Thematic Bible




Thematic Bible



"Surely our Law does not condemn a person without first hearing from him and finding out what he is doing, does it?"


Halfway through the festival, Jesus went up to the Temple and began teaching. The Jewish leaders were astonished and remarked, "How can this man be so educated when he has never gone to school?" Jesus replied to them, "My teaching is not mine but comes from the one who sent me. read more.
If anyone wants to do his will, he'll know whether this teaching is from God or whether I'm speaking on my own. The one who speaks on his own seeks his own praise. But the one who seeks the praise of him who sent him is genuine, and there's nothing false in him. Moses gave you the Law, didn't he? Yet none of you is keeping the Law. Why are you trying to kill me?" The crowd answered, "You have a demon! Who is trying to kill you?" Jesus answered them, "I performed one action, and all of you are astonished. Moses gave you circumcision not that it is from Moses, but from the Patriarchs and so you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the Law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because I made a man perfectly well on the Sabbath? Stop judging by appearances, but judge with righteous judgment!" Then some of the people of Jerusalem began saying, "This is the man they are trying to kill, isn't it? And look, he is speaking in public, and they are not saying anything to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Messiah? We know where this man comes from. But when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he comes from." At this point Jesus, still teaching in the Temple, shouted, "So you know me and know where I've come from? I haven't come on my own accord. But the one who sent me is true, and he's the one you don't know. I know him because I've come from him, and he sent me." Then the Jewish leaders tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him because his hour had not yet come. However, many in the crowd believed in him. They kept saying, "When the Messiah comes, he won't do more signs than this man has done, will he?" The Pharisees heard the crowd debating these things about him, so the high priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest Jesus. Then Jesus said, "I'll be with you only a little while longer, and then I'm going back to the one who sent me. You'll look for me but won't find me. And where I am, you cannot come." Then the Jewish leaders asked one another, "Where does this man intend to go that we won't be able to find him? Surely he's not going to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks, is he? What does this statement mean that he said, "You'll look for me but won't find me,' and, "Where I am, you cannot come'?" On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and shouted, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink! The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have rivers of living water flowing from his heart." Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who were believing in him were to receive, because the Spirit was not yet present and Jesus had not yet been glorified. When they heard these words, some in the crowd were saying, "This really is the Prophet," while others were saying, "This is the Messiah!" But some were saying, "The Messiah doesn't come from Galilee, does he? Doesn't the Scripture say that the Messiah is from David's family and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?" So there was a division in the crowd because of him. Some of them were wanting to seize him, but no one laid hands on him. Then the officers returned to the high priests and Pharisees, who asked them, "Why didn't you bring him?" The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like that!" Then the Pharisees replied to them, "You haven't been deceived, too, have you? None of the authorities or Pharisees has believed in him, have they? But this mob that does not know the Law they're under a curse!" One of their own, Nicodemus (the man who had previously met with Jesus), asked them, "Surely our Law does not condemn a person without first hearing from him and finding out what he is doing, does it?" They answered him, "You aren't from Galilee, too, are you? Search and see that no prophet comes from Galilee." Then all of them went to their own homes.


Now there was a man from the Pharisees, a leader of the Jews, whose name was Nicodemus. He came to Jesus at night and told him, "Rabbi, we know that you have come from God as a teacher, because no one can perform these signs that you are doing unless God is with him." Jesus replied to him, "Truly, I tell you emphatically, unless a person is born from above he cannot see the kingdom of God." read more.
Nicodemus asked him, "How can a person be born when he is old? He can't go back into his mother's womb a second time and be born, can he?" Jesus answered, "Truly, I tell you emphatically, unless a person is born of water and Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Don't be astonished that I told you, "All of you must be born from above.' The wind blows where it wants to. You hear its sound, but you don't know where it comes from or where it is going. That's the way it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." Nicodemus asked him, "How can that be?" Jesus answered him, "You're the teacher of Israel, and you can't understand this?

One of their own, Nicodemus (the man who had previously met with Jesus), asked them, "Surely our Law does not condemn a person without first hearing from him and finding out what he is doing, does it?" They answered him, "You aren't from Galilee, too, are you? Search and see that no prophet comes from Galilee." read more.
Then all of them went to their own homes.


One of their own, Nicodemus (the man who had previously met with Jesus), asked them, "Surely our Law does not condemn a person without first hearing from him and finding out what he is doing, does it?"


"Surely our Law does not condemn a person without first hearing from him and finding out what he is doing, does it?"

When the governor motioned for Paul to speak, he replied: "Since I know that you have been a judge over this nation for many years, I am pleased to present my defense. You can verify for yourself that I went up to worship in Jerusalem no more than twelve days ago. They never found me debating with anyone in the Temple or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or throughout the city, read more.
and they cannot prove to you the charges they are now bringing against me. However, I admit to you that in accordance with the Way, which they call a heresy, I worship the God of our ancestors and believe in everything written in the Law and the Prophets. I have the same hope in God that they themselves cherish that there is to be a resurrection of the righteous and the wicked. Therefore, I always do my best to have a clear conscience before God and people. After many years, I have come back to my people to bring gifts for the poor and to offer sacrifices. They found me in the Temple doing these things just as I had completed the purification ceremony. No crowd or noisy mob was present. But some Jews from Asia were there, and they should be here before you to accuse me if they have anything against me. Otherwise, these men themselves should tell what wrong they found when I stood before the Council unless it is for the one thing I shouted as I stood among them: "It is for the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.'"

Meanwhile, Jesus was made to stand in front of the governor. The governor asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" Jesus said, "You say so." While Jesus was being accused by the high priests and elders, he made no reply. Then Pilate asked him, "Don't you hear how many charges they're bringing against you?" read more.
But Jesus did not reply at all, so that the governor was very surprised.

Then Pilate asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" He answered, "You say so."

Pilate asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" Jesus answered him, "You say so." The high priests kept accusing him of many things. So Pilate asked him again, "Don't you have any answer? Look how many accusations they're bringing against you!" read more.
But since Jesus no longer answered, Pilate was astonished.

When the crowd that had gathered heard this, they were pierced to the heart. They asked Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?" Peter answered them, "Every one of you must repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus the Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the Holy Spirit as a gift. For this promise belongs to you and your children, as well as to all those who are distant, whom the Lord our God may call to himself." read more.
Using many different expressions, Peter continued to testify and to plead: "Be saved," he urged them, "from this corrupt generation!"


"Surely our Law does not condemn a person without first hearing from him and finding out what he is doing, does it?"

But Paul told the guards, "The magistrates have had us beaten publicly without a trial and have thrown us into jail, even though we are Roman citizens. Now are they going to throw us out secretly? Certainly not! Have them come and escort us out." The guards reported these words to the magistrates, and they became afraid when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. So the magistrates came, apologized to them, and escorted them out. Then they asked them to leave the city.

But when they had tied him up with the straps, Paul asked the centurion who was standing there, "Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn't been condemned?" When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and told him, "What are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen!" So the tribune went and asked Paul, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes," he said. read more.
Then the tribune replied, "I paid a lot of money for this citizenship of mine." Paul said, "But I was born a citizen." Immediately those who were about to examine him stepped back, and the tribune was afraid when he found out that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had tied him up. The next day, since the tribune wanted to find out exactly what Paul was being accused of by the Jews, he released him and ordered the high priests and the entire Council to meet. Then he brought Paul down and had him stand before them.