John 7

1Jesus went to many places in the country of Galilee. Jesus did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jews there wanted to kill Him.

2It was near the time of the Jewish Feast of tabernacles (tents).

3Jesus’ brothers said to Him: ‘You must go to Judea, and then your disciples can see what miracles You do

4It does not help when You do something but no one can see it, because then no one will know who You are. You must do these miracles so that all the people can see it is You who are doing them.

5Jesus’ brothers said this because even they did not believe in him.

6Jesus said to them: ‘It is not the right time for Me to go. But any time is right for you.

8Jesus said, you can go to the feast. I will not go because it is not the right time for Me to go now.

9After Jesus had talked to his brothers, He stayed in Galilee.

10Sometime after Jesus’ brothers went to the feast, Jesus decided to go to the feast, but He did not want the people to know that He was there.

11At the feast the Jews were looking for Jesus. They asked: ‘Where is that Man?’

12The people talked a lot about Jesus. Some people said Jesus was a good Man and other people said Jesus was not good. They said Jesus lies to the people.

13But no one was brave enough to talk about Jesus openly. They were afraid of the Jewish leaders.

14On the 4th day of the feast Jesus went to the temple and He started to teach the people.

15The Jews were amazed when they heard Jesus. They said: How does Jesus know so many things? No one has taught Him.

16Jesus told them: The things that I teach you do not come from Me. They come from God who has sent Me to the world.

17Anyone who really wants to do what God wants, will know that the things I teach come from God. He will know that this teaching does not come from Me.

18A person who teaches people things that come from himself wants people to think that he is important. This is not what I do. I want people to know that God, who sent Me to the world, is important. That is why people can believe Me and know that I do not lie.

19Moses gave you the laws but not one of you listens and does what the laws say. Why do you want to kill Me?

20The people said to Jesus: A demon is making you crazy! No one is trying to kill You.

21Jesus said to them: I did one miracle on a Sabbath day, and you were all surprised.

22But you work on the Sabbath, too, when you obey Moses’ law of circumcision. (Actually, this tradition of circumcision began with your grandfathers, long before the law of Moses.)

23You circumcise boys on the Sabbath day to obey the laws of Moses. Why are you angry with Me when I heal a man’s whole body on the Sabbath day?

24Stop judging by the way things look. Be fair and judge by what is really right.

25Some of the people in Jerusalem said: ‘There is the Man that the leaders want to kill.

26Jesus speaks bodly to all the people and no one is arguing with Him or saying that He is wrong. Maybe the leaders think that He is the Christ.

27But this Man can not be Christ, because we know where He comes from and when Christ comes, no one will know where He comes from. John 7: 28 Jesus was still teaching in the Temple area when he said loudly, Do you really know me and where I am from? I am here, but not by my own decision. I was sent by one who is very real. But you don’t know him.

29I know God because I come from Him. He is the One who has sent Me.

30When Jesus said this, the people tried to grab him. But no one was able even to touch him, because the right time for him had not yet come.

31A lot of people believe in Jesus. They said: When Christ comes, He will not do more miracles than this Man.

32When the Pharisees heard what the people said about Jesus, they and the chief priests sent guards to Jesus to arrest Him.

33Jesus told them: I will stay with you for a short while, then I will go back to God who has sent Me to the world.

34Then you will look for Me but you will not find Me. You can not go to the place where I am going.

35Then the Jews said to each other: Where will Jesus go where we can not find Him? Is Jesus going to the Gentiles to teach them?

36What does Jesus mean when Jesus says we will look for Him but we will not find Him? Why can’t we go to the place where Jesus is going?

37The last day of the feast was the most important day. Jesus stood up and said loudly: Whoever is thirsty may come to me and believe

38It will be like it is written in the Old Testament: If someone believes in Me, Son of God, rivers of living water will flow out from their heart.

39Jesus was talking about the Spirit. The Spirit had not yet been given to people, because Jesus had not yet been raised to glory. But later, those who believed in Jesus would receive the Spirit.

40Many of the people heard the words that Jesus said and they said: This man is really the Prophet that we are waiting for.

41Other people said: He is the Christ. But some other people said: No, The Christ will not come from Galilee

42In the Old Testament it is written that the Messiah will be from the family of King David. It is also written that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem, the town where David lived.

43And the people argued about Jesus.

44Some of them wanted to arrest Him, but no one tried to do it.

45The guards went back to the chief priests and Pharisees. The priest and the Pharisees asked the guards: Why didn’t you bring Jesus here?

46The guards answered and said: We have never heard any person speak like Jesus speaks.

47The Pharisees asked the guards: Have you also started to believe the lies that Jesus tells?

48Not one of the chief priests or the Pharisees believes in Jesus.

49But those people out there know nothing about the law. They are under God’s curse!”

50Nicodemus was one of the Pharisees. It was he who came to talk to Jesus one night. He said to the Pharisees and the chief priests:

51Our laws say we must first listen to a person and find out everything that he did, then we can judge him.

52The Pharisees said to Nicodemus: You speak like someone who comes from Galilee. Go and read the Old Testament and you will see that no prophet ever came out of Galilee.

53Then all the people went to their homes.