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The Light of the World[a]

Jesus, Sign of Contradiction

Chapter 7

Jesus’ Time Has Not Yet Been Fulfilled.[b] After this, Jesus resumed his travels throughout Galilee. He did not want to go about in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill him.

However, when the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was drawing near, his brethren[c] said to him, “Depart from here and go into Judea so that your disciples can perceive the works you are doing. No one who wishes to be publicly known acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, reveal yourself to the world.” For not even his brethren believed in him. Jesus answered them,

“My time has not yet come,
but your time is always right.
The world cannot hate you,
but it does hate me
because I testify against it
that its works are evil.
Go up to the feast yourselves.
I am not going to this feast,
because my time has not yet fully come.”

After he had said this, he stayed behind in Galilee. 10 Later, however, after his brethren had gone up to the feast, he himself also went, not publicly, but in secret.

11 During the feast the Jews were looking for him and asking, “Where is he?” 12 There was widespread murmuring about him among the crowds. Some maintained, “He is a good man,” but others insisted, “No, for he is leading the people astray.” 13 However, no one spoke openly about him for fear of the Jews.

14 Do Not Judge by Appearances.[d] When the feast was half over, Jesus went up into the temple and began to teach. 15 The Jews were astonished, and they wondered, “How has this man acquired such knowledge when he has never studied?”[e] 16 Jesus answered them,

“My teaching is not my own;
rather, it comes from him who sent me.
17 Anyone who resolves to do his will
will know whether my teaching comes from God
or whether I am speaking on my own authority.
18 Whoever speaks on his own authority
is simply seeking his own glory,
but whoever seeks the glory
of the one who sent him
is a truthful person,
and there is no dishonesty in him.
19 “Did not Moses give you the Law?
And not one of you keeps the Law.
Why are you trying to kill me?”

20 The crowd shouted, “You are possessed! Who is trying to kill you?” 21 Jesus replied,

“I performed a single work,[f]
and all of you are astonished.
22 Moses gave you circumcision
—although it did not originate with Moses
but with the patriarchs—
and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.
23 Now if a man can be circumcised on the Sabbath
so that the Law of Moses may not be broken,
why are you angry with me
for making a man’s entire body
completely healthy on the Sabbath?
24 Do not base your judgment on appearances;
judge according to what is right.”

25 Where Is Jesus from and Where Is He Going?[g] Then some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said, “Is this not the man they are trying to kill? 26 And yet he is speaking publicly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities realize that he is the Christ? 27 And yet we know where this man is from. But when the Christ appears, no one will know where he is from.”

28 Then Jesus cried out as he was teaching in the temple,

“You know me,
and you also know where I am from.
Yet I have not come of my own accord,
but he who sent me is true.
You do not know him,
29 but I know him
because I am from him
and it was he who sent me.”

30 So they tried to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him because his hour had not yet come. 31 Yet many in the crowd believed in him, and they said, “When the Christ comes, will he perform more signs than this man has accomplished?”

32 When the Pharisees overheard the crowd murmuring about him, the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him. 33 Jesus then said,

“I will remain with you
only for a short time longer,
and then I shall return
to him who sent me.
34 You will search for me,
but you will not find me,
for where I am you cannot come.”

35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not be able to find him? Will he go abroad to the people who are dispersed among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean when he says, ‘You will search for me, but you will be unable to find me,’ and ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”

37 Streams of Living Water.[h][i]On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and cried out,

“If anyone is thirsty,
let him come to me and drink.
38 Whoever believes in me,
as Scripture has said,
‘Streams of living water
shall flow from within him.’ ”

39 Now he was referring here to the Spirit whom those who believed in him were to receive. As yet the Spirit had not been bestowed because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

40 People Are Divided concerning Jesus.[j] On hearing these words, some in the crowd said, “This must truly be the Prophet.” 41 Others thought, “This is the Christ.” But still others retorted, “How can the Christ come from Galilee? 42 Does not Scripture assert that the Christ will be of the seed of David and come from Bethlehem, the city where David lived?” 43 As a result, the crowd was sharply divided because of him. 44 Some of them even wanted to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him.

45 Then the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why did you not arrest him?” 46 The guards answered, “No one has ever spoken as this man has.” 47 Then the Pharisees said, “Have you also been deceived? 48 Has any one of the authorities or of the Pharisees come to believe in him? 49 As for this crowd, they do not know the Law—they are cursed.”

50 One of them, Nicodemus, who had previously come to Jesus, said to them, 51 “Does our Law allow us to pass judgment on someone without first giving him a hearing to ascertain what he is doing?” 52 They replied, “Are you too a Galilean? Look it up, and you will find that no prophet is to arise from Galilee.”

Chapter 8

Jesus, Savior of Sinners

A Woman Caught in Adultery.[k] [7:53Then each of them returned home.

Footnotes

  1. John 7:1 The feast of Tabernacles, one of the most important Jewish solemnities, was a harvest festival. There was also a commemoration of the miraculous deeds that God had done for his people in the wilderness, with a joyous feast of lamps, a festival of lights. The feast was the ideal setting in which to present Christ as the Word of God who had come to enlighten and save everyone.
  2. John 7:1 From now on the threat of death hangs over Jesus and creates tension for him. The tension has to be relieved as quickly as possible. A gathering of people in Jerusalem would be a good occasion for rallying them and neutralizing the adversaries. An impressive public manifestation by Jesus would also be helpful; people would at least know what to make of him. So reason the “brethren” of Jesus—that is, the relatives if not the disciples.
    But these perspectives of glory have no hold on Jesus. He has come to fulfill God’s plan; this is not the same as looking for a temporary success. He also has come to turn back the course of evil, falsehood, and hatred in the world. Jesus overcame the hatred of the world by handing himself over to it.
  3. John 7:3 Brethren: i.e., according to Hebrew idiom, close relatives. See note on Mt 12:46.
  4. John 7:14 Personal success is never the motive for an action of Jesus. His words and his miracles testify that he is the messenger of the Father. Jesus lives by this testimony, of which he is convinced, and does not defend any doctrine of a school or group; one care alone impels him: that the Father’s plan for us be recognized and fulfilled.
    Only those will understand Jesus who take the Law seriously in its deep inspiration and know the price of fidelity to God. But those who accuse Jesus of violating the Law and take upon themselves the authority to condemn him fail to recognize him.
  5. John 7:15 The people want to know how Jesus can teach like a rabbi, when he was never trained by one and never quotes his teacher.
  6. John 7:21 A single work: the work of which Jesus speaks may be the cure of the paralytic that is recounted in Jn 5:1-15.
  7. John 7:25 The new prophet intrigues the people. He is one of theirs, yet claims an origin that does not cease to be mysterious. Some of the people are tempted to recognize him as the Messiah. The official authorities rebel against this temptation and want him arrested. In veiled words, Jesus announces his return to the Father (vv. 33-34). The authorities see this as an attempt to flee Palestine.
    In all these contrasts there is perhaps some irony. Jesus escapes the people who want to place him in their preconceived ideas, just as he escapes the people who want to lay hands on him. Jesus can be talked about endlessly; it is quite another thing to accept his mystery.
  8. John 7:37 The last day was for the pilgrims a festival of water. How many symbolic meanings water evokes! Water had flowed miraculously from the rock in the midst of the wilderness to slake the thirst of the Hebrews (Ex 17:1-7). The Prophets had foretold a spring that would some day open in the midst of the people (Ezek 47:1; Zec 14:8). In all areas affected by drought, water is a sign of life and joy; it is a gift of God. Christians think of Pentecost and Baptism.
  9. John 7:37 An alternative reading and translation is: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and let him who believes in me drink. As Scripture has said. . . .” In this second reading, the Scripture passage refers to Jesus and not to the believer. See Ps 105:41; Isa 44:3; 48:21; Ezek 36:25; Joel 3:1; etc.
  10. John 7:40 The upper class felt only contempt for the ordinary people. How could one accept a Messiah who came from distant Galilee, where Jews mingled with Gentiles and were cut off from the heart of Jewish life? Some justified their rejection by citing passages of the Law, but there were others who appealed to the spirit of the Law.
  11. John 7:53 This story is missing in a number of ancient manuscripts and is inserted at other points in others; it does not seem to be from the author of the fourth Gospel, for it is written in quite a different style. However, it has been accepted by the Church as the work of an inspired author.
    We are struck by the portrait of Jesus found herein: his silence, his sober gesture, his refusal to use religion as a pretext to spy on and judge others, and his courage to proclaim his own truth. It is pointless to ask what he wrote on the ground. Let us dwell on what he considered the Law to be: it condemns sin not so that people may judge one another but so that they may feel the need to be saved by God. And it is to this salvation that he bears witness.

耶稣的弟弟也不信他

这事以后,耶稣周游加利利,不愿在犹太往来,因为犹太人想要杀他。 犹太人的住棚节快到了, 耶稣的弟弟就对他说:“你应当离开这里上犹太去,好让你的门徒也可以看见你所行的事; 因为没有人想引人注目,却在暗处行事的。你既然行这些事,就应该向世人显明自己。” 原来连他的弟弟也不信他。 耶稣就对他们说:“我的时候还没有到,你们的时候却常常是方便的。 世人不能恨你们,却憎恨我,因为我指证他们的行为是邪恶的。 你们上去过节吧!我现在不上去过这个节,因为我的时机还没有成熟。” 他说了这些话以后,仍然住在加利利。

住棚节时在殿里教导人

10 然而,他的弟弟上去过节以后,他也上去过节,不是公开地去,却是暗中地去。 11 过节的时候,犹太人寻找耶稣,说:“那人在哪里呢?” 12 群众因他纷纷议论,有的说:“他是好人。”有的说:“不,他是欺骗众人的。” 13 但没有人敢公开讲论他,因为怕犹太人。

14 节期当中,耶稣上圣殿去教导人。 15 犹太人就希奇,说:“这个人没有学过,怎会通晓经书呢?” 16 耶稣说:“我的教训不是我自己的,而是出于那差我来的。 17 人若愿意遵行 神的旨意,就会知道这教训是出于 神,还是我凭着自己的意思说的。 18 那凭着自己的意思说的,是求自己的荣誉;但那寻求差他来者的荣耀的,才是真诚的人,在他里面没有不义。 19 摩西不是曾经把律法传给你们吗?你们竟然没有一个人遵行律法。你们为甚么想要杀我呢?” 20 群众回答:“你是鬼附的,谁想要杀你呢?” 21 耶稣说:“我行了一件事,你们都以为希奇。 22 摩西曾经把割礼传给你们(其实割礼不是从摩西开始的,而是从列祖开始的),因此,你们在安息日也给人行割礼。 23 如果人在安息日行割礼,为的是要遵守摩西的律法,那么我在安息日使一个人全身健康,你们就向我生气吗? 24 不要按外貌判断人,总要公公平平地判断人。”

他是基督吗?

25 当时,有些耶路撒冷人说:“这不是他们想要杀的人吗? 26 你看,他还在公开地讲话,竟然没有人对他说甚么,难道官长们真的认为这个人就是基督吗? 27 可是我们知道这个人是从哪里来的,只是基督来的时候,没有人知道他是从哪里来的!” 28 当时耶稣在殿里教导人,大声说:“你们以为认识我,也知道我从哪里来,其实我不是凭着自己的意思来的,但那差我来的是真实的,你们却不认识他。 29 然而我认识他,因为我从他那里来,也是他差我来的。” 30 于是他们想逮捕他,只是没有人下手,因为他的时候还没有到。 31 群众中有许多人信了他。他们说:“基督来的时候,他所行的神迹,能比这人所行的更多吗?”

法利赛人等想逮捕耶稣

32 法利赛人听见群众纷纷议论这些关于耶稣的事,祭司长和法利赛人就派差役去逮捕耶稣。 33 于是耶稣说:“我跟你们在一起的时候不多了,我要回到那差我来的那里去。 34 你们要寻找我,却找不着;我所在的地方,你们是不能去的。” 35 犹太人彼此说:“这个人要到哪里去,使我们找不着他呢?难道他要到散居在希腊人中的犹太人那里,去教导希腊人吗? 36 他说‘你们要寻找我,却找不着;我所在的地方,你们是不能去的’这话,是甚么意思呢?”

信的人要接受圣灵

37 节期的最后一天,就是最隆重的那一天,耶稣站着高声说:“人若渴了,可以到我这里来喝! 38 信我的人,就像圣经所说的,从他的腹中要涌流出活水的江河来。” 39 他这话是指着信他的人要接受圣灵说的;那时圣灵还没有降临,因为耶稣还没有得着荣耀。

群众因耶稣起了纷争

40 群众中有人听了这些话,就说:“这真是‘那位先知’!” 41 另有人说:“他是基督。”还有人说:“基督是从加利利出来的吗? 42 圣经不是说基督是大卫的后裔,是从大卫本乡伯利恒出来的吗?” 43 群众因为耶稣的缘故,就起了纷争。 44 他们中间有人想逮捕耶稣,只是没有人下手。

官长不信耶稣

45 差役回到祭司长和法利赛人那里。他们就问差役:“你们为甚么没有把他带来?” 46 差役回答:“从来没有人像他这样讲话的!” 47 法利赛人说:“连你们也受了欺骗吗? 48 官长或法利赛人中间有谁是信他的呢? 49 至于这群不明白律法的人,他们是可咒诅的。” 50 他们当中有一个人,就是以前来见耶稣的尼哥德慕,对他们说: 51 “如果不先听取他本人的口供,查明他所作的事,我们的律法怎能把他定罪呢?” 52 他们回答:“你也是从加利利出来的吗?你去考查一下,就知道先知是不会从加利利兴起的。”

53 于是各人都回家去了。(后期抄本才加上7:53~8:11)

I fratelli di Gesú non credono in lui

(A)Dopo queste cose, Gesú se ne andava per la *Galilea, non volendo fare altrettanto in *Giudea perché i Giudei cercavano di ucciderlo.

Or la *festa dei Giudei, detta delle Capanne, era vicina. Perciò i suoi fratelli gli dissero: «Parti di qua e va' in Giudea, affinché i tuoi discepoli vedano anch'essi le opere che tu fai. Poiché nessuno agisce in segreto, quando cerca di essere riconosciuto pubblicamente. Se tu fai queste cose, manifèstati al mondo». Poiché neppure i suoi fratelli credevano in lui. Gesú quindi disse loro: «Il mio tempo non è ancora venuto; il vostro tempo, invece, è sempre pronto. Il mondo non può odiare voi; ma odia me, perché io testimonio di lui che le sue opere sono malvagie. Salite voi alla festa; io non salgo a questa festa, perché il mio tempo non è ancora compiuto». Dette queste cose, rimase in Galilea.

Gesú alla festa delle Capanne

10 (B)Ma quando i suoi fratelli furono saliti alla festa, allora vi salí anche lui; non palesemente, ma come di nascosto. 11 I Giudei dunque lo cercavano durante la festa, e dicevano: «Dov'è quel tale?» 12 Vi era tra la folla un gran mormorio riguardo a lui. Alcuni dicevano: «È un uomo per bene!» Altri dicevano: «No, anzi, svia la gente!» 13 Nessuno però parlava di lui apertamente, per paura dei Giudei.

14 Verso la metà della festa, Gesú salí al *tempio e si mise a insegnare. 15 Perciò i Giudei si meravigliavano e dicevano: «Come mai conosce cosí bene le Scritture senza aver fatto studi?» 16 Gesú rispose loro: «La mia dottrina non è mia, ma di colui che mi ha mandato. 17 Se uno vuol fare la volontà di lui, conoscerà se questa dottrina è da Dio o se io parlo di mio. 18 Chi parla di suo cerca la propria gloria; ma chi cerca la gloria di colui che l'ha mandato, è veritiero e non vi è ingiustizia in lui. 19 *Mosè non vi ha forse dato la legge? Eppure nessuno di voi mette in pratica la legge! Perché cercate d'uccidermi?» 20 La gente rispose: «Tu hai un demonio! Chi cerca di ucciderti?» 21 Gesú rispose loro: «Un'opera[a] sola ho fatto, e tutti ve ne meravigliate. 22 Mosè vi ha dato la circoncisione (non che venga da Mosè, ma viene dai pa- dri); e voi circoncidete l'uomo in giorno di sabato. 23 Se un uomo riceve la circoncisione di sabato affinché la legge[b] di Mosè non sia violata, vi adirate voi contro di me perché in giorno di sabato ho guarito un uomo tutto intero? 24 Non giudicate secondo l'apparenza, ma giudicate secondo giustizia».

25 Perciò alcuni di *Gerusalemme dicevano: «Non è questi colui che cercano di uccidere? 26 Eppure, ecco, egli parla liberamente, e non gli dicono nulla. Che i capi abbiano riconosciuto per davvero che egli è il Cristo? 27 Eppure, costui sappiamo di dov'è; ma quando il Cristo verrà, nessuno saprà di dove egli sia». 28 Gesú dunque, insegnando nel tempio, esclamò: «Voi certamente mi conoscete e sapete di dove sono; però non son venuto da me, ma colui che mi ha mandato è veritiero, e voi non lo conoscete. 29 Io lo conosco, perché vengo da lui, ed è lui che mi ha mandato». 30 Cercavano perciò di arrestarlo, ma nessuno gli mise le mani addosso, perché l'ora sua non era ancora venuta.

31 Ma molti della folla credettero in lui, e dicevano: «Quando il Cristo sarà venuto, farà piú segni miracolosi[c] di quanti ne abbia fatto questi?» 32 I *farisei udirono la gente mormorare queste cose di lui; e i capi dei *sacerdoti e i farisei mandarono delle guardie per arrestarlo.

33 Perciò Gesú disse loro: «Io sono ancora con voi per poco tempo; poi me ne vado a colui che mi ha mandato. 34 Voi mi cercherete e non mi troverete; e dove io sarò, voi non potete venire». 35 Perciò i Giudei dissero tra di loro: «Dove andrà dunque ché noi non lo troveremo? Andrà forse da quelli che sono dispersi tra i Greci[d], a insegnare ai Greci? 36 Che significano queste sue parole: “Voi mi cercherete e non mi troverete”; e: “Dove io sarò voi non potete venire?”»

Fiumi d'acqua viva

37 (C)Nell'ultimo giorno, il giorno piú solenne della festa, Gesú stando in piedi esclamò: «Se qualcuno ha sete, venga a me e beva. 38 Chi crede in me, come ha detto la Scrittura, fiumi d'acqua viva sgorgheranno dal suo seno». 39 Disse questo dello Spirito, che dovevano ricevere quelli che avrebbero creduto in lui; lo Spirito, infatti, non era ancora stato dato, perché Gesú non era ancora glorificato.

Quel che la gente dice di Gesú

40 (D)Una parte dunque della gente, udite quelle parole, diceva: «Questi è davvero il *profeta». 41 Altri dicevano: «Questi è il Cristo». Altri, invece, dicevano: «Ma è forse dalla Galilea che viene il Cristo? 42 La Scrittura non dice forse che il Cristo viene dalla discendenza di *Davide e da *Betlemme, il villaggio dove stava Davide?» 43 Vi fu dunque dissenso, tra la gente, a causa sua; 44 e alcuni di loro lo volevano arrestare, ma nessuno gli mise le mani addosso.

45 Le guardie dunque tornarono dai capi dei sacerdoti e dai farisei, i quali dissero loro: «Perché non l'avete portato?» 46 Le guardie risposero: «Nessuno parlò mai come quest'uomo!» 47 Perciò i farisei replicarono loro: «Siete stati sedotti anche voi? 48 Ha qualcuno dei capi o dei farisei creduto in lui? 49 Ma questo popolino, che non conosce la legge, è maledetto!» 50 *Nicodemo (uno di loro, quello che prima era andato da lui) disse: 51 «La nostra legge giudica forse un uomo prima che sia stato udito e che si sappia quello che ha fatto?» 52 Essi gli risposero: «Sei anche tu di Galilea? Esamina, e vedrai che dalla Galilea non sorge profeta».

53 [E ognuno se ne andò a casa sua.

Footnotes

  1. Giovanni 7:21 Un'opera, la guarigione di un malato in giorno di sabato.
  2. Giovanni 7:23 La legge, che prescriveva la circoncisione l'ottavo giorno dopo la nascita, senza eccezione per il sabato.
  3. Giovanni 7:31 Segni miracolosi, lett. segni.
  4. Giovanni 7:35 Quelli che sono dispersi tra i Greci: i Giudei dispersi in mezzo alle nazioni pagane.

Jesus Goes to the Festival of Tabernacles

After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want[a] to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders(A) there were looking for a way to kill him.(B) But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles(C) was near, Jesus’ brothers(D) said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” For even his own brothers did not believe in him.(E)

Therefore Jesus told them, “My time(F) is not yet here; for you any time will do. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me(G) because I testify that its works are evil.(H) You go to the festival. I am not[b] going up to this festival, because my time(I) has not yet fully come.” After he had said this, he stayed in Galilee.

10 However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. 11 Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus(J) and asking, “Where is he?”

12 Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.”

Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.”(K) 13 But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders.(L)

Jesus Teaches at the Festival

14 Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach.(M) 15 The Jews(N) there were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning(O) without having been taught?”(P)

16 Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me.(Q) 17 Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out(R) whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18 Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory,(S) but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. 19 Has not Moses given you the law?(T) Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”(U)

20 “You are demon-possessed,”(V) the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?”

21 Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle,(W) and you are all amazed. 22 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision(X) (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs),(Y) you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. 23 Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? 24 Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”(Z)

Division Over Who Jesus Is

25 At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?(AA) 26 Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities(AB) really concluded that he is the Messiah?(AC) 27 But we know where this man is from;(AD) when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.”

28 Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts,(AE) cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from.(AF) I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true.(AG) You do not know him, 29 but I know him(AH) because I am from him and he sent me.”(AI)

30 At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him,(AJ) because his hour had not yet come.(AK) 31 Still, many in the crowd believed in him.(AL) They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs(AM) than this man?”

32 The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.

33 Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time,(AN) and then I am 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 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered(AQ) among the Greeks,(AR) and teach the Greeks? 36 What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”(AS)

37 On the last and greatest day of the festival,(AT) Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.(AU) 38 Whoever believes(AV) in me, as Scripture has said,(AW) rivers of living water(AX) will flow from within them.”[c](AY) 39 By this he meant the Spirit,(AZ) whom those who believed in him were later to receive.(BA) Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.(BB)

40 On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.”(BC)

41 Others said, “He is the Messiah.”

Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee?(BD) 42 Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants(BE) and from Bethlehem,(BF) the town where David lived?” 43 Thus the people were divided(BG) because of Jesus. 44 Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.(BH)

Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders

45 Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”

46 “No one ever spoke the way this man does,”(BI) the guards replied.

47 “You mean he has deceived you also?”(BJ) the Pharisees retorted. 48 “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him?(BK) 49 No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.”

50 Nicodemus,(BL) who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, 51 “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”

52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”(BM)


[The earliest manuscripts and many other ancient witnesses do not have John 7:53—8:11. A few manuscripts include these verses, wholly or in part, after John 7:36, John 21:25, Luke 21:38 or Luke 24:53.]

53 Then they all went home,

Footnotes

  1. John 7:1 Some manuscripts not have authority
  2. John 7:8 Some manuscripts not yet
  3. John 7:38 Or me. And let anyone drink 38 who believes in me.” As Scripture has said, “Out of him (or them) will flow rivers of living water.”