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John 7:23
ESV If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man 's whole body well?
NIV Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath?
NASB If a man receives circumcision on a Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, are you angry at Me because I made an entire man well on a Sabbath?
CSB If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses won’t be broken, are you angry at me because I made a man entirely well on the Sabbath?
NLT For if the correct time for circumcising your son falls on the Sabbath, you go ahead and do it so as not to break the law of Moses. So why should you be angry with me for healing a man on the Sabbath?
KJV If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day?
NKJV If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?

What does John 7:23 mean?

Abraham was the first Jewish patriarch to practice circumcision. This symbolic ritual was meant to be a visible, permanent, external sign of the relationship between God and His people: the nation of Israel. Accordingly, a male child was to be circumcised on the eighth day after birth (Genesis 17:12). This command was repeated in the laws given under Moses (Leviticus 12:3). Of course, this meant that some baby boys had to be circumcised on a Sabbath day. Here, Jesus points out that the Pharisees see this as necessary to properly fulfill the law of Moses.

In context, Jesus is referring to the controversy caused when He healed a man on a Sabbath day (John 5:1–9). His point here is that of hypocrisy. If "breaking" the Sabbath to perform a minor ritual was acceptable, why did the Pharisees reject Jesus' healing of a man who'd been crippled for years? As stated in the next verse, the problem is that these religious leaders are being shallow and careless in their judgment.
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Context Summary
John 7:14–24 is a strong spiritual challenge issued by Jesus against the religious leaders of Jerusalem. Jesus makes the point that obedience is a necessary aspect of learning. The resistance of the scribes and Pharisees is ultimately a matter of rebellion, not knowledge. In the same way, Jesus criticizes their hypocritical attitude towards His miracles. This concludes with a powerful statement about the need to use ''right judgment,'' rather than shallow appearances.
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Chapter Summary
Six months after the feeding of thousands, and the public debate which followed, Jesus plans to attend the Feast of Booths, also called the Festival of Tabernacles. Rather than going publicly, He chooses to arrive privately, and after His family. While teaching and preaching there, Jesus once again comes into conflict with local religious leaders. The crowds take note of His profound words, history of miracles, and the inability of the religious leaders to silence Him. This causes the people to openly question their spiritual leaders. This embarrassment is a milestone in the effort to permanently silence Jesus.
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What is the Gospel?
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