Jesus Goes to the Festival of Tabernacles

7 After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want^[a] to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders^(A) there were looking for a way to kill him.^{(B) 2} But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles^(C) was near, ³ Jesus’ brothers^(D) said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. ⁴ No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” ⁵ For even his own brothers did not believe in him.^(E)

⁶ Therefore Jesus told them, “My time^(F) is not yet here; for you any time will do. ⁷ The world cannot hate you, but it hates me^(G) because I testify that its works are evil.^{(H) 8} You go to the festival. I am not^[b] going up to this festival, because my time^(I) has not yet fully come.” ⁹ After he had said this, he stayed in Galilee.

Samaritan Opposition

⁵¹ As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven,^(A) Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.^{(B) 52} And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan^(C) village to get things ready for him; ⁵³ but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ When the disciples James and John^(D) saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them^[a]?”^{(E) 55} But Jesus turned and rebuked them. ⁵⁶ Then he and his disciples went to another village.

The Cost of Following Jesus^(A)

¹⁸ When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake.^{(B) 19} Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

²⁰ Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man^(C) has no place to lay his head.”

²¹ Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

²² But Jesus told him, “Follow me,^(D) and let the dead bury their own dead.”

The Cost of Following Jesus^(A)

⁵⁷ As they were walking along the road,^(B) a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

⁵⁸ Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man^(C) has no place to lay his head.”

⁵⁹ He said to another man, “Follow me.”^(D)

But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

⁶⁰ Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”^(E)

⁶¹ Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”^(F)

⁶² Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

¹⁰ However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. ¹¹ Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus^(A) and asking, “Where is he?”

¹² Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.”

Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.”^{(B) 13} But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders.^(C)

Jesus Teaches at the Festival

¹⁴ Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach.^{(D) 15} The Jews^(E) there were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning^(F) without having been taught?”^(G)

¹⁶ Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me.^{(H) 17} Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out^(I) whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. ¹⁸ Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory,^(J) but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. ¹⁹ Has not Moses given you the law?^(K) Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”^(L)

²⁰ “You are demon-possessed,”^(M) the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?”

²¹ Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle,^(N) and you are all amazed. ²² Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision^(O) (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs),^(P) you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. ²³ Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? ²⁴ Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”^(Q)

Division Over Who Jesus Is

²⁵ At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?^{(R) 26} Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities^(S) really concluded that he is the Messiah?^{(T) 27} But we know where this man is from;^(U) when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.”

²⁸ Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts,^(V) cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from.^(W) I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true.^(X) You do not know him, ²⁹ but I know him^(Y) because I am from him and he sent me.”^(Z)

³⁰ At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him,^(AA) because his hour had not yet come.^{(AB) 31} Still, many in the crowd believed in him.^(AC) They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs^(AD) than this man?”

³² The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.

³³ Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time,^(AE) and then I am going to the one who sent me.^{(AF) 34} You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.”^(AG)

³⁵ The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered^(AH) among the Greeks,^(AI) and teach the Greeks? ³⁶ What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”^(AJ)

³⁷ On the last and greatest day of the festival,^(AK) Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.^{(AL) 38} Whoever believes^(AM) in me, as Scripture has said,^(AN) rivers of living water^(AO) will flow from within them.”^{[a](AP) 39} By this he meant the Spirit,^(AQ) whom those who believed in him were later to receive.^(AR) Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.^(AS)

⁴⁰ On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.”^(AT)

⁴¹ Others said, “He is the Messiah.”

Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee?^{(AU) 42} Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants^(AV) and from Bethlehem,^(AW) the town where David lived?” ⁴³ Thus the people were divided^(AX) because of Jesus. ⁴⁴ Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.^(AY)

Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders

⁴⁵ Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”

⁴⁶ “No one ever spoke the way this man does,”^(AZ) the guards replied.

⁴⁷ “You mean he has deceived you also?”^(BA) the Pharisees retorted. ⁴⁸ “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him?^{(BB) 49} No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.”

⁵⁰ Nicodemus,^(BC) who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, ⁵¹ “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”

⁵² They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”^(BD)

[The earliest manuscripts and many other ancient witnesses do not have John 7:53—8:11. A few manuscripts include these verses, wholly or in part, after John 7:36, John 21:25, Luke 21:38 or Luke 24:53.]

⁵³ Then they all went home, 8 ¹ but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.^(BE)

² At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.^{(BF) 3} The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴ and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women.^(BG) Now what do you say?” ⁶ They were using this question as a trap,^(BH) in order to have a basis for accusing him.^(BI)

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone^(BJ) at her.”^{(BK) 8} Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

⁹ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰ Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

¹¹ “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,”^(BL) Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”^(BM)

Dispute Over Jesus’ Testimony

¹² When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am^(BN) the light of the world.^(BO) Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”^(BP)

¹³ The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.”^(BQ)

¹⁴ Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going.^(BR) But you have no idea where I come from^(BS) or where I am going. ¹⁵ You judge by human standards;^(BT) I pass judgment on no one.^{(BU) 16} But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me.^{(BV) 17} In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true.^{(BW) 18} I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”^(BX)

¹⁹ Then they asked him, “Where is your father?”

“You do not know me or my Father,”^(BY) Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”^{(BZ) 20} He spoke these words while teaching^(CA) in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put.^(CB) Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.^(CC)