Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options

John 7:2-11:54
New American Bible (Revised Edition)

2 But the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was near.(A) 3 So his brothers[a] said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 No one works in secret if he wants to be known publicly. If you do these things, manifest yourself to the world.”(B) 5 For his brothers did not believe in him. 6 [b]So Jesus said to them, “My time is not yet here, but the time is always right for you. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I testify to it that its works are evil.(C) 8 You go up to the feast. I am not going up[c] to this feast, because my time has not yet been fulfilled.” 9 After he had said this, he stayed on in Galilee.

10 But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, he himself also went up, not openly but [as it were] in secret. 11 The Jews were looking for him at the feast and saying, “Where is he?” 12 And there was considerable murmuring about him in the crowds. Some said, “He is a good man,” [while] others said, “No; on the contrary, he misleads the crowd.” 13 Still, no one spoke openly about him because they were afraid of the Jews.(D)

The First Dialogue.[d] 14 When the feast was already half over, Jesus went up into the temple area and began to teach. 15 [e](E)The Jews were amazed and said, “How does he know scripture without having studied?” 16 Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not my own but is from the one who sent me. 17 Whoever chooses to do his will[f] shall know whether my teaching is from God or whether I speak on my own.(F) 18 Whoever speaks on his own seeks his own glory, but whoever seeks the glory of the one who sent him is truthful, and there is no wrong in him. 19 Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”(G) 20 The crowd answered, “You are possessed![g] Who is trying to kill you?”(H) 21 Jesus answered and said to them, “I performed one work[h] and all of you are amazed(I) 22 because of it. Moses gave you circumcision—not that it came from Moses but rather from the patriarchs—and you circumcise a man on the sabbath.(J) 23 If a man can receive circumcision on a sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because I made a whole person well on a sabbath?(K) 24 Stop judging by appearances, but judge justly.”(L)

25 So some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said, “Is he not the one they are trying to kill? 26 And look, he is speaking openly and they say nothing to him. Could the authorities[i] have realized that he is the Messiah? 27 But we know where he is from. When the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.”(M) 28 So Jesus cried out in the temple area as he was teaching and said, “You know me and also know where I am from. Yet I did not come on my own, but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true.(N) 29 I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.”(O) 30 So they tried to arrest him, but no one laid a hand upon him, because his hour had not yet come.(P) 31 But many of the crowd began to believe in him, and said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man has done?”(Q)

Officers Sent to Arrest Jesus.[j] 32 The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring about him to this effect, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent guards to arrest him. 33 So Jesus said, “I will be with you only a little while longer, and then I will go to the one who sent me.(R) 34 You will look for me but not find [me], and where I am you cannot come.”(S) 35 So the Jews said to one another, “Where is he going that we will not find him? Surely he is not going to the dispersion[k] among the Greeks to teach the Greeks, is he? 36 What is the meaning of his saying, ‘You will look for me and not find [me], and where I am you cannot come’?”

Rivers of Living Water.[l] 37 On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and exclaimed, “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink.(T) 38 Whoever believes in me, as scripture says:

‘Rivers of living water[m] will flow from within him.’”(U)

39 He said this in reference to the Spirit that those who came to believe in him were to receive. There was, of course, no Spirit yet,[n] because Jesus had not yet been glorified.(V)

Discussion About the Origins of the Messiah.[o] 40 Some in the crowd who heard these words said, “This is truly the Prophet.”(W) 41 Others said, “This is the Messiah.” But others said, “The Messiah will not come from Galilee, will he? 42 Does not scripture say that the Messiah will be of David’s family and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”(X) 43 So a division occurred in the crowd because of him. 44 Some of them even wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

45 So the guards went to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The guards answered, “Never before has anyone spoken like this one.” 47 So the Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? 48 Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him?(Y) 49 But this crowd, which does not know the law, is accursed.” 50 Nicodemus, one of their members who had come to him earlier, said to them,(Z) 51 “Does our law condemn a person before it first hears him and finds out what he is doing?”(AA) 52 They answered and said to him, “You are not from Galilee also, are you? Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

Chapter 8

A Woman Caught in Adultery.[p] [53 Then each went to his own house, 1 while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.[q](AB) 2 But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. 4 They said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. 5 Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women.[r] So what do you say?”(AC) 6 They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger.[s] 7 [t]But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them,(AD) “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. 10 Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”(AE) 11 She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, [and] from now on do not sin any more.”](AF)

The Light of the World.[u] 12 Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”(AG) 13 So the Pharisees said to him, “You testify on your own behalf, so your testimony cannot be verified.” 14 Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I do testify on my own behalf, my testimony can be verified,[v] because I know where I came from and where I am going. But you do not know where I come from or where I am going.(AH) 15 You judge by appearances,[w] but I do not judge anyone.(AI) 16 And even if I should judge, my judgment is valid, because I am not alone, but it is I and the Father who sent me.(AJ) 17 Even in your law[x] it is written that the testimony of two men can be verified.(AK) 18 I testify on my behalf and so does the Father who sent me.”(AL) 19 So they said to him, “Where is your father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”(AM) 20 He spoke these words while teaching in the treasury in the temple area. But no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.(AN)

Jesus, the Father’s Ambassador.[y] 21 He said to them again, “I am going away and you will look for me, but you will die in your sin.[z] Where I am going you cannot come.”(AO) 22 [aa]So the Jews said, “He is not going to kill himself, is he, because he said, ‘Where I am going you cannot come’?” 23 He said to them, “You belong to what is below, I belong to what is above. You belong to this world, but I do not belong to this world.(AP) 24 That is why I told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I AM,[ab] you will die in your sins.”(AQ) 25 [ac]So they said to him, “Who are you?”(AR) Jesus said to them, “What I told you from the beginning. 26 I have much to say about you in condemnation. But the one who sent me is true, and what I heard from him I tell the world.”(AS) 27 They did not realize that he was speaking to them of the Father. 28 So Jesus said [to them], “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM, and that I do nothing on my own, but I say only what the Father taught me.(AT) 29 The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what is pleasing to him.” 30 Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in him.

Jesus and Abraham.[ad] 31 Jesus then said to those Jews who believed in him,[ae] “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”(AU) 33 They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone.[af] How can you say, ‘You will become free’?”(AV) 34 Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.(AW) 35 A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son[ag] always remains.(AX) 36 So if a son frees you, then you will truly be free. 37 I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are trying to kill me, because my word has no room among you. 38 [ah]I tell you what I have seen in the Father’s presence; then do what you have heard from the Father.”

39 [ai]They answered and said to him, “Our father is Abraham.” Jesus said to them,(AY) “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works of Abraham. 40 But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God; Abraham did not do this. 41 You are doing the works of your father!” [So] they said to him, “We are not illegitimate. We have one Father, God.”(AZ) 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here; I did not come on my own, but he sent me.(BA) 43 Why do you not understand what I am saying? Because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You belong to your father the devil and you willingly carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks in character, because he is a liar and the father of lies.(BB) 45 But because I speak the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Can any of you charge me with sin? If I am telling the truth, why do you not believe me?(BC) 47 Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not listen, because you do not belong to God.”(BD)

48 The Jews answered and said to him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan[aj] and are possessed?” 49 Jesus answered, “I am not possessed; I honor my Father, but you dishonor me. 50 I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and he is the one who judges.(BE) 51 Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.”(BF) 52 [So] the Jews said to him, “Now we are sure that you are possessed. Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’ 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham,[ak] who died? Or the prophets, who died? Who do you make yourself out to be?”(BG) 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing; but it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ 55 You do not know him, but I know him. And if I should say that I do not know him, I would be like you a liar. But I do know him and I keep his word.(BH) 56 Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day; he saw it[al] and was glad.(BI) 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?”[am] 58 [an]Jesus said to them,(BJ) “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.(BK)

Chapter 9

The Man Born Blind. 1 [ao]As he passed by he saw a man blind from birth.(BL) 2 [ap]His disciples asked him,(BM) “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.(BN) 4 We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work.(BO) 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”(BP) 6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes,(BQ) 7 and said to him, “Go wash[aq] in the Pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed, and came back able to see.(BR)

8 His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said, “Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said, “It is,” but others said, “No, he just looks like him.” He said, “I am.” 10 So they said to him, “[So] how were your eyes opened?” 11 He replied, “The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went there and washed and was able to see.” 12 And they said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I don’t know.”

13 They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees. 14 Now Jesus had made clay[ar] and opened his eyes on a sabbath.(BS) 15 So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.” 16 So some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he does not keep the sabbath.” [But] others said, “How can a sinful man do such signs?” And there was a division among them.(BT) 17 So they said to the blind man again, “What do you have to say about him, since he opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”(BU)

18 Now the Jews did not believe that he had been blind and gained his sight until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight. 19 They asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How does he now see?” 20 His parents answered and said, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 We do not know how he sees now, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him, he is of age; he can speak for himself.” 22 [as](BV)His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone acknowledged him as the Messiah, he would be expelled from the synagogue. 23 For this reason his parents said, “He is of age; question him.”(BW)

24 So a second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give God the praise![at] We know that this man is a sinner.”(BX) 25 He replied, “If he is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see.” 26 So they said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “I told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?” 28 They ridiculed him and said, “You are that man’s disciple; we are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this one is from.”(BY) 30 The man answered and said to them, “This is what is so amazing, that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him.(BZ) 32 [au]It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything.”(CA) 34 They answered and said to him, “You were born totally in sin, and are you trying to teach us?” Then they threw him out.

35 When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered and said, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him and the one speaking with you is he.”(CB) 38 He said, “I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him. 39 [av]Then Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind.”(CC)

40 Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not also blind, are we?”(CD) 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.(CE)

Chapter 10

The Good Shepherd. 1 [aw]“Amen, amen, I say to you,(CF) whoever does not enter a sheepfold[ax] through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. 2 But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 [ay]When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him,(CG) because they recognize his voice. 5 But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.” 6 Although Jesus used this figure of speech,[az] they did not realize what he was trying to tell them.

7 [ba]So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 [bb]All who came [before me] are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.(CH) 12 A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them.(CI) 13 This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.(CJ) 16 I have other sheep[bc] that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.(CK) 17 This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.(CL) 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again.[bd] This command I have received from my Father.”(CM)

19 Again there was a division among the Jews because of these words.(CN) 20 Many of them said, “He is possessed and out of his mind; why listen to him?”(CO) 21 Others said, “These are not the words of one possessed; surely a demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?”(CP)

Feast of the Dedication. 22 The feast of the Dedication[be] was then taking place in Jerusalem. It was winter.(CQ) 23 [bf]And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense?[bg] If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”(CR) 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you[bh] and you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me.(CS) 26 But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep.(CT) 27 My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand.(CU) 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,[bi] and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.(CV) 30 [bj]The Father and I are one.”(CW)

31 The Jews again picked up rocks to stone him.(CX) 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy. You, a man, are making yourself God.”(CY) 34 [bk]Jesus answered them,(CZ) “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’? 35 If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came, and scripture cannot be set aside, 36 can you say that the one whom the Father has consecrated[bl] and sent into the world blasphemes because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?(DA) 37 If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me; 38 but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize [and understand] that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”(DB) 39 [Then] they tried again to arrest him; but he escaped from their power.

40 He went back across the Jordan to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained.(DC) 41 Many came to him and said, “John performed no sign,[bm] but everything John said about this man was true.” 42 And many there began to believe in him.(DD)

Chapter 11

The Raising of Lazarus.[bn] 1 Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany,(DE) the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill. 3 So the sisters sent word to him, saying, “Master, the one you love is ill.” 4 When Jesus heard this he said, “This illness is not to end in death,[bo] but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”(DF) 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that he was ill, he remained for two days in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, and you want to go back there?”(DG) 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in a day? If one walks during the day,(DH) he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.(DI) 10 But if one walks at night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”[bp] 11 He said this, and then told them, “Our friend Lazarus is asleep, but I am going to awaken him.” 12 So the disciples said to him, “Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved.” 13 But Jesus was talking about his death, while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep.(DJ) 14 So then Jesus said to them clearly, “Lazarus has died. 15 And I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe. Let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas, called Didymus,[bq] said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go to die with him.”(DK)

17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles[br] away. 19 And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother.(DL) 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.(DM) 22 [But] even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.”(DN) 25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,(DO) 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 [bs](DP)She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”

28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying, “The teacher is here and is asking for you.” 29 As soon as she heard this, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 For Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still where Martha had met him. 31 So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her saw Mary get up quickly and go out, they followed her, presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping, he became perturbed[bt] and deeply troubled, 34 and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Sir, come and see.” 35 And Jesus wept.(DQ) 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.” 37 But some of them said, “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died?”

38 So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, “Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father,[bu] I thank you for hearing me. 42 I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me.”(DR) 43 And when he had said this, he cried out in a loud voice,[bv] “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.”

Session of the Sanhedrin. 45 Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him.(DS) 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs.(DT) 48 If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come[bw] and take away both our land and our nation.” 49 (DU)But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year,[bx] said to them, “You know nothing, 50 nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” 51 He did not say this on his own, but since he was high priest for that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, 52 and not only for the nation, but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God.[by] 53 So from that day on they planned to kill him.(DV)

54 So Jesus no longer walked about in public among the Jews, but he left for the region near the desert, to a town called Ephraim,[bz] and there he remained with his disciples.

Footnotes

  1. 7:3 Brothers: these relatives (cf. Jn 2:12 and see note on Mk 6:3) are never portrayed as disciples until after the resurrection (Acts 1:14). Mt 13:55 and Mk 6:3 give the names of four of them. Jesus has already performed works/signs in Judea; cf. Jn 2:23; 3:2; 4:45; 5:8.
  2. 7:6 Time: the Greek word means “opportune time,” here a synonym for Jesus’ “hour” (see note on Jn 2:4), his death and resurrection. In the wordplay, any time is suitable for Jesus’ brothers, because they are not dependent on God’s will.
  3. 7:8 I am not going up: an early attested reading “not yet” seems a correction, since Jesus in the story does go up to the feast. “Go up,” in a play on words, refers not only to going up to Jerusalem but also to exaltation at the cross, resurrection, and ascension; cf. Jn 3:14; 6:62; 20:17.
  4. 7:14–31 Jesus teaches in the temple; debate with the Jews.
  5. 7:15 Without having studied: literally, “How does he know letters without having learned?” Children were taught to read and write by means of the scriptures. But here more than Jesus’ literacy is being discussed; the people are wondering how he can teach like a rabbi. Rabbis were trained by other rabbis and traditionally quoted their teachers.
  6. 7:17 To do his will: presumably a reference back to the “work” of Jn 6:29: belief in the one whom God has sent.
  7. 7:20 You are possessed: literally, “You have a demon.” The insane were thought to be possessed by a demoniacal spirit.
  8. 7:21 One work: the cure of the paralytic (Jn 5:1–9) because of the reference to the sabbath (Jn 7:22; 5:9–10).
  9. 7:26 The authorities: the members of the Sanhedrin (same term as Jn 3:1).
  10. 7:32–36 Jesus announces his approaching departure (cf. also Jn 8:21; 12:36; 13:33) and complete control over his destiny.
  11. 7:35 Dispersion: or “diaspora”: Jews living outside Palestine. Greeks: probably refers to the Gentiles in the Mediterranean area; cf. Jn 12:20.
  12. 7:37, 39 Promise of living water through the Spirit.
  13. 7:38 Living water: not an exact quotation from any Old Testament passage; in the gospel context the gift of the Spirit is meant; cf. Jn 3:5. From within him: either Jesus or the believer; if Jesus, it continues the Jesus-Moses motif (water from the rock, Ex 17:6; Nm 20:11) as well as Jesus as the new temple (cf. Ez 47:1). Grammatically, it goes better with the believer.
  14. 7:39 No Spirit yet: Codex Vaticanus and early Latin, Syriac, and Coptic versions add “given.” In this gospel, the sending of the Spirit cannot take place until Jesus’ glorification through his death, resurrection, and ascension; cf. Jn 20:22.
  15. 7:40–53 Discussion of the Davidic lineage of the Messiah.
  16. 7:53–8:11 The story of the woman caught in adultery is a later insertion here, missing from all early Greek manuscripts. A Western text-type insertion, attested mainly in Old Latin translations, it is found in different places in different manuscripts: here, or after Jn 7:36 or at the end of this gospel, or after Lk 21:38, or at the end of that gospel. There are many non-Johannine features in the language, and there are also many doubtful readings within the passage. The style and motifs are similar to those of Luke, and it fits better with the general situation at the end of Lk 21, but it was probably inserted here because of the allusion to Jer 17:13 (cf. note on Jn 8:6) and the statement, “I do not judge anyone,” in Jn 8:15. The Catholic Church accepts this passage as canonical scripture.
  17. 8:1 Mount of Olives: not mentioned elsewhere in the gospel tradition outside of passion week.
  18. 8:5 Lv 20:10 and Dt 22:22 mention only death, but Dt 22:23–24 prescribes stoning for a betrothed virgin.
  19. 8:6 Cf. Jer 17:13 (RSV): “Those who turn away from thee shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living water”; cf. Jn 7:38.
  20. 8:7 The first stones were to be thrown by the witnesses (Dt 17:7).
  21. 8:12–20 Jesus the light of the world. Jesus replaces the four torches of the illumination of the temple as the light of joy.
  22. 8:14 My testimony can be verified: this seems to contradict Jn 5:31, but the emphasis here is on Jesus’ origin from the Father and his divine destiny. Where I am going: indicates Jesus’ passion and glorification.
  23. 8:15 By appearances: literally, “according to the flesh.” I do not judge anyone: superficial contradiction of Jn 5:22, 27, 30; here the emphasis is that the judgment is not by material standards.
  24. 8:17 Your law: a reflection of later controversy between church and synagogue.
  25. 8:21–30 He whose ambassador I am is with me. Jesus’ origin is from God; he can reveal God.
  26. 8:21 You will die in your sin: i.e., of disbelief; cf. Jn 8:24. Where I am going you cannot come: except through faith in Jesus’ passion-resurrection.
  27. 8:22 The Jews suspect that he is referring to his death. Johannine irony is apparent here; Jesus’ death will not be self-inflicted but destined by God.
  28. 8:24, 28 I AM: an expression that late Jewish tradition understood as Yahweh’s own self-designation (Is 43:10); see note on Jn 4:26. Jesus is here placed on a par with Yahweh.
  29. 8:25 What I told you from the beginning: this verse seems textually corrupt, with several other possible translations: “(I am) what I say to you”; “Why do I speak to you at all?” The earliest attested reading (Bodmer Papyrus P66) has (in a second hand), “I told you at the beginning what I am also telling you (now).” The answer here (cf. Prv 8:22) seems to hinge on a misunderstanding of Jn 8:24 “that I AM” as “what I am.”
  30. 8:31–59 Jesus’ origin (“before Abraham”) and destiny are developed; the truth will free them from sin (Jn 8:34) and death (Jn 8:51).
  31. 8:31 Those Jews who believed in him: a rough editorial suture, since in Jn 8:37 they are described as trying to kill Jesus.
  32. 8:33 Have never been enslaved to anyone: since, historically, the Jews were enslaved almost continuously, this verse is probably Johannine irony, about slavery to sin.
  33. 8:35 A slave…a son: an allusion to Ishmael and Isaac (Gn 16; 21), or to the release of a slave after six years (Ex 21:2; Dt 15:12).
  34. 8:38 The Father: i.e., God. It is also possible, however, to understand the second part of the verse as a sarcastic reference to descent of the Jews from the devil (Jn 8:44), “You do what you have heard from [your] father.”
  35. 8:39 The works of Abraham: Abraham believed; cf. Rom 4:11–17; Jas 2:21–23.
  36. 8:48 Samaritan: therefore interested in magical powers; cf. Acts 7:14–24.
  37. 8:53 Are you greater than our father Abraham?: cf. Jn 4:12.
  38. 8:56 He saw it: this seems a reference to the birth of Isaac (Gn 17:7; 21:6), the beginning of the fulfillment of promises about Abraham’s seed.
  39. 8:57 The evidence of the third-century Bodmer Papyrus P75 and the first hand of Codex Sinaiticus indicates that the text originally read: “How can Abraham have seen you?”
  40. 8:58 Came to be, I AM: the Greek word used for “came to be” is the one used of all creation in the prologue, while the word used for “am” is the one reserved for the Logos.
  41. 9:1–10:21 Sabbath healing of the man born blind. This sixth sign is introduced to illustrate the saying, “I am the light of the world” (Jn 8:12; 9:5). The narrative of conflict about Jesus contrasts Jesus (light) with the Jews (blindness, Jn 9:39–41). The theme of water is reintroduced in the reference to the pool of Siloam. Ironically, Jesus is being judged by the Jews, yet the Jews are judged by the Light of the world; cf. Jn 3:19–21.
  42. 9:2 See note on Jn 5:14, and Ex 20:5, that parents’ sins were visited upon their children. Jesus denies such a cause and emphasizes the purpose: the infirmity was providential.
  43. 9:7 Go wash: perhaps a test of faith; cf. 2 Kgs 5:10–14. The water tunnel Siloam (= Sent) is used as a symbol of Jesus, sent by his Father.
  44. 9:14 In using spittle, kneading clay, and healing, Jesus had broken the sabbath rules laid down by Jewish tradition.
  45. 9:22 This comment of the evangelist (in terms used again in Jn 12:42; 16:2) envisages a situation after Jesus’ ministry. Rejection/excommunication from the synagogue of Jews who confessed Jesus as Messiah seems to have begun ca. A.D. 85, when the curse against the mînîm or heretics was introduced into the “Eighteen Benedictions.”
  46. 9:24 Give God the praise!: an Old Testament formula of adjuration to tell the truth; cf. Jos 7:19; 1 Sm 6:5 LXX. Cf. Jn 5:41.
  47. 9:32 A person born blind: the only Old Testament cure from blindness is found in Tobit (cf. Tb 7:7; 11:7–13; 14:1–2), but Tobit was not born blind.
  48. 9:39–41 These verses spell out the symbolic meaning of the cure; the Pharisees are not the innocent blind, willing to accept the testimony of others.
  49. 10:1–21 The good shepherd discourse continues the theme of attack on the Pharisees that ends Jn 9. The figure is allegorical: the hired hands are the Pharisees who excommunicated the cured blind man. It serves as a commentary on Jn 9. For the shepherd motif, used of Yahweh in the Old Testament, cf. Ex 34; Gn 48:15; 49:24; Mi 7:14; Ps 23:1–4; 80:1.
  50. 10:1 Sheepfold: a low stone wall open to the sky.
  51. 10:4 Recognize his voice: the Pharisees do not recognize Jesus, but the people of God, symbolized by the blind man, do.
  52. 10:6 Figure of speech: John uses a different word for illustrative speech than the “parable” of the synoptics, but the idea is similar.
  53. 10:7–10 In Jn 10:7–8, the figure is of a gate for the shepherd to come to the sheep; in Jn 10:9–10, the figure is of a gate for the sheep to come in and go out.
  54. 10:8 [Before me]: these words are omitted in many good early manuscripts and versions.
  55. 10:16 Other sheep: the Gentiles, possibly a reference to “God’s dispersed children” of Jn 11:52 destined to be gathered into one, or “apostolic Christians” at odds with the community of the beloved disciple.
  56. 10:18 Power to take it up again: contrast the role of the Father as the efficient cause of the resurrection in Acts 2:24; 4:10; etc.; Rom 1:4; 4:24. Yet even here is added: This command I have received from my Father.
  57. 10:22 Feast of the Dedication: an eight-day festival of lights (Hebrew, Hanukkah) held in December, three months after the feast of Tabernacles (Jn 7:2), to celebrate the Maccabees’ rededication of the altar and reconsecration of the temple in 164 B.C., after their desecration by Antiochus IV Epiphanes (Dn 8:13; 9:27; cf. 1 Mc 4:36–59; 2 Mc 1:18–2:19; 10:1–8).
  58. 10:23 Portico of Solomon: on the east side of the temple area, offering protection against the cold winds from the desert.
  59. 10:24 Keep us in suspense: literally, “How long will you take away our life?” Cf. Jn 11:48–50. If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly: cf. Lk 22:67. This is the climax of Jesus’ encounters with the Jewish authorities. There has never yet been an open confession before them.
  60. 10:25 I told you: probably at Jn 8:25 which was an evasive answer.
  61. 10:29 The textual evidence for the first clause is very divided; it may also be translated: “As for the Father, what he has given me is greater than all,” or “My Father is greater than all, in what he has given me.”
  62. 10:30 This is justification for Jn 10:29; it asserts unity of power and reveals that the words and deeds of Jesus are the words and deeds of God.
  63. 10:34 This is a reference to the judges of Israel who, since they exercised the divine prerogative to judge (Dt 1:17), were called “gods”; cf. Ex 21:6, besides Ps 82:6, from which the quotation comes.
  64. 10:36 Consecrated: this may be a reference to the rededicated altar at the Hanukkah feast; see note on Jn 10:22.
  65. 10:41 Performed no sign: this is to stress the inferior role of John the Baptist. The Transjordan topography recalls the great witness of John the Baptist to Jesus, as opposed to the hostility of the authorities in Jerusalem.
  66. 11:1–44 The raising of Lazarus, the longest continuous narrative in John outside of the passion account, is the climax of the signs. It leads directly to the decision of the Sanhedrin to kill Jesus. The theme of life predominates. Lazarus is a token of the real life that Jesus dead and raised will give to all who believe in him. Johannine irony is found in the fact that Jesus’ gift of life leads to his own death. The story is not found in the synoptics, but cf. Mk 5:21 and parallels; Lk 7:11–17. There are also parallels between this story and Luke’s parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus (Lk 16:19–31). In both a man named Lazarus dies; in Luke, there is a request that he return to convince his contemporaries of the need for faith and repentance, while in John, Lazarus does return and some believe but others do not.
  67. 11:4 Not to end in death: this is misunderstood by the disciples as referring to physical death, but it is meant as spiritual death.
  68. 11:10 The light is not in him: the ancients apparently did not grasp clearly the entry of light through the eye; they seem to have thought of it as being in the eye; cf. Lk 11:34; Mt 6:23.
  69. 11:16 Called Didymus: Didymus is the Greek word for twin. Thomas is derived from the Aramaic word for twin; in an ancient Syriac version and in the Gospel of Thomas (80:11–12) his given name, Judas, is supplied.
  70. 11:18 About two miles: literally, “about fifteen stades”; a stade was 607 feet.
  71. 11:27 The titles here are a summary of titles given to Jesus earlier in the gospel.
  72. 11:33 Became perturbed: a startling phrase in Greek, literally, “He snorted in spirit,” perhaps in anger at the presence of evil (death).
  73. 11:41 Father: in Aramaic, ’abbā’. See note on Mk 14:36.
  74. 11:43 Cried out in a loud voice: a dramatization of Jn 5:28; “the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice.”
  75. 11:48 The Romans will come: Johannine irony; this is precisely what happened after Jesus’ death.
  76. 11:49 That year: emphasizes the conjunction of the office and the year. Actually, Caiaphas was high priest A.D. 18–36. The Jews attributed a gift of prophecy, sometimes unconscious, to the high priest.
  77. 11:52 Dispersed children of God: perhaps the “other sheep” of Jn 10:16.
  78. 11:54 Ephraim is usually located about twelve miles northeast of Jerusalem, where the mountains descend into the Jordan valley.
Next
John 6
John 12
Next
dropdown
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.