7:1 Following this, Jesus stayed in Galilee, for he was unwilling to stay around Judea because the Jewish temple officials sought to kill him.
7:2 But as the Prophets' Festival of Tabernacles was soon,
7:3 Jesus' brothers said to him, "Leave here and go into Judea, so that your students there may see the service you are doing.
7:4 For nothing is secret for those who speak freely. If you have done these things, show yourself to the world."
7:5 For not even his own brothers believed in him.
7:6 Thus Jesus said to them, "My time has not come, but your time is always at hand.
7:7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its deeds are wicked.
7:8 Go up to the festival yourselves; I am not going to this festival because my time has not yet fully come."
7:9 Having said these things to them, he remained in Galilee.
7:10 However, once his brothers left for the festival, he also went there, not publicly, but as if in secret.
7:11 Thus the Jewish officials sought him at the festival, saying "Where is he?"
7:12 There was much murmuring among the crowds regarding him. Some said, "He is a good man" while others said, "No, on the contrary, he leads the people astray."
7:13 Yet no one was speaking openly about him, fearing the Jewish officials.
7:14 But in the midst of the festival, Jesus went into the temple and began teaching.
7:15 The Jewish officials were astonished, saying, "How has this man become so learned, having never been educated?"
7:16 Thus Jesus answered them and said, "My teaching is not mine, but comes from He who sent me.
7:17 A person who seeks to please Him will know whether these teachings are from God or whether I speak from myself.
7:18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory. But he who seeks the glory of the One who sends him speaks the Truth - and there is no fault in him.
7:19 Did not Moses give you instructions? Yet not one of you carries out these instructions. Why do you seek to kill me?"
7:20 The crowd answered, "Who seeks to kill you? You have divine power!"
7:21 Jesus answered them, "I did one miracle and you are all amazed.
7:22 For this reason Moses gave you circumcision - not because it is from Moses, but from the ancestors - and on the Sabbath you circumcise men.
7:23 If a man can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses will not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man's whole body on the Sabbath?
7:24 Do not judge by appearances - but make righteous decisions."
7:25 Then some of the people of Jerusalem asked, "Is this not the man whom they are seeking to kill?
7:26 Look, he is speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to him. The officials do not really know he is Anointed by God [Messiah, Christ], do they?
7:27 While we know where this man is from; whenever the Anointed of God [Messiah, Christ] will appear, no one is supposed to know where he is from."
7:28 Then Jesus spoke loudly from the temple, teaching and saying, "You know me and know where I am from; but I am not here on my own authority, for He who sent me is real - He whom you do not know.
7:29 I know Him because I am from Him and He sent me."
7:30 Thus they sought to seize him but no one laid a hand on him because his time had not yet arrived.
7:31 But many in the crowd trusted in him. They said, "Could the Anointed of God [Messiah, Christ] perform more signs than this man has?"
7:32 The pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things about him, and the chief priests and pharisees sent officers to seize him.
7:33 Therefore Jesus said, "For a little while longer I will be with you, then I go to Him who sent me.
7:34 You will look for me and will not find me; and you cannot come where I will be."
7:35 The Jewish officials then said to each other, "Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? He is not intending to go among the Greeks and teach the Greeks is he?
7:36 What is he teaching about as he says, "You will look for me and not find me and you cannot come where I will be"?
7:37 Now during the last day - the great festival day - Jesus stood and said loudly, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.
7:38 One who trusts in me: As Scripture says, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'
7:39 And he was referring to the Holy Spirit, who would come forth for those who trusted in him. For the Holy Spirit had not yet come forth because Jesus had not yet returned to the spiritual realm.1
7:40 When they heard his words, some of the people thus said, "Certainly this is the Prophet."
7:41 Others were saying, "He is Anointed by God [Messiah, Christ]." Still others said, "Surely the Anointed of God [Messiah, Christ] is not going to come from Galilee, is he?
7:42 Does the Scripture not say the Anointed of God [Messiah, Christ] comes from the heritage of David and from Bethlehem - the village where David lived?"
7:43 Thus a division occurred in the crowd because of him.
7:44 Some of them wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.
7:45 The officers returned to the chief priests and pharisees who asked them, "Why did you not bring him in?"
7:46 The officers replied, "Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks."
7:47 The pharisees then responded, "You have not been led astray have you?"
7:48 "None of the officials or pharisees has trusted in him, has he?"
7:49 "But this crowd, which does not know the Scripture, is cursed."
7:50 Nicodemus, who was with Jesus earlier, being among his followers, said,
7:51 "Our Scriptures do not condemn a man without first hearing from him and knowing what he has done."
7:52 They replied, "You are not from Galilee too are you? Search and you will find that no prophet comes from Galilee."
7:53 Everyone then went home.
Footnote:
1. Verse 7:39. The Greek word δοξάζω (doxazō) means, according to the lexicon, "to make glorious, make renowned, adorn with luster, clothe with splendor." In the context of describing Jesus' exaltation after his departure from the physical realm – coinciding with the influence of the Holy Spirit (see John 14:16, John 14:26, John 15:26 and John 16:7), this indicates a reference to Jesus' coming ascension to the spiritual realm.
7:2 But as the Prophets' Festival of Tabernacles was soon,
7:3 Jesus' brothers said to him, "Leave here and go into Judea, so that your students there may see the service you are doing.
7:4 For nothing is secret for those who speak freely. If you have done these things, show yourself to the world."
7:5 For not even his own brothers believed in him.
7:6 Thus Jesus said to them, "My time has not come, but your time is always at hand.
7:7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its deeds are wicked.
7:8 Go up to the festival yourselves; I am not going to this festival because my time has not yet fully come."
7:9 Having said these things to them, he remained in Galilee.
7:10 However, once his brothers left for the festival, he also went there, not publicly, but as if in secret.
7:11 Thus the Jewish officials sought him at the festival, saying "Where is he?"
7:12 There was much murmuring among the crowds regarding him. Some said, "He is a good man" while others said, "No, on the contrary, he leads the people astray."
7:13 Yet no one was speaking openly about him, fearing the Jewish officials.
7:14 But in the midst of the festival, Jesus went into the temple and began teaching.
7:15 The Jewish officials were astonished, saying, "How has this man become so learned, having never been educated?"
7:16 Thus Jesus answered them and said, "My teaching is not mine, but comes from He who sent me.
7:17 A person who seeks to please Him will know whether these teachings are from God or whether I speak from myself.
7:18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory. But he who seeks the glory of the One who sends him speaks the Truth - and there is no fault in him.
7:19 Did not Moses give you instructions? Yet not one of you carries out these instructions. Why do you seek to kill me?"
7:20 The crowd answered, "Who seeks to kill you? You have divine power!"
7:21 Jesus answered them, "I did one miracle and you are all amazed.
7:22 For this reason Moses gave you circumcision - not because it is from Moses, but from the ancestors - and on the Sabbath you circumcise men.
7:23 If a man can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses will not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man's whole body on the Sabbath?
7:24 Do not judge by appearances - but make righteous decisions."
7:25 Then some of the people of Jerusalem asked, "Is this not the man whom they are seeking to kill?
7:26 Look, he is speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to him. The officials do not really know he is Anointed by God [Messiah, Christ], do they?
7:27 While we know where this man is from; whenever the Anointed of God [Messiah, Christ] will appear, no one is supposed to know where he is from."
7:28 Then Jesus spoke loudly from the temple, teaching and saying, "You know me and know where I am from; but I am not here on my own authority, for He who sent me is real - He whom you do not know.
7:29 I know Him because I am from Him and He sent me."
7:30 Thus they sought to seize him but no one laid a hand on him because his time had not yet arrived.
7:31 But many in the crowd trusted in him. They said, "Could the Anointed of God [Messiah, Christ] perform more signs than this man has?"
7:32 The pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things about him, and the chief priests and pharisees sent officers to seize him.
7:33 Therefore Jesus said, "For a little while longer I will be with you, then I go to Him who sent me.
7:34 You will look for me and will not find me; and you cannot come where I will be."
7:35 The Jewish officials then said to each other, "Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? He is not intending to go among the Greeks and teach the Greeks is he?
7:36 What is he teaching about as he says, "You will look for me and not find me and you cannot come where I will be"?
7:37 Now during the last day - the great festival day - Jesus stood and said loudly, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.
7:38 One who trusts in me: As Scripture says, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'
7:39 And he was referring to the Holy Spirit, who would come forth for those who trusted in him. For the Holy Spirit had not yet come forth because Jesus had not yet returned to the spiritual realm.1
7:40 When they heard his words, some of the people thus said, "Certainly this is the Prophet."
7:41 Others were saying, "He is Anointed by God [Messiah, Christ]." Still others said, "Surely the Anointed of God [Messiah, Christ] is not going to come from Galilee, is he?
7:42 Does the Scripture not say the Anointed of God [Messiah, Christ] comes from the heritage of David and from Bethlehem - the village where David lived?"
7:43 Thus a division occurred in the crowd because of him.
7:44 Some of them wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.
7:45 The officers returned to the chief priests and pharisees who asked them, "Why did you not bring him in?"
7:46 The officers replied, "Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks."
7:47 The pharisees then responded, "You have not been led astray have you?"
7:48 "None of the officials or pharisees has trusted in him, has he?"
7:49 "But this crowd, which does not know the Scripture, is cursed."
7:50 Nicodemus, who was with Jesus earlier, being among his followers, said,
7:51 "Our Scriptures do not condemn a man without first hearing from him and knowing what he has done."
7:52 They replied, "You are not from Galilee too are you? Search and you will find that no prophet comes from Galilee."
7:53 Everyone then went home.
Footnote:
1. Verse 7:39. The Greek word δοξάζω (doxazō) means, according to the lexicon, "to make glorious, make renowned, adorn with luster, clothe with splendor." In the context of describing Jesus' exaltation after his departure from the physical realm – coinciding with the influence of the Holy Spirit (see John 14:16, John 14:26, John 15:26 and John 16:7), this indicates a reference to Jesus' coming ascension to the spiritual realm.
