Chapter
3
The day after JESUS returned from
His temptations John saw Him coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of GOD who
takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a
Man who is preferred before me for He was before me.’ I did not know Him
only that He should be revealed to Israel, for this reason I was sent
baptizing with water. I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and
He remained upon JESUS. I did not know Him but GOD who sent
me to baptize with water said to me, ‘On whom you see the Spirit descending and
remaining on Him this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ I
have seen and testify that JESUS is the Son of GOD.”
The following day John stood with
two of his disciples and looking at JESUS as He walked he said, “See the Lamb
of GOD!”
John’s disciples heard him speak and they followed JESUS. Then JESUS
turned and seeing them following said to them, “What
do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is translated Teacher),
“where are You staying?” He said to them, “Come
and see.” They went and saw where He was staying and remained with
Him that day now it was about 4 in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John
speak and followed Him was Andrew, the first thing he did was to find his
brother Simon and say to him, “We have found the Messiah.” (which is translated
the CHRIST) and he brought Simon to JESUS.
When JESUS looked at Simon He
said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah you
shall be called Cephas” (which
is translated A Stone or Peter). The following day JESUS wanted to go to
Galilee and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow
Me.” Philip was from Bethsaida the city of Andrew and Peter. Then Philip
found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the
law and also the prophets wrote, JESUS of Nazareth the son of
Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Philip said to him, “Come and see.” JESUS saw Nathanael coming toward Him and
said to him, “An Israelite indeed in whom is no
deceit!” Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” JESUS answered, “Before Philip called you when you were under the fig
tree I saw you.” Nathanael said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of GOD! You
are the King of Israel!” JESUS 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. Truthfully I
tell you from now on you will see Heaven open and the angels of GOD ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
On the third day there was
a wedding in Cana of Galilee and the mother of JESUS was there, JESUS
and His disciples were also invited to the wedding.
When the wedding ran out of wine
the mother of JESUS said to Him, “They have no wine.” JESUS said to her, “Woman what does your concern have to do with
Me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother ignoring Him said to the
servants, “Whatever He says to you do it.” There were six water pots of stone according to the manner
of purification of the Jews containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. JESUS
said to them, “Fill the water pots with
water.” So they filled them up
to the brim, then He said to them, “Draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” They did so and when the master of the feast had tasted the water it was
wine, and he did not know where it came from; but the servants who had drawn
the water knew; the master of the feast called the bridegroom 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 but you have kept the good wine until now!” This beginning of
signs JESUS did in Cana of Galilee which manifested His glory and His disciples
believed in Him. After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His
brothers, and His disciples but they only stayed there a few days.
The
Passover of the Jews was at hand, and JESUS went up to Jerusalem. He found
in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves and the money changers
doing business. 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. He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s
house a house of merchandise!” Then His disciples remembered that it was
written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.” So the Jews said to
Him, “What sign do You show to us since You do these things?” JESUS
answered them, “Destroy this temple and in three
days I will raise it up.” Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six
years to build this temple and will You raise it up in three days?” They did
not know He was speaking of the temple of His body. Therefore when He had
risen from the dead His disciples remembered that He had said this to them
and they believed the Scripture and the word which JESUS had said. Now when He
was in Jerusalem at the Passover during the feast, many believed in His name
when they saw the miracles which He did. JESUS did not commit
Himself to them because He knew all men and had no need that anyone should testify of Him
for He knew what was in man.
There was
a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to JESUS
by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from GOD
for no one can do these signs that You do unless GOD is with
him.” JESUS said to him, “Honestly I tell you
the truth unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of GOD.” 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?” JESUS answered, “I tell you the truth unless one is born of water and the
Spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of GOD. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born
of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 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.” Nicodemus asked, “How can these things be?” JESUS answered, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not know these
things? Truthfully
I say to you We speak what We know and testify what We have seen and you
do not receive Our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe
how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has
ascended to Heaven but He who came down from Heaven that is the Son of Man who
is in Heaven. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so
must the Son of Man be lifted up that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal
life. GOD so loves the world that He gives His only begotten Son
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. GOD did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but
that the world through Him might be saved. 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. This is the condemnation: The light has come into the world
and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For
everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light lest
his deeds are exposed. He who lives by the truth comes to the light that his
deeds may be clearly seen that they have been done in GOD.”
After those
days JESUS and His disciples went into the land of Judea and there He remained
with them and baptized, He did not baptize but His disciples did. John
was baptizing in Aenon near Salim because there was much water there and
people came and were baptized for John
had not yet been thrown into prison. Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the
Jews about purification. So they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who
was with you beyond the Jordan of whom you have testified, He is baptizing
and all are coming to Him!” John answered, “A man can receive nothing
unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear witness that I
said, ‘I am not the CHRIST,’ but, ‘I have been sent before
Him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the
bridegroom who stands and hears him rejoices greatly because of the
bridegroom’s voice. For this joy of mine to be fulfilled He must increase
and I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all and he
who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from Heaven
is above all and what He has seen and heard that He testifies and no one
receives His testimony. He who has received His testimony has
certified that GOD is true. For He whom GOD has sent
speaks the words of GOD, for GOD does not give the Spirit by measure. The
Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. He who
believes in the Son has everlasting life and he who does not believe in the Son
shall not see life for the wrath of GOD abides on him.”
When the LORD knew that the Pharisees
had heard that He made and baptized more disciples than John, though JESUS
Himself did not baptize but His disciples, He left
Judea and went again to Galilee. He needed to go through Samaria so He came to a city of Samaria which is
called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph
and Jacob’s well was there. JESUS was weary from His journey so He sat by the well, it was about noon and
His disciples had gone into the city to buy food. A woman of Samaria came to
draw water and JESUS said to her, “Give Me a
drink.”, then the woman said to Him, “How is it that You being a Jew ask
a drink from me a Samaritan woman?” for Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. JESUS
answered her, “If you knew the gift 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 living water.” 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? Are
You greater than our father Jacob who gave us this well and drank from it
himself as well as his sons and his livestock?” JESUS said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again but
whoever drinks of the water that I give him will never thirst. For the water
that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up
into everlasting life.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water
that I may not thirst nor come here to draw.” JESUS said to her, “Go call your husband and come here.” The woman
said, “I have no husband.” JESUS said to her, “You
have told the truth when you say, ‘I have no husband.’ for you have had five
husbands and the man you now have is not your husband.” The woman said
to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers
worshiped on this mountain and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one
ought to worship.” JESUS said to her, “Woman
believe Me the hour is coming when you will not worship the Father on this
mountain or in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know we know what we worship
for salvation is of the Jews. The hour is coming and now is when the true
worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth for the Father is
seeking such to worship Him. GOD is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and
truth.” The woman
said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming and when He comes He will tell
us all things.” JESUS said to her, “I
am He.” 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?” The woman
then left her water pot and went into the city and said to the men, “Come see a
Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the CHRIST?” So
they went out of the city and came to Him at the well.
In the
meantime His disciples urged Him saying, “Rabbi eat.” He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” Then
the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” JESUS said to
them, “My food is to do the will of Him who
sent Me and to finish His work. Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then
comes the harvest’? I say to you lift up your eyes and look at the
fields for they are already white for harvest! He who reaps
receives wages and gathers fruit for eternal life that both he who sows and he
who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true, ‘One sows and
another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored;
others have labored and you have entered into their labors.”
Many of
the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman
who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans had come to Him they
urged Him to stay with them and He stayed there two days. Many more
believed because of His word, then they said to the woman, “We believe not
because of what you said for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that
this is indeed the CHRIST, the Savior of the world.” After the two days He left
there and went to Galilee.
When He came to Galilee the
Galileans received Him having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at
the feast for they had gone to the feast.
JESUS came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water
wine. There was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum, 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. JESUS
said to him, “Unless you people see signs and
wonders you will by no means believe.” The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come
down before my child dies!” 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. As he was
returning home the next day his servants met him and told him saying, “Your son lives!”
Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better and they said to him,
“Yesterday at 1 in the afternoon the fever left him.” So the father knew
that it was at the same hour in which JESUS
said to him, “Your son lives.” Then he
believed and his whole household. This is the second sign JESUS did when He had
come out of Judea into Galilee.
So He came to Nazareth where He
had been brought up. As His custom was He went into a synagogue on the Sabbath
day and stood up to read. He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah and when
He had opened the book He found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of The LORD is upon Me because He has anointed Me to
preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the
acceptable year of the LORD.” Then
He closed the book and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of
all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. Then He said to
them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled
in your hearing.” So all bore witness of Him and marveled at the
gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. They said, “Is this not
Joseph’s son?” He said to them, “You
will surely tell Me this proverb, ‘Physician heal yourself! Whatever we have
heard done in Capernaum do here in Your country.’” Then He said, “I
tell you the truth, truly no prophet is accepted in his own country. For I tell you
truthfully many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah when the
heaven was shut up three years and six months and there was a great famine
throughout all the land yet to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon. Many lepers were
in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet and none of them was cleansed
except Naaman, the Syrian.” So all those in the synagogue when they
heard these things were filled with wrath and rose up and thrust Him
out of the city and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city
was built that they might throw Him down over the cliff. Then passing
through the midst of them He went His way.
When JESUS
heard that John had been put in prison He departed and leaving Nazareth He came
and dwelt in Capernaum which is by the sea in the regions of Zebulun and
Naphtali; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the
prophet saying: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way
of the sea beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: the people who sat in
darkness have seen a great Light and upon those who sat in the region and
shadow of death Light has dawned.” From that time JESUS began to preach and to
say, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at
hand.”, and they were astonished at His teaching for His word was
with authority.
On the
same day JESUS went out of the house and sat by the sea and great
multitudes were gathered to Him so that He got into a boat and sat and the
whole multitude stood on the shore. Then He spoke many things to them in parables
saying: “A sower went out to sow and as he
sowed some seed fell
by the wayside and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places
where they did not have much earth and they immediately sprang up because they
had no depth of earth and when the sun was up they were scorched and because
they had no root they withered away. Some fell among thorns and the thorns sprang up and
choked them. Others fell on good ground and yielded a crop some a
hundredfold some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear let him hear!”
JESUS
told them another parable, “The Kingdom of
Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; while men slept
his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. When the grain
had sprouted and produced a crop then the tares also appeared. So the servants
of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?
How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The
servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ He said, ‘No for
when you gather up the tares you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow
together until the harvest and at the time of harvest I will say to the
reapers, ‘First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them
then gather the wheat into my barn.’”
He told
them another parable, “The Kingdom of Heaven
is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field which indeed is
the least of all the seeds, yet when it is grown it is greater than all herbs
and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and nest in its
branches.”
Again He
spoke to them, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like
leaven, which a woman put in three measures of meal till it was
all leavened.
The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which a
man found and hid and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has
and buys that field.
Again the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful
pearls who when he had found one pearl of great price went and sold all
that he had and bought it.
Again the Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into
the sea and gathered some of every kind which when it was full they drew to shore and they sat down and
gathered the good into vessels and threw the bad away. So it will be at the end of the age
the angels will come forth and separate the wicked from among the just and cast them into the furnace of
fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
All these
things JESUS spoke to the multitude in parables and He only spoke to them in
parables that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet saying, “I
will open My mouth in parables, I will utter things kept secret from the
foundation of the world.”
When He
had stopped speaking He said to Simon, “Launch out
into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered Him,
“Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing nevertheless at Your
word I will let down the net.” When they had done this they caught a great
number of fish and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their
partners in the other boat to come and help them. Then they came and filled
both the boats so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it he fell down at JESUS’ knees
saying, “Depart from me for I am a sinful man, O LORD!” For he
and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they
had taken and so were James
and John, the sons of Zebedee who were partners with Simon. JESUS said to
Simon, “Follow Me and I will make you
fishers of men.” So when they
had brought their boats to land they left everything and followed Him.
Later the
disciples came and said to JESUS, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?” He
answered, “Because it has been given to
you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven but it has not been given to
them. Whoever has to him more will be given and he will have abundance; whoever
does not have even what he has will be taken away from him. So I speak to
them in parables, because seeing they do not see and hearing they do not hear
nor do they understand. In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled which says, ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand and seeing you
will see and not perceive for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their
ears are hard of hearing and their eyes they have closed lest they should
see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand
with their hearts and turn so that I should heal them.’ Blessed are your eyes for
they see and your ears for they hear for truthfully I tell you that many prophets and righteous men desired
to see what you see and did not see it and
to hear what you hear and did not hear it. So hear the parable of the sower, the sower sows the Word, when anyone hears the Word of the
Kingdom and does not understand it then
the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart, this is he
who received seed by the wayside. He who received the seed on stony places is he who hears the
Word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself but endures only for a while.
When tribulation or persecution arises because of the Word
immediately he stumbles. He who received seed among the thorns is he who
hears the Word and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches
choke the Word and he becomes unfruitful. He who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the Word
and understands it who
indeed bears fruit and produces some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
Then the
disciples said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” JESUS
answered them: “He who sows the good seed is
the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the
Kingdom, the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest
is the end of the age and the reapers are the angels. As the tares are gathered
and burned in the fire so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man
will send out His angels and they will gather out of His Kingdom all things
that offend and those who practice lawlessness and will cast them into the furnace of fire, there will
be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the
Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear let him hear!
JESUS
said to them, “Have you understood all these
things?” They said to Him, “Yes LORD.” Then He said to them, “Therefore every teacher instructed
concerning the Kingdom of Heaven is like a householder who brings out of
his treasure things new and old.” When JESUS was in public He only spoke
to the people in parables but when He was alone with the disciples He explained
all things to them.
One Sabbath in the synagogue
there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon and he cried out with a
loud voice saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, JESUS of
Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are, the Holy One of
GOD!”
But JESUS rebuked him saying, “Be quiet and
come out of him!” and when the
demon had thrown him in their midst
it came out of him and did not hurt him. Then they were all amazed and
spoke among themselves saying, “What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean
spirits and they come out.” This report about Him went out into every
place in the surrounding region. They were astonished at His teaching for His
word was with authority.
He left the synagogue and entered
Simon’s house, Simon’s wife’s mother was sick with a high fever and
they asked Him to heal her. Standing over her He took her hand and rebuked
the fever and it left her,
immediately she arose and served them. When the sun was setting all those who
had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him and He laid
His hands on every one of them and healed them. Demons came out of many crying
out and saying, “You are the CHRIST, the Son of GOD!” He rebuked them not allowing them to speak for they
knew that He was the CHRIST; that it might fulfill what was spoken by Isaiah
the prophet saying, “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.”
When it was day He departed and went into a deserted place and the crowd sought
Him and came to Him and tried to keep Him from leaving them but He said to
them, “I must preach the Kingdom of GOD to the other cities also because for this purpose I have been
sent.”
He was preaching in the
synagogues of Galilee the gospel of the Kingdom and healing all kinds of
sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went
throughout all Syria and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted
with various diseases and torments and those who were demon-possessed,
epileptics and paralytics and He healed them. Great multitudes followed
Him from Galilee and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
It
happened when He was in a certain city that a man who was full of leprosy saw JESUS
and he fell on his face and implored Him saying, “LORD, if You
are willing You can make me clean.” Then JESUS put out His hand and touched him
saying, “I am willing, be cleansed.” Immediately
the leprosy left him and JESUS charged him to tell no one saying, “Go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering
for your cleansing as a testimony to them just as Moses commanded.” However
the report went around concerning Him all the more and great multitudes came
together to hear and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. So He often
withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.
It happened on a certain day as
He was teaching that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting with
the multitudes who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem
and the power of the LORD was present to heal them. Then four men
brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed whom they sought to bring in and lay
before JESUS. When they could not find any way to bring him in because of the
crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into
the room before JESUS. When JESUS saw their faith He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” The scribes and
the Pharisees began to reason saying, “Who is this who speaks
blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but GOD alone?” When JESUS perceived their thoughts He
said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your
hearts? Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise
up and walk’? So that you may know that the Son of Man has power on
earth to forgive sins,” He said to
the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you arise
take up your bed and go to your house.” Immediately he rose up before
them took up what he had been lying on and departed to his own
house glorifying GOD and they were all amazed and they glorified GOD and were
filled with fear saying, “We have seen strange things today!”
After these things He went out
and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office and He said to
him, “Follow Me.” So he rose up,
and leaving all followed Him. Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own
house. There were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with
them and the scribes and the Pharisees complained to His disciples saying, “Why
do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” JESUS answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician but those
who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to
repentance.” Then they said to Him, “Why do the disciples
of John fast often and make prayers and likewise those of the Pharisees, but
Yours eat and drink?” He said to them, “Can
you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? Yet the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken
away from them, then they will fast in those days.” Then He spoke a
parable to them, “No one puts a piece
from a new garment on an old one otherwise the new has a tear and also the
piece that was taken out
of the new does not match the old. No one puts new wine into old wineskins or else the new
wine will burst the wineskins and it will be spilled and the wineskins will be
ruined. New wine must be put into new wineskins and both are preserved. No
one having drunk old wine immediately
desires new for he says, ‘The old is better.’”
After this there was a feast
of the Jews and JESUS went up to Jerusalem. There is in
Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a
pool which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these
lay many sick people blind, lame or paralyzed waiting for the moving of the
water. For sometimes an angel went down 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. A certain man was there who had an
infirmity thirty-eight years. When JESUS saw him lying there and knew that
he already had been in that condition a long time, He asked him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man
answered, “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.” JESUS said to
him, “Rise take up your bed and walk.” Immediately
the man was made well took up his bed and walked and that day was the
Sabbath. The Jews said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath it is
not lawful for you to carry your bed.” He answered them, “He who made me well
said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’” Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to
you, “Take up your bed and walk?” The one
who was healed did not know who it was for JESUS had withdrawn, a multitude
being in that place. Afterward JESUS found him in the temple and said to
him, “See you have been made well. Sin no
more lest a worse thing come upon you.” The man departed and told the
Jews that it was JESUS who had made him well. For this reason the
Jews persecuted JESUS and sought to kill Him because He had done these
things on the Sabbath.
JESUS told them, “My Father has been working until now and I have been
working.” Then the Jews sought all the more to kill Him because He not
only broke the Sabbath but also said that GOD was His Father making Himself equal with GOD. Then JESUS said to them, “With all honesty I tell you the truth the Son can
do nothing of Himself but only what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does
the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him
all things that He Himself does and He will show Him greater works than these
that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them
even so the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one but has committed all
judgment to the Son that all should honor the Son just as they honor the
Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent
Him. Truly I say to you he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting
life and shall not come into judgment but has passed from death into life. Truthfully I say to you the hour is coming and now is when the dead
will hear the voice of the Son of GOD and those who hear
will live. For as the Father has life in Himself so He has granted the
Son to have life in Himself and has given
Him authority to execute judgment because He is the Son of Man. Do not
marvel at this for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves
will hear His voice and come forth those who have done good to the
resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the resurrection of
condemnation. I can of Myself do nothing as I hear I judge and My judgment is
righteous because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who
sent Me. If I bear witness of Myself My witness is not true. There is another who bears witness of Me and I know that His witness of Me is true. You have sent to John and he has borne witness to the
truth. Yet I do not receive testimony from man but I say these things
that you may be saved. He was the burning
and shining lamp and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his
light. I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which
the Father has given Me to finish, the very works that I do bear witness
of Me, that the Father has sent Me. The Father Himself who sent Me has
testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His
form. You do not have His word abiding in you because whom He sent you
do not believe. You search the Scriptures for in them you think you have
eternal life and they testify of Me but you are not willing to come to Me that
you may have life. I do not receive honor from men. Because I know you,
that you do not have the love of GOD in you. 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. How can you believe you who receive honor from one another
and do not seek the honor that comes only
from GOD? Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father there
is one who accuses you, Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed
Moses you would believe Me for he wrote about Me. Since you do
not believe his writings how will you believe My words?”
It
happened on the second Sabbath that JESUS went through the grain fields and His
disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them rubbing them in their hands.
The Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the
Sabbath?” JESUS said to them, “Have you never read
what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him, how he
went into the house of GOD in the days of Abiathar the high priest and ate the showbread
which is not lawful to eat except for
the priests and gave some to those who were with him?” Then He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath, therefore the
Son of Man is LORD of the Sabbath.”
When He had departed from there
to Galilee He went into their synagogue. There was a man who had a withered
hand and they asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” that they might
accuse Him. He said to them, “What man is there
among you who has one sheep and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath will not
lay hold of it and pull it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep?
So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Yet they kept silent and when He had looked around at them
with anger being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” and he
stretched it out and his hand was restored as whole as the other. Then the
Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the
Herodians against Him how they might destroy Him.
JESUS withdrew with His disciples to the sea, there
a great multitude from Galilee followed Him and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and
beyond the Jordan and those from Tyre and Sidon, when they heard how many things He was doing they came to Him. So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him
because of the multitude lest they should crush Him. Because He healed many so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to
touch Him. Unclean spirits whenever
they saw Him fell down before Him and cried out saying, “You are the Son of GOD.” He sternly warned them that
they should not make Him known that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet saying, “Behold! My
Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I
will put My Spirit upon Him and He will declare justice to the Gentiles. He
will not quarrel nor cry out nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. A
bruised reed He will not break and smoking flax He will not quench till He
sends forth justice to victory and in His name Gentiles will trust.”
