Berean Standard Bible
(BSB)

Jesus Teaches at the Feast

^<1>After this, Jesus traveled throughout Galilee. He did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jews there were trying to kill Him. ^<2>However, the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles ³⁹ was near. ^<3>So Jesus’ brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go to Judea, so that Your disciples there may see the works You are doing. ^<4>For no one who wants to be known publicly acts in secret. Since You are doing these things, show Yourself to the world.” ^<5>For even His own brothers did not believe in Him.

^<6>Therefore Jesus told them, “Although your time is always at hand, My time has not yet come. ^<7>The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me, because I testify that its works are evil. ^<8>Go up to the feast on your own. I am not¹ going up to this feast, because My time has not yet come.”

^<9>Having said this, Jesus remained in Galilee. ^<10>But after His brothers had gone up to the feast, He also went—not publicly, but in secret.

^<11>So the Jews were looking for Him at the feast and asking, “Where is He?”

^<12>Many in the crowds were whispering about Him. Some said, “He is a good man.”

But others replied, “No, He deceives the people.”

^<13>Yet no one would speak publicly about Him for fear of the Jews.

^<14>About halfway through the feast, Jesus went up to the temple courts² and began to teach. ^<15>The Jews were amazed and asked, “How did this man attain such learning without having studied?”

^<16>“My teaching is not My own,” Jesus replied. “It comes from Him who sent Me. ^<17>If anyone desires to do His will, he will know whether My teaching is from God or whether I speak on My own. ^<18>He who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory, but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is a man of truth; in Him there is no falsehood. ^<19>Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps it. Why are you trying to kill Me?”

^<20>“You have a demon,” the crowd replied. “Who is trying to kill You?”

^<21>Jesus answered them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed. ^<22>But because Moses gave you circumcision, you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath (not that it is from Moses, but from the patriarchs.) ^<23>If a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses will not be broken, why are you angry with Me for making the whole man well on the Sabbath? ^<24>Stop judging by outward appearances, and start judging justly.”

Is Jesus the Christ?

^<25>Then some of the people of Jerusalem began to say, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? ^<26>Yet here He is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying anything to Him. Have the rulers truly recognized that this is the Christ? ^<27>But we know where this man is from. When the Christ comes, no one will know where He is from.”

^<28>Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “You know Me, and you know where I am from. I have not come of My own accord, but He who sent Me is true. You do not know Him, ^<29>but I know Him, because I am from Him and He sent Me.”

^<30>So they tried to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. ^<31>Many in the crowd, however, believed in Him and said, “When the Christ comes, will He perform more signs than this man?”

^<32>When the Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about Jesus, they and the chief priests sent officers to arrest Him. ^<33>So Jesus said, “I am with you only a little while longer, and then I am going to the One who sent Me. ^<34>You will look for Me, but you will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.”

^<35>At this, the Jews said to one another, “Where does He intend to go that we will not find Him? Will He go where the Jews are dispersed among the Greeks,³ and teach the Greeks? ^<36>What does He mean by saying, ‘You will look for Me, but you will not find Me,’ and, ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”

Word Come Alive
(WCA)
(An extended translation)*

Jesus goes to the festival

^<1>After this, Jesus travelled around Galilee. But he didn’t want to be seen out and about in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were trying to find a way to kill him. ^<2>But when it was nearly time for the Jewish Festival of Shelters in Jerusalem. (This was when the people remembered that God provided food and water for their ancestors when they were travelling through the wilderness.) ^<3>Jesus’ brothers advised him, ‘Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your followers can see your spectacular miracles there. ^<4>If you want to be seen as important, then don’t hide yourself away! You’ve got to be more upfront and go public to show everyone your power. Then they’ll know who you really are.’ ^<5>Jesus’ brothers said this because even they didn’t clearly understand his mission or fully trust in him.

^<6>That is why Jesus told them, ‘Any time is right for you, but the right time hasn’t yet come for me. ^<7>The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I show that its works are evil. ^<8>You go to the festival by yourselves. I’m not going there yet, because it’s not yet the right time for me.’ ^<9>After he had said this, he remained behind in Galilee a little while longer.

^<10>However, soon after his brothers had left to go to the festival, Jesus also went there. He didn’t make a big song and dance about it but made his way quietly and unobtrusively, keeping well out of sight. ^<11>Throughout the festival, the Jewish leaders kept their eyes peeled for him, asking, ‘Where is that man?’

^<12>The crowd were talking about him in hushed undertones. While some were positive, saying, ‘He’s a good man,’ others were negative, saying, ‘He leads people off the straight and narrow.’ ^<13>No one, however, dared speak openly about him because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders.

Jesus the teacher

^<14>About halfway through the festival, Jesus went up to the temple courts and began to teach. ^<15>The Jews were open-mouthed in amazement at his teaching, ‘How come this man is so clever, when he’s never studied at university?’ they asked.

^<16>Jesus responded to them, ‘I didn’t come up with this teaching myself. No, I received it from the One who sent me. My teaching is based on my unique identity with my Father. ^<17>Anyone who sincerely decides to obey the will of God will discover for themselves whether what I teach comes from God or I’m simply pushing my own ideas. ^<18>If someone’s only pushing their own ideas, then they just want to draw attention to themselves so that people will praise them. But a person who wants only to please the One who sent him declares the truth. Such a person isn’t deceitful or false in the slightest but has absolute integrity. ^<19>Hasn’t Moses given you the law? But not one of you keeps every part of the law. Why then are you trying to kill me?’

^<20>The crowd replied, ‘Talking like that means only one thing: you must be possessed by a demon. Who’s trying to kill you?’

^<21>Jesus answered them, ‘I performed one miracle, healing the man at the pool, and you’re all still amazed at that. ^<22>But because Moses gave you the law of circumcision—although in fact it wasn’t given by Moses but was passed down to him by the founding fathers Abraham and Isaac—you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. ^<23>You freely circumcise a boy on the eighth day after he’s born, even if that day falls on a Sabbath, yet you draw the line when I perform an act of healing on the Sabbath. Why do you lose your temper with me for healing on that day? If the cutting of a small part of the body is acceptable on the Sabbath, then surely healing a man’s whole body must be too! ^<24>When you make judgments, stop looking at the outside, but instead look beneath the surface to discern what is right.’

^<25>Then some of the people from Jerusalem started to ask, ‘Isn’t this the man some of the Jews want to kill? ^<26>Look, he’s here talking openly but they’re not saying anything to him. Do you think our leaders have changed their minds and now recognise that he really is the Messiah? ^<27>The thing is, we know where he comes from, so he can’t possibly be the Messiah, because when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he comes from.’

^<28>Jesus continued to teach in the temple courts. He declared, ‘So you think you know me and know where I come from, do you? But you don’t really know me. I did not send myself, but was sent by the One who is true. You don’t know him, ^<29>but I know him perfectly because I have come from him and he sent me.’

^<30>Because Jesus said these things, the leaders tried to arrest him, but no one actually laid a finger on him, because his right time had not yet come. ^<31>Nevertheless, many people in the crowd believed in him. They said, ‘When the Messiah comes, is it likely that he’ll perform more miraculous signs than this man has done?’

^<32>The Pharisees overheard the crowd murmuring these things about Jesus. The chief priests and the Pharisees decided together to intervene before the situation got out of hand. They sent the temple police to arrest him.

^<33>Jesus said, ‘I am with you for only a short time, and then I will return to the One who sent me. ^<34>You will look for me then, but you won’t find me, because then it’ll be too late. You cannot go where I will be.’

^<35>The Jewish leaders were puzzled at this and said to one another, ‘What does he mean? Where will he go where we won’t find him? Surely he won’t go and teach groups of our people scattered among the Gentiles? ^<36>What did he mean by saying, “You will look for me, but you won’t find me,” and, “You cannot go where I will be”?’

Study Guide

There are three key groups of people who interact with Jesus in this passage. They are:

1. Jesus’ brothers (actually half-brothers).
2. The Jewish leaders, referred to in this passage as “the Jews”, “rulers”, “leaders”, “Pharisees”, “chief priests”, and “officers/police”
3. The common people, referred to in this passage as “the crowd”, and “people of Jerusalem”

Read the passage and write down key facts and characteristics of each group that reveal what they think about Jesus.

Study Resources

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