John 7:24-48

²⁴Do not judge according to appearance, but judge righteously.”

²⁵Some of them from Jerusalem said, “Is not this the one they seek to kill?

²⁶See, he speaks openly, and they say nothing to him. It cannot be that the rulers indeed know that this is the Christ, can it?

²⁷Yet we know where this one is from. But when the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.”

²⁸Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, “You both know me and know where I come from. I have not come of myself, but he who sent me is true, and you do not know him.

²⁹I know him because I come from him and he sent me.”

³⁰They were trying to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him because his hour had not yet come.

³¹But many in the crowd believed in him, and they said, “When the Christ comes, will he do more signs than what this one has done?”

³²The Pharisees heard the crowds whispering these things about Jesus, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest him.

³³Jesus then said, “I am still with you for a short amount of time, and then I go to him who sent me.

³⁴You will seek me but you will not find me; where I go, you will not be able to come.”

³⁵The Jews therefore said among themselves, “Where will this man go that we will not be able to find him? Will he go to the dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?

³⁶What is this word that he said, 'You will seek me but will not find me; where I go, you will not be able to come'?”

³⁷Now on the last, great day of the festival, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.

³⁸He who believes in me, just as the scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from his stomach.”

³⁹But he said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him would receive; the Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus was not yet glorified.

⁴⁰Some of the crowd, when they heard these words, said, “This is indeed the prophet.”

⁴¹Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Does the Christ come from Galilee?

⁴²Have the scriptures not said that the Christ will come from the descendants of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”

⁴³So there arose a division in the crowds because of him.

⁴⁴Some of them would have arrested him, but no one laid hands on him.

⁴⁵Then the officers came back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?”

⁴⁶The officers answered, “Never has anyone spoken like this.”

⁴⁷So the Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived?

⁴⁸Have any of the rulers believed in him, or any of the Pharisees?