John 7:2-23

²When the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near,

³his brothers said to him, “Leave this part of the country, and go into Judea, so that your disciples, as well as we, may see the work that you are doing.

⁴For no one does a thing privately, if they are seeking to be widely known. Since you do these things, you should show yourself publicly to the world.”

⁵For even his brothers did not believe in him.

⁶“My time,” answered Jesus, “is not come yet, but your time is always here.

⁷The world cannot hate you, but it does hate me, because I testify that its ways are evil.

⁸Go yourselves up to the Festival; I am not going to this Festival yet, because my time has not yet come.”

⁹After telling them this, he stayed on in Galilee.

¹⁰But, when his brothers had gone up to the Festival, Jesus also went up — not publicly, but privately.

¹¹The authorities were looking for him at the Festival and asking ‘Where is he?’;

¹²and there were many whispers about him amongst the people, some saying ‘He is a good man;’ others, ‘No! He is leading the people astray.’

¹³No one, however, spoke freely about him, because they were afraid of the authorities.

¹⁴About the middle of the Festival week, Jesus went up into the Temple Courts, and began teaching.

¹⁵The authorities were astonished. “How has this man got his learning,” they asked, “when he has never studied?”

¹⁶So, in reply, Jesus said, “My teaching is not my own; it is his who sent me.

¹⁷If anyone has the will to do God's will, they will find out whether my teaching is from God, or whether I speak on my own authority.

¹⁸The person who speaks on their own authority seeks honour for themselves; but the one who seeks the honour of him who sent him is sincere, and there is nothing false in him.

¹⁹Was not it Moses who gave you the Law? Yet not one of you obeys it! Why are you seeking to put me to death?”

²⁰“You must be possessed by a demon!” the people exclaimed. “Who is seeking to put you to death?”

²¹“There was one thing I did,” replied Jesus, “at which you are all still wondering.

²²But that is why Moses has instituted circumcision amongst you — not, indeed, that it began with him, but with our ancestors — and that is why you circumcise even on a Sabbath.

²³When a man receives circumcision on a Sabbath to prevent the Law of Moses from being broken, how can you be angry with me for making a man sound and well on a Sabbath?