John 7:1–18

Jesus Goes to the Festival of Tabernacles

7After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want^a to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders^e there were looking for a way to kill him.^{f 2}But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles^g was near, ³Jesus’ brothers^h said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. ⁴No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” ⁵For even his own brothers did not believe in him.ⁱ

⁶Therefore Jesus told them, “My time^j is not yet here; for you any time will do. ⁷The world cannot hate you, but it hates me^k because I testify that its works are evil.^{l 8}You go to the festival. I am not^b going up to this festival, because my time^m has not yet fully come.” ⁹After he had said this, he stayed in Galilee.

¹⁰However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. ¹¹Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesusⁿ and asking, “Where is he?”

¹²Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.”

Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.”^{o 13}But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders.^p

Jesus Teaches at the Festival

¹⁴Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach.^{q 15}The Jews^r there were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning^s without having been taught?”^t

¹⁶Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me.^{u 17}Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out^v whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. ¹⁸Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory,^w but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.