believed in Him, and said, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?”

Jesus and the Religious Leaders

³²The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him. ³³Then Jesus said ^[e]to them, ^(AL)“I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I ^(AM)go to Him who sent Me. ³⁴You ^(AN)will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you ^(AO)cannot come.”

³⁵Then the Jews said among themselves, “Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to ^(AP)the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? ³⁶What is this thing that He said, ‘You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come’?”

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

³⁷^(AQ)On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ^(AR)“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. ³⁸^(AS)He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ^(AT)out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” ³⁹^(AU)But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those ^[f]believing in Him would receive; for the ^[g]Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet ^(AV)glorified.