Jesus goes up to Jerusalem
1 After this Jesus went around Galilee; he would not go about in Judea because the Jews wanted to kill him.
2 Now the Jewish feast of the Tents was at hand.
3 So the brothers of Jesus said to him, “Don’t stay here; go instead to Judea and let your disciples see the works you are doing.
4 Anyone who wants to be known doesn’t work secretly. Since you are able to do these things, show yourself to the world.”
5 His brothers spoke like this because they didn’t believe in him.
6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.
7 The world cannot hate you; but it hates me because I bear witness and I show that its deeds are evil.
8 Go up to the feast! I am not going to this feast, because my time has not yet come.”
9 Jesus spoke like this and remained in Galilee.
10 But after his brothers had gone to the festival, he also went up, not publicly but in secret.
11 The Jews were looking for him at the festival and asked, “Where is he?”
12 There was a lot of talk about him among the people. Some said, “He is a good man,” but others replied, “No, he is misleading the people.”
13 For fear of the Jews no one spoke openly about him.
14 When the festival was half over, Jesus went to the Temple and began to teach.
15 The Jews marveled and said, “How is it that he knows Scrip tures when he has had no teacher?”
16 And Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but it comes from the One who sent me.
17 Any one who does the will of God shall know whether my teaching is from God or whether I speak on my own authority.
18 Those who speak on their own authority wish to gain honor for themselves. But the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is truthful and there is no reason to doubt him.”
vv. 19-24 have been placed after chapter 5. See footnote there.
25 Some of the people of Jeru salem said, “Is this not the man they want to kill?
26 And here he is speaking freely, and they don’t say a word to him? Can it be that the rulers know that this is really the Christ?
27 Yet we know where this man comes from; but when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.”
28 So Jesus announced in a loud voice in the Temple court where he was teaching, “You say that you know me and know where I come from! I have not come of myself; I was sent by the One who is true, and you don’t know him.
29 I know him for I come from him and he sent me.”
30 They would have arrested him, but no one laid hands on him because his time had not yet come.
31 Many people in the crowd, however, believed in him and said, “When the Christ comes, will he give more signs than this man?”
32 The Pharisees heard all these rumors among the people; they and the chief priests sent officers of the temple to arrest him.
33 Jesus then said, “I shall be with you a little longer; after that I shall go to him who sent me.
34 You will look for me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.”
35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go where we shall not find him? Will he go abroad to the Jews dispersed among the Greek nations and teach the Greeks also?
36 What does he mean when he says: ‘You will look for me and not find me,’ and: ‘Where I am going you cannot come’?”
The promise of living water
37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood up and proclaimed, “Let anyone who is thirsty, come to me;
38 and let the one who believes in me drink, for the Scripture says: Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.”
39 Jesus was referring to the Spirit which those who believe in him were to receive; the Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet entered into his Glory.
Dispute on the origin of Christ
40 Many who had been listening to these words began to say, “This is the Prophet.”
41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some wondered, “Would the Christ come from Ga li lee?
42 Doesn’t Scripture say that the Christ is a descendant of David and from Bethlehem, the city of David?”
43 The crowd was divided over him.
44 Some wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.
45 The officers of the Temple went back to the chief priests who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him?”
46 The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man.”
47 The Phari sees then said, “So you, too, have been led astray!
48 Have any of the rulers or any of the Pharisees be lieved in him?
49 Only these cursed people, who have no knowledge of the Law!”
50 Yet one of them, Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier, spoke out,
51 “Does our law condemn people without first hearing them and knowing the facts?”
52 They replied, “Do you, too, come from Galilee? Look it up and see for yourself that no prophet is to come from Galilee.”
53 And they all went home.
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Comments , Chapter 7
• 7.19 At the end of chapter 5 we have placed the passage 7:19-24, which concludes the dis courses but which, for some unknown reason, was placed after chapter 6.
• 7.1 esus moves people to question his identity. It is better to question than to belong to a group that does not question because they think they already know. The brothers of Jesus were like that.
Show yourself to the world (v. 4). These brothers of Jesus were the fami lies and townspeople of Naza reth (see Mk 3:31). These people were to enter the Church after Jesus’ resurrection, and thought themselves important merely because of their former association with Jesus; but at that time they were still very far from understanding his mission. They wanted Jesus to be known for his miracles; but Jesus chose, rather, to reveal himself to those who could enter into the mystery of death that leads to glory.
My time has not yet come… Let us note here two types of persons: one type lives according to their plans, and the other type allow themselves to be guided by the Spirit. For the former, one time is as good as another; because they have no experience of the calling of God, they act impetuously and when they feel like it. Those who are guided by the Spirit wait for signs indicating that this is God’s time. Whatever is undertaken in God’s time will bring glory to God.
Like Jesus, John was a Jew. He was surrounded by Jews converted to the Christian faith. He consistently calls his unbelieving compatriots Jews. We would be mistaken if we thought he is designating here all the Jews. With this name of Jews he points out the religious, political and social ambiance that did not acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah.
Those Jews adhered to an established social order and to a certain manner of understanding life and religion that was common in their time. It was social and religious formalities that were important to them; they were interested in God only in the measure to which they had made him the defender of these things (Mt 23: 29).
• 25. SALVATION – SEEKING THE TRUTH
Who is Jesus? It is very important for us to know who Jesus is and from where he comes because, unlike the founders of other religions, he offers us the unheard of gift of sharing in God’s very life. If Jesus does not come from God, of what value is this promise?
We need to discover for ourselves who Jesus is, because it is only in this way that we will be saved.
As a person he attracts us, but his words shock us. When Jesus proclaims that the King dom is at hand, that we are sons and daughters of God, we think he uses figures of speech since the reality appears to be quite different. In time, with more ex perience and suffering, we modify our viewpoint and discover that the world and people are just as he describes them. We then acknowledge him as Savior. In another way, we are saved because we have acquired the capacity to see things as God does. Hence, when we wish to help others arrive at faith, it is better at times to re frain from discussions about reli gion. They must first enter into themselves to dis cover the wellspring of life. One cannot advance in the knowledge of Christ without advancing in knowledge of oneself.
We know where this man comes from (v. 27). So these Jews thought they knew who God was and what his plans were; but, in reality, they interpreted everything according to their own views and remained closed to the Truth. Standing be fore them, Jesus claimed to be the Envoy of God. In speaking like this he was not looking for a title to become credible, but wanted to emphasize his total dependence on the Father and his intimate knowledge of him.
You will look for me and you will not find me (v. 34). This is the same warning God gave through earlier prophets (Jer 13:16). Once again, Jesus applies to himself scriptural words and prerogatives reserved for God.
• 37. THE COMMUNICATION OF THE SPIRIT
Spirit had not yet been given. In Wisdom 1:7, however, we read, “the Spirit of God fills the universe.” Actually God never ceased communicating himself. His Spirit enters into a person’s spirit whom he awakens, animates and impels. At all times he has been active in the artists, thinkers and heroes, and is also present in the spirit of people of upright heart.
The Spirit is not poured out like water. The Spirit of God becomes one with the spirit of the one who receives him. As long as we do not know God in truth, the Spirit comes “over” us, as occurred with the lib er a tors of Israel, who did not necessarily become better for having been an instrument of God (Jdg 11:29). Only after Jesus had entered into his Glory could he give his Spirit to those who would be united with him.
Spirit had not been given. Many manuscripts read: There was no Spirit. In fact the meaning is the same. In this second way of speaking spirit refers to the manifold communications of God’s Spirit.
This ambiguity sounds strange to believers, who consider the Spirit to be a divine Person. Of course, the Spirit is as much person and as much God as the Father and the Son are, but the Spirit’s manner of being God and person and One is not the same. The Spirit is “communication of God dispensed” to all creatures through all times. He is somehow able to distribute himself, dwelling in each creature with different gifts; then he brings them back to unity in God. Because of this, Scripture sometimes says: “the Spirit,” at other times: “spirit” (Lk 1:15; Acts 6:3), or even: “the spirits” (Rev 1:4; 3:1).
Out of him shall flow rivers of living water. Compare 4:10. Bread and water: the Body of Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit. In 7:38 we read: Out of him shall flow rivers of living water.