Thematic Bible




Thematic Bible



Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are His sisters not here with us?” And they were [deeply] offended by Him [and their disapproval blinded them to the fact that He was anointed by God as the Messiah].

So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, and Pilate said to them, “Look! The Man!”

But we know where this Man is from; whenever the Christ comes, no one will know where He is from.”

“Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man accredited and pointed out and attested to you by God with [the power to perform] miracles and wonders and signs which God worked through Him in your [very] midst, just as you yourselves know—


When the Feast was already half over, Jesus went up into the temple [ court] and began to teach. The Jews were astonished. They said, How is it that this Man has learning [is so versed in the sacred Scriptures and in theology] when He has never studied? Jesus answered them by saying, My teaching is not My own, but His Who sent Me. read more.
If any man desires to do His will (God's pleasure), he will know (have the needed illumination to recognize, and can tell for himself) whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking from Myself and of My own accord and on My own authority. He who speaks on his own authority seeks to win honor for himself. [He whose teaching originates with himself seeks his own glory.] But He Who seeks the glory and is eager for the honor of Him Who sent Him, He is true; and there is no unrighteousness or falsehood or deception in Him. Did not Moses give you the Law? And yet not one of you keeps the Law. [If that is the truth] why do you seek to kill Me [for not keeping it]? The crowd answered Him, You are possessed by a demon! [You are raving!] Who seeks to kill You? Jesus answered them, I did one work, and you all are astounded. Now Moses established circumcision among you -- "though it did not originate with Moses but with the previous patriarchs -- "and you circumcise a person [even] on the Sabbath day. If, to avoid breaking the Law of Moses, a person undergoes circumcision on the Sabbath day, have you any cause to be angry with (indignant with, bitter against) Me for making a man's whole body well on the Sabbath? Be honest in your judgment and do not decide at a glance (superficially and by appearances); but judge fairly and righteously. Then some of the Jerusalem people said, Is not this the Man they seek to kill? And here He is speaking openly, and they say nothing to Him! Can it be possible that the rulers have discovered and know that this is truly the Christ? No, we know where this Man comes from; when the Christ arrives, no one is to know from what place He comes. Whereupon Jesus called out as He taught in the temple [ porches], Do you know Me, and do you know where I am from? I have not come on My own authority and of My own accord and as self-appointed, but the One Who sent Me is true (real, genuine, steadfast); and Him you do not know! I know Him [Myself] because I come from His [very] presence, and it was He [personally] Who sent Me. Therefore they were eager to arrest Him, but no one laid a hand on Him, for His hour (time) had not yet come. And besides, many of the multitude believed in Him [adhered to Him, trusted in Him, relied on Him]. And they kept saying, When the Christ comes, will He do [can He be expected to do] more miracles and produce more proofs and signs than what this Man has done? The Pharisees learned how the people were saying these things about Him under their breath; and the chief priests and Pharisees sent attendants (guards) to arrest Him. Therefore Jesus said, For a little while I am [still] with you, and then I go back to Him Who sent Me. You will look for Me, but you will not [be able to] find Me; where I am, you cannot come. Then the Jews said among themselves, Where does this Man intend to go that we shall not find Him? Will He go to the Jews who are scattered in the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? What does this statement of His mean, You will look for Me and not be able to find Me, and, Where I am, you cannot come? Now on the final and most important day of the Feast, Jesus stood, and He cried in a loud voice, If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink! He who believes in Me [who cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me] as the Scripture has said, From his innermost being shall flow [continuously] springs and rivers of living water. But He was speaking here of the Spirit, Whom those who believed (trusted, had faith) in Him were afterward to receive. For the [Holy] Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified (raised to honor). Listening to those words, some of the multitude said, This is certainly and beyond doubt the Prophet! Others said, This is the Christ (the Messiah, Anointed One)! But some said, What? Does the Christ come out of Galilee? Does not the Scripture tell us that the Christ will come from the offspring of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived? So there arose a division and dissension among the people concerning Him. Some of them wanted to arrest Him, but no one [ventured and] laid hands on Him. Meanwhile the attendants (guards) had gone back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, Why have you not brought Him here with you? The attendants replied, Never has a man talked as this Man talks! [No mere man has ever spoken as He speaks!] The Pharisees said to them, Are you also deluded and led astray? [Are you also swept off your feet?] Has any of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in Him? As for this multitude (rabble) that does not know the Law, they are contemptible and doomed and accursed! Then Nicodemus, who came to Jesus before at night and was one of them, asked, Does our Law convict a man without giving him a hearing and finding out what he has done? They answered him, Are you too from Galilee? Search [the Scriptures yourself], and you will see that no prophet comes (will rise to prominence) from Galilee. And they went [back], each to his own house.


Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I always taught in a synagogue and in the temple [area], where all the Jews habitually congregate; and I said nothing in secret.

And they came again to Jerusalem. And when Jesus was walking about in the [ courts and porches of the] temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to Him, And they kept saying to Him, By what [sort of] authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do them? Jesus told them, I will ask you a question. Answer Me, and then I will tell you by what [sort of] authority I do these things. read more.
Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men? Answer Me. And they reasoned and argued with one another, If we say, From heaven, He will say, Why then did you not believe him? But [on the other hand] can we say, From men? For they were afraid of the people, because everybody considered and held John actually to be a prophet. So they replied to Jesus, We do not know. And Jesus said to them, Neither am I going to tell you what [sort of] authority I have for doing these things.

And as Jesus taught in [a porch or court of] the temple, He said, How can the scribes say that the Christ is David's Son? David himself, [inspired] in the Holy Spirit, declared, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies [a footstool] under Your feet. David himself calls Him Lord; so how can it be that He is his Son? Now the great mass of the people heard [Jesus] gladly [listening to Him with delight]. read more.
And in [the course of] His teaching, He said, Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and [to get] greetings in the marketplaces [public forums], And [have] the front seats in the synagogues and the chief couches (places of honor) at feasts, Who devour widows' houses and to cover it up make long prayers. They will receive the heavier [sentence of] condemnation. And He sat down opposite the treasury and saw how the crowd was casting money into the treasury. Many rich [people] were throwing in large sums. And a widow who was poverty-stricken came and put in two copper mites [the smallest of coins], which together make half of a cent. And He called His disciples [to Him] and said to them, Truly and surely I tell you, this widow, [she who is] poverty-stricken, has put in more than all those contributing to the treasury. For they all threw in out of their abundance; but she, out of her deep poverty, has put in everything that she had -- "[even] all she had on which to live.

Day after day I was with you, teaching in the [courts and porches of the] temple, and you did not seize Me; but this has happened so that the Scriptures would be fulfilled.”

Afterward, when Jesus found him in the temple, He said to him, See, you are well! Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you. The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus Who had made him well. For this reason the Jews began to persecute (annoy, torment) Jesus and sought to kill Him, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. read more.
But Jesus answered them, My Father has worked [even] until now, [He has never ceased working; He is still working] and I, too, must be at [divine] work.

When the Feast was already half over, Jesus went up into the temple [ court] and began to teach. The Jews were astonished. They said, How is it that this Man has learning [is so versed in the sacred Scriptures and in theology] when He has never studied? Jesus answered them by saying, My teaching is not My own, but His Who sent Me. read more.
If any man desires to do His will (God's pleasure), he will know (have the needed illumination to recognize, and can tell for himself) whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking from Myself and of My own accord and on My own authority. He who speaks on his own authority seeks to win honor for himself. [He whose teaching originates with himself seeks his own glory.] But He Who seeks the glory and is eager for the honor of Him Who sent Him, He is true; and there is no unrighteousness or falsehood or deception in Him. Did not Moses give you the Law? And yet not one of you keeps the Law. [If that is the truth] why do you seek to kill Me [for not keeping it]? The crowd answered Him, You are possessed by a demon! [You are raving!] Who seeks to kill You? Jesus answered them, I did one work, and you all are astounded. Now Moses established circumcision among you -- "though it did not originate with Moses but with the previous patriarchs -- "and you circumcise a person [even] on the Sabbath day. If, to avoid breaking the Law of Moses, a person undergoes circumcision on the Sabbath day, have you any cause to be angry with (indignant with, bitter against) Me for making a man's whole body well on the Sabbath? Be honest in your judgment and do not decide at a glance (superficially and by appearances); but judge fairly and righteously. Then some of the Jerusalem people said, Is not this the Man they seek to kill? And here He is speaking openly, and they say nothing to Him! Can it be possible that the rulers have discovered and know that this is truly the Christ? No, we know where this Man comes from; when the Christ arrives, no one is to know from what place He comes. Whereupon Jesus called out as He taught in the temple [ porches], Do you know Me, and do you know where I am from? I have not come on My own authority and of My own accord and as self-appointed, but the One Who sent Me is true (real, genuine, steadfast); and Him you do not know!

And Jesus was walking in Solomon's Porch in the temple area. So the Jews surrounded Him and began asking Him, How long are You going to keep us in doubt and suspense? If You are really the Christ (the Messiah), tell us so plainly and openly. Jesus answered them, I have told you so, yet you do not believe Me [you do not trust Me and rely on Me]. The very works that I do by the power of My Father and in My Father's name bear witness concerning Me [they are My credentials and evidence in support of Me]. read more.
But you do not believe and trust and rely on Me because you do not belong to My fold [you are no sheep of Mine]. The sheep that are My own hear and are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never lose it or perish throughout the ages. [To all eternity they shall never by any means be destroyed.] And no one is able to snatch them out of My hand. My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater and mightier than all [else]; and no one is able to snatch [them] out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are One. Again the Jews brought up stones to stone Him. Jesus said to them, My Father has enabled Me to do many good deeds. [I have shown many acts of mercy in your presence.] For which of these do you mean to stone Me? The Jews replied, We are not going to stone You for a good act, but for blasphemy, because You, a mere Man, make Yourself [out to be] God. Jesus answered, Is it not written in your Law, I said, You are gods? So men are called gods [by the Law], men to whom God's message came -- "and the Scripture cannot be set aside or cancelled or broken or annulled -- " [If that is true] do you say of the One Whom the Father consecrated and dedicated and set apart for Himself and sent into the world, You are blaspheming, because I said, I am the Son of God? If I am not doing the works [performing the deeds] of My Father, then do not believe Me [do not adhere to Me and trust Me and rely on Me]. But if I do them, even though you do not believe Me or have faith in Me, [at least] believe the works and have faith in what I do, in order that you may know and understand [clearly] that the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father [One with Him].