John 7

7Later Jesus was going about his business in Galilee. He didn't want to travel in Judea because the Jews there were looking for a chance to kill him.G2532G3326G5023G2424G4043G1722G1056G1063G2309G3756G4043G1722G2449G3754G2453G2212G615G8462It was near the time of Tabernacles, a feast observed annually by the Jews.G1161G2453G1859G4634G2258G14513His brothers said, "Why don't you leave here and go up to the Feast so your disciples can get a good look at the works you do?G846G80G3767G2036G4314G846G3327G1782G2532G5217G1519G2449G2443G4675G3101G2532G2334G2041G3739G4675G41604No one who intends to be publicly known does everything behind the scenes. If you're serious about what you are doing, come out in the open and show the world."G1063G3762G4160G5100G1722G2927G2532G846G2212G1511G1722G3954G1487G4160G5023G5319G4572G28895His brothers were pushing him like this because they didn't believe in him either.G1063G3761G4100G846G80G4100G1519G8466Jesus came back at them, "Don't crowd me. This isn't my time. It's your time—it's always your time; you have nothing to lose.G3767G2424G3004G846G1699G2540G3918G3768G3918G1161G5212G2540G2076G3842G20927The world has nothing against you, but it's up in arms against me. It's against me because I expose the evil behind its pretensions.G2889G3756G1410G3404G5209G1161G1691G3404G3754G1473G3140G4012G846G3754G2041G846G2076G41908You go ahead, go up to the Feast. Don't wait for me. I'm not ready. It's not the right time for me."G305G5210G305G1519G5026G1859G1473G305G3768G305G3768G1519G5026G1859G3754G1699G2540G4137G3768G41379He said this and stayed on in Galilee.G1161G2036G5023G846G3306G1722G105610But later, after his family had gone up to the Feast, he also went. But he kept out of the way, careful not to draw attention to himself.G1161G5613G846G80G305G5119G305G846G2532G305G1519G1859G3756G5320G235G5613G1722G292711The Jews were already out looking for him, asking around, "Where is that man?"G3767G2453G2212G846G1722G1859G2532G3004G4226G2076G156512There was a lot of contentious talk about him circulating through the crowds. Some were saying, "He's a good man." But others said, "Not so. He's selling snake oil."G2532G2258G4183G1112G1722G3793G4012G846G3303G3004G3754G2076G18G1161G243G3004G3756G235G4105G379313This kind of talk went on in guarded whispers because of the intimidating Jewish leaders.G3305G3762G2980G3954G4012G846G1223G5401G2453

Could It Be the Messiah?

14With the Feast already half over, Jesus showed up in the Temple, teaching.G2235G1161G3322G1859G2424G305G1519G2411G2532G132115The Jews were impressed, but puzzled: "How does he know so much without being schooled?"G2532G2453G2296G3004G4459G1492G3778G1121G3129G3361G312916Jesus said, "I didn't make this up. What I teach comes from the One who sent me.G2424G611G846G2532G2036G1699G1322G2076G3756G1699G235G3992G316517Anyone who wants to do his will can test this teaching and know whether it's from God or whether I'm making it up.G1437G5100G2309G4160G846G2307G1097G4012G1322G4220G2076G1537G2316G2228G1473G2980G575G168318A person making things up tries to make himself look good. But someone trying to honor the one who sent him sticks to the facts and doesn't tamper with reality.G2980G575G1438G2212G2398G1391G1161G2212G1391G3992G846G3778G2076G227G2532G3756G93G2076G1722G84619It was Moses, wasn't it, who gave you God's Law? But none of you are living it. So why are you trying to kill me?"G1325G3756G3475G1325G5213G3551G2532G3762G1537G5216G4160G3551G5101G2212G615G316520The crowd said, "You're crazy! Who's trying to kill you? You're demon-possessed."G3793G611G2532G2036G2192G1140G5101G2212G615G457121Jesus said, "I did one miraculous thing a few months ago, and you're still standing around getting all upset, wondering what I'm up to.G2424G611G2532G2036G846G4160G1520G2041G2532G2296G3956G229622Moses prescribed circumcision—originally it came not from Moses but from his ancestors—and so you circumcise a man, dealing with one part of his body, even if it's the Sabbath.G3475G1223G5124G1325G5213G4061G3756G3754G2076G1537G3475G235G1537G3962G2532G4059G1722G4521G4059G44423You do this in order to preserve one item in the Law of Moses. So why are you upset with me because I made a man's whole body well on the Sabbath?G1487G444G1722G4521G2983G4061G3363G3551G3475G3089G3363G3089G5520G1698G3754G4160G444G3650G5199G1722G452124Don't be nitpickers; use your head—and heart!—to discern what is right, to test what is authentically right."G2919G3361G2596G3799G235G2919G1342G292025That's when some of the people of Jerusalem said, "Isn't this the one they were out to kill?G3767G3004G5100G1537G2415G2076G3756G3778G3739G2212G61526And here he is out in the open, saying whatever he pleases, and no one is stopping him. Could it be that the rulers know that he is, in fact, the Messiah?G2532G2396G2980G3954G2532G3004G3762G846G1097G758G1097G3379G230G3754G3778G2076G230G554727And yet we know where this man came from. The Messiah is going to come out of nowhere. Nobody is going to know where he comes from."G235G1492G5126G4159G2076G1161G3752G5547G2064G3762G1097G4159G207628That provoked Jesus, who was teaching in the Temple, to cry out, "Yes, you think you know me and where I'm from, but that's not where I'm from. I didn't set myself up in business. My true origin is in the One who sent me, and you don't know him at all.G3767G2896G2424G1722G2411G1321G2532G3004G2504G1492G2532G1492G4159G1510G2532G2064G3756G2064G575G1683G235G3992G3165G2076G228G3739G5210G1492G375629I come from him—that's how I know him. He sent me here."G1161G1473G1492G846G3754G1510G3844G846G2548G649G316530They were looking for a way to arrest him, but not a hand was laid on him because it wasn't yet God's time.G3767G2212G4084G846G2532G3762G1911G5495G1909G846G3754G846G5610G2064G3768G206431Many from the crowd committed themselves in faith to him, saying, "Will the Messiah, when he comes, provide better or more convincing evidence than this?"G1161G4183G1537G3793G4100G1519G846G2532G3004G3754G3752G5547G2064G3385G4160G4119G4592G5130G3739G3778G416032The Pharisees, alarmed at this seditious undertow going through the crowd, teamed up with the high priests and sent their police to arrest him.G5330G191G3793G1111G5023G4012G846G2532G5330G2532G749G649G5257G2443G4084G84633Jesus rebuffed them: "I am with you only a short time. Then I go on to the One who sent me.G3767G2036G2424G846G2089G3398G5550G1510G3326G5216G2532G5217G4314G3992G316534You will look for me, but you won't find me. Where I am, you can't come."G2212G3165G2532G2147G3756G2147G2532G3699G1473G1510G5210G3756G1410G206435The Jews put their heads together. "Where do you think he is going that we won't be able to find him? Do you think he is about to travel to the Greek world to teach the Jews?G3767G2036G2453G4314G1438G4226G3195G3778G4198G3754G2249G2147G3756G2147G846G3361G3195G4198G1519G1290G1672G2532G1321G167236What is he talking about, anyway: 'You will look for me, but you won't find me,' and 'Where I am, you can't come'?"G5101G3056G2076G3778G3739G2036G2212G3165G2532G2147G3756G2147G2532G3699G1473G1510G5210G3756G1410G206437On the final and climactic day of the Feast, Jesus took his stand. He cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.G1161G1722G2078G2250G3173G1859G2424G2476G2532G2896G3004G1437G5100G1372G2064G4314G3165G2532G409538Rivers of living water will brim and spill out of the depths of anyone who believes in me this way, just as the Scripture says."G4100G1519G1691G2531G1124G2036G1537G846G2836G4482G4215G2198G520439(He said this in regard to the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were about to receive. The Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified.)G1161G5124G2036G4012G4151G3739G4100G1519G846G3195G2983G1063G40G4151G2258G3768G3754G2424G1392G3764G139240Those in the crowd who heard these words were saying, "This has to be the Prophet."G4183G1537G3793G3767G191G3056G3004G230G3778G2076G439641Others said, "He is the Messiah!" But others were saying, "The Messiah doesn't come from Galilee, does he?G243G3004G3778G2076G5547G1161G243G3004G1063G3361G5547G2064G1537G105642Don't the Scriptures tell us that the Messiah comes from David's line and from Bethlehem, David's village?"G3780G1124G2036G3754G5547G2064G1537G4690G1138G2532G575G2968G965G3699G1138G225843So there was a split in the crowd over him.G3767G1096G4978G1722G3793G1223G84644Some went so far as wanting to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him.G1161G5100G1537G846G2309G4084G846G235G3762G1911G5495G1909G84645That's when the Temple police reported back to the high priests and Pharisees, who demanded, "Why didn't you bring him with you?"G3767G2064G5257G4314G749G2532G5330G2532G1565G2036G846G1302G71G3756G71G84646The police answered, "Have you heard the way he talks? We've never heard anyone speak like this man."G5257G611G3763G444G3779G2980G5613G3778G44447The Pharisees said, "Are you carried away like the rest of the rabble?G3767G611G846G5330G4105G5210G2532G4105G336148You don't see any of the leaders believing in him, do you? Or any from the Pharisees?G3387G1537G758G2228G1537G5330G4100G1519G84649It's only this crowd, ignorant of God's Law, that is taken in by him—and damned."G235G3778G3793G3588G1097G3361G3551G1526G194450Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus earlier and was both a ruler and a Pharisee, spoke up.G3530G3004G4314G846G2064G846G4314G3571G5607G1520G1537G84651"Does our Law decide about a man's guilt without first listening to him and finding out what he is doing?"G2919G2257G3551G2919G3361G444G4386G3362G191G3844G846G2532G1097G5101G416052But they cut him off. "Are you also campaigning for the Galilean?G611G2532G2036G846G3361G1488G4771G2532G1537G1056G2045G2532G1492G3754G1537G1056G1453G3756G439653Examine the evidence. See if any prophet ever comes from Galilee." Then they all went home.G2532G1538G4198G1519G846G3624