John 5

Jesus Heals a Lame Man

5Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days.G3326G5023G2258G1859G2453G2532G2424G305G1519G24142Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda

, with five covered porches.G1161G2076G1722G2414G1909G4262G2861G3588G1951G1447G964G2192G4002G47453Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches.G1722G5025G2621G4183G4128G770G5185G5560G3584G1551G2796G52044

G1063G32G2597G2596G2540G1722G2861G2532G5015G5204G3767G4413G3326G5016G5204G1684G1096G5199G3739G1221G3553G27225One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years.G1161G5100G444G2258G1563G2192G1722G769G5144G3638G20946When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, "Would you like to get well?"G2424G1492G5126G2621G2532G1097G3754G2192G2235G4183G5550G3004G846G2309G1096G51997"I can't, sir," the sick man said, "for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me."G770G611G846G2962G2192G3756G444G3752G5204G5015G2443G906G3165G1519G2861G1161G1722G3739G1473G2064G243G2597G4253G17008Jesus told him, "Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!"G2424G3004G846G1453G142G4675G2895G2532G40439Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath,G2532G2112G444G1096G5199G2532G142G846G2895G2532G4043G1161G1722G1565G2250G2258G452110so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, "You can't work on the Sabbath! The law doesn't allow you to carry that sleeping mat!"G2453G3767G3004G2323G2076G4521G1832G3756G1832G4671G142G289511But he replied, "The man who healed me told me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.'"G611G846G4160G3165G5199G1565G2036G3427G142G4675G2895G2532G404312"Who said such a thing as that?" they demanded.G3767G2065G846G5101G444G2076G3588G2036G4671G142G4675G2895G2532G404313The man didn't know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd.G1161G2390G1492G3756G5101G2076G1063G2424G1593G3793G5607G1722G511714But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, "Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you."G3326G5023G2424G2147G846G1722G2411G2532G2036G846G2396G1096G5199G264G3371G3363G5501G5100G1096G467115Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him.G444G565G2532G312G2453G3754G2076G2424G3588G4160G846G5199

Jesus Claims to Be the Son of God

16So the Jewish leaders began harassing

Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules.G2532G1223G5124G1377G2453G1377G2424G2532G2212G615G846G3754G4160G5023G1722G452117But Jesus replied, "My Father is always working, and so am I."G1161G2424G611G846G3450G3962G2038G2193G737G2504G203818So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill him. For he not only broke the Sabbath, he called God his Father, thereby making himself equal with God.G1223G5124G3767G2453G2212G3123G615G846G3754G3089G3756G3440G3089G4521G235G3004G2532G2316G2398G3962G4160G1438G2470G231619So Jesus explained, "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.G3767G611G2424G2532G2036G846G281G281G3004G5213G5207G1410G3756G4160G3762G575G1438G3362G5100G991G3962G4160G1063G3739G302G1565G4160G5023G2532G4160G5207G366820For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. In fact, the Father will show him how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished.G1063G3962G5368G5207G2532G1166G846G3956G3739G846G4160G2532G1166G846G3187G2041G3187G5130G2443G5210G229621For just as the Father gives life to those he raises from the dead, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants.G1063G5618G3962G1453G3498G2532G2227G2532G3779G5207G2227G3739G230922In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge,G1063G3761G3962G2919G3762G235G1325G3956G2920G520723so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent him.G2443G3956G5091G5207G2531G5091G3962G5091G3361G5207G5091G3756G3962G3588G3992G84624"I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.G281G281G3004G5213G3754G191G3450G3056G2532G4100G3992G3165G2192G166G2222G2532G2064G3756G2064G1519G2920G235G3327G1537G2288G1519G222225"And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it's here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live.G281G281G3004G5213G3754G5610G2064G2532G3568G2076G3753G3498G191G5456G5207G2316G2532G191G219826The Father has life in himself, and he has granted that same life-giving power to his Son.G1063G5618G3962G2192G2222G1722G1438G2532G3779G1325G5207G2192G2222G1722G143827And he has given him authority to judge everyone because he is the Son of Man

.G2532G1325G846G1849G4160G2920G2532G3754G2076G5207G44428Don't be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God's Son,G2296G3361G5124G3754G5610G2064G1722G3739G3956G1722G3419G191G846G545629and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment.G2532G1607G4160G18G1519G386G2222G1161G4238G5337G1519G386G292030I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will.G1473G1410G575G1683G4160G3756G3762G2531G191G2919G2532G1699G2920G2076G1342G3754G2212G3756G1699G2307G235G2307G3962G3992G3165

Witnesses to Jesus

31"If I were to testify on my own behalf, my testimony would not be valid.G1437G1473G3140G4012G1683G3450G3141G2076G3756G22732But someone else is also testifying about me, and I assure you that everything he says about me is true.G2076G243G3140G4012G1700G2532G1492G3754G3141G3739G3140G4012G1700G2076G22733In fact, you sent investigators to listen to John the Baptist, and his testimony about me was true.G5210G649G4314G2491G2532G3140G22534Of course, I have no need of human witnesses, but I say these things so you might be saved.G1161G1473G2983G3756G3141G3844G444G235G5023G3004G2443G5210G498235John was like a burning and shining lamp, and you were excited for a while about his message.G1565G2258G2545G2532G5316G3088G1161G5210G2309G4314G5610G21G1722G846G545736But I have a greater witness than John—my teachings and my miracles. The Father gave me these works to accomplish, and they prove that he sent me.G1161G1473G2192G3187G3141G2491G1063G2041G3739G3962G1325G3427G2443G5048G846G846G2041G3739G1473G4160G3140G4012G1700G3754G3962G649G316537And the Father who sent me has testified about me himself. You have never heard his voice or seen him face to face,G2532G3962G846G3992G3165G3140G4012G1700G191G3777G191G846G5456G4455G3777G3708G846G149138and you do not have his message in your hearts, because you do not believe me—the one he sent to you.G2532G2192G3756G846G3056G3306G1722G5213G3754G3739G1565G649G5129G5210G4100G375639"You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!G2045G1124G3754G1722G846G5210G1380G2192G166G2222G2532G1565G1526G3140G4012G170040Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.G2532G2309G3756G2064G4314G3165G2443G2192G222241"Your approval means nothing to me,G2983G3756G1391G3844G44442because I know you don't have God's love within you.G235G1097G5209G3754G2192G3756G26G2316G1722G143843For I have come to you in my Father's name, and you have rejected me. Yet if others come in their own name, you gladly welcome them.G1473G2064G1722G3450G3962G3686G2532G2983G3165G3756G1437G243G2064G1722G2398G3686G1565G298344No wonder you can't believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don't care about the honor that comes from the one who alone is God

.G4459G1410G5210G4100G2983G1391G3844G240G2532G2212G3756G1391G3844G2316G344145"Yet it isn't I who will accuse you before the Father. Moses will accuse you! Yes, Moses, in whom you put your hopes.G1380G3361G1380G3754G1473G2723G5216G4314G3962G2076G2723G5216G3475G1519G3739G5210G167946If you really believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me.G1063G1487G4100G3475G4100G302G1698G1063G1565G1125G4012G170047But since you don't believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?"G1161G1487G4100G3756G1565G1121G4459G4100G1699G4487