Jesus has become well-known during the years since his baptism. Thousands of Jews have seen his miracles, and reports about his works have spread throughout the land. Now, at the Festival of Tabernacles (or, Booths) in Jerusalem, many are looking for him.

Opinions about Jesus are greatly divided. “He is a good man,” some say. Others respond: “He is not. He misleads the crowd.” (John 7:12) Much of this subdued talk occurs during the opening days of the festival. Yet no one has the courage to speak out publicly in Jesus’ behalf because there is widespread fear of how the Jewish leaders will react.

Partway through the festival, Jesus shows up at the temple. Many of the people are amazed at his marvelous ability to teach. He never attended the rabbinic schools, so the Jews wonder: “How does this man have such a knowledge of the Scriptures when he has not studied at the schools?”​—John 7:15.

“What I teach is not mine,” Jesus explains, “but belongs to him who sent me. If anyone desires to do His will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or I speak of my own originality.” (John 7:16, 17) Jesus’ teaching is in harmony with God’s Law, so it should be obvious that he is seeking God’s glory, not his own.

Then Jesus says: “Moses gave you the Law, did he not? But not one of you obeys the Law. Why are you seeking to kill me?” Some in the crowd, probably visitors from outside the city, are unaware of such efforts. It seems inconceivable to them that anyone would want to kill a teacher like him. Hence, they conclude that something must be wrong with Jesus for him to make that claim. “You have a demon,” they say. “Who is seeking to kill you?”​—John 7:19, 20.

Actually, a year and a half earlier, the Jewish leaders wanted to kill Jesus after he had healed a man on the Sabbath. Jesus now uses a thought-provoking line of reasoning and exposes their unreasonableness. He calls attention to the fact that under the Law, a baby boy is to be circumcised on the eighth day, even if it is the Sabbath. Then he asks: “If a man receives circumcision on a sabbath so that the Law of Moses may not be broken, are you violently angry at me because I made a man completely well on a sabbath? Stop judging by the outward appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”​—John 7:23, 24.

Residents of Jerusalem who are aware of the situation comment: “This is the man they [the rulers] are seeking to kill, is it not? And yet see! he is speaking in public, and they say nothing to him. Have the rulers come to know for certain that this is the Christ?” Why, then, do the people not believe that Jesus is the Christ? “We know where this man is from; yet when the Christ comes, no one is to know where he is from,” they say.​—John 7:25-27.

Right there at the temple, Jesus answers: “You know me and you know where I am from. And I have not come of my own initiative, but the One who sent me is real, and you do not know him. I know him, because I am a representative from him, and that One sent me.” (John 7:28, 29) In response to that clear statement, there is an attempt to lay hold of Jesus, either to imprison him or to kill him. However, the attempt fails because it is not yet time for Jesus to die.

Many, though, put faith in Jesus, as they should. He has walked on water, calmed the winds, miraculously fed thousands with a few loaves and fish, cured the sick, made the lame walk, opened the eyes of the blind, cured lepers, and even raised the dead. Yes, they have good reason to ask: “When the Christ comes, he will not perform more signs than this man has done, will he?”​—John 7:31.

When the Pharisees hear the crowd saying these things, they and the chief priests send out officers to arrest Jesus.

Jesus is still in Jerusalem for the Festival of Tabernacles (or, Booths). He is pleased that “many of the crowd put faith in him.” That does not please the religious leaders, however. They send officers, who function as religious police, to arrest him. (John 7:31, 32) Yet, Jesus does not try to hide.

Rather, Jesus keeps on teaching publicly in Jerusalem, saying: “I will be with you a little while longer before I go to the One who sent me. You will look for me, but you will not find me, and where I am you cannot come.” (John 7:33, 34) The Jews do not understand, so they say among themselves: “Where does this man intend to go, so that we will not find him? He does not intend to go to the Jews dispersed among the Greeks and teach the Greeks, does he? What does he mean when he says, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me, and where I am you cannot come’?” (John 7:35, 36) Jesus, however, is speaking of his death and resurrection to heaven, and his enemies cannot follow him there.

The seventh day of the festival arrives. Each morning of the festival, a priest has poured out water taken from the Pool of Siloam, so that it flowed to the base of the temple’s altar. Likely reminding the people of this practice, Jesus cries out: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever puts faith in me, just as the scripture has said: ‘From deep within him streams of living water will flow.’”​—John 7:37, 38.

Jesus is referring to what will happen when his disciples are anointed with holy spirit and called to be in line for heavenly life. This anointing occurs after Jesus’ death. Beginning on the day of Pentecost the following year, streams of life-giving water begin to flow as spirit-anointed disciples share the truth with people.

In response to Jesus’ teaching, some say: “This really is the Prophet,” evidently referring to the foretold prophet greater than Moses. Others say: “This is the Christ.” But some argue: “The Christ is not coming out of Galilee, is he? Does the scripture not say that the Christ is coming from the offspring of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”​—John 7:40-42.

So the crowd is divided. Though some want Jesus arrested, no one lays a hand on him. When the officers return to the religious leaders without Jesus, the chief priests and Pharisees ask: “Why did you not bring him in?” The officers reply: “Never has any man spoken like this.” The religious leaders angrily resort to ridicule and name-calling: “You have not been misled also, have you? Not one of the rulers or of the Pharisees has put faith in him, has he? But this crowd who do not know the Law are accursed people.”​—John 7:45-49.

At this, Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, dares to speak in Jesus’ behalf. Some two and a half years earlier, Nicodemus came to Jesus at night and expressed faith in him. Now Nicodemus says: “Our Law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and learns what he is doing, does it?” What is their defensive reply? “You are not also out of Galilee, are you? Search and see that no prophet is to be raised up out of Galilee.”​—John 7:51, 52.

The Scriptures do not directly say that a prophet would come out of Galilee. Yet God’s Word did point to the Christ as coming from there; it prophesied that “a great light” would be seen in “Galilee of the nations.” (Isaiah 9:1, 2; Matthew 4:13-17) Furthermore, as foretold, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and he is an offspring of David. Although the Pharisees may be aware of this, they are likely responsible for spreading many of the misconceptions that people have about Jesus.

On the last day of the Festival of Tabernacles, the seventh day, Jesus is teaching in the part of the temple called “the treasury.” (John 8:20; Luke 21:1) This apparently is in the Court of Women, where people deposit their contributions.

At night during the festival, this area of the temple is specially illuminated. Four giant lampstands are there, each with four large basins filled with oil. The light from these lamps is strong enough to illuminate the surroundings to a great distance. What Jesus now says may remind his listeners of this display: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will by no means walk in darkness, but will possess the light of life.”​—John 8:12.

The Pharisees take exception to Jesus’ statement and say: “You bear witness about yourself; your witness is not true.” Jesus replies: “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my witness is true, because I know where I came from and where I am going. But you do not know where I came from and where I am going.” He adds: “In your own Law it is written: ‘The witness of two men is true.’ I am one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.”​—John 8:13-18.

Not accepting his reasoning, the Pharisees ask: “Where is your Father?” Jesus gives the forthright reply: “You know neither me nor my Father. If you did know me, you would know my Father also.” (John 8:19) Even though the Pharisees still want Jesus arrested, no one touches him.

Jesus repeats a statement he has already made: “I am going away, and you will look for me, and yet you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” The Jews, completely misunderstanding Jesus’ words, begin to wonder: “He will not kill himself, will he? Because he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’” They do not understand what Jesus means, because they are unaware of his origin. He explains: “You are from the realms below; I am from the realms above. You are from this world; I am not from this world.”​—John 8:21-23.

Jesus is referring to his prehuman existence in heaven and to his being the promised Messiah, or Christ, whom these religious leaders should be expecting. Nevertheless, they ask with great contempt: “Who are you?”​—John 8:25.

In the face of their rejection and opposition, Jesus answers: “Why am I even speaking to you at all?” Still, he directs attention to his Father and explains why the Jews should listen to the Son: “The One who sent me is true, and the very things I heard from him I am speaking in the world.”​—John 8:25, 26.

Then Jesus expresses confidence in his Father, which these Jews lack: “After you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing of my own initiative; but just as the Father taught me, I speak these things. And the One who sent me is with me; he did not abandon me to myself, because I always do the things pleasing to him.”​—John 8:28, 29.

Some Jews, though, do put faith in Jesus, and he says to them: “If you remain in my word, you are really my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”​—John 8:31, 32.

To some, this talk of being set free seems strange. They object: “We are Abraham’s offspring and never have been slaves to anyone. How is it you say, ‘You will become free’?” The Jews know that at times they have been under foreign domination, yet they refuse to be called slaves. Jesus points out, however, that they still are slaves: “Most truly I say to you, every doer of sin is a slave of sin.”​—John 8:33, 34.

Refusing to admit their slavery to sin puts the Jews in a dangerous position. “The slave does not remain in the household forever,” Jesus explains. “The son remains forever.” (John 8:35) A slave has no rights to an inheritance, and he may be dismissed at any time. Only the son actually born or adopted into the household remains “forever,” that is, as long as he lives.

Thus, the truth about the Son is the truth that sets people free from death-dealing sin forever. “If the Son sets you free, you will be truly free,” Jesus declares.​—John 8:36.

Still in Jerusalem for the Festival of Tabernacles (or, Booths), Jesus goes on teaching vital truths. Some Jews present had just said to him: “We are Abraham’s offspring and never have been slaves.” Jesus responds: “I know that you are Abraham’s offspring. But you are seeking to kill me, because my word makes no progress among you. I speak the things I have seen while with my Father, but you do the things you have heard from your father.”​—John 8:33, 37, 38.

Jesus’ point is simple: His Father is different from theirs. Unaware of what Jesus means, the Jews repeat their claim: “Our father is Abraham.” (John 8:39; Isaiah 41:8) They are literally his descendants. So they feel that they are of the same faith as God’s friend Abraham.

However, Jesus gives a shocking reply: “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works of Abraham.” Indeed, a real son imitates his father. “But now you are seeking to kill me,” Jesus continues, “a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do this.” Then Jesus makes the puzzling statement: “You are doing the works of your father.”​—John 8:39-41.

The Jews still do not grasp to whom Jesus is referring. They claim that they are legitimate sons, saying: “We were not born from immorality; we have one Father, God.” Is God really their Father, though? “If God were your Father,” Jesus says, “you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I have not come of my own initiative, but that One sent me.” Jesus asks a question and answers it himself: “Why do you not understand what I am saying? Because you cannot listen to my word.”​—John 8:41-43.

Jesus has tried to show what the consequences of rejecting him are. But now he pointedly says: “You are from your father the Devil, and you wish to do the desires of your father.” What is their father like? Jesus identifies him clearly: “That one was a murderer when he began, and he did not stand fast in the truth.” Jesus adds: “The one who is from God listens to the sayings of God. This is why you do not listen, because you are not from God.”​—John 8:44, 47.

That condemnation angers the Jews, who answer: “Are we not right in saying, ‘You are a Samaritan and have a demon’?” By calling Jesus “a Samaritan,” they are expressing contempt for him. But Jesus ignores their slur, responding: “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.” That this is a serious matter can be seen by Jesus’ startling promise: “If anyone observes my word, he will never see death at all.” He does not mean that the apostles and others who follow him will literally never die. Rather, they will never see eternal destruction, “the second death,” with no hope of a resurrection.​—John 8:48-51; Revelation 21:8.

But the Jews take Jesus’ words literally, saying: “Now we do know that you have a demon. Abraham died, also the prophets, but you say, ‘If anyone observes my word, he will never taste death at all.’ You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died, are you? . . . Who do you claim to be?”​—John 8:52, 53.

It is obvious that Jesus is making the point that he is the Messiah. But rather than directly answer their question about his identity, he says: “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, the one who you say is your God. Yet you have not known him, but I know him. And if I said I do not know him, I would be like you, a liar.”​—John 8:54, 55.

Jesus now refers back to the example of their faithful forefather: “Abraham your father rejoiced greatly at the prospect of seeing my day, and he saw it and rejoiced.” Yes, believing God’s promise, Abraham looked forward to the arrival of the Messiah. “You are not yet 50 years old, and still you have seen Abraham?” the Jews respond in disbelief. Jesus answers: “Most truly I say to you, before Abraham came into existence, I have been.” He is referring to his prehuman existence as a mighty spirit in heaven.​—John 8:56-58.

The Jews, enraged by Jesus’ claim to have lived before Abraham, get ready to stone him. But Jesus leaves unharmed.