The Gospel According to
JOHN
Author
Early church tradition attributes the Fourth Gospel to John “the beloved disciple” (13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20), who belonged to the “inner circle” of Jesus’ followers (see Matt. 17:1; Mark 13:3). According to Christian writers of the second century, John moved to Ephesus, probably during the Jewish War of A.D. 66–70, where he continued his ministry. For instance, Irenaeus, the bishop of Lyons in the latter part of the second century, stated that “John, the disciple of the Lord, who also leaned upon His breast, did himself publish a Gospel during his residence in Ephesus in Asia” (Against Heresies 3.1.1).
Some scholars suggest that John 19:35 and 21:24 may reflect another author who faithfully collected the apostle’s eyewitness account and testimonials. However, the bulk of the evidence, both internal and external, supports John the apostle as the author.
Date
The same tradition that locates John in Ephesus suggests that he wrote his Gospel in the latter part of the first century. In the absence of substantial evidence to the contrary, most scholars accept this tradition.
Purpose
In a broad sense, John wrote to provide the Christians of the province of Asia (now in Asia Minor) with a fuller understanding of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. More specifically, he wrote to lead his readers to a settled faith on the basis of the words and works of Jesus, with the result that they “may have life in His name” (20:31).
John and the Synoptic Gospels
While John most likely knew of the other three Gospel accounts, he chose not to follow their chronological sequence of events as much as a topical order. In this case they may have used common oral and/or literary traditions. The broad outline is the same, and some particular events in Jesus’ ministry are common to all four books. Some of the distinctive differences are: 1) Instead of the familiar parables, John has lengthy discourses; 2) In place of the many miracles and healings in the Synoptics, John uses seven carefully picked miracles, which serve as “signs”; 3) The ministry of Jesus revolves around three Passover Feasts, instead of the one cited in the Synoptics; 4) The “I am” sayings are uniquely Johannine.
Content
John divides the ministry of Jesus into two distinct parts: chapters 2—12 give insight into His public ministry, while chapters 13—21 relate His private ministry to His disciples. In 1:1–18, called the “Prologue,” John deals with the theological implications of the first coming of Jesus. He shows Jesus’ preexistent state with God, His deity and essence, as well as His incarnation.
Christ Revealed
The book presents Jesus as the only begotten Son of God who became flesh. For John, Jesus’ humanity meant essentially a twofold mission: 1) As the “Lamb of God” (1:29), He procured the redemption of mankind; 2) Through His life and ministry He revealed the Father. Christ consistently pointed beyond Himself to the Father who had sent Him and whom He sought to glorify. In fact, the very miracles Jesus performed, which John characterized as “signs,” bore testimony to the divine mission of the Son of God. As the Son glorified the Father in ministry and passion, so the Father glorified the Son. But, as John shows, the Son’s glorification came at the Crucifixion (12:32, 33), not only in the postresurrection exaltation. By believing that Jesus is the Christ, the readers of John’s Gospel become participants in the life Jesus brought out of death (20:31).
The Holy Spirit at Work
Unique to John is the designation of the Holy Spirit as “Comforter” or “Helper” (14:16), literally “one called alongside.” He is “another Helper,” namely, one of the same kind as Jesus, thereby extending the ministry of Jesus to the end of this age. It would be a grave error, however, to understand the Spirit’s purpose merely in terms of one needed in predicaments. On the contrary, John demonstrates that the Spirit’s role encompasses every facet of life. In regard to the world outside of Christ, He works as the agent who convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment (16:8–11). The experience of being “born of the Spirit” is descriptive of New Birth (3:6). Because God in essence is Spirit, those who worship Him must do so spiritually, that is, as directed and motivated by the Holy Spirit (4:24). Further, in anticipation of Pentecost, the Spirit becomes the divine enabler for authoritative ministry (20:21–23).
The Holy Spirit also fulfills a definite function in relation to Christ. While the Father sent the Spirit in the name of Christ, the Spirit never draws attention to Himself, nor does He speak in His own authority. Instead, His mission is to glorify Jesus and to declare Christ’s teaching to the disciples (16:14).
John reveals the function of the Holy Spirit in continuing the work of Jesus, leading believers into an understanding of the meanings, implications, and imperatives of the gospel, and enabling them to do “greater works” than those done by Jesus (14:12). Present-day believers in Christ may thus view Him as their contemporary, not merely as a figure from the distant past.
Personal Application
In seeking to fulfill his purpose as stated in 20:20, 31, John confronts his readers with claims of Jesus that demand a personal response. A positive response of faith in “Jesus…the Christ, the Son of God” results in “life in His name.” John records the assertion of Jesus that He came “that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly” (10:10), and he makes it clear that life is not an independent quality unrelated to God or to Christ. The knowledge of “the only true God and Jesus Christ” (17:3), which implies fellowship as well as intellectual understanding, is the key to the meaning of eternal life.
Outline of John
Prologue 1:1–18
I. Jesus’ public ministry 1:19—12:50
A. Preparation 1:19–51
B. Wedding at Cana 2:1–12
C. Ministry in Jerusalem 2:13—3:36
D. Jesus and the Samaritan woman 4:1–42
E. Healing of the nobleman’s son 4:43–54
F. Sabbath healing at the pool of Bethesda 5:1–15
G. Honoring the Father and the Son 5:16–29
H. Witnesses to the Son 5:30–47
I. Ministry in Galilee 6:1–71
J. Conflict in Jerusalem 7:1—9:41
K. Jesus the Good Shepherd 10:1–42
L. Ministry at Bethany 11:1—12:11
M. Triumphal entry to Jerusalem 12:12–19
N. Final rejection: unbelief 12:20–50
II. Jesus’ ministry to the disciples 13:1—17:26
A. Modeling servanthood 13:1–20
B. Pronouncements of betrayal and denial 13:21–38
C. Preparation for Jesus’ departure 14:1–31
D. Fruitfulness by abiding 15:1–17
E. Dealing with rejection 15:18—16:4
F. Understanding Jesus’ departure 16:5–33
G. Jesus’ prayer for His disciples 17:1–26
III. Jesus’ passion and resurrection 18:1—21:23
A. Jesus’ arrest 18:1–14
B. Trial before the high priest 18:15–27
C. Trial before Pilate 18:28—19:16
D. Crucifixion and burial 19:17–42
E. Resurrection and appearances 20:1—21:23
Epilogue 21:24, 25
The Eternal Word
1
1 IN the beginning awas the *Word, and the bWord was cwith God, and the Word was dGod.
2 aHe was in the beginning with God.
3 aAll things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
4 aIn Him was *life, and bthe life was the light of men.
5 And athe light shines in the *darkness, and the darkness did not 1comprehend it.
John’s Witness: The True Light
6 There was a aman *sent from God, whose name was John.
7 This man came for a awitness,* to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might bbelieve.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that aLight.
9 aThat1 was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and athe world did not *know Him.
11 aHe came to His 1own, and His 2own did not receive Him.
12 But aas many as received Him, to them He gave the 1right* to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
13 awho were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
The Word Becomes Flesh
14 aAnd the Word bbecame cflesh* and dwelt among us, and dwe beheld His *glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, efull of grace and truth.
15 aJohn bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, b‘He who comes after me 1is preferred before me, cfor He was before me.’ ”
16 1And of His afullness* we have all received, and grace for grace.
17 For athe law was given through Moses, but bgrace and ctruth* came through Jesus Christ.
18 aNo one has seen God at any time. bThe only begotten 1Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
A Voice in the Wilderness
19 Now this is athe testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
20 aHe confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you athe Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”
22 Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”
23 He said: a“I am
b‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Make straight the way of the LORD,” ’
as the prophet Isaiah said.”
24 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.
25 And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
26 John answered them, saying, a“I baptize with water, bbut there stands One among you whom you do not know.
27 a“It is He who, coming after me, 1is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.”
28 These things were done ain 1Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
The Lamb of God
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! aThe Lamb of God bwho *takes away the sin of the world!
30 “This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who 1is preferred before me, for He was before me.’
31 “I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, atherefore I came baptizing with water.”
32 aAnd John bore witness, saying, “I saw the *Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.
33 “I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, athis is He who baptizes with the *Holy Spirit.’
34 “And I have seen and testified that this is the aSon of God.”
The First Disciples
35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.
36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, a“Behold the Lamb of God!”
37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they afollowed Jesus.
38 Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?”
39 He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).
40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was aAndrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
41 He first found his own brother Si-mon, and said to him, “We have found the 1Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ).
42 And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of 1Jonah. aYou shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, 2A Stone).
Philip and Nathanael
43 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found aPhilip and said to him, “Follow Me.”
44 Now aPhilip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45 Philip found aNathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom bMoses in the law, and also the cprophets, wrote—Jesus dof Nazareth, the eson of Joseph.”
46 And Nathanael said to him, a“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, aan Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”
48 Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
49 Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, aYou are the Son of God! You are bthe King of Israel!”
50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”
51 And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, ahereafter1 you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
Water Turned to Wine
2
1 On the third day there was a awedding in bCana of Galilee, and the cmother of Jesus was there.
2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.
3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”
4 Jesus said to her, a“Woman, bwhat does your concern have to do with Me? cMy hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”
6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, aaccording to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.
7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.
8 And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it.
9 When the master of the feast had *tasted athe water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom.
10 And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”
11 This abeginning of *signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, band 1manifested His glory; and His *disciples believed in Him.
12 After this He went down to aCapernaum, He, His mother, bHis brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
13 aNow the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
14 aAnd He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers 1doing business.
15 When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables.
16 And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make aMy Father’s house a house of merchandise!”
17 Then His disciples remembered that it was written, a“Zeal* for Your house 1has eaten Me up.”
18 So the Jews answered and said to Him, a“What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?”
19 Jesus answered and said to them, a“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
20 Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”
21 But He was speaking aof the temple of His body.
22 Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, aHis disciples remembered that He had said this 1to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.
The Discerner of Hearts
23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the asigns which He did.
24 But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He aknew all men,
25 and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for aHe knew what was in man.
The New Birth
3
1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
2 aThis man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for bno one can do these signs that You do unless cGod is with him.”
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, aunless one is born 1again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, aunless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6 “That which is born of the flesh is aflesh, and that which is born of the *Spirit is spirit.
7 “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
8 a“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, a“How can these things be?”
10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?
11 a“Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and byou do not receive Our witness.
12 “If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
13 a“No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man 1who is in heaven.
14 a“And as Moses *lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so bmust the Son of Man be lifted up,
15 “that whoever abelieves in Him should 1not perish but bhave eternal life.
16 a“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten bSon, that whoever *believes in Him should not *perish but have everlasting life.
17 a“For God did not send His Son into the world to *condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be *saved.
18 a“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 “And this is the condemnation, athat the light has come into the world, and men loved *darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 “For aeveryone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
21 “But he Who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been adone in God.”
John the Baptist Exalts Christ
22 After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them aand baptized.
23 Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near aSalim, because there was much water there. bAnd they came and were baptized.
24 For aJohn had not yet been thrown into prison.
25 Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification.
26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, ato whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all bare coming to Him!”
27 John answered and said, a“A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.
28 “You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, a‘I am not the Christ,’ but, b‘I have been sent before Him.’
29 a“He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but bthe friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.
30 a“He must increase, but I must decrease.
31 a“He who comes from above bis above all; che who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. dHe who comes from heaven is above all.
32 “And awhat He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.
33 “He who has received His testimony ahas certified that God is *true.
34 a“For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit bby measure.
35 a“The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.
36 a“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the bwrath of God abides on him.”
A Samaritan Woman Meets Her Messiah
4
1 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and abaptized more disciples than John
2 (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples),
3 He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.
4 But He needed to go through Samaria.
5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that aJacob bgave to his son Joseph.
6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”
8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For aJews have no dealings with bSamaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the agift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you bliving water.”
11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?
12 “Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”
13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,
14 “but awhoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will *never thirst. But the water that I shall give him bwill become in him a fountain of water springing up into *everlasting life.”
15 aThe woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”
17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’
18 “for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”
19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, aI perceive that You are a prophet.
20 “Our fathers worshiped on athis mountain, and you Jews say that in bJerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”
21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming awhen you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.
22 “You worship awhat you do not know; we know what we worship, for bsalvation* is of the Jews.
23 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will aworship* the Father in bspirit cand truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
24 a“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah ais coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, bHe will tell us all things.”
26 Jesus said to her, a“I who speak to you am He.”
The Whitened Harvest
27 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?”
28 The woman then *left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men,
29 “Come, see a Man awho told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”
30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him.
31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.”
32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.”
33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?”
34 Jesus said to them, a“My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to bfinish* His work.
35 “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes athe harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, bfor they are already white for harvest!
36 a“And he who reaps receives *wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that bboth he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.
37 “For in this the saying is true: a‘One sows and *another reaps.’
38 “I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; aothers have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
The Savior of the World
39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him abecause of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.”
40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.
41 And many more believed because of His own aword.
42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for awe ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed 1the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
Welcome at Galilee
43 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.
44 For aJesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.
45 So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, ahaving seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; bfor they also had gone to the feast.
A Nobleman’s Son Healed
46 So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee awhere He had made the water wine. And there was a certain 1nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.
47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.
48 Then Jesus said to him, a“Unless you people see signs and *wonders, you will by no means believe.”
49 The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies!”
50 Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.
51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!”
52 Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.”
53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole household.
54 This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.
A Man Healed at the Pool of Bethesda
5
1 After athis there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus bwent up to Jerusalem.
2 Now there is in Jerusalem aby the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, 1Bethesda, having five porches.
3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, 1paralyzed, 2waiting for the moving of the water.
4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and *stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.
5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”
7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”
8 Jesus said to him, a“Rise, take up your bed and walk.”
9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And athat day was the Sabbath.
10 The Jews therefore said to him who was *cured, “It is the Sabbath; ait is not lawful for you to carry your bed.”
11 He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’ ”
12 Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?”
13 But the one who was ahealed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.
14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. aSin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”
15 The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
Honor the Father and the Son
16 For this reason the Jews apersecuted Jesus, 1and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.
17 But Jesus answered them, a“My Father has been *working until now, and I have been working.”
18 Therefore the Jews asought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, bmaking Himself equal with God.
19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, athe Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.
20 “For athe Father *loves the Son, and bshows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater *works than these, that you may marvel.
21 “For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, aeven so the Son gives life to whom He will.
22 “For the Father judges no one, but ahas committed all *judgment to the Son,
23 “that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. aHe who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
Life and Judgment Are Through the Son
24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, ahe who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, bbut has passed from death into life.
25 “Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when athe dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.
26 “For aas the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have blife in Himself,
27 “and ahas given Him authority to execute judgment also, bbecause He is the Son of Man.
28 “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will ahear His voice
29 a“and come forth—bthose who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.
30 a“I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is *righteous, because bI do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.
The Fourfold Witness
31 a“If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not 1true.
32 a“There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.
33 “You have sent to John, aand he has borne witness to the truth.
34 “Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.
35 “He was the burning and ashining lamp, and byou were *willing for a time to rejoice in his light.
36 “But aI have a greater witness than John’s; for bthe works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very cworks that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.
37 “And the Father Himself, who sent Me, ahas testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, bnor seen His form.
38 “But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.
39 a“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and bthese are they which testify of Me.
40 a“But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.
41 a“I do not receive honor from men.
42 “But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.
43 “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.
44 a“How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek bthe honor that comes from the only God?
45 “Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; athere is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust.
46 “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; afor he wrote about Me.
47 “But if you ado not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”
Feeding the Five Thousand
6
1 After athese things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of bTiberias.
2 Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were adiseased.1
3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.
4 aNow the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.
5 aThen Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to bPhilip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?”
6 But this He said to *test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.
7 Philip answered Him, a“Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”
8 One of His disciples, aAndrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him,
9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, abut what are they among so many?”
10 Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them 1to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.
12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that *remain, so that nothing is lost.”
13 Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.
14 Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly athe Prophet who is to come into the world.”
Jesus Walks on the Sea
15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him *by force to make Him aking, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.
16 aNow when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea,
17 got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already *dark, and Jesus had not come to them.
18 Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.
19 So when they had rowed about 1three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were aafraid.
20 But He said to them, a“It is I; do not be afraid.”
21 Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.
The Bread from Heaven
22 On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no *other boat there, except 1that one 2which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone—
23 however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had *given thanks—
24 when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, aseeking Jesus.
25 And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?”
26 Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were *filled.
27 a“Do not labor for the food which perishes, but bfor the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, cbecause God the Father has set His seal on Him.”
28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”
29 Jesus answered and said to them, a“This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
30 Therefore they said to Him, a“What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do?
31 a“Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, b‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”
32 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but aMy Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
33 “For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 aThen they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”
35 And Jesus said to them, a“I am the bread of life. bHe who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never cthirst.
36 a“But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet bdo not believe.
37 a“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and bthe one who comes to Me I will 1by no means cast out.
38 “For I have come down from heaven, anot to do My own will, bbut the will of Him who sent Me.
39 “This is the will of the Father who sent Me, athat of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.
40 “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, athat everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Rejected by His Own
41 The Jews then 1complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.”
42 And they said, a“Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”
43 Jesus therefore answered and said to them, 1“Do not murmur among yourselves.
44 a“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me bdraws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
45 “It is written in the prophets, a‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ bTherefore everyone who 1has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.
46 a“Not that anyone has seen the Father, bexcept He who is from God; He has seen the Father.
47 “Most assuredly, I say to you, ahe who believes 1in Me has everlasting life.
48 a“I am the bread of life.
49 a“Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50 a“This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.
51 “I am the living bread awhich came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and bthe bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
52 The Jews therefore aquarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?”
53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless ayou eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.
54 a“Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 “For My flesh is 1food indeed, and My blood is 2drink indeed.
56 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood aabides in Me, and I in him.
57 “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.
58 a“This is the bread which came down from heaven—not bas your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”
59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.
Many Disciples Turn Away
60 aTherefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a 1hard saying; who can understand it?”
61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples 1complained about this, He said to them, “Does this 2offend you?
62 a“What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?
63 a“It is the Spirit who gives life; the bflesh profits nothing. The cwords that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
64 “But athere are some of you who do not believe.” For bJesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.
65 And He said, “Therefore aI have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
66 aFrom that time many of His disciples went 1back and walked with Him no more.
67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”
68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have athe words of eternal life.
69 a“Also we have come to believe and know that You are the 1Christ, the Son of the living God.”
70 Jesus answered them, a“Did I not choose you, the twelve, band one of you is a devil?”
71 He spoke of aJudas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would bbetray Him, being one of the twelve.
Jesus’ Brothers Disbelieve
7
1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, abecause the 1Jews sought to kill Him.
2 aNow the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.
3 aHis brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the *works that You are doing.
4 “For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.”
5 For aeven His bbrothers did not believe in Him.
6 Then Jesus said to them, a“My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.
7 a“The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me bbecause I testify of it that its works are evil.
8 “You go up to this feast. I am not 1yet going up to this feast, afor My time has not yet fully come.”
9 When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.
The Heavenly Scholar
10 But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.
11 Then athe Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, “Where is He?”
12 And athere was much complaining among the people concerning Him. bSome said, “He is good”; others said, “No, on the contrary, He deceives the people.”
13 However, no one spoke openly of Him afor fear of the Jews.
14 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and ataught.
15 aAnd the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?”
16 1Jesus answered them and said, a“My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.
17 a“If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.
18 a“He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who bseeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and cno unrighteousness is in Him.
19 a“Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? bWhy do you seek to kill Me?”
20 The people answered and said, a“You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?”
21 Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work, and you all marvel.
22 a“Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, bbut from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.
23 “If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because aI made a man completely well on the Sabbath?
24 a“Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
Could This Be the Christ?
25 Now some of them from Jerusalem said, “Is this not He whom they seek to akill?
26 “But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. aDo the rulers know indeed that this is 1truly the Christ?
27 a“However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.”
28 Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, a“You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and bI have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me cis true, dwhom you do not know.
29 1“But aI know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.”
30 Therefore athey sought to take Him; but bno one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.
31 And amany of the people believed in Him, and said, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?”
Jesus and the Religious Leaders
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.
33 Then Jesus said 1to them, a“I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I bgo to Him who sent Me.
34 “You awill seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you bcannot come.”
35 Then the Jews said among themselves, “Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to athe Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?
36 “What is this thing that He said, ‘You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come’?”
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
37 aOn the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, b“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
38 a“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, bout of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
39 aBut this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those 1believing in Him would receive; for the 2Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet bglorified.
Who Is He?
40 Therefore 1many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is athe *Prophet.”
41 Others said, “This is athe Christ.” But some said, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee?
42 a“Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, bwhere David was?”
43 So athere was a division among the people because of Him.
44 Now asome of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.
Rejected by the Authorities
45 Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why have you not brought Him?”
46 The officers answered, a“No man ever spoke like this Man!”
47 Then the Pharisees answered them, “Are you also deceived?
48 “Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?
49 “But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.”
50 Nicodemus a(he who came to 1Jesus 2by night, being one of them) said to them,
51 a“Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?”
52 They answered and said to him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for ano prophet 1has arisen out of Galilee.”
An Adulteress Faces the Light of the World
53 1And everyone went to his own house.
8
1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Ol-ives.
2 Now 1early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and ataught them.
3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst,
4 they said to Him, “Teacher, 1this woman was *caught in aadultery, in the very act.
5 a“Now 1Moses, in the law, commanded us 2that such should be stoned. But what do You 3say?”
6 This they said, *testing Him, that they amight have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, 1as though He did not hear.
7 So when they continued asking Him, He 1raised Himself up and said to them, a“He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”
8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 Then those who heard it, abeing1 convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had raised Himself up 1and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers 2of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, a“Neither do I condemn you; go 1and bsin no more.”
12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, a“I am the light of the world. He who bfollows Me shall not walk in *darkness, but have the light of life.”
Jesus Defends His Self-Witness
13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, a“You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not 1true.”
14 Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but ayou do not know where I come from and where I am going.
15 a“You judge according to the flesh; bI judge no one.
16 “And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for aI am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.
17 a“It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.
18 “I am One who bears witness of Myself, and athe Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.”
19 Then they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, a“You know neither Me nor My Father. bIf you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.”
20 These words Jesus spoke in athe treasury, as He taught in the temple; and bno one laid hands on Him, for cHis hour had not yet come.
Jesus Predicts His Departure
21 Then Jesus said to them again, “I am going away, and ayou will seek Me, and bwill die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.”
22 So the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?”
23 And He said to them, a“You are from beneath; I am from above. bYou are of this world; I am not of this world.
24 a“Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; bfor if you do not be-lieve that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
25 Then they said to Him, “Who are You?” And Jesus said to them, “Just what I ahave been saying to you from the beginning.
26 “I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but aHe who sent Me is true; and bI speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.”
27 They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.
28 Then Jesus said to them, “When you alift1 up the Son of Man, bthen you will *know that I am He, and cthat I do nothing of Myself; but das My Father taught Me, I speak these things.
29 “And aHe who sent Me is with Me. bThe Father has not left Me alone, cfor I always do those things that please Him.”
30 As He spoke these words, amany believed in Him.
The Truth Shall Make You Free
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you aabide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
32 “And you shall know the atruth, and bthe truth shall *make you free.”
33 They answered Him, a“We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will be made free’?”
34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, awhoever commits sin is a slave of sin.
35 “And aa slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.
36 a“Therefore if the Son *makes you free, you shall be *free indeed.
Abraham’s Seed and Satan’s
37 “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but ayou seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.
38 a“I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have 1seen with your father.”
39 They answered and said to Him, a“Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, b“If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.
40 a“But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth bwhich I heard from God. Abraham did not do this.
41 “You do the deeds of your father.” Then they said to Him, “We were not born of *fornication; awe have one Father—God.”
42 Jesus said to them, a“If God were your Father, you would love Me, for bI proceeded forth and came from God; cnor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.
43 a“Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.
44 a“You are of your father the devil, and the bdesires of your father you want to cdo. He was a murderer from the beginning, and ddoes not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
45 “But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.
46 “Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?
47 a“He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”
Before Abraham Was, I AM
48 Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and ahave a demon?”
49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and ayou dishonor Me.
50 “And aI do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.
51 “Most assuredly, I say to you, aif anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”
52 Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You ahave a demon! bAbraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’
53 “Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. aWho do You make Yourself out to be?”
54 Jesus answered, a“If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. bIt is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is 1your God.
55 “Yet ayou have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and bkeep His word.
56 “Your father Abraham arejoiced to see My day, band he saw it and was glad.”
57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”
58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, abefore Abraham was, bI AM.”
59 Then athey took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, bgoing1 through the midst of them, and so passed by.
A Man Born Blind Receives Sight
9
1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.
2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, awho sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, abut that the works of God should be *revealed in him.
4 a“I1 must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is bday; the night is coming when no one can work.
5 “As long as I am in the world, aI am the light of the world.”
6 When He had said these things, aHe spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.
7 And He said to him, “Go, wash ain the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So bhe went and washed, and came back seeing.
8 Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was 1blind said, “Is not this he who sat and begged?”
