The Lord the Strength of His People

A Song of Ascents.

Jesus’ Brothers Disbelieve

7 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, ^(A)because the ^[a]Jews sought to kill Him. ^2 (B)Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. ^3 (C)His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. ⁴ For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” ⁵ For ^(D)even His ^(E)brothers did not believe in Him.

⁶ Then Jesus said to them, ^(F)“My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. ^7 (G)The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me ^(H)because I testify of it that its works are evil. ⁸ You go up to this feast. I am not ^[b]yet going up to this feast, ^(I)for My time has not yet fully come.” ⁹ When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.

The Heavenly Scholar

¹⁰ But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. ¹¹ Then ^(J)the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, “Where is He?” ¹² And ^(K)there was much complaining among the people concerning Him. ^(L)Some said, “He is good”; others said, “No, on the contrary, He deceives the people.” ¹³ However, no one spoke openly of Him ^(M)for fear of the Jews.

¹⁴ Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and ^(N)taught. ^15 (O)And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?”

^16 [c]Jesus answered them and said, ^(P)“My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. ^17 (Q)If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. ^18 (R)He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who ^(S)seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and ^(T)no unrighteousness is in Him. ^19 (U)Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? ^(V)Why do you seek to kill Me?”

²⁰ The people answered and said, ^(W)“You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?”

²¹ Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work, and you all marvel. ^22 (X)Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, ^(Y)but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. ²³ If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because ^(Z)I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? ^24 (AA)Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

Could This Be the Christ?

²⁵ Now some of them from Jerusalem said, “Is this not He whom they seek to ^(AB)kill? ²⁶ But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. ^(AC)Do the rulers know indeed that this is ^[d]truly the Christ? ^27 (AD)However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.”

²⁸ Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, ^(AE)“You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and ^(AF)I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me ^(AG)is true, ^(AH)whom you do not know. ^29 [e]But ^(AI)I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.”

³⁰ Therefore ^(AJ)they sought to take Him; but ^(AK)no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. ³¹ And ^(AL)many of the people believed in Him, and said, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?”

Jesus and the Religious Leaders

³² The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him. ³³ Then Jesus said ^[f]to them, ^(AM)“I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I ^(AN)go to Him who sent Me. ³⁴ You ^(AO)will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you ^(AP)cannot come.”

³⁵ Then the Jews said among themselves, “Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to ^(AQ)the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? ³⁶ What is this thing that He said, ‘You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come’?”

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

^37 (AR)On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ^(AS)“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. ^38 (AT)He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ^(AU)out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” ^39 (AV)But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those ^[g]believing in Him would receive; for the ^[h]Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet ^(AW)glorified.

Who Is He?

⁴⁰ Therefore ^[i]many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is ^(AX)the Prophet.” ⁴¹ Others said, “This is ^(AY)the Christ.”

But some said, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee? ^42 (AZ)Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, ^(BA)where David was?” ⁴³ So ^(BB)there was a division among the people because of Him. ⁴⁴ Now ^(BC)some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.

Rejected by the Authorities

⁴⁵ Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why have you not brought Him?”

⁴⁶ The officers answered, ^(BD)“No man ever spoke like this Man!”

⁴⁷ Then the Pharisees answered them, “Are you also deceived? ⁴⁸ Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? ⁴⁹ But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.”

⁵⁰ Nicodemus ^(BE)(he who came to ^[j]Jesus ^[k]by night, being one of them) said to them, ^51 (BF)“Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?”

⁵² They answered and said to him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for ^(BG)no prophet ^[l]has arisen out of Galilee.”

An Adulteress Faces the Light of the World

^53 [m]And everyone went to his own house.