John 7:15-19

7:15 Then the Jewish leaders ¹  were astonished ²  and said, “How does this man know so much when he has never had formal instruction?” ³  7:16 So Jesus replied, ⁴  “My teaching is not from me, but from the one who sent me. ⁵  7:17 If anyone wants to do God’s will, ⁶  he will know about my teaching, whether it is from God or whether I speak from my own authority. ⁷  7:18 The person who speaks on his own authority ⁸  desires ⁹  to receive honor ¹⁰  for himself; the one who desires ¹¹  the honor ¹²  of the one who sent him is a man of integrity, ¹³  and there is no unrighteousness in him. 7:19 Hasn’t Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps ¹⁴  the law! Why do you want ¹⁵  to kill me?”

¹ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish authorities or leaders who were Jesus’ primary opponents. See the note on the phrase “the Jewish leaders” in v. 1.

² tn Or “began to be astonished.” This imperfect verb could also be translated ingressively (“began to be astonished”), but for English stylistic reasons it is rendered as a simple past.

³ tn Grk “How does this man know learning since he has not been taught?” The implication here is not that Jesus never went to school (in all probability he did attend a local synagogue school while a youth), but that he was not the disciple of a particular rabbi and had not had formal or advanced instruction under a recognized rabbi (compare Acts 4:13 where a similar charge is made against Peter and John; see also Paul’s comment in Acts 22:3).

⁴ tn Grk “So Jesus answered and said to them.”

⁵ tn The phrase “the one who sent me” refers to God.

⁷ tn Grk “his will.”

⁸ tn Grk “or whether I speak from myself.”

¹⁰ tn Grk “who speaks from himself.”

¹¹ tn Or “seeks.”

¹² tn Or “praise”; Grk “glory.”

¹³ tn Or “seeks.”

¹⁴ tn Or “praise”; Grk “glory.”

¹⁵ tn Or “is truthful”; Grk “is true.”

¹³ tn Or “accomplishes”; Grk “does.”

¹⁴ tn Grk “seek.”