John 7:25-52

John 7.25-52

Some of the people from Jerusalem were saying, "Isn't this the man
they want to kill? Yet here he is, speaking for everyone to hear. And
no one is arguing with him. Do you suppose the authorities know that
he is the Messiah? But how could that be? No one knows where the
Messiah will come from, but we know where this man comes from."

As Jesus was teaching in the temple, he shouted, "Do you really think
you know me and where I came from? I didn't come on my own! The one
who sent me is truthful, and you don't know him. But I know the one
who sent me, because I came from him."

Some of the people wanted to arrest Jesus right then. But no one even
laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come. A lot of
people in the crowd put their faith in him and said, "When the Messiah
comes, he surely won't perform more miracles than this man has done!"

Officers Sent To Arrest Jesus

When the Pharisees heard the crowd arguing about Jesus, they got
together with the chief priests and sent some temple police to arrest
him. But Jesus told them, "I will be with you a little while longer,
and then I will return to the one who sent me. You will look for me,
but you won't find me. You cannot go where I am going."

The Jewish leaders asked each other, "Where can he go to keep us from
finding him? Is he going to some foreign country where our people
live? Is he going there to teach the Greeks? What did he mean by
saying that we will look for him, but won't find him? Why can't we go
where he is going?"

Streams of Life-Giving Water

On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and
shouted, "If you are thirsty, come to me and drink! Have faith in me,
and you will have life-giving water flowing from deep inside you, just
as the Scriptures say." Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit, who
would be given to everyone that had faith in him. The Spirit had not
yet been given to anyone, since Jesus had not yet been given his full
glory.

The People Take Sides

When the crowd heard Jesus say this, some of them said, "He must be
the Prophet!" Others said, "He is the Messiah!" Others even said,
"Can the Messiah come from Galilee? The Scriptures say that the
Messiah will come from the family of King David. Doesn't this mean
that he will be born in David's hometown of Bethlehem?" The people
started taking sides against each other because of Jesus. Some of
them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him.

The Leaders Refuse To Have Faith in Jesus

When the temple police returned to the chief priests and Pharisees,
they were asked, "Why didn't you bring Jesus here?"

They answered, "No one has ever spoken like that man!"

The Pharisees said to them, "Have you also been fooled? Not one of
the chief priests or the Pharisees has faith in him. And these people
who don't know the Law are under God's curse anyway."

Nicodemus was there at the time. He was a member of the council, and
was the same one who had earlier come to see Jesus. He said, "Our Law
doesn't let us condemn people before we hear what they have to say. We
cannot judge them before we know what they have done."

Then they said, "Nicodemus, you must be from Galilee! Read the
Scriptures, and you will find that no prophet is to come from
Galilee."

Jesus said, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have
eternal life." John 3:16.

Please say this prayer:

Father God, forgive my sins. Thank you for sending Jesus Christ down
to die on the cross and for shedding his blood for me. Three days
later you resurrected him. I accept that. I invite Jesus Christ into
my heart as my Lord and savior. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

God blesss you.