Jesus Teaches at the Feast 1 UST After those things happened, Jesus walked around in the region of Galilee because he did not want to walk around in the region of Judea.{ He avoided Judea} because the Jewish leaders there were trying to find a way to kill him. BSB BSB: After this, Jesus traveled throughout Galilee. He did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jews there were trying to kill Him.
2 UST (Now at that time the Jewish Shelters celebration was about to take place.) BSB BSB: However, the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near.
3 UST Jesus’ brothers told him,“Leave here and go to the region of Judea in order that your disciples can also observe you doing miraculous works. BSB BSB: So Jesus’ brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go to Judea, so that Your disciples there may see the works You are doing.
4 UST { Do your miraculous works in Judea} because no one who wants to be famous does anything secretly. Since you are doing all these miracles, reveal who you{ claim to be} to everyone{ by doing miraculous works}!” BSB BSB: For no one who wants to be known publicly acts in secret. Since You are doing these things, show Yourself to the world.”
6 UST Because{ they did not believe in him,} Jesus told them,“This is not the right time for me{ to go to Jerusalem}, but you can go there whenever you want. BSB BSB: Therefore Jesus told them, “Although your time is always at hand, My time has not yet come.
7 UST No one in the world can hate you. However, everyone hates me because I declare that they do evil deeds. BSB BSB: The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me, because I testify that its works are evil.
8 UST You go{ to Jerusalem} for the celebration. I am not going to the celebration yet, because now is not the right time for me to go.” BSB BSB: Go up to the feast on your own. I am not going up to this feast, because My time has not yet come.”
9 UST After saying that to his brothers, Jesus stayed a little longer in the region of Galilee. BSB BSB: Having said this, Jesus remained in Galilee.
10 UST However, a few days after his brothers left for the festival, he also went, but he did so secretly. BSB BSB: But after His brothers had gone up to the feast, He also went—not publicly, but in secret.
11 UST Because the Jewish leaders{ expected Jesus to be} at the celebration, they tried to find him. They asked people,“Where is that man?” BSB BSB: So the Jews were looking for Him at the feast and asking, “Where is He?”
12 UST The crowds were quietly speaking a lot about Jesus. Some people said,“He is a good man!” But others said,“No! He deceives the crowd!” BSB BSB: Many in the crowds were whispering about Him. Some said, “He is a good man.” But others replied, “No, He deceives the people.”
13 UST Nevertheless, the people were afraid of the Jewish leaders, so they did not speak about Jesus in public. BSB BSB: Yet no one would speak publicly about Him for fear of the Jews.
14 UST About halfway through the Shelters celebration, Jesus entered the temple{ courtyard} and started teaching the people there. BSB BSB: About halfway through the feast, Jesus went up to the temple courts and began to teach.
16 UST Jesus replied to them,“What I teach does not come from myself. On the contrary, it comes from God, who sent me. BSB BSB: “My teaching is not My own,” Jesus replied. “It comes from Him who sent Me.
17 UST If anyone wants to do what God wants, then that person will know that what I am teaching has come from God and not only by my own authority. BSB BSB: If anyone desires to do His will, he will know whether My teaching is from God or whether I speak on My own.
18 UST Anyone who speaks on his own authority only wants to glorify himself. However, anyone who wants to glorify the person who sent him speaks the truth and acts righteously. BSB BSB: He who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory, but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is a man of truth; in Him there is no falsehood.
19 UST Moses did indeed give you laws{ from God}. None of you completely obeys those laws.{ Since that is true,} why are you trying to kill me{ for supposedly disobeying those same laws that you do not obey}?” BSB BSB: Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps it. Why are you trying to kill Me?”
20 UST Some people in the crowd replied,“A demon is controlling you! No one is trying to kill you!” BSB BSB: “You have a demon,” the crowd replied. “Who is trying to kill You?”
21 UST Jesus replied to the crowd,“{ Because} I did one miraculous healing on the day for rest, all of you are shocked. BSB BSB: Jesus answered them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed.
22 UST Because{ some works like healing would occur on the day for rest}, Moses gave you a law about circumcision.{ That law states that you must circumcise your sons exactly seven days after they are born.}({ Circumcision} did not actually begin with Moses, but{ this rite} began with your forefathers,{ Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob}.){ Because of that law,} sometimes you must work on the day for rest by circumcising your male babies. BSB BSB: But because Moses gave you circumcision, you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath (not that it is from Moses, but from the patriarchs.)
23 UST Since you sometimes circumcise someone on the day for rest in order to avoid disobeying the law of Moses, you should not be angry with me for{ doing a good work like} healing someone on that day! BSB BSB: If a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses will not be broken, why are you angry with Me for making the whole man well on the Sabbath?
24 UST Stop judging me according to what you have seen! Rather, judge me according to what God says is right.” BSB BSB: Stop judging by outward appearances, and start judging justly.”
Is Jesus the Christ? 25 UST Some of the people in the crowd who dwelled in Jerusalem then said,“This is the man that our leaders are trying to kill! BSB BSB: Then some of the people of Jerusalem began to say, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?
26 UST Look! He is saying these things publicly, but our leaders are not saying anything to oppose him. Can it be that our leaders really know that he is the Messiah? BSB BSB: Yet here He is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying anything to Him. Have the rulers truly recognized that this is the Christ?
27 UST But{ this man cannot be the Messiah!} We know where this man came from, but when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.” BSB BSB: But we know where this man is from. When the Christ comes, no one will know where He is from.”
28 UST Jesus then spoke loudly while he was teaching in the temple{ courtyard}. He said,“Yes, you know me, and you know where I have come from. But I have not come here on my own authority. Rather, the one who sent me is the real God, and you do not know him. BSB BSB: Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “You know Me, and you know where I am from. I have not come of My own accord, but He who sent Me is true. You do not know Him,
29 UST I know him because I have come from him. He is the one who sent me.” BSB BSB: but I know Him, because I am from Him and He sent Me.”
30 UST Because{ Jesus said these things}, the Jewish leaders wanted to arrest him, but no one could seize him, because it was not yet the right time for him{ to die}. BSB BSB: So they tried to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.
31 UST In contrast{ to the Jewish leaders}, many in the crowd of people trusted in Jesus. They kept saying,“When the Messiah comes, he surely will not be able to do more miraculous signs than this man!” BSB BSB: Many in the crowd, however, believed in Him and said, “When the Christ comes, will He perform more signs than this man?”
32 UST Some of the Pharisees overheard them quietly speaking these things about Jesus. Then they and the ruling priests sent temple guards to arrest him. BSB BSB: When the Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about Jesus, they and the chief priests sent officers to arrest Him.
33 UST Because{ they did this}, Jesus said,“I will only be with you for a little while longer. Soon I will go back to God, who sent me. BSB BSB: So Jesus said, “I am with you only a little while longer, and then I am going to the One who sent Me.
34 UST You will search for me, but you will not find me. You will not be able to come to the place where I will be.” BSB BSB: You will look for Me, but you will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.”
35 UST So the Jewish leaders said to each other,“Where can this man go where we cannot find him? Will he actually go to those Jews who are spread throughout the world outside of Israel? Will he even teach the people there who are not Jews? BSB BSB: At this, the Jews said to one another, “Where does He intend to go that we will not find Him? Will He go where the Jews are dispersed among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks?
36 UST What did he mean when he said that we will search for him, but we will not find him, and we will not be able to come to the place where he will be?” BSB BSB: What does He mean by saying, ‘You will look for Me, but you will not find Me,’ and, ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”
Living Water 37 UST Now on the final and most important day of the{ Shelters} celebration, Jesus stood up{ in the temple courtyard} and spoke loudly. He said,“Anyone who is thirsty should come to me and drink{ what I will give them}! BSB BSB: On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.
38 UST This is what the prophets wrote in the scripture about anyone who trusts in me:‘Water that gives eternal life will abundantly flow from that person’ s innermost being.’” BSB BSB: Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’”
39 UST (Now Jesus said this about the Holy Spirit, whom God was going to give to those who trusted in Jesus.{ He said this} because{ at that time God had not yet sent} the Holy Spirit{ to dwell within those who trusted in him}, because Jesus had not yet received honor{ by his death, resurrection, and return to heaven}.) BSB BSB: He was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. For the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.
Division over Jesus 40 UST After some people among the crowd heard what Jesus had said, they said,“He is truly the Prophet{ whom God had said would come}!” BSB BSB: On hearing these words, some of the people said, “This is truly the Prophet.”
41 UST Some other people in the crowd said,“He is the Messiah!” However, others{ who mistakenly thought that Jesus was born in Galilee,} said,“But the Messiah cannot possibly come from the region of Galilee. BSB BSB: Others declared, “This is the Christ.” But still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee?
42 UST The prophets wrote in the scriptures that the Messiah must come from the descendants of King David and{ that he must come} from the village of Bethlehem, where David came from!” BSB BSB: Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Christ will come from the line of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”
43 UST Thus the people in the crowd divided{ into opposing groups} on account of Jesus. BSB BSB: So there was division in the crowd because of Jesus.
44 UST (Some of the people in the crowd wanted to arrest him. However, no one seized him.) BSB BSB: Some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him.
The Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders 45 UST The temple guards then returned to the ruling priests and Pharisees, who asked them,“Why did you not arrest him and bring him here?” BSB BSB: Then the officers returned to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring Him in?”
46 UST The temple guards replied,“No one has ever spoken like this man has!” BSB BSB: “Never has anyone spoken like this man!” the officers answered.
47 UST Because{ the guards said that,} the Pharisees replied by asking,“Can it be that he has deceived you as well? BSB BSB: “Have you also been deceived?” replied the Pharisees.
48 UST Surely, none of the members of our highest governing council or us Pharisees have trusted in him! BSB BSB: “Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in Him?
49 UST However, this crowd of people does not know God’ s laws, and God has cursed them!” BSB BSB: But this crowd that does not know the law—they are under a curse.”
50 UST Then Nicodemus spoke.(He was the man who had come to Jesus{ at night to speak with him} in the past.{ He had done this} even though he was one of the Pharisees,{ which was a group that usually opposed Jesus}.) He told the Jewish religious leaders, BSB BSB: Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who himself was one of them, asked,
51 UST “Our Jewish laws surely do not allow us to condemn someone without first listening to him and learning about what he has done.” BSB BSB: “Does our law convict a man without first hearing from him to determine what he has done?”
52 UST They replied to him insultingly,“Surely, you are not from the region of Galilee as well! Are you? Read through the scriptures carefully!{ If you do that,} you will see that no prophet comes from Galilee.” BSB BSB: “Aren’t you also from Galilee?” they replied. “Look into it, and you will see that no prophet comes out of Galilee.”
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.