Daily Reader's Bible - Flipbook - Page 21
one had the courage to speak
favorably about him in public,
for they were afraid of getting in
trouble with the Jewish leaders.
Then, midway through the
festival, Jesus went up to the
Temple and began to teach. The
people were surprised when
they heard him. “How does he
know so much when he hasn’t
been trained?” they asked.
So Jesus told them, “My
message is not my own; it comes
from God who sent me. Anyone
who wants to do the will of God
will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely
my own. Those who speak for
themselves want glory only
for themselves, but a person
who seeks to honor the one
who sent him speaks truth, not
lies. Moses gave you the law,
but none of you obeys it! In
fact, you are trying to kill me.”
The crowd replied, “You’re
demon possessed! Who’s
trying to kill you?”
Jesus replied, “I did one
miracle on the Sabbath, and
you were amazed. But you work
on the Sabbath, too, when you
obey Moses’ law of circumcision. (Actually, this tradition
of circumcision began with the
patriarchs, long before the law
of Moses.) For if the correct
time for circumcising your son
falls on the Sabbath, you go
ahead and do it so as not to
break the law of Moses. So why
should you be angry with me for
healing a man on the Sabbath? Look beneath the surface
so you can judge correctly.”
Some of the people who lived
in Jerusalem started to ask
each other, “Isn’t this the man
they are trying to kill? But here
he is, speaking in public, and
they say nothing to him. Could
our leaders possibly believe
that he is the Messiah? But
how could he be? For we know
where this man comes from.
When the Messiah comes, he
will simply appear; no one will
know where he comes from.”
While Jesus was teaching
in the Temple, he called out,
“Yes, you know me, and you
know where I come from. But
I’m not here on my own. The one
who sent me is true, and you
don’t know him. But I know him
because I come from him, and
he sent me to you.” Then the
leaders tried to arrest him; but
no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come.
Many among the crowds
at the Temple believed in him.
“After all,” they said, “would
you expect the Messiah to
do more miraculous signs
than this man has done?”
When the Pharisees heard
that the crowds were whispering
such things, they and the leading
priests sent Temple guards to
arrest Jesus. But Jesus told them,
“I will be with you only a little
longer. Then I will return to the
one who sent me. You will search
for me but not find me. And you
cannot go where I am going.”
The Jewish leaders were
puzzled by this statement.
“Where is he planning to go?”
they asked. “Is he thinking of
leaving the country and going
to the Jews in other lands?
Maybe he will even teach the
Greeks! What does he mean
when he says, ‘You will search
for me but not find me,’ and ‘You
cannot go where I am going’?”
may come and drink! For the
Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of
living water will flow from his
heart.’” (When he said “living
water,” he was speaking of
the Spirit, who would be given
to everyone believing in him.
But the Spirit had not yet been
given, because Jesus had not
yet entered into his glory.)
When the crowds heard him say
this, some of them declared,
“Surely this man is the Prophet
we’ve been expecting.” Others
said, “He is the Messiah.” Still
others said, “But he can’t be!
Will the Messiah come from
Galilee? For the Scriptures
clearly state that the Messiah will be born of the royal
line of David, in Bethlehem,
the village where King David
was born.” So the crowd was
divided about him. Some even
wanted him arrested, but no
one laid a hand on him.
When the Temple guards returned without having arrested
Jesus, the leading priests and
Pharisees demanded, “Why
didn’t you bring him in?”
“We have never heard
anyone speak like this!”
the guards responded.
“Have you been led astray,
too?” the Pharisees mocked. “Is
there a single one of us rulers
or Pharisees who believes in
him? This foolish crowd follows
him, but they are ignorant of the
law. God’s curse is on them!”
Then Nicodemus, the
leader who had met with Jesus
earlier, spoke up. “Is it legal
to convict a man before he is
given a hearing?” he asked.
They replied, “Are you
On the last day, the climax of
from Galilee, too? Search
the festival, Jesus stood and
shouted to the crowds, “Anyone the Scriptures and see for
yourself—no prophet ever
who is thirsty may come to
me! Anyone who believes in me comes from Galilee!”
O PEOPLE OF JERUSALEM; LOOK, YOUR KING IS COMING
[ZECHARIAH 9:1-17]
This is the message from the LORD against the eyes of humanity, including all the tribes of
land of Aram and the city of Damascus, for the Israel, are on the LORD.
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