John 7:14

Teaching in the Temple

7:14 When the feast was half over, Jesus went up to the temple courts ¹  and began to teach. ² 

John 7:26

7:26 Yet here he is, speaking publicly, ³  and they are saying nothing to him. ⁴  Do the rulers really know that this man ⁵  is the Christ? ⁶ 

John 7:28

7:28 Then Jesus, while teaching in the temple courts, ⁷  cried out, ⁸  “You both know me and know where I come from! ⁹  And I have not come on my own initiative, ¹⁰  but the one who sent me ¹¹  is true. You do not know him, ¹² 

John 8:2

8:2 Early in the morning he came to the temple courts again. All the people came to him, and he sat down and began to teach ¹³  them.

John 10:23-39

10:23 It was winter, ¹⁴  and Jesus was walking in the temple area ¹⁵  in Solomon’s Portico. ¹⁶  10:24 The Jewish leaders ¹⁷  surrounded him and asked, ¹⁸  “How long will you keep us in suspense? ¹⁹  If you are the Christ, ²⁰  tell us plainly.” ²¹  10:25 Jesus replied, ²²  “I told you and you do not believe. The deeds ²³  I do in my Father’s name testify about me. 10:26 But you refuse to believe because you are not my sheep. 10:27 My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 10:28 I give ²⁴  them eternal life, and they will never perish; ²⁵  no one will snatch ²⁶  them from my hand. 10:29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, ²⁷  and no one can snatch ²⁸  them from my Father’s hand. 10:30 The Father and I ²⁹  are one.” ³⁰ 

10:31 The Jewish leaders ³¹  picked up rocks again to stone him to death. 10:32 Jesus said to them, ³²  “I have shown you many good deeds ³³  from the Father. For which one of them are you going to stone me?” 10:33 The Jewish leaders ³⁴  replied, ³⁵  “We are not going to stone you for a good deed ³⁶  but for blasphemy, ³⁷  because ³⁸  you, a man, are claiming to be God.” ³⁹ 

10:34 Jesus answered, ⁴⁰  “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? ⁴¹  10:35 If those people to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’ (and the scripture cannot be broken), ⁴²  10:36 do you say about the one whom the Father set apart ⁴³  and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 10:37 If I do not perform ⁴⁴  the deeds ⁴⁵  of my Father, do not believe me. 10:38 But if I do them, even if you do not believe me, believe the deeds, ⁴⁶  so that you may come to know ⁴⁷  and understand that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” 10:39 Then ⁴⁸  they attempted ⁴⁹  again to seize him, but he escaped their clutches. ⁵⁰ 

Psalms 22:22

22:22 I will declare your name to my countrymen! ⁵¹ 

In the middle of the assembly I will praise you!

Psalms 40:9

40:9 I have told the great assembly ⁵²  about your justice. ⁵³ 

Look! I spare no words! ⁵⁴ 

O Lord, you know this is true.

Matthew 4:23

Jesus’ Healing Ministry

4:23 Jesus ⁵⁵  went throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, ⁵⁶  preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of disease and sickness among the people.

Matthew 9:35

Workers for the Harvest

9:35 Then Jesus went throughout all the towns ⁵⁷  and villages, teaching in their synagogues, ⁵⁸  preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and sickness. ⁵⁹ 

Matthew 21:23-27

The Authority of Jesus

21:23 Now after Jesus ⁶⁰  entered the temple courts, ⁶¹  the chief priests and elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority ⁶²  are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 21:24 Jesus ⁶³  answered them, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 21:25 Where did John’s baptism come from? From heaven or from people?” ⁶⁴  They discussed this among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 21:26 But if we say, ‘From people,’ we fear the crowd, for they all consider John to be a prophet.” 21:27 So ⁶⁵  they answered Jesus, ⁶⁶  “We don’t know.” ⁶⁷  Then he said to them, “Neither will I tell you ⁶⁸  by what authority ⁶⁹  I am doing these things.

Matthew 26:65

26:65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and declared, ⁷⁰  “He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? Now ⁷¹  you have heard the blasphemy!

Luke 4:15

4:15 He ⁷²  began to teach ⁷³  in their synagogues ⁷⁴  and was praised ⁷⁵  by all.

Luke 19:45-47

Cleansing the Temple

19:45 Then ⁷⁶  Jesus ⁷⁷  entered the temple courts ⁷⁸  and began to drive out those who were selling things there, ⁷⁹  19:46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house will be a house of prayer,’ ⁸⁰  but you have turned it into a den ⁸¹  of robbers!” ⁸² 

19:47 Jesus ⁸³  was teaching daily in the temple courts. The chief priests and the experts in the law ⁸⁴  and the prominent leaders among the people were seeking to assassinate ⁸⁵  him,

Luke 20:1-8

The Authority of Jesus

20:1 Now one ⁸⁶  day, as Jesus ⁸⁷  was teaching the people in the temple courts ⁸⁸  and proclaiming ⁸⁹  the gospel, the chief priests and the experts in the law ⁹⁰  with the elders came up ⁹¹  20:2 and said to him, ⁹²  “Tell us: By what authority ⁹³  are you doing these things? ⁹⁴  Or who it is who gave you this authority?” 20:3 He answered them, ⁹⁵  “I will also ask you a question, and you tell me: 20:4 John’s baptism ⁹⁶  – was it from heaven or from people?” ⁹⁷  20:5 So ⁹⁸  they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ 20:6 But if we say, ‘From people,’ all the people will stone us, because they are convinced that John was a prophet.” 20:7 So ⁹⁹  they replied that they did not know ¹⁰⁰  where it came from. 20:8 Then ¹⁰¹  Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you ¹⁰²  by whose authority ¹⁰³  I do these things.”

Luke 21:37

21:37 So ¹⁰⁴  every day Jesus ¹⁰⁵  was teaching in the temple courts, ¹⁰⁶  but at night he went and stayed ¹⁰⁷  on the Mount of Olives. ¹⁰⁸ 

[7:14]  ¹ tn Grk “to the temple.”

[7:14]  ² tn Or “started teaching.” An ingressive sense for the imperfect verb (“began to teach” or “started teaching”) fits well here, since the context implies that Jesus did not start his teaching at the beginning of the festival, but began when it was about half over.

[7:26]  ³ tn Or “speaking openly.”

[7:26]  ⁴ sn They are saying nothing to him. Some people who had heard Jesus were so impressed with his teaching that they began to infer from the inactivity of the opposing Jewish leaders a tacit acknowledgment of Jesus’ claims.

[7:26]  ⁵ tn Grk “this one.”

[7:26]  ⁶ tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).

[7:28]  ⁷ tn Grk “the temple.”

[7:28]  ⁸ tn Grk “Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying.”

[7:28]  ⁹ sn You both know me and know where I come from! Jesus’ response while teaching in the temple is difficult – it appears to concede too much understanding to his opponents. It is best to take the words as irony: “So you know me and know where I am from, do you?” On the physical, literal level, they did know where he was from: Nazareth of Galilee (at least they thought they knew). But on another deeper (spiritual) level, they did not: He came from heaven, from the Father. Jesus insisted that he has not come on his own initiative (cf. 5:37), but at the bidding of the Father who sent him.

[7:28]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “And I have not come from myself.”

[7:28]  ¹¹ tn The phrase “the one who sent me” refers to God.

[7:28]  ¹² tn Grk “the one who sent me is true, whom you do not know.”

[8:2]  ¹³ tn An ingressive sense for the imperfect fits well here following the aorist participle.

[10:23]  ¹⁴ sn It was winter. The feast began on 25 Kislev, in November-December of the modern Gregorian calendar.

[10:23]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “in the temple.”

[10:23]  ¹⁶ tn Or “portico,” “colonnade”; Grk “stoa.”

[10:24]  ¹⁷ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders. The question they ask Jesus (“Are you the Christ?”) is the same one they sent and asked of John the Baptist in the desert (see John 1:19-34). See also the note on the phrase “the Jewish people” in v. 19.

[10:24]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “said to him.” This has been translated as “asked” for stylistic reasons.

[10:24]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “How long will you take away our life?” (an idiom which meant to keep one from coming to a conclusion about something). The use of the phrase τὴν ψυχὴν ἡμῶν αἴρεις (thn yuchn Jhmwn airei") meaning “to keep in suspense” is not well attested, although it certainly fits the context here. In modern Greek the phrase means “to annoy, bother.”

[10:24]  ²⁰ tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).

[10:24]  ²¹ tn Or “publicly.”

[10:25]  ²² tn Grk “answered them.”

[10:25]  ²³ tn Or “the works.”

[10:28]  ²⁴ tn Grk “And I give.”

[10:28]  ²⁵ tn Or “will never die” or “will never be lost.”

[10:28]  ²⁶ tn Or “no one will seize.”

[10:29]  ²⁷ tn Or “is superior to all.”

[10:29]  ²⁸ tn Or “no one can seize.”

[10:30]  ²⁹ tn Grk “I and the Father.” The order has been reversed to reflect English style.

[10:30]  ³⁰ tn The phrase ἕν ἐσμεν ({en esmen) is a significant assertion with trinitarian implications. ἕν is neuter, not masculine, so the assertion is not that Jesus and the Father are one person, but one “thing.” Identity of the two persons is not what is asserted, but essential unity (unity of essence).

[10:31]  ³¹ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders. See the notes on the phrases “Jewish people” in v. 19 and “Jewish leaders” in v. 24.

[10:32]  ³² tn Grk “Jesus answered them.”

[10:32]  ³³ tn Or “good works.”

[10:33]  ³⁴ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here again the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders. See the notes on the phrase “Jewish people” in v. 19 and “Jewish leaders” in vv. 24, 31.

[10:33]  ³⁵ tn Grk “answered him.”

[10:33]  ³⁶ tn Or “good work.”

[10:33]  ³⁷ sn This is the first time the official charge of blasphemy is voiced openly in the Fourth Gospel (although it was implicit in John 8:59).

[10:33]  ³⁸ tn Grk “and because.”

[10:33]  ³⁹ tn Grk “you, a man, make yourself to be God.”

[10:34]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “answered them.”

[10:34]  ⁴¹ sn A quotation from Ps 82:6. Technically the Psalms are not part of the OT “law” (which usually referred to the five books of Moses), but occasionally the term “law” was applied to the entire OT, as here. The problem in this verse concerns the meaning of Jesus’ quotation from Ps 82:6. It is important to look at the OT context: The whole line reads “I say, you are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you.” Jesus will pick up on the term “sons of the Most High” in 10:36, where he refers to himself as the Son of God. The psalm was understood in rabbinic circles as an attack on unjust judges who, though they have been given the title “gods” because of their quasi-divine function of exercising judgment, are just as mortal as other men. What is the argument here? It is often thought to be as follows: If it was an OT practice to refer to men like the judges as gods, and not blasphemy, why did the Jewish authorities object when this term was applied to Jesus? This really doesn’t seem to fit the context, however, since if that were the case Jesus would not be making any claim for “divinity” for himself over and above any other human being – and therefore he would not be subject to the charge of blasphemy. Rather, this is evidently a case of arguing from the lesser to the greater, a common form of rabbinic argument. The reason the OT judges could be called gods is because they were vehicles of the word of God (cf. 10:35). But granting that premise, Jesus deserves much more than they to be called God. He is the Word incarnate, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world to save the world (10:36). In light of the prologue to the Gospel of John, it seems this interpretation would have been most natural for the author. If it is permissible to call men “gods” because they were the vehicles of the word of God, how much more permissible is it to use the word “God” of him who is the Word of God?

[10:35]  ⁴² sn The parenthetical note And the scripture cannot be broken belongs to Jesus’ words rather than the author’s. Not only does Jesus appeal to the OT to defend himself against the charge of blasphemy, but he also adds that the scripture cannot be “broken.” In this context he does not explain precisely what is meant by “broken,” but it is not too hard to determine. Jesus’ argument depended on the exact word used in the context of Ps 82:6. If any other word for “judge” had been used in the psalm, his argument would have been meaningless. Since the scriptures do use this word in Ps 82:6, the argument is binding, because they cannot be “broken” in the sense of being shown to be in error.

[10:36]  ⁴³ tn Or “dedicated.”

[10:37]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “do.”

[10:37]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “works.”

[10:38]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “works.”

[10:38]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “so that you may learn.”

[10:39]  ⁴⁸ tc It is difficult to decide between ἐζήτουν οὖν (ezhtoun oun, “then they were seeking”; Ì⁶⁶ א A L W Ψ Ë^1,13 33 pm lat), ἐζήτουν δέ (ezhtoun de, “now they were seeking”; Ì⁴⁵ and a few versional witnesses), καὶ ἐζήτουν (kai ezhtoun, “and they were seeking”; D), and ἐζήτουν (Ì^75vid B Γ Θ 700 pm). Externally, the most viable readings are ἐζήτουν οὖν and ἐζήτουν. Transcriptionally, the οὖν could have dropped out via haplography since the verb ends in the same three letters. On the other hand, it is difficult to explain the readings with δέ or καί if ἐζήτουν οὖν is original; such readings would more likely have arisen from the simple ἐζήτουν. Intrinsically, John is fond of οὖν, using it some 200 times. Further, this Gospel begins relatively few sentences without some conjunction. The minimal support for the δέ and καί readings suggests that they arose either from the lone verb reading (which would thus be prior to their respective Vorlagen but not necessarily the earliest reading) or through carelessness on the part of the scribes. Indeed, the ancestors of Ì⁴⁵ and D may have committed haplography, leaving later scribes in the chain to guess at the conjunction needed. In sum, the best reading appears to be ἐζήτουν οὖν.

[10:39]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “they were seeking.”

[10:39]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “he departed out of their hand.”

[22:22]  ⁵¹ tn Or “brothers,” but here the term does not carry a literal familial sense. It refers to the psalmist’s fellow members of the Israelite covenant community (see v. 23).

[40:9]  ⁵² sn The great assembly is also mentioned in Pss 22:25 and 35:18.

[40:9]  ⁵³ tn Heb “I proclaim justice in the great assembly.” Though “justice” appears without a pronoun here, the Lord’s just acts are in view (see v. 10). His “justice” (צֶדֶק, tsedeq) is here the deliverance that originates in his justice; he protects and vindicates the one whose cause is just.

[40:9]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “Look! My lips I do not restrain.”

[4:23]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “And he.”

[4:23]  ⁵⁶ sn Synagogues were places for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership (cf. Luke 8:41). Though the origin of the synagogue is not entirely clear, it seems to have arisen in the postexilic community during the intertestamental period. A town could establish a synagogue if there were at least ten men. In normative Judaism of the NT period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present (see the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2).

[9:35]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “cities.”

[9:35]  ⁵⁸ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.

[9:35]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “and every [kind of] sickness.” Here “every” was not repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[21:23]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “he.”

[21:23]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “the temple.”

[21:23]  ⁶² tn On this phrase, see BDAG 844 s.v. ποῖος 2.a.γ.1

[21:24]  ⁶³ tn Grk “answering, Jesus said to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[21:25]  ⁶⁴ tn The plural Greek term ἀνθρώπων (anqrwpwn) is used here (and in v. 26) in a generic sense, referring to both men and women (cf. NAB, NRSV, “of human origin”; TEV, “from human beings”; NLT, “merely human”).

[21:27]  ⁶⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “So” to indicate that the clause is a result of the deliberations of the leaders.

[21:27]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “answering Jesus, they said.” This construction is somewhat awkward in English and has been simplified in the translation.

[21:27]  ⁶⁷ sn Very few questions could have so completely revealed the wicked intentions of the religious leaders. Jesus’ question revealed the motivation of the religious leaders and exposed them for what they really were – hypocrites. They indicted themselves when they cited only two options and chose neither of them (“We do not know”). The point of Matt 21:23-27 is that no matter what Jesus said in response to their question, they were not going to believe it and would in the end use it against him.

[21:27]  ⁶⁸ sn Neither will I tell you. Though Jesus gave no answer, the analogy he used to their own question makes his view clear. His authority came from heaven.

[21:27]  ⁶⁹ tn On this phrase, see BDAG 844 s.v. ποῖος 2.a.γ. This is exactly the same phrase as in v. 23.

[26:65]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “the high priest tore his clothes, saying.”

[26:65]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “Behold now.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[4:15]  ⁷² tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[4:15]  ⁷³ tn The imperfect verb has been translated ingressively.

[4:15]  ⁷⁴ sn The next incident in Luke 4:16-30 is probably to be seen as an example of this ministry of teaching in their synagogues in Galilee. Synagogues were places for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership (cf. Luke 8:41). Though the origin of the synagogue is not entirely clear, it seems to have arisen in the postexilic community during the intertestamental period. A town could establish a synagogue if there were at least ten men. In normative Judaism of the NT period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present (see the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2).

[4:15]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “being glorified.” The participle δοξαζόμενος (doxazomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. This is the only place Luke uses the verb δοξάζω (doxazw) of Jesus.

[19:45]  ⁷⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[19:45]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “he.”

[19:45]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “the temple” (also in v. 47).

[19:45]  ⁷⁹ sn Matthew (21:12-27), Mark (11:15-19) and Luke (here, 19:45-46) record this incident of the temple cleansing at the end of Jesus’ ministry. John (2:13-16) records a cleansing of the temple at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. See the note on the word temple courts in John 2:14 for a discussion of the relationship of these accounts to one another.

[19:46]  ⁸⁰ sn A quotation from Isa 56:7.

[19:46]  ⁸¹ tn Or “a hideout” (see L&N 1.57).

[19:46]  ⁸² sn A quotation from Jer 7:11. The meaning of Jesus’ statement about making the temple courts a den of robbers probably operates here at two levels. Not only were the religious leaders robbing the people financially, but because of this they had also robbed them spiritually by stealing from them the opportunity to come to know God genuinely. It is possible that these merchants had recently been moved to this location for convenience.

[19:47]  ⁸³ tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[19:47]  ⁸⁴ tn Grk “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.

[19:47]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “to destroy.”

[20:1]  ⁸⁶ tn Grk “Now it happened that one.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated. Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[20:1]  ⁸⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:1]  ⁸⁸ tn Grk “the temple.”

[20:1]  ⁸⁹ tn Or “preaching.”

[20:1]  ⁹⁰ tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.

[20:1]  ⁹¹ sn The chief priests and the experts in the law with the elders came up. The description is similar to Luke 19:47. The leaders are really watching Jesus at this point.

[20:2]  ⁹² tn Grk “and said, saying to him.” This is redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.

[20:2]  ⁹³ tn On this phrase, see BDAG 844 s.v. ποῖος 2.a.γ.

[20:2]  ⁹⁴ sn The leadership is looking back to acts like the temple cleansing (19:45-48). How could a Galilean preacher do these things?

[20:3]  ⁹⁵ tn Grk “answering, he said to them.” This is redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.

[20:4]  ⁹⁶ sn John, like Jesus, was not a part of the official rabbinic order. So the question “John’s baptism – was it from heaven or from men?” draws an analogy between John the Baptist and Jesus. See Luke 3:1-20; 7:24-27. The phrase John’s baptism refers to the baptism practiced by John.

[20:4]  ⁹⁷ tn The plural Greek term ἀνθρώπων (anqrwpwn) is used here (and in v. 6) in a generic sense, referring to both men and women (cf. NAB, NRSV, “of human origin”; TEV, “from human beings”; NLT, “merely human”).

[20:5]  ⁹⁸ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Jesus’ question.

[20:7]  ⁹⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the dilemma Jesus’ opponents faced.

[20:7]  ¹⁰⁰ sn Very few questions could have so completely revealed the wicked intentions of the religious leaders. Jesus’ question revealed the motivation of the religious leaders and exposed them for what they really were – hypocrites. They indicted themselves when they cited only two options and chose neither of them. The point of Luke 20:1-8 is that no matter what Jesus said in response to their question they were not going to believe it and would in the end use it against him.

[20:8]  ¹⁰¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[20:8]  ¹⁰² sn Neither will I tell you. Though Jesus gave no answer, the analogy he used to their own question makes his view clear. His authority came from heaven.

[20:8]  ¹⁰³ tn On this phrase, see BDAG 844 s.v. ποῖος 2.a.γ. This is exactly the same phrase as in v. 2.

[21:37]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” since vv. 37-38 serve as something of a summary or transition from the discourse preceding to the passion narrative that follows.

[21:37]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:37]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Grk “in the temple.”

[21:37]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Grk “and spent the night,” but this is redundant because of the previous use of the word “night.”

[21:37]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Grk “at the mountain called ‘of Olives.’”