John 7
1 Afterward, Jesus began traveling throughout Galilee since he didn’t want to travel in Judea because the Judean authorities were trying to kill him.
2 It was almost the Jewish Festival of Tents,a 3 so his brothers said to him, “Get out of this place and go over to Judea so your students can see the workb you’re doing. 4 No one does things secretly when the same person is trying to be an authoritative speaker. If you’re doing these things, show yourself to the whole world” 5 (not even his brothers placed their trust in him).
6 “My moment hasn’t arrived yet,” Jesus said to them, “but it’s always an appropriate moment for you.c 7 The world isn’t able to hated you, but it hates me because I assert about it that its actions are harmful.e 8 You, go up to the festival. I’m not going up to this festival because my moment hasn’t been made ready yet.” 9 After he said these things, he stayedf in Galilee.
10 After his brothers went up to the festival, then he also went up but secretly, not publicly.g
11 Then the Judean authorities looked for him at the festival. “Where is that man?” they were asking. 12 There was a lot of criticism about him among the crowds. Some were saying, “He’s respectable,” but others were saying, “No, just the opposite! He’s deceiving the people!” 13 However, no one was publicly speaking outh about him because of fear of the Judean authorities.
14 When the festival was halfway through, Jesus went up to the sacred groundsi and started teaching. 15 The Judean authorities were shocked and said, “How has this man learned the writingsj without being educated?”
16 “My teaching,” Jesus responded, “is not mine; rather, it’s from the one who sent me. 17 If someone wants to do what the one who sent me wants, they will know whether the teaching is from God or I speak on my own. 18 Whoever speaks on their own is looking for their own praise; whoever looks for praise for the one who sent them—they are trustworthy and no corruptionk is in them. 19 Hasn’t Moses given you the Torah?l Yet not one of you does what is instructed in the Torah.m Why are you trying to kill me?”
20 “You have a demon!”n the people responded. “Who is trying to kill you?”
21 “I did one act of work,o and you’re all shocked,” Jesus answered them. 22 “You circumcise a person on Shabbat because Moses has given you circumcision (not that it is from Moses but actually from the ancestors). 23 If a person receives circumcision on Shabbat so that Moses’ Torah isn’t dismissed, how are you furious with me because I made an entire person healthy on Shabbat?p 24 Don’t assess based on appearance; instead, assess based on a justq assessment.”
25 Then some of the Jerusalemites said, “Isn’t this whom they are trying to kill? 26 And look! He’s publicly speaking out, and they aren’t saying anything to him. Is it possible the leaders have really learned that this is the Christ? 27 But no, we know where this man is from, but whenever the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.”
28 Then Jesus, who was still teaching at the sacred grounds, shouted out, “You know me, and you know where I came from! I haven’t come on my own, but the one who sent me is trustworthy—the one you don’t know! 29 I know him since he sent me from him!”
30 Then they started trying to capture him, but no one put a hand on him because his time hadn’t come yet. 31 However, many of the people placed their trust in him and said, “Whenever the Christ comes, he won’t produce more signs than this man has produced, right?”
32 The Pharisees heard the people whispering these things about him, and the lead priests and the Pharisees sent assistants to capture him.
33 Then Jesus said, “I’m still with you for a little while, and I’m going to the one who sent me. 34 You’ll look for me, and you won’t find me, and you can’t come where I am.”
35 Then the Judean authorities said to each other, “Where is this man about to go that we can’t find him? He isn’t about to go to the people scatteredr among the Greeks and teach the Greeks, is he? 36 What is the meanings of what he said: ‘You’ll look for me, and you won’t find me, and you can’t come where I am’?”
37 On the last day, the most important one of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted out, “If anyone is thirsty, come to me and drink!t 38 Whoever places their trust in me, just like the scripture says, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from their belly’”u 39 (He said this about the Life-breath which those who placed their trust in him were going to receive since the Life-breath was not yet there because Jesus still had not been publicly endorsed).v
40 Then after they heard these sayings,w some of the people said, “This truly is the Prophet!”x
41 Others said, “This is the Christ!”
Then, the firsty ones said, “No, because the Christ doesn’t come from Galilee, right? 42 Doesn’t the scripture say that the Christ is of the seed of Davidz and is from Bethlehem, the village where David used to live?”aa
43 So there came to be division between the people because of him. 44 Some of them wanted to capture him, but no one put their hands on him.
45 Then the assistants went to the lead priests and Pharisees, so they said to the assistants, “Why didn’t you bring him?”
46 “No one has ever spoken like this person!” the assistants responded.
47 “You haven’t been deceived too, have you?” the Pharisees answered. 48 “None of the leaders or the Pharisees have placed their trust in him, have they? 49 However, since this crowd doesn’t know the Torah, they have the declaration of impending hardship on them.”bb
50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesuscc earlier and was one of them, said to them, 51 “The Torah we followdd doesn’t assess someone without hearing from them first and knowing what they do, does it?”ee
52 “You aren’t from Galilee too, are you?” they responded. “Research carefully and see: no prophet arises from Galilee!”
FOOTNOTES:
a Present day Jews refer to this festival as Sukkot. See Leviticus 23:33-43
b Or ‘actions’ or ‘accomplishments’
c Literally, ‘the moment that’s yours is always appropriate/opportune/prepared/accessible’
d This is the Greek miseo. Like its antonym agapao, this is more than just about an emotion connected with dislike. It’s about being motivated to pursue harm, to mistreat the one being hated.
e Or ‘oppressive’ or ‘causing hardship’
f Or ‘stayed present’ or ‘remained’
g This word phaneros is the adverb (describes an action) form of the word phaneroo, which is the verb the brothers used to tell Jesus to ‘show’ himself to his students.
h This word that is translated as ‘publicly speaking out’ is parresia, the same word used in 7:4 by the brothers about Jesus wanting to be an ‘authoritative speaker.’ The word has a sense of boldness, confidence, and publicness, and it is connected with speaking. The author of John may be making an intentional connection between Jesus and the crowds, even if it is only to show how much the authorities were restricting public discourse.
i Traditionally, ‘temple courts.’ The word literally means ‘sacred place.’ It was used regarding the courtyard within the temple walls.
j This word gramma can mean ‘letter of the alphabet’ or a ‘written document.’ It’s related to the word grammateus, which is translated as ‘Bible scholars’ where it appears (traditionally, ‘experts in the law’ or ‘scribes’) to refer to those who thoroughly studied documents.
k Or ‘injustice’ or ‘unjustness.’ Traditionally, ‘unrighteousness.’ The idea seems to be that they have integrity because they are acting on behalf of the one who sent them to act, rather than going rogue and betraying the one who sent them for their own gain.
l Traditionally, ‘law.’ However, this is a reference to the five books attributed to being written by Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), not a list of rules as is more appropriate for the English word ‘law.’ The Greek word nomos does mean ‘law’ in other contexts, but it is certainly referring to those five books in this context.
m Literally, “not one of you does the Torah.”
n Some translations handle this like it is here: “You have a demon.” That is what the Greek says. A few others take an interpretive leap and put their own understanding into the text: “You’re possessed by a demon.” That seems to mean something else entirely and is a phrase that does not appear in the Greek wording anywhere. In fact, if ‘possession’ is happening, the person possesses a demon, not the other way around. Mark 3:22 is worded in Greek as ‘he has Beelzebul,’ and Mark 5:15-18 refers to someone who is daimonizomenon, ‘demonized.’ What ‘demonized’ means is worth discussing, but demons ‘having’ or ‘possessing’ anything or anyone does not seem to be part of that discussion.
o Or ‘did one action’ or ‘made one accomplishment’
p Jesus seems to be referring to the events of John 5:1-16.
q The word dikaios is traditionally translated as ‘righteous.’ Since that word has no meaning outside of religious context, another word would be more appropriate. The word ‘just’ is usually a fair or better translation, and is especially appropriate in this verse in the context of assessing or judging. The word dikaios has to do with a state of existence that is in alignment with God’s vision of all things well for all people and all creation, a state of everything in creation being ‘very good.’ It is focused on how people live, whether they live with love for God and their neighbors, whether they follow the path laid out in in Torah of treating each other who they would want to be treated, caring for the poor and orphans and widows and immigrants, and if everyone has what they need to be well. Living in a way that is ‘just’ nearly captures that concept from a biblical perspective. The word ‘right’ would possibly be the best translation, but not in the meaning of ‘correct.’ In the meaning of “knowing the difference between right and wrong.” Right is defined as living with love for all, seeking the benefit of all, seeking wellbeing for all, as God teaches in scripture. ‘Right’ also has the benefit of having a mathematical usage, of a ‘right’ angle. Dikaios seems to have a sense of being ‘straight’ along the Path that God has set for the people, the Path taught in Torah, the course that leads to meeting the mark, as opposed to deviation (sin) being missing the mark or traveling off course, swerving from the Path.
r This word diaspora has been used in English as ‘diaspora’ as well. It means a people group who have been scattered and live away from their homeland among the people in whatever area where they live. In this context, it is referring to Jews who were living outside of Palestine in places with primarily Greek culture and language.
s Literally, “What is this logos that he said.” See note on logos in John 1:1.
t The forms of ‘come’ and ‘drink’ are mandative (command) forms; however, they are in 3rd person. English has no 3rd person command form, and even understanding what that would mean can be challenging for English speakers. Different ways of translating this form are appropriate at different times. Here, it is translated as if it were a 2nd person command, which works in this context. Other times, a form like ‘may he…’ or ‘let them…’ or ‘she should…’ can be helpful ways to connect the ideas.
u The scriptural reference is uncertain, and it is not a direct quotation of any sentence in the Hebrew Bible. It may be a reference to Zechariah 14:8 or possibly a way of summarizing Isaiah 55-58 (see verses 55:1 and 58:11). The word used for belly can be used in many ways, including ‘womb,’ ‘bowels/intestines,’ and the center of deep feeling of a person much like a combination of how Americans use the words ‘heart’ and ‘gut.’ It seems to be a sense of living water arising from the deepest part of who people are.
v Traditionally, ‘glorified.’ The word has to do with praising, especially in a public way that promotes the reputation, the fame of the one being praised. It has more to do with praising to a third party or publicly rather than praising the person directly to them. In John, it seems connected with Jesus’ identification with Messiah and the public affirmation of that identity. The word doxa (the noun form of the verb here), is translated variously as ‘praise’ and ‘praiseworthiness’ to communicate what is perceived by others that inspires praise.
w The Greek is logos. See note in John 1:1. With the understanding that at the heart of the word is a sense of conversation, the statements indicated here are not meant to be the authoritative conclusion but rather the prompt to discuss the concepts in view. What someone says as they wrestle with wisdom does not end a conversation but opens it, inviting others to wrestle as well.
x Reference to Deuteronomy 18:15
y The Greek just says hoi de elegon which can be translated either ‘but the ones said’ or ‘but they said.’ Some translations write ‘others’ as an attempt to clarify, and it seems that some Greek manuscripts have ‘others’ (alloi de elegon) added. I have added ‘first’ to clarify what seems to be a back-and-forth dialogue.
z Reference to 2 Samuel 7:12-13 and Psalm 89:4
aa Reference to Micah 5:2
bb See Deuteronomy 30:15-20. Traditionally, what is translated as ‘have the declaration of impending hardship on them’ is translated as ‘are accursed.’ Since this isn’t about magical curses, this is a clear reference to the predicted hardships that follow from deviating from the instructions laid out for the people of Israel in Torah. That theme is repeated several times in Torah as well as throughout the rest of the Hebrew Bible. Deuteronomy 28-30 is a focal point for that idea, as well as the idea of beneficial circumstances following from faithfulness to the instructions given in Torah.
cc Literally, ‘him’
dd Or ‘our law.’ The use of ‘our’ makes this a question of whether this is a reference to scripture or Sanhedrin policy. The Greek nomos literally means ‘law’ or ‘regulation,’ but it was also used to refer to the five books of scripture attributed to Moses. Using ‘our’ complicates it, but he seems to be referencing passages from Deuteronomy. Another similar phrase in John 8:17 has Jesus referring to ‘your nomos’ to the Pharisees and quoting Deuteronomy about fair trial and number of witnesses.
ee Nicodemus seems to be referring to ideas related to Deuteronomy 17:2-7 and 19:15-19, though since he uses ‘our nomos’ (‘Torah’ or ‘law’) he may have had some policy of the Sanhedrin in mind that was based on this scriptural idea.
ff The section starting at John 7:53 and ending with John 8:11 is not included in the earliest and most reliable manuscripts. It seems to have been a later addition to the document. That fact does not lead to any particular conclusion about whether what it describes really happened, whether it was a widely shared story during the first century CE, or whether it is ‘inspired.’ Questions about whether it should be included in sacred scripture don’t depend on it being written by a particular person in a specific draft of a document. How we understand sacred scripture is a much larger conversation than determining which person wrote it and when.
gg The word emphasizes each person individually. Literally, ‘And each went to his house.’