John 7:28-53

New Life Version

²⁸ Then Jesus spoke with a loud voice as He taught in the house of God. He said, “You know Me. You know where I came from. I have not come on My own. The One Who sent Me is true but you do not know Him. ²⁹ I know Him because I am from Him and He sent Me.”

³⁰ Then they wanted to take Jesus but no one put his hands on Him. His time had not yet come. ³¹ Many of the people believed in Him. They said, “When Christ comes, will He do more powerful works than this Man?”

³² The proud religious law-keepers heard the people talking about Jesus. The religious leaders of the Jews and the proud religious law-keepers sent soldiers to take Him. ³³ Jesus said to them, “I will be with you a little while yet. Then I will go back to Him Who sent Me. ³⁴ You will look for Me but you will not find Me. Where I go, you cannot come.”

³⁵ The Jews said to themselves, “Where can He go that we will not find Him? Will He go to our people who live among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? ³⁶ What does He mean when He says, ‘You will look for Me but you will not find Me, and where I go, you cannot come’?”

Jesus Promises to Give the Holy Spirit

³⁷ It was the last and great day of the religious gathering. Jesus stood up and spoke with a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. ³⁸ The Holy Writings say that rivers of living water will flow from the heart of the one who puts his trust in Me.” ³⁹ Jesus said this about the Holy Spirit Who would come to those who put their trust in Him. The Holy Spirit had not yet been given. Jesus had not yet been raised to the place of honor.

The People Cannot Make Up Their Minds Who He Is

⁴⁰ When many of the people heard His words, they said, “For sure, this is the One Who speaks for God.” ⁴¹ Others said, “He is the Christ!” Some said, “The Christ would not come from the country of Galilee, would He? ⁴² Do not the Holy Writings say that the Christ will come from the family of David? Will He not come from the town of Bethlehem where David lived?” ⁴³ The people were divided in what they thought about Him. ⁴⁴ Some of them wanted to take Him. But no one put their hands on Him.

⁴⁵ The soldiers came back to the religious leaders of the Jews and to the proud religious law-keepers. They said to the soldiers, “Why did you not bring Him?” ⁴⁶ The soldiers answered, “No man has ever spoken like this Man speaks.” ⁴⁷ The proud religious law-keepers said, “Have you been led the wrong way also? ⁴⁸ Has anyone of the leaders or anyone from our group believed in Him? ⁴⁹ As for all these people, they do not know the Law. They are guilty and will be punished by God.”

⁵⁰ (Nicodemus was one of the proud religious law-keepers. He had come to Jesus at another time.) Nicodemus said to them, ⁵¹ “Our Law does not say a man is guilty before he has been in court and before we know what he has done.” ⁵² They said to him, “Are you from Galilee also? Look into the Word of God yourself. You will see that no one who speaks for God comes from Galilee.” ⁵³ *Then everyone went home.