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After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him.

Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand.

His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest.

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For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, show thyself to the world.

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For neither did his brethren believe in him.

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Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready.

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The world cannot ° hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.

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Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast: for my time is not yet full come.

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When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee.

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But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.

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Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he?

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And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, ° Nay; but he deceiveth the people.

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Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews.

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Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.

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And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?

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Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.

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If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

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He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.

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Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?

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The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee?

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Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel.

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Moses therefore ° gave unto you circumcision; ° (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man.

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If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day?

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Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

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Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill?

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But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed ° that this is the very Christ?

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Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is.

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Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not.

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But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me.

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Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come.

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And many of the people believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more ° miracles than these which this man hath done?

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The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him; and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him.

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Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me.

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Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot ° come.

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Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? will ° he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles?

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What manner of saying is this that he said, Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot ° come?

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In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

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He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

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(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) °

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Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet.

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Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee?

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Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?

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So there was a division among the people because of him.

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And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him.

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Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him?

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The officers answered, Never man spake ° like this man.

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Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived?

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Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him?

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But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.

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Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,)

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Doth our law judge ° any man, before it hear ° him, and know what he doeth?

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They answered and said unto him, Art ° thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.

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And every man went unto his own house.

John 7:5

7:5 believe in him. This is hard to understand, except as a sad commentary on human nature. It is also a fulfilled prophecy: “I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother’s children” (Psalm 69:8).

John 7:6

7:6 not yet come. This was the same answer Jesus gave His mother when she wanted him to provide wine for the drunken wedding guests at Cana (see note on John 2:4).

John 7:10

7:10 then went he also. He had declined the sarcastic invitation of his brothers to go with them to Jerusalem, although He intended to go later for other reasons than intended by His brothers. It was not yet time to reveal Himself as the promised Messiah.

John 7:15

7:15 the Jews marvelled. Jesus’ wisdom was, indeed, a marvel. He had never studied in a rabbinical school, but He had studied the Scriptures on His own from childhood, so that He had “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:52). His profound knowledge of Scripture, acquired through application of His own perfect humanity, uncontaminated by either inherent sin or actual sin, is indicated by His frequent quoting and incisive interpretation of Scripture. Just when or how or by what process His human nature became aware of His eternally preexistent divine nature must remain unfathomably mysterious to our own limited understanding. By this time in His life, however, both natures were fully manifest to Himself, so that we can see both co-existing in His life and teachings.

John 7:17

7:17 If any man will. This could be read: “If any man sincerely wants to do His will, he shall know….” Thus the first prerequisite to ascertaining God’s leading in some matter, or the truth about some doctrinal question, is a genuine willingness to believe the truth and to follow God’s will before they are made known, even if the answer goes against one’s preference.

John 7:24

7:24 judge righteous judgment. This does not contradict Christ’s earlier command to “judge not” (Matthew 7:1). The latter command has to do with arbitrary condemnation—only God can “judge” in that sense. We are, however, expected to discern and evaluate doctrine and practice, and govern our own actions accordingly.

John 7:34

7:34 shall not find me. After His resurrection, the Jews must have been very anxious to find His body, for they knew the tomb was empty, but they would never be able to find it, for He had returned to heaven.

John 7:37

7:37 the last day. This phrase is referring to the final day of the eight-day annual Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:34-36; John 7:2).

John 7:37

7:37 come unto me. Here is still another clear affirmation by Jesus of His own deity. Only God (or a madman thinking he was God) could make such a statement as recorded here in John 7:37-38. The promise was abundantly fulfilled with the coming of the Holy Spirit after Jesus returned to the Father (Acts 2:17-21, 38-41) and His indwelling presence and guidance of believers ever since.

John 7:40

7:40 the Prophet. This passage refers to the Prophet like Moses promised in Deuteronomy 18:15,18.

John 7:41

7:41 Galilee. Nazareth was in Galilee, and most of Christ’s ministry had been in Galilee. The people at this time apparently were unaware of His background.

John 7:42

7:42 seed of David. See, for example, II Samuel 7:12; Psalm 132:11; Jeremiah 23:5.

John 7:42

7:42 Bethlehem. Note Micah 5:2 and Luke 2:4.

John 7:46

7:46 Never man spake. Jesus was God’s “Wonderful Counselor” (Isaiah 9:6), and “His word was with power” (Luke 4:32). Note also Psalm 45:2; Luke 4:22.

John 7:50

7:50 Nicodemus. Nicodemus, already deeply impressed by Jesus, thus took an unpopular stand for Him here before his fellow members of the Council. Much must have transpired in his life between John 3:1 and John 19:39, when he fully identified himself with Jesus.

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