John 7:1–18

Jesus Goes to the Festival of Booths

¹Jesus later traveled throughout Galilee. He didn’t want to travel in Judea because Jews there wanted to kill him. 

²The time for the Jewish Festival of Booths was near. ³So Jesus’ brothers told him, “Leave this place, and go to Judea so that your disciples can see the things that you’re doing. ⁴No one does things secretly when he wants to be known publicly. If you do these things, you should let the world see you.” ⁵Even his brothers didn’t believe in him. 

⁶Jesus told them, “Now is not the right time for me to go. Any time is right for you. ⁷The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I say that what everyone does is evil. ⁸Go to the festival. I’m not going to this festival right now. Now is not the right time for me to go.” 

⁹After saying this, Jesus stayed in Galilee. ¹⁰But after his brothers had gone to the festival, Jesus went. He didn’t go publicly but secretly. 

¹¹The Jews were looking for Jesus in the crowd at the festival. They kept asking, “Where is that man?” ¹²The crowds argued about Jesus. Some people said, “He’s a good man,” while others said, “No he isn’t. He deceives the people.” ¹³Yet, no one would talk openly about him because they were afraid of the Jews. 

¹⁴When the festival was half over, Jesus went to the temple courtyard and began to teach. ¹⁵The Jews were surprised and asked, “How can this man be so educated when he hasn’t gone to school?” 

¹⁶Jesus responded to them, “What I teach doesn’t come from me but from the one who sent me. ¹⁷Those who want to follow the will of God will know if what I teach is from God or if I teach my own thoughts. ¹⁸Those who speak their own thoughts are looking for their own glory. But the man who wants to bring glory to the one who sent him is a true teacher and doesn’t have dishonest motives.