John 7
Expanded Bible
Jesus’ Brothers Don’t Believe
7 After this, Jesus ·traveled [walked] around Galilee. He did not want to ·travel [walk] in Judea, because the ·Jewish leaders [L Jews] there ·wanted [sought] to kill him [see 5:18]. 2 [L But] It was [L near the] time for the Feast of ·Shelters [Tabernacles; Booths; C an important annual festival celebrating harvest, sometimes known as Ingathering, and commemorating the exodus from Egypt; Ex. 23:16; Lev. 23:33–44; Deut. 16:13–17]. 3 So Jesus’ brothers [C children of Joseph and Mary born after Jesus, or children of Joseph from a previous marriage; Mark 3:21, 31–35] said to him, “You should leave here and go to Judea so your ·followers [disciples] there can see the ·miracles [L works] you do. 4 [L For] Anyone who wants to be ·well [publicly] known does not ·hide what he does [L act in secret]. If you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 ([L For] Even Jesus’ brothers did not believe in him.)
6 [L Therefore] Jesus said to his brothers, “·The right time for me [L My time; 2:4] has not yet come, but any time is right for you [C they could go to Jerusalem anytime; but Jesus had a special destiny to fulfill there]. 7 The world cannot hate you [C because they are part of it], but it hates me, because I ·tell it [testify concerning; witness to] ·the evil things it does [L that its works are evil]. 8 So you go [L up] to the feast. I will not go [L up] yet[a] to this feast, because ·the right time for me [my time] has not yet ·come [fully come; L been fulfilled].” 9 After saying this, Jesus ·stayed [remained behind] in Galilee.
10 But after Jesus’ brothers had gone [L up] to the feast, Jesus went [L up] also. But he did not ·let people see him [L go publicly, but in secret]. 11 At the feast ·some people [the Jewish leaders; L the Jews] were ·looking for [watching for] him and saying, “Where is that man?”
12 Within the large crowd there, many people were ·whispering [arguing; murmuring; grumbling] to each other about Jesus. Some said, “He is a good man.”
Others said, “No, he ·fools [deceives; misleads] the people.” 13 But no one was brave enough to talk about Jesus openly, because they were afraid of the ·elders [the Jewish leaders; L the Jews].
Jesus Teaches at the Feast
14 When the feast was about half over, Jesus went to the Temple [courts; 2:14] and began to teach. 15 The people ·were amazed [marveled] and said, “This man has never studied in school. How did he learn so much?”
16 Jesus answered them, “The things I teach are not my own, but they come from him who sent me [C God]. 17 If people ·choose [desire; want] to do ·what God wants [L God’s will], they will know that my teaching comes from God and not from me. 18 Those who ·teach their own ideas [speak with their own authority] are trying to get ·honor [glory] for themselves. But those who try to bring ·honor [glory] to the one who sent them speak the truth, and there is nothing ·false [or unrighteous] in them. [C The Greek here is singular (“But the one who…”), so Jesus is speaking especially about himself.] 19 Moses gave you the law [L Has not Moses given you the law?; Ex. 34:29–32], but none of you obeys that law. Why are you trying to kill me?”
20 The people answered, “A demon has come into you [L You have a demon]. We are not trying to kill you [L Who is trying to kill you?].”
21 Jesus ·said to [answered] them, “I did one ·miracle [L work; deed; 5:1–15], and you are all ·amazed [astonished]. 22 Moses gave you the law about circumcision [Ex. 12:44–49]. (But really Moses did not give you circumcision; it came from ·our ancestors [L the fathers/patriarchs; Gen. 17:9–14].) And yet you circumcise a ·baby boy [L person] on a Sabbath day. 23 If a ·baby boy [L person] can be circumcised on a Sabbath day ·to obey the law of Moses [L so the law of Moses may not be broken], why are you angry at me for healing a person’s whole body on the Sabbath day? 24 Stop judging by ·the way things look [outward appearances], but judge by ·what is really right [L right/just/righteous judgment].”
Is Jesus the Christ?
25 Then some of the people who lived in Jerusalem said, “·This is the man [L Isn’t this the man…?] they are trying to kill. 26 But he is ·teaching where everyone can see and hear him [L speaking publicly], and no one is ·trying to stop [L saying anything to] him. Maybe the ·leaders [rulers; authorities] have ·decided [come to recognize] he really is the ·Christ [Messiah]. 27 But we know where this man is from. Yet when the real ·Christ [Messiah] comes, no one will know where he comes from.” [C Some Jewish traditions claimed the Messiah would be unknown until he came to deliver Israel.]
28 Jesus, teaching in the Temple [courts; 2:14], cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. But I have not come ·by my own authority [on my own initiative; L from myself]. I was sent by the One who is true, whom you don’t know. 29 But I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.”
30 When Jesus said this, they tried to ·seize [arrest] him. But no one was able to ·touch him [L lay a hand on him], because ·it was not yet the right time [L his hour had not yet come; see 2:4]. 31 But many ·of the people [L in the crowd] believed in Jesus. They said, “When the ·Christ [Messiah] comes, will he do more ·miracles [L signs] than this man has done?”
The Leaders Try to Arrest Jesus
32 The Pharisees [see 1:24] heard the crowd ·whispering [arguing; murmuring; grumbling] these things about Jesus. So the leading priests and the Pharisees sent some Temple ·guards [police; officers] to ·arrest [seize] him. 33 [L Therefore] Jesus said, “I will be with you a little while longer. Then I will go back to the One who sent me. 34 You will ·look for [seek] me, but you will not find me. And you cannot come where I am [C in heaven].”
35 [L Therefore] ·Some people [The Jewish leaders; L The Jews] said to each other, “Where will this man go so we cannot find him? Will he go to the ·Greek cities where our people live [L dispersion/scattering among the Greeks; C ever since the Babylonian exile many Jewish people had lived outside the land of Israel] and teach the Greek people there? [C The Jews often used “Greeks” for Gentiles generally.] 36 What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘You cannot come where I am’?”
Jesus Talks About the Spirit
37 On the last and ·most important [L greatest] day of the feast Jesus stood up and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. [C The feast of Shelters/Tabernacles featured a water pouring ritual that may stand in the background of Jesus’ speech.] 38 If anyone believes in me, rivers of living water will flow out from that person’s ·heart [L belly; gut], as the Scripture says [Is. 55:1; 58:11; Ezek. 47:1–12; Zech. 14:8, compare John 4:10–11; Rev. 7:17; 22:1].” 39 Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit. The Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been ·raised to glory [glorified]. But later, those who believed in Jesus would receive the Spirit.
The People Argue About Jesus
40 When the people heard Jesus’ words, some of them said, “This man really is the Prophet [1:21; C the “prophet like Moses” of Deut. 18:15–18].”
41 Others said, “He is the ·Christ [Messiah].”
Still others said, “The ·Christ [Messiah] will not come from Galilee. 42 The Scripture says that the ·Christ [Messiah] will come from David’s ·family [offspring; L seed; 2 Sam. 7:12–16; Ps. 89:3–4; Is. 9:7; 55:3] and from Bethlehem, the ·town [village] where David lived [Mic. 5:2].” 43 So ·the people did not agree with each other [L there was a division in the crowd] about Jesus. 44 Some of them wanted to ·arrest [seize] him, but no one was able to ·touch [L lay a hand on] him.
Some Leaders Won’t Believe
45 [L Therefore] The Temple ·guards [police; officers] went back to the ·leading [T chief] priests and the Pharisees, who asked, “Why didn’t you bring Jesus?”
46 The ·guards [police; officers] answered, “·The words he says are greater than the words of any other person who has ever spoken [L No one has ever spoken like this]!”
47 [L Therefore] The Pharisees answered them, “So Jesus has ·fooled [deceived; led astray] you also! 48 Have any of the ·leaders [rulers; authorities] or the Pharisees believed in him? No! 49 But ·these people [L this crowd], who know nothing about the law, are ·under God’s curse [accursed].”
50 Nicodemus, who had gone to see Jesus before [see 3:1–21], was in that group. He said, 51 “·Our law does not [L Does our law…?] judge a person without hearing him and knowing what he has done.”
52 They answered, “Are you from Galilee, too? ·Study the Scriptures, and you will learn [L Search and see] that no prophet comes from Galilee.”
Some of the earliest surviving Greek copies do not contain 7:53—8:11.
|53 And everyone left and went home.
Footnotes
- John 7:8 yet Some Greek copies do not have this word.
John 7
Names of God Bible
Jesus Goes to the Festival of Booths
7 Yeshua later traveled throughout Galilee. He didn’t want to travel in Judea because Jews there wanted to kill him.
2 The time for the Jewish Festival of Booths was near. 3 So Yeshua’s brothers told him, “Leave this place, and go to Judea so that your disciples can see the things that you’re doing. 4 No one does things secretly when he wants to be known publicly. If you do these things, you should let the world see you.” 5 Even his brothers didn’t believe in him.
6 Yeshua told them, “Now is not the right time for me to go. Any time is right for you. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I say that what everyone does is evil. 8 Go to the festival. I’m not going to this festival right now. Now is not the right time for me to go.”
9 After saying this, Yeshua stayed in Galilee. 10 But after his brothers had gone to the festival, Yeshua went. He didn’t go publicly but secretly.
11 The Jews were looking for Yeshua in the crowd at the festival. They kept asking, “Where is that man?” 12 The crowds argued about Yeshua. Some people said, “He’s a good man,” while others said, “No he isn’t. He deceives the people.” 13 Yet, no one would talk openly about him because they were afraid of the Jews.
14 When the festival was half over, Yeshua went to the temple courtyard and began to teach. 15 The Jews were surprised and asked, “How can this man be so educated when he hasn’t gone to school?”
16 Yeshua responded to them, “What I teach doesn’t come from me but from the one who sent me. 17 Those who want to follow the will of God will know if what I teach is from God or if I teach my own thoughts. 18 Those who speak their own thoughts are looking for their own glory. But the man who wants to bring glory to the one who sent him is a true teacher and doesn’t have dishonest motives. 19 Didn’t Moses give you his teachings? Yet, none of you does what Moses taught you. So why do you want to kill me?”
20 The crowd answered, “You’re possessed by a demon! Who wants to kill you?”
21 Yeshua answered them, “I performed one miracle, and all of you are surprised by it. 22 Moses gave you the teaching about circumcision (although it didn’t come from Moses but from our ancestors). So you circumcise a male on a day of worship. 23 If you circumcise a male on the day of worship to follow Moses’ Teachings, why are you angry with me because I made a man entirely well on the day of worship? 24 Stop judging by outward appearance! Instead, judge correctly.”
25 Some of the people who lived in Jerusalem said, “Isn’t this the man they want to kill? 26 But look at this! He’s speaking in public, and no one is saying anything to him! Can it be that the rulers really know that this man is the Messiah? 27 However, we know where this man comes from. When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.”
28 Then, while Yeshua was teaching in the temple courtyard, he said loudly, “You know me, and you know where I come from. I didn’t decide to come on my own. The one who sent me is true. He’s the one you don’t know. 29 I know him because I am from him and he sent me.”
30 The Jews tried to arrest him but couldn’t because his time had not yet come.
31 However, many people in the crowd believed in him. They asked, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more miracles than this man has?”
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd saying things like this about him. So the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest Yeshua.
33 Yeshua said, “I will still be with you for a little while. Then I’ll go to the one who sent me. 34 You will look for me, but you won’t find me. You can’t go where I’m going.”
35 The Jews said among themselves, “Where does this man intend to go so that we won’t find him? Does he mean that he’ll live with the Jews who are scattered among the Greeks and that he’ll teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean when he says, ‘You will look for me, but you won’t find me,’ and ‘You can’t go where I’m going’?”
37 On the last and most important day of the festival, Yeshua was standing in the temple courtyard. He said loudly, “Whoever is thirsty must come to me to drink. 38 As Scripture says, ‘Streams of living water will flow from deep within the person who believes in me.’” 39 Yeshua said this about the Spirit, whom his believers would receive. The Spirit was not yet evident, as it would be after Yeshua had been glorified.
40 After some of the crowd heard Yeshua say these words, they said, “This man is certainly the prophet.” 41 Other people said, “This man is the Messiah.” Still other people asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee? 42 Doesn’t Scripture say that the Messiah will come from the descendants of David and from the village of Bethlehem, where David lived?” 43 So the people were divided because of Yeshua. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but they couldn’t.
45 When the temple guards returned, the chief priests and Pharisees asked them, “Why didn’t you bring Yeshua?”
46 The temple guards answered, “No human has ever spoken like this man.”
47 The Pharisees asked the temple guards, “Have you been deceived too? 48 Has any ruler or any Pharisee believed in him? 49 This crowd is cursed because it doesn’t know Moses’ Teachings.”
50 One of those Pharisees was Nicodemus, who had previously visited Yeshua. Nicodemus asked them, 51 “Do Moses’ Teachings enable us to judge a person without first hearing that person’s side of the story? We can’t judge a person without finding out what that person has done.”
52 They asked Nicodemus, “Are you saying this because you’re from Galilee? Study the Scriptures, and you’ll see that no prophet comes from Galilee.”[a]
53 Then each of them went home.
Footnotes
- John 7:52 John 7:53–8:11 is not found in many manuscripts and some translations. Some manuscripts place these verses between 7:36 and 7:37. Other manuscripts place them between 7:44 and 7:45. Others place them after 21:25, and some place them between Luke 21:38 and 22:1.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.