The person who doesn’t have the Spirit doesn’t accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. Those things seem foolish to them, and they can’t understand them, because they can’t be understood without the Spirit’s help.
After this, Jesus traveled around in Galilee. He didn’t want to travel around in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him.
They were trying to trap Jesus with that question, so they’d have a reason to bring charges against him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.
The hearts of these people have become stubborn. They can barely hear with their ears and they’ve closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts. Then they might turn to the Lord, and he would heal them.’
Dear children, I’m writing to you because you know the Father. Fathers, I’m writing to you because you know the one who is from the beginning. Young men, I’m writing to you because you’re strong. God’s word lives in you, and you’ve won the battle over the evil one.