The Beginning

(Genesis 1:1–2, Hebrews 11:1–3)

In [the] beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in [the] beginning. 3 Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In Him was life, and [that] life was the light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness {has} not overcome[fn] it.

The Witness of John

There came a man who was sent from God. His name [was] John. 7 He came as a witness to testify about the Light, so that through him everyone might believe. 8 He himself was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.

The true Light, who gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and [though] the world was made through Him, the world {did} not recognize Him. 11 He came to [His] own, and [His] own {did} not receive Him. 12 But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God — 13 [children born] not of blood, nor of [the] desire [or] will of man, but born of God.

The Word Became Flesh

(Psalm 84:1–12)

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.[fn] We have seen His glory, [the] glory of [the] one and only [Son][fn] from [the] Father, full of grace and truth.

John testified concerning Him. He cried out, saying,“This is He of whom I said,‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’ ”

From His fullness we {have} all received grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, [but] the one and only Son,[fn] who is at the vvv Father’s side,[fn] has made [Him] known.

The Mission of John the Baptist

(Isaiah 40:1–5, Matthew 3:1–12, Mark 1:1–8, Luke 3:1–20)

And this was vvv John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him,“Who are you?” 20 He did not refuse to confess but openly declared“I am not the Christ.”

“Then who [are you]?” they inquired“Are you Elijah?”

He said,“I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”

He answered,“No.”

So they said to him,“Who are you? vvv We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

[John] replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet:

“I [am] a voice of one calling in the wilderness,

‘Make straight the way for [the] Lord.’ ”[fn]

Then those whom the Pharisees had sent[fn] 25 asked him“Why then do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

“I baptize with[fn] water,” John replied“but among you stands [One] you {do} not know 27 [He is] the One who comes after me, who is preferred before me,[fn] the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

All this happened at Bethany[fn] beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Jesus the Lamb of God

(Matthew 3:13–17, Mark 1:9–11, Luke 3:21–22)

The next day [John] saw Jesus coming toward him and said,“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He of whom I said,‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’ 31 I myself {did} not know Him, but the reason I came baptizing with water [was] that He might be revealed to Israel.”

Then John testified“I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and resting on Him. 33 I myself {did} not know Him, but the [One who] sent me to baptize with water told me,‘[The man] on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is He who will baptize with [the] Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.[fn]”

The First Disciples

(Matthew 4:18–22, Mark 1:16–20, Luke 5:1–11)

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus walking by, he said,“Look, the Lamb of God!” 37 And when the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.

Jesus turned and saw them following.“What do you want?” He asked

They said to Him,“Rabbi” (which means Teacher),“where are You staying?”

“Come and see,” He replied So they went and saw where He was staying, and spent that day with Him. It was about [the] tenth hour.[fn]

Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John’s [ testimony ] and followed [Jesus]. 41 He first found [his] brother Simon and told him,“We have found the Messiah” (which is translated as Christ).

[Andrew] brought him to Jesus, [who] looked at him [and] said,“You are Simon son of Jonah.[fn] You will be called Cephas” (which is translated as Peter).

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

The next day [Jesus] decided to set out for Galilee. Finding Philip, [He] told him,“Follow Me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the [same] town as Andrew and Peter.

Philip found Nathanael and told him,“We have found the [One] Moses wrote about in the Law, [ the One] the prophets [foretold] — Jesus of Nazareth, [the] son of Joseph.”

“Can vvv anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked

“Come and see,” said Philip

[When] Jesus saw Nathanael approaching He said of him,“Here [is] a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit.”

“How do You know me?” Nathanael asked

Jesus replied“Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”

“Rabbi,” Nathanael answered“You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

Jesus said to him,“Do you believe just because I said to you,[fn] ‘I saw you under the fig tree’? You will see greater things than these.” 51 Then He declared“Truly, truly, I tell you, from now on[fn] you will all see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”[fn] 2 

The Wedding at Cana

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and His disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When [the] wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to Him,“They have no more wine.”

“Woman, what [is that] to you and to Me?” Jesus replied“My hour {has} not yet come.”

His mother said to the servants,“Do whatever He tells you.”

Now six stone water jars had been set there for the Jewish [rites of] purification. [Each] could hold from twenty to thirty gallons 7 Jesus told [the servants]“Fill the jars with water.”

So they filled them to [the] brim.

“Now draw [some] out,” He said“and take [it] to the master of the banquet.”

They [did so], 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. vvv He did not know where it was {from}, but the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then [he] called the bridegroom [aside] 10 and said“Everyone serves the fine wine first, and then the cheap [wine] after [the guests] are drunk. [But] you have saved the fine wine until now!”

Jesus performed this, the first of His signs, at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

(Matthew 21:12–17, Mark 11:15–19, Luke 19:45–48)

After this, He went down to Capernaum [with] His mother and brothers and His disciples, and they stayed there vvv a few days.

When the vvv Jewish Passover was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple [courts][fn] He found [men] selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and money changers seated [at their tables]. 15 [So] He made a whip out of cords [and] drove all from the temple [courts], both sheep and cattle. He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned [their] tables. 16 To those selling doves He said,“Get these out of here! How dare you turn My Father’s house {into} a marketplace

His disciples remembered that it is written:“Zeal for Your house will consume Me.”[fn]

On account of this, the Jews demanded“What sign can You show us to prove Your [ authority ] to do these things?”

Jesus answered“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again

“This temple {took} forty-six years to build,” the Jews replied,“and You are going to raise it up in three days?”

But [Jesus] was speaking about the temple [of] His body. 22 After He was raised from [the] dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this.[fn] Then they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

While He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw [the] signs He was doing [and] believed in His name. 24 But Jesus {did} not entrust Himself to them, for He knew [them] all. 25 He {did} not need any testimony about man, for He knew what was in [a] man. 3 

Jesus and Nicodemus

(Genesis 22:1–10, Romans 5:6–11)

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to [Jesus] at night and said“Rabbi, we know that [You are] a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform [the] signs You are doing if God were not with him.”

Jesus replied“Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.[fn]”

“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked vvv“Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time to be born?”

Jesus answered,“Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and [the] Spirit. 6 Flesh is born of flesh, [but] spirit is born of the Spirit. 7 vvv Do not be amazed that I said‘You[fn] must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but vvv you do not know where it comes {from} [or] where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked

“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus“and vvv you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, and yet vvv you people do not accept our testimony.

If I have told you {about} earthly things and vvv you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you {about} heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the [One who] descended from heaven— the Son of Man, who is in heaven.[fn] 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in Him vvv may not perish, but[fn] may have eternal life.[fn]

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only[fn] Son, that everyone who believes in Him vvv shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God {did} not send His Son[fn] into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. 18 Whoever believes in Him vvv is not condemned, but whoever vvv does not believe vvv has already been condemned, because vvv he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

And this is the verdict The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and {does} not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever practices the truth comes into the Light, so that it may be seen clearly that [what] he has done has been accomplished in God.”[fn]

John’s Testimony about Jesus

After this, Jesus and His disciples went into the Judean countryside, [where] He spent some time with them and baptized.

Now John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salem,[fn] because [the] water was plentiful there, and [people] kept coming to be baptized. 24 (For John {had} not yet been thrown into prison.)

Then a dispute arose between John’s disciples [and] [a certain] Jew[fn] over [the issue of] ceremonial washing. 26 So [John’s disciples] came to [him] and said“Look, Rabbi, the [One who] was with you beyond the Jordan, the One you testified about — He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.”

John replied“A man vvv can receive only what is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify[fn] that I said,‘I am not the Christ, but am sent ahead of Him.’ 29 The bride belongs to [the] bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom stands and listens for him, [and] is overjoyed [to hear] the vvv bridegroom’s voice. That joy [is] mine, [and] it is now complete. 30 He must increase; I [must] decrease.

The [One who] comes from above is above all. The [one who] is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks [as one] from the earth. The [One who] comes from heaven is above all.[fn] 32 He testifies to what He has seen and heard, yet no one accepts His testimony. 33 Whoever accepts His testimony has certified that God is truthful. 34 For the [One] whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.

The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son vvv will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains[fn] on him.”[fn] 4 

Jesus and the Samaritan Woman

When the Lord[fn] realized that the Pharisees were aware that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although [it was] not Jesus who baptized, but His disciples), 3 He left Judea and went away[fn] to Galilee.

Now He had to pass through Samaria. 5 So He came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Since Jacob’s well was there, Jesus, weary from [His] journey, sat down by the well. It was about [the] sixth hour.[fn]

vvv vvv [When] a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her,“Give Me a drink.” 8 ( - His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

“You are a Jew,” said the woman“How {can} You ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews vvv do not associate with Samaritans.)[fn]

Jesus answered“If you knew the gift of God and who is asking you [for] a drink, you vvv would have asked Him, and vvv He would have given you living water.”

“Sir,” the woman replied“You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where then will You get [this] living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us [this] well and drank from it himself, [as did] his sons and his livestock?”

Jesus said to her,“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. 14 But whoever drinks the water I give him vvv vvv will never thirst Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”

The woman said to Him,“Sir, give me this water so that vvv I will not get thirsty [and] have to keep coming here to draw [water].”

Jesus told her,“Go, call your husband and come [back].”

“I have no husband,” the woman replied

Jesus said to her“You are correct {to say} that you have no husband. 18 In fact, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. You have spoken truthfully.”

“Sir,” the woman said“I see that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you [ Jews ] say that the place where [one] must worship is in Jerusalem.”

“Believe Me, woman,” Jesus replied“a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You worship what vvv you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But a time is coming and {has} now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him. 24 God [is] Spirit, and [His] worshipers must worship Him in spirit and [in] truth.”

The woman said“I know that Messiah” ( - called Christ)“is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.”

Jesus answered“I who speak to you am [He].”

The Disciples Return and Marvel

Just then His disciples returned and were surprised that He was speaking with a woman. But no one asked [Him],“What do You want [from her]?” or“Why are You talking with her?”

Then the woman left her water jar, went back into the town, and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything vvv I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” 30 [So] they left the town and made their way toward [Jesus].

Meanwhile the disciples urged Him“Rabbi, eat [something].”

But He told them,“I have food to eat that you know nothing [about].”

So the disciples asked one another,“[Could] someone have brought Him food?”

Jesus explained“My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work. 35 {Do} you not say‘There are still[fn] four months [until] the harvest’? I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are vvv ripe[fn] for harvest.

{Already} the reaper draws [his] wages and gathers a crop for eternal life, so that both[fn] the sower and the reaper may rejoice together. 37 For in this case the saying‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you vvv have not worked for; others have done the hard work, and {now} you have taken up their labor.”

Many Samaritans Believe

Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in [Jesus] because of the vvv woman’s testimony“He told me everything vvv I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him to stay with them, and He stayed two days.

And many more believed because of His message. 42 They said to the woman,“We now believe not only because of your words; we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this [man] truly is the Christ,[fn] the Savior of the world.”

Jesus Heals the Official’s Son

(Matthew 8:5–13, Luke 7:1–10)

After two days, [Jesus] left and went to[fn] Galilee. 44 Now [He] Himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in [his] own hometown. 45 Yet when He arrived the Galileans welcomed Him. They had seen all the great things He had done in Jerusalem at the feast, for they had gone vvv vvv [there] as well.

So once again Jesus[fn] came to Cana in Galilee, where He had turned the water {into} wine. And there was a royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. 47 [When] he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged Him to come down and heal his son, who was about to die.

Jesus said to him,“Unless you people see signs and wonders, vvv vvv you will never believe.”

“Sir,” the official said“come down before my child dies.”

“Go,” said Jesus“Your son will live.”

The man took Jesus at His word and departed. 51 And while he {was} still on the way, his servants met him vvv vvv with the news“Your boy is alive.”[fn]

So he inquired as to the hour vvv when [his son] had recovered and they told him“The fever left him yesterday [at the] seventh hour.[fn]”

Then the father realized that this was the very hour in which Jesus had told him,“Your son will live.” And he and all his household believed.

This [was] now [the] second sign [that] Jesus performed after coming from Judea into Galilee. 5 

The Pool of Bethesda

Some time later came the feast[fn] of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool with five covered colonnades, which in Hebrew[fn] is called Bethesda.[fn] 3 On these [ walkways ][fn] lay a great number of the sick, [the] blind, [the] lame, [and the] paralyzed, awaiting the moving of the water.[fn] 4 For from time to time an angel descended into the pool and stirred the water. As soon as the water was stirred, the first to enter [the pool] would be healed of his disease.[fn]

One man there had been [an] invalid [for] thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying [there] and realized that he had spent vvv a long time [in this condition], He asked him,“Do you want to get well?”

“Sir,” the invalid replied“I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am on my way, someone else goes in before me.”

Then Jesus told him,“Get up, pick up your mat, and walk.”

Immediately the man was made well, and he picked up his mat and began to walk.

Now this happened on the Sabbath day, 10 so the Jews said to the [man] who had been healed,“This is [the] Sabbath! vvv It is unlawful for you to carry [your] mat.”

But he answered“The [man who] made me well told me,‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ”

“Who is [this] man who told you to pick up your mat[fn] and walk?” they asked

But the [man who] was healed {did} not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away [while the] crowd was vvv vvv there.

Afterward Jesus found [the man] at the temple and said to him,“See, you have been made well. Stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you.”

[And] the man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

The Father and the Son

Now because [Jesus] was doing these things on [the] Sabbath, the Jews began to persecute [Him] and were seeking to kill Him.[fn] 17 But Jesus answered them,“To this very day My Father is at His work, and I too am working.”

vvv Because of this, the Jews tried all the harder to kill Him. Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but vvv He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.

So Jesus replied“Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son vvv can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the Father doing [it]. For whatever [the Father] does, the Son also does 20 The Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does. And to your amazement, He will show Him even greater works than these. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives [them] life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wishes.

Furthermore, the Father judges no one but has assigned all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever vvv does not honor the Son vvv does not honor the Father who sent Him.

Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and {will} not come under judgment. Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life.

Truly, truly, I tell you [the] hour is coming and has now [come] when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in Himself, so also He has granted the Son to have life in Himself. 27 And He has given Him authority to execute judgment, because He is [the] Son of Man.

{Do} not be amazed at this, for [the] hour is coming when all who [are] in [their] graves will hear His voice 29 and come out — those who have done good to [the] resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to [the] resurrection of judgment.[fn]

I can do vvv nothing by Myself; I judge only as I hear. And My judgment is just, because vvv I do not seek My [own] will, but the will of the Father[fn] [who] sent Me.

Testimonies about Jesus

If I testify about Myself, My testimony is not valid. 32 There is another who testifies about Me, and I know that [His] testimony about Me is valid.

You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. 34 [Even though] I {do} not accept vvv human testimony, I say these things so that you may be saved.

[John] was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you were willing for a season to bask in his light. 36 But I have testimony more substantial than that of John. For the works that the Father has given Me to accomplish the very works I am doing — testify about Me that the Father has sent Me. 37 And [the] Father who sent Me has Himself testified about Me. vvv vvv You have never heard His voice nor seen His form, 38 [nor] [does] His word abide in you, because you {do} not believe the [One] He sent.

The Witness of Scripture

(Luke 16:19–31)

You pore over the Scriptures because you presume that by them you possess eternal life. These are the [very words that] testify about Me, 40 yet vvv you refuse to come to Me to have life.

vvv I do not accept glory from men, 42 but I know you, that vvv you do not have the love of God within you. 43 I have come in My Father’s name, and vvv you have not received Me; [but] if someone else comes in [his] own name, you will receive him. 44 How can you believe if you accept glory from one another,[fn] yet vvv do not seek the glory that [comes] from the only God?

vvv Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, in whom you have put your hope. 46 If you had believed Moses, vvv you would believe Me, because he wrote about Me. 47 But since vvv you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?” 6 

The Feeding of the Five Thousand

(Matthew 14:13–21, Mark 6:30–44, Luke 9:10–17)

After this, Jesus crossed to the other side of the Sea of Galilee ( that [is], [the Sea] of Tiberias ). 2 A large crowd followed Him because they saw His signs[fn] He was performing on the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on the mountain and sat down with His disciples.

Now the vvv Jewish Feast of the Passover was near. 5 [When] Jesus looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward Him, He said to Philip,“Where can we buy bread for these [people] to eat?” 6 But He was asking this to test him, for He knew what He was about to do.

Philip answered,“Two hundred denarii[fn] vvv would not [buy] enough bread for each of them[fn] to have a small [piece].”

One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 “Here is a boy [with] five barley loaves and two small fish. But what [ difference ] vvv will these make among so many?”

“Have the [people] sit down,” Jesus said. Now there was plenty of grass in [that] place, so the men sat down, about five thousand [of them].

Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, [and] distributed [them] to the disciples, and the disciples[fn] to those who were seated— and the fish— as much as they wanted.

And when everyone was full, He said to His disciples,“Gather the pieces that are left over, so that vvv nothing will be wasted.”

So they collected [them] and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

[When] the people saw the sign[fn] that Jesus had performed,[fn] they began to say“Truly this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

Then Jesus, realizing that they were about to come and make Him king by force, withdrew[fn] to a mountain by Himself

Jesus Walks on Water

(Matthew 14:22–33, Mark 6:45–52)

When evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, [and] started across the sea to Capernaum. It was already dark, and Jesus vvv had not gone out[fn] to them. 18 A strong wind was blowing, and the sea grew agitated.

[When] they had rowed about three or four miles they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the sea — and they were terrified. 20 But [Jesus] spoke up“It is I; {do} not be afraid.” 21 Then they were willing to take Him into the boat, and at once the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

Jesus the Bread of Life

The next day, the crowd that had remained on the other side of the sea realized that no other boat had been there except the [one that] His disciples had entered,[fn] and that Jesus vvv had not boarded [it] {with} His disciples, but vvv vvv [they] had gone away alone. 23 Then other boats, [which were] from Tiberias,[fn] landed near the place where [the people] had eaten the bread [after] the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor His disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum to look for [Him]. 25 [When] they found Him on the other side of the sea, they asked Him,“Rabbi, when did You get here?”

Jesus replied“Truly, truly, I tell you, [it is] not because you saw [these] signs [that] you are looking for Me, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 {Do} not work [for] food that perishes, but [for] food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.”

Then they inquired“What must we do to perform the works of God?”

Jesus replied“The work of God is this: to believe in the [One] He has sent.”

So they asked Him,“What sign then {will} You perform, so that we may see [it] and believe You? What will You do? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written:‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’[fn]”

Jesus said to them,“Truly, truly, I tell you, [it was] not Moses [who] gave you the bread from heaven, but [it is] My Father [who] 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.”

“Sir,” they said“give us this bread at all times.”

Jesus answered“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me vvv vvv will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me vvv vvv vvv will never thirst. 36 But [as] I stated vvv you have seen Me and still {you do} not believe.

Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the [one who] comes to Me vvv vvv I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My [own] will, but [to do] the will of Him who sent Me.

And this is the will of the Father[fn] who sent Me, that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 And it is the will of Him who sent Me[fn] that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

At this, the Jews began to grumble about [Jesus] because He had said,“I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They were asking,“Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then can He say,‘I have come down from heaven’?”

“Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus therefore[fn] replied 44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets:‘And they will all be taught by God.’[fn] Therefore[fn] everyone who has heard the Father and learned from [Him] comes to Me — 46 not that anyone has seen the Father except the [One who] is from God; [only] He has seen the Father.

Truly, truly, I tell you, he who believes in Me[fn] has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live vvv vvv forever. And [this] bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.”

At this, the Jews began to argue among themselves“How can this [man] give us [His] flesh to eat?”

So Jesus said to them,“Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you have no life in you. 54 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 truly[fn] food, and My blood is truly drink.

Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so also the [one who] feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your fathers, [who] ate the manna and died,[fn] the [one who] eats this bread[fn] will live vvv vvv forever.”

Many Disciples Turn Back

(Matthew 8:18–22, Luke 9:57–62, Luke 14:25–33)

[Jesus] said this while teaching in [the] synagogue in Capernaum. 60 On hearing [it], many of His disciples said,“This is a difficult teaching. Who can accept it?”

Aware that His disciples were grumbling about this [ teaching ], Jesus asked them,“{Does} this offend you? 62 Then what [ will happen ] if you see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before?

The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits vvv nothing. The words I speak[fn] to you are spirit and they are life. 64 However, there are some of you who vvv do not believe.” (For Jesus had known from [the] beginning which of them vvv did not believe and who would betray Him.)

Then [Jesus] said,“This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless My Father[fn] vvv has granted it to him.”

From that [time on] many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him.

Peter’s Confession of Faith

(Matthew 16:13–20, Mark 8:27–30, Luke 9:18–20)

So Jesus asked the Twelve, vvv“Do you want to leave too?”

Simon Peter replied“Lord, to whom would we go? You have [the] words of eternal life. 69 We believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.[fn]”

Jesus answered them,“{Have} I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” 71 He was speaking about Judas Iscariot, [the son] of Simon.[fn] For [although] [Judas was] one of the Twelve, he was later to betray [Jesus]. 7 

Jesus Teaches at the Feast

After this, Jesus traveled throughout Galilee. vvv He did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jews [there] were trying to kill Him. 2 However, the vvv Jewish Feast of Tabernacles[fn] was near. 3 So [Jesus’] brothers said to Him,“Leave here and go to Judea, so that Your disciples [there] may see [the] works You are doing. 4 For no one [who] wants to be [known] vvv publicly acts in secret. Since You are doing these things, show Yourself to the world.” 5 For [even] His [own] brothers did {not} believe in Him.

Therefore Jesus told them,“Although your time is always at hand, My time {has} not yet come. 7 The world vvv cannot hate you, but it hates Me, because I testify that its works are evil. 8 Go up to the feast on your own. I {am} not yet[fn] going up to this feast, because [My] time {has} not yet come.”

Having said [this] to them,[fn] [Jesus] remained in Galilee. 10 But [after] His brothers had gone up to the feast, He also went — not publicly, but in secret.

So the Jews were looking for Him at the feast and asking,“Where is He?”

Many in the crowds were whispering about Him. Some said,“He is a good [man].”

But others replied,“No He deceives the people.”

Yet no one would speak publicly about Him for fear of the Jews.

vvv vvv About halfway through the feast, Jesus went up to the temple [courts][fn] and began to teach. 15 The Jews were amazed [and] asked,“How {did} this [man] attain [such] learning without having studied?”

“My teaching is not My own,” Jesus replied“[It comes] from Him who sent Me. 17 If anyone desires to do His will, he will know whether [My] teaching is from God or [whether] I speak on My own. 18 He who speaks on his own [authority] seeks [his] own glory, but He who seeks the glory of the [One who] sent Him is a man of truth; in Him there is no falsehood. 19 {Has} not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps vvv [it]. Why are you trying to kill Me?”

“You have a demon,” the crowd replied.“Who is trying to kill You?”

Jesus answered them,“I did one miracle, and vvv you are all amazed. 22 [But] because Moses gave you circumcision, you circumcise a boy on [the] Sabbath (not that it is from Moses, but from the patriarchs.) 23 If a boy vvv can be circumcised on [the] Sabbath so that the law of Moses {will} not be broken, [why] are you angry with Me for making [the] whole man well on the Sabbath? 24 Stop judging by outward appearances, [and start] judging justly

Is Jesus the Christ?

Then some of the [people] of Jerusalem began to say,“Isn’t this [the man] they are trying to kill? 26 Yet here He is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying [anything] to Him. {Have} the rulers truly recognized that this is the Christ? 27 But we know where this [man] is {from}. When the Christ comes, no one will know where He is {from}.”

Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple [courts], cried out“You know Me, and you know where I am {from}. vvv I have not come of My own accord, but He who sent Me is true. You {do} not know Him, 29 but I know Him, because I am from Him and He sent Me.”

So they tried to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour {had} not yet come. 31 Many in the crowd, however, believed in Him and said,“When the Christ comes, vvv will He perform more signs than this [man]

[When] the Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about [Jesus], [they] and the chief priests[fn] sent officers to arrest Him. 33 So Jesus said,[fn]“I am with you only a little while longer, and then I am going to the [One who] sent Me. 34 You will look for Me, [but] vvv you will not find [Me]; and where I am, you vvv cannot come.”

At this, the Jews said to one another,“Where {does} He intend to go that we vvv will not find Him vvv? Will He go where the [Jews] are dispersed among the Greeks,[fn] and teach the Greeks? 36 What vvv vvv vvv does He mean by saying,‘You will look for Me, [but] vvv you will not find Me,’ and,‘Where I am, you vvv cannot come’?”

Living Water

On the last [and] greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said:‘Streams of living water will flow from [within] him.’ ” 39 vvv He was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. For the Holy Spirit had not yet [been given],[fn] because Jesus {had} not yet been glorified.

Division over Jesus

On hearing these words, many of the people therefore said,[fn]“This is truly the Prophet.”

Others declared,“This is the Christ.”

But still others asked, vvv“[How can] the Christ come from Galilee? 42 Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Christ will come from the line of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?[fn]”

So there was division in the crowd because of [Jesus]. 44 Some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him.

The Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders

Then the officers returned to the chief priests and Pharisees, [who] asked them,“Why vvv didn’t you bring Him {in}?”

“Never {has} anyone spoken like this man!” the officers answered.

“{Have} you vvv also been deceived?” replied the Pharisees 48 “{Have} any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in Him? 49 But this crowd that vvv does not know the law— they are under a curse.”

Nicodemus, who had gone to [Jesus] by night[fn] [and who himself] was one of them, asked 51 “{Does} our law vvv convict a man vvv without first hearing from him to determine what he has done?”

“Aren’t you also from Galilee?” they replied“Look into it, and you will see that no prophet comes out of Galilee.”[fn]

Then each went to his own home. 8 

The Woman Caught in Adultery

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

Early in the morning[fn] vvv He went [back] into the temple [courts].[fn] All the people came [to Him], and He sat down to teach them. 3 The scribes and Pharisees, however, brought to Him[fn] a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before them 4 [and] to test Him they said“Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such [a woman]. So what vvv do You say?”

They said this to test Him, in order to have [a basis] for accusing Him. But Jesus bent down [and] began to write on the ground with [His] finger, not taking notice.[fn]

When they continued to question Him, He straightened up[fn] and said to them,“[Let] him who is without sin among you [be] the first to cast a stone at her.” 8 And again vvv He bent down [and] wrote on the ground.

When they heard this and were convicted by [their] consciences,[fn] they began to go away one by one, beginning with the older ones,[fn] until only Jesus was left, with the woman standing [there]. 10 Then Jesus straightened up and saw no one but the woman.[fn] [And] He asked her,“Where[fn] are your vvv vvv accusers?[fn] {Has} no one condemned you?”

“No one, Lord,” she answered.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared.[fn]“Go[fn] and sin no more.”

Jesus the Light of the World

(1 John 1:5–10)

Once again Jesus spoke to [the people] [and] said,“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me vvv vvv will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”

So the Pharisees said to Him,“You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not valid.”

Jesus replied“Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is valid, because I know where I came {from} and where I am going. But you {do} not know where I came {from} or where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge vvv no one. 16 But even if I do judge, My judgment is true, because I am not alone; I [am with] the Father [who] sent Me.[fn] 17 Even in your [own] Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid.[fn] 18 I am [One] who testifies about Myself, and the Father, [who] sent Me, [also] testifies about Me.”

“Where is Your Father?” they asked Him.

“You do not know Me [or] My Father,” Jesus answered.“If you knew Me, vvv you would know My Father as well.”

Jesus spoke[fn] these words while teaching in the temple [courts], near the treasury. Yet no one seized Him, because His hour {had} not yet come.

Again Jesus said[fn] to them,“I am going away, and you will look for Me, [but] you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you vvv cannot come.”

So the Jews began to ask, vvv“Will He kill Himself, since He says,‘Where I am going, you vvv cannot come’?”

Then He told them,“You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 That is why I told you that you would die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am [He], you will die in your sins.”

“Who are You?” they asked

“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied 26 “I have much to say about you and [much] to judge. But the [One who] sent Me is truthful, and what I have heard from Him, I tell the world.”

vvv They did not understand that He was telling them [about] the Father. 28 So Jesus said“When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am [He], and [that] I do nothing on My own, but speak exactly what My Father[fn] has taught Me. 29 He who sent Me is with Me. The Father vvv has not left[fn] Me alone, because I always do what pleases Him.”

The Truth Will Set You Free

(2 John 1:4–6)

As [Jesus] spoke these things, many believed in Him. 31 So [He] said to the Jews [who] had believed Him,“If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free

“We are Abraham’s descendants,” they answered“We have never been slaves to [anyone]. How {can} You say [we] will be set free?”

Jesus replied“Truly, truly, I tell you, everyone who vvv vvv sins is a slave to sin. 35 A slave {does} not remain in the house vvv vvv forever, [but] a son remains vvv vvv forever. 36 So if the Son vvv sets you free, you will be free indeed.

I know you are Abraham’s descendants, but you are trying to kill Me because My word vvv has no place within you. 38 I speak of what I have seen in the presence of My Father,[fn] and you do what you have seen[fn] from [your] father.”

“Abraham is our father,” they replied

“If you were children of Abraham,” said Jesus,“you would do the works of Abraham. 40 But now you are trying to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing. 41 You are doing the works of your father.”

“We vvv are not illegitimate children they declared“Our only Father [is] God [Himself].”

Jesus said to them,“If God were your Father, vvv you would love Me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on My own, but He sent Me.

Why vvv do you not understand what I am saying? [It is] because vvv you are unable to accept My message. 44 You belong to [your] father, the devil, and you want to carry out vvv vvv vvv [his] desires. He was a murderer from [the] beginning, refusing to stand in[fn] the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies he speaks [his] native [ language], because he is a liar and the father of [lies]. 45 But because I speak the truth, vvv you do not believe Me!

Which of you can prove Me guilty of sin? If I speak [the] truth, why {do} you not believe Me? 47 Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God. The reason you {do} not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

Before Abraham Was Born, I Am

The Jews answered Him,“Are we not right to say that You are a Samaritan and You have a demon?”

“I {do} not have a demon,” Jesus replied,“but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50 I {do} not seek My [own] glory. There is One who seeks [it], and He is the Judge. 51 Truly, truly, I tell you, if anyone keeps My word, vvv vvv he will never see death.”

“Now we know that You have a demon!” declared the Jews.“Abraham died, and so did the prophets, yet You say that vvv anyone who keeps [Your] word vvv vvv will never taste death. 53 Are You vvv greater than our father Abraham? [He] died, [as did] the prophets Who do You claim to be

Jesus answered,“If I glorify Myself, My glory means nothing. The [One who] glorifies Me is My Father, [of] whom you say‘He is our[fn] God.’ 55 vvv You do not know Him, but I know Him. If I said vvv I did not know Him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know Him, and I keep His word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see My day. He saw [it] and was glad.”

Then the Jews said to Him,“You are not yet fifty years [old], and You have seen Abraham?”

“Truly, truly, I tell you,” Jesus declared“before Abraham was [born], I am![fn]”

At this, they picked up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple area, going through the midst of them. And so He passed by.[fn] 9 

Jesus Heals the Man Born Blind

Now as [Jesus] was passing by, He saw a man blind from birth, 2 and His disciples asked Him“Rabbi, who sinned, this [man] or his parents, that he was born blind?”

Jesus answered,“Neither this [man] nor his parents sinned, but [this happened] so that the works of God would be displayed in him. 4 While it is daytime, I must do[fn] the works of Him who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am [the] light of the world.”

When [Jesus] had said [this], He spit on [the] ground, made [some] mud and applied [it] to the eyes of the blind man.[fn] 7 Then He told him,“Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So [the man] went and washed, and came [back] seeing.

At this, [his] neighbors and those who had formerly seen him vvv vvv blind[fn] began to ask,“Isn’t this the [man who] used to sit and beg?”

Some claimed that he was, but others said,“He just looks[fn] like him.”

[But the man] kept saying“I am [the one].”

“How[fn] {were} your eyes opened?” they asked

He answered,“The man they call Jesus made [some] mud and anointed my eyes, and He told me to go to the Pool of Siloam[fn] and wash. So I went and washed [and] received my sight.”

“Where is He?” they asked

“vvv I do not know,” he answered.

The Pharisees Investigate the Healing

They brought to the Pharisees [the man] who had been blind. 14 Now [the day] on which[fn] Jesus had made the mud and opened his eyes was a Sabbath. 15 So the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight.

[The man] answered“He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and [now] I can see.”

Because of this, some of the Pharisees said,“This man is not from God, for vvv He does not keep the Sabbath.”

But others said,“How can a sinful man perform such signs?”

And there was division among them. 17 So once again they asked the [man who had been] blind,“What {do} you say about Him, since [it was] your eyes He opened?”

“He is a prophet,” [the man] replied.

The Jews still {did} not believe that [the man] had been blind and had received his sight until they summoned vvv vvv [his] parents 19 and asked“Is this your son, [the one] you say was born blind? So how [is it that] he can now see

His parents answered“We know he is our son, and [we know] he was born blind. 21 But how he can now see or who opened his eyes, we {do} not know. He is of age. Ask him. He can speak for himself.[fn]”

His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews. For the Jews vvv had already determined that anyone who confessed [Jesus] [as the] Christ would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why his parents said“He is old enough. Ask him.”

So a second time they called for the man who had been blind and said“Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.”

He answered,“Whether He is a sinner vvv I do not know. [There is] one [thing] I do know: I was blind, [but] now I see!”

“What did He do to you?” they asked again.[fn]“How did He open your eyes?”

He replied“I already told you, and vvv you did not listen. Why do you want to hear [it] again? {Do} you also vvv want to become His disciples?”

Then they heaped insults on him and said,“You are His disciple; we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but vvv we do not know where this [man] is {from}.”

“That is remarkable indeed!” the man said You {do} not know where He is {from}, and yet He opened my eyes. 31 We know that God vvv does not listen to sinners, but He does listen to the one who vvv worships [Him] and does His will. 32 Never vvv vvv before {has} anyone heard of opening [the] eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this [man] were not from God, He could do no such thing.”

They replied“You were born in utter sin, and you are instructing us?” And they threw him out.

Spiritual Blindness

[When] Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, He found [the man] [and] said,“{Do} you believe in the Son of God[fn]?”

“Who is He, Sir?” he replied“[Tell me] so that I may believe in Him.”

vvv“You have already seen Him,” Jesus answered“He is the [One] speaking with you.”

“Lord, I believe,” he said. And he worshiped [Jesus].

Then Jesus declared,“For judgment I have come into this world, so that vvv vvv the blind may see and those who see may become blind.”[fn]

[Some] of the Pharisees who were with Him heard this, and they asked Him,“Are we blind too?”

“If you were blind,” Jesus replied vvv vvv“you would not be guilty of sin. But since you say, ‘We see,’[fn] your guilt remains.” 10 

Jesus the Good Shepherd

(Psalm 23:1–6, Ezekiel 34:11–24)

“Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever vvv does not enter the vvv vvv sheepfold by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 But the [one who] enters by the gate is [the] shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens [the gate] for him, and the sheep listen for his voice. He calls [his] own sheep by name and leads them out

When he has brought out [his] own sheep,[fn] he goes on ahead of them, and [his] sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But vvv vvv they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will flee from him because vvv they do not recognize [his] voice

Jesus spoke to them [using] this illustration, but they {did} not understand what He was telling them. 7 So [He] said to them again,“Truly, truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came[fn] were thieves and robbers, but the sheep vvv did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes vvv only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have [it] in all its fullness.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not [the] shepherd, [and] the sheep are not his own. [When] he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf pounces on them and scatters the flock. 13 [The man][fn] runs away because he is a hired servant and vvv is unconcerned for the sheep.

I am the good shepherd. I know My [sheep] and My [sheep] know Me, 15 just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father. And I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them in as well, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock [and] one shepherd.

The reason My Father[fn] loves Me [is] that I lay down My life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father.”

Therefore[fn] there was again division among the Jews because of [Jesus’] message. 20 Many of them said,“He is demon-possessed and insane. Why would you listen to Him?”

[But] others replied,“These are not the words of [a man] possessed by a demon. vvv Can a demon open [the] eyes of [the] blind?”

Jesus at the Feast of Dedication

At that time the Feast of Dedication[fn] took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple [courts][fn] in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 So the Jews gathered around Him and demanded“How long will You keep us in suspense If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

“I already told you,” Jesus replied“but vvv you did not believe. The works I do in My Father’s name testify vvv on My behalf. 26 But because you are not My sheep, you refuse to believe, just as I said to you.[fn] 27 My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. 28 I give them eternal life, and vvv vvv they will never perish No one can snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father who has given [them] to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch [them] out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

At this, the Jews again picked up stones to stone Him. 32 [But] Jesus responded“I have shown you many good works from My Father.[fn] For which vvv of these do you stone Me?”

“vvv We are not stoning You for [any] good work,” said the Jews“but for blasphemy, because You, who are a man, declare Yourself to be God.”

Jesus replied“Is it not written in your Law:‘I have said you are gods’[fn]? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came — and the Scripture vvv cannot be broken — 36 [ then what about the One ] whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world? How then {can} you accuse [Me] of blasphemy for stating that I am [the] Son of God?

If vvv I am not doing the works of My Father, [then] {do} not believe Me. 38 But if I am doing [them], even though vvv you do not believe Me, believe the works [themselves], so that you may know and believe[fn] that the Father [is] in Me, and I am in Him.[fn]”

At this, they tried again to seize Him, but He escaped their grasp.

John’s Testimony Confirmed

Then [Jesus] went back across the Jordan to the place where John had first been baptizing, and He stayed there. 41 Many came to Him and said,“Although John never performed a sign, everything [he] said about this [man] was true.” 42 And many in that place believed in [Jesus]. 11 

The Death of Lazarus

At this time a [man] [named] Lazarus was sick. [He lived in] Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 ( - Mary, whose brother Lazarus was sick, was to anoint the Lord with perfume and wipe His feet[fn] with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to [Jesus],“Lord the [one] You love is sick.”

[When] Jesus heard [this], He said,“This sickness will not end in death. No, [it is] for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So on hearing that [Lazarus] was sick, He stayed vvv vvv where He was for two days, 7 and then He said to the disciples,“Let us go back to Judea.”

“Rabbi,” [they] replied“the Jews just tried to stone You, and You are going back there?”

Jesus answered,“Are there not twelve hours of daylight? If anyone walks in the daytime, vvv he will not stumble, because he sees by the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks at night, he will stumble, because he has no light.”

After He had said this, He told them,“Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going [there] to wake him up

His disciples replied,“Lord, if he is sleeping, he will get better.” 13 They thought that [Jesus] was talking about actual sleep but [He] was speaking about the death of [Lazarus].

So Jesus told them plainly,“Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

Then Thomas called Didymus[fn] said to [his] fellow disciples,“{Let} us also go, so that we may die with Him.”

Jesus Comforts Martha and Mary

[When] Jesus arrived, He found that [Lazarus] had already spent four days in the tomb. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, a little less than two miles away, 19 and many of the Jews had come to the women around[fn] Martha and Mary to console them in the loss of their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him, but Mary stayed at home.

Martha said to Jesus,“Lord, if You had been here, my brother vvv vvv would not have died. 22 But even now[fn] I know that God will give You whatever You ask of [Him].”

“Your brother will rise again,” Jesus told her

Martha replied“I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Jesus said to her,“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. 26 And everyone who lives and believes in Me vvv vvv will never die Do you believe this?”

“Yes, Lord,” she answered“I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”

[After] [Martha] had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside to tell her,“The Teacher is here and is asking for you.” 29 And when [Mary] heard this, she got up quickly and went to Him.

Now Jesus {had} not yet entered the village, but was[fn] at the place where Martha had met Him. 31 [When] the Jews who were in the house consoling [Mary] saw how quickly [she] got up and went out, they followed her, saying[fn] that she was going to the tomb to mourn there. 32 When Mary came to Jesus [and] saw Him, she fell at His feet [and] said“Lord, if You had been here, my brother {would} not have died.”

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her {also} weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit[fn] and troubled. 34 “Where have you put him?” He asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they answered

Jesus wept.

Then the Jews said,“See how He loved him!”

But some of them asked,“Could not this [man] who opened the eyes of the blind also have kept [Lazarus] from dying?”

Jesus Raises Lazarus

(Acts 9:36–43)

Jesus, once again deeply moved came to the tomb. It was a cave [with] a stone laid across [the entrance]. 39 “Take away the stone,” Jesus said.

“Lord, by now he stinks,” said Martha, the sister of the dead [man]. It has already been four days.”

Jesus replied vvv“Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

So they took away the stone from where the dead [man] was lying.[fn] Then Jesus lifted His eyes upward and said,“Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 I knew that vvv You always hear Me, but I say [this] for the benefit of the people standing [here], so they may believe that You sent Me.”

[After Jesus] had said this, He called out vvv in a loud voice,“Lazarus, come out!”

The [man who] had been dead came out [with his] hands and feet bound in strips of linen, and his face wrapped in a cloth.[fn]

“Unwrap him and let [him] go,” Jesus told them

The Plot to Kill Jesus

(Matthew 26:1–5, Mark 14:1–2, Luke 22:1–2)

Therefore many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in Him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what[fn] Jesus had done.

Then the chief priests and Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin[fn] and said,“What are we to do? This man is performing many signs. 48 If we let Him go on like this, everyone will believe in Him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and [our] nation.”

But vvv one of them, [named] Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them,“You know vvv nothing at all! 50 vvv You do not realize that it is better for us[fn] that one man die for the people [than that] the whole nation vvv perish.”

vvv [Caiaphas] did not say this on his own. Instead, [as] high priest that year, he was prophesying that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not only for the nation, but also [for] the scattered children of God, to gather [them] together into one.

So from that day {on} they plotted together[fn] to kill Him. 54 As a result, Jesus no longer went about publicly among the Jews, but He withdrew to a town called Ephraim in an area near the wilderness. [And] He spent time there with His disciples.[fn]

Now the vvv Jewish Passover was near, and many [people] went up from the country to Jerusalem to purify themselves before the Passover. 56 They kept looking for Jesus and asking vvv one another [as] they stood in the temple [courts],[fn]“What do you think vvv Will He come to the feast at all?” 57 But the chief priests and Pharisees had given an order[fn] that anyone [who] knew where He was must report [it], so that they could arrest Him. 12 

Mary Anoints Jesus

(Matthew 26:6–13, Mark 14:3–9, Luke 7:36–50)

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, [the hometown of] Lazarus who had died,[fn] whom He had raised from [the] dead. 2 So they hosted a dinner for [Jesus] there. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with Him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint[fn] of expensive perfume, made of pure nard, [and] she anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped [them] with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, [son] of Simon,[fn] who was going to betray Him, asked, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii[fn] and [the money] given to [the] poor?” 6 [Judas] did not say this because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money bag, he used to take from what was put into [it].

“Leave her alone Jesus replied.“She has kept [this perfume] in preparation for the day of My burial. 8 The poor you will always have with you,[fn] but {you will} not always have Me.”

The Plot to Kill Lazarus

Meanwhile a large crowd[fn] of Jews learned that [Jesus] was there. And they came not only because of [Him], but also to see Lazarus, whom He had raised from [the] dead. 10 [So] the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11 for on account of him many of the Jews were deserting [them] and believing in Jesus.

The Triumphal Entry

(Zechariah 9:9–13, Matthew 21:1–11, Mark 11:1–11, Luke 19:28–40)

The next day a great crowd[fn] that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, crying out:[fn]

“Hosanna!”[fn]

“Blessed is He who comes in [the] name of [the] Lord!”[fn]

“[Blessed is] the King of Israel!”

Finding a young donkey, Jesus sat on it, as it is written:

“Do not be afraid O Daughter of Zion.

See, your King is coming,

seated on the colt of a donkey.”[fn]

vvv At first His disciples {did} not understand these things, but after Jesus was glorified they remembered what had been done to Him, [ and they realized] that these very things had also {been} written about Him.

Meanwhile, many people who had been with [Jesus] when He called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from [the] dead continued to testify. 18 That is also why the crowd went out to meet Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign.

Then the Pharisees said to one another,“You can see that this is doing you no good Look [how] the whole world has gone after Him!”

Jesus Predicts His Death

Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the feast. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested of him“Sir, we want to see Jesus.” 22 Philip relayed [this appeal] to Andrew, [and both of them] went and told Jesus.

But Jesus replied“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground [and] dies, it remains only [a seed]. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life will lose it, [but] whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, My servant will be as well. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say?‘Father, save Me from this hour’? No, it is for this purpose that I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven:“I have glorified [it], and I will glorify [it] again.”

The crowd standing [there] heard [it] [and] said that it had thundered. Others said that an angel had spoken to Him.

In response Jesus said,“This voice was not for My benefit but yours. 31 Now judgment is upon this world; now the prince of this world will be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw everyone to Myself.” 33 He said this to indicate the kind of death He was going to die.

The crowd replied“We have heard from the Law that the Christ will remain vvv vvv forever. [So] how {can} You say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”

Then Jesus told them,“[For] a little while longer, the Light will be with[fn] you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness vvv will not overtake you. The [one who] walks in the darkness {does} not know where he is going. 36 While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of light.”

[After] Jesus had spoken these things, He went away [and] was hidden from them.

Belief and Unbelief

Although [Jesus] had performed so many signs in their presence vvv they still did not believe in Him. 38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet

“Lord, who has believed our message?

And to whom {has} the arm of [the] Lord been revealed?”[fn]

For this reason they were unable to believe. For again, Isaiah says:

“He has blinded their eyes

and hardened their hearts,

so that vvv they cannot see with [their] eyes,

and understand with [their] hearts,

and turn,

and I would heal them.”[fn]

Isaiah said these things when[fn] he saw [Jesus’] glory and spoke about Him. 42 Nevertheless many of the leaders believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees vvv they did not confess [Him], for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue. 43 For they loved praise from men more than praise from God.

Then Jesus cried out“Whoever believes in Me {does} not believe in Me [alone], but in the [One who] sent Me. 45 And whoever sees Me sees the [One who] sent Me. 46 I have come into the world [as] a light, so that vvv no one who believes in Me should remain in darkness.

As for anyone who hears My words and {does} not believe,[fn] I {do} not judge him. For vvv I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 There is a judge [for] the [one who] rejects Me and vvv does not receive My words: The word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.

I {have} not spoken on My own, but the Father [who] sent Me vvv vvv has commanded Me what to say and how to say it. 50 And I know that His command leads to eternal life. So I speak exactly what the Father has told Me to say.” 13 

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

[It was] now just before the vvv Passover Feast, [and] Jesus knew that His hour had come to leave this world [and return] to the Father. Having loved [His] own who [were] in the world, He loved them to [the] very end.[fn] 2 By the time the evening meal had ended,[fn] the devil {had} already put into the heart of Judas, [the son] of Simon Iscariot, to betray [Jesus].

Jesus knew that the Father had delivered all things into [His] hands, and that He had come from God and was returning to God. 4 [So] He got up from the supper, laid aside [His] outer garments, and wrapped a towel {around} His {waist}. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the vvv disciples’ feet and dry [them] with the towel that was around Him.

He came to Simon Peter, [who] asked Him,“Lord, vvv are You going to wash my feet?”

Jesus replied“You {do} not realize now what I am doing, but vvv later you will understand.”

“Never shall You wash my feet Peter told Him.

Jesus answered“Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me.”

“[Then,] Lord,” Simon Peter replied“not only my feet, but [my] hands and [my] head as well!”

Jesus told him,“Whoever has already bathed needs only to wash [his] feet, [and] he will be completely clean. And you are clean, though not all [of you].” 11 For He knew who would betray Him. That is why He said,“Not all of you are clean.”

When [Jesus] had washed their feet and put on His outer garments, He reclined with them again [and] asked“Do you know what I have done for you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and rightly [so], because I am. 14 So if I, [your] Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example so that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Truly, truly, I tell you, no servant is greater than his master,[fn] nor [is] a messenger greater than the [one who] sent him. 17 If you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

(Psalm 41:1–13)

I am not speaking about all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the Scripture:‘The one who shares bread with Me[fn] has lifted up his heel against Me.’[fn] 19 I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it comes to pass, you will believe that I am [He]. 20 Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever receives vvv the one I send receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives the [One who] sent Me.”

[After] Jesus had said [this], He became troubled in spirit and testified“Truly, truly, I tell you, one of you will betray Me.”

The disciples looked at one another, perplexed as to which of them He meant. 23 One of His disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining at [His] side.[fn] 24 So Simon Peter motioned to him to ask [Jesus] which one He was talking about. 25 Falling back upon[fn] Jesus, he asked“Lord, who is it?”

Jesus answered,“It is the [one] to whom I give [this] morsel after I have dipped [it].” [Then] He dipped the morsel [and] gave [it] to Judas Iscariot, [the son] of Simon.[fn] 27 [And when Judas had taken] the morsel, Satan entered into him.

Then Jesus said to [Judas],“What you are about to do, do quickly.” 28 But no one [at the table] knew why [Jesus] had said this to him. 29 Since Judas kept the money bag, some thought that Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the feast, or to give something to the poor. 30 As soon as he had received the morsel, [Judas] went out [into the] night.

Love One Another

(Romans 12:9–13, 1 John 3:11–24)

When [Judas] had gone out, Jesus said,“Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. 32 If God is glorified in Him,[fn] God vvv will also glorify [the Son] in Himself — and will glorify Him at once.

Little children, I am with you only a little while longer. You will look for Me, and as I said to the Jews, so now I say to you‘Where I am going, you vvv cannot come.’

A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if vvv you love one another.”

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

(Matthew 26:31–35, Mark 14:27–31, Luke 22:31–38)

“Lord, where are You going?” Simon Peter asked

Jesus answered“Where I am going, vvv you cannot follow Me now, but you will follow Me[fn] later.”

“Lord,” said Peter“why vvv can’t I follow You now? I will lay down my life for You.”

“Will you lay down your life for Me?” Jesus replied.“Truly, truly, I tell you, [before] [the] rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.[’’] 14 

In My Father’s House Are Many Rooms

[“] {Do} not {let} your hearts be troubled. You believe in God;[fn] believe in Me as well. 2 In My Father’s house are many rooms. If [it were] not so, would I have told you [that] I am going [there] to prepare a place for you?[fn] 3 And if I go, I will prepare a place for you.[fn] I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the place where I am going and you know the way.[fn]”

The Way, the Truth, and the Life

“Lord,” said Thomas vvv“we do not know where You are going, [so] how can we know the way?”

Jesus answered“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7 If you had known Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.”

Philip said to Him,“Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”

Jesus replied“Philip, I have been with you all this time, and vvv still you do not know Me? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How {can} you say,‘Show us the Father’? 10 vvv Do you not believe that I [am] in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words I say to you, vvv I do not speak on My own. Instead, {it is} the Father dwelling in Me, performing His works. 11 Believe Me that I [am] in the Father and the Father [is] in Me — or at least believe Me[fn] on account of the works themselves.

Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever believes in Me vvv will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater [things] than these, because I am going to My Father.[fn] 13 And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask Me[fn] for anything in My name, I will do [it].

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

(John 16:5–16)

If you love Me, keep[fn] My commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate[fn] to abide[fn] with you vvv vvv forever — 17 the Spirit of truth. The world vvv cannot receive [Him], because vvv it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.[fn]

vvv I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 In a little while the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will know that I [am] in My Father, and you [are] in Me, and I [am] in you. 21 Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the [one who] loves Me. The [one who] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”

Judas (not Iscariot) asked Him,“Lord, why are You going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?”

Jesus replied“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 Whoever vvv does not love Me vvv does not keep My words. The word that you hear is not My own, but [it is ] from the Father who sent Me.

All this I have spoken to you [while] I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and vvv will remind you of everything I have told you.

Peace I Leave with You

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I {do} not give to you as the world gives. {Do} not {let} your hearts be troubled; {do} not be afraid. 28 You heard Me say‘I am going away, and I am coming [back] to you.’ If you loved Me, vvv you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because My Father[fn] is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe.

I will {not} speak with you much [longer], for the prince of this[fn] world is coming, and he has no claim on Me. 31 But I do exactly what the Father has commanded Me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.

Get up! Let us go on from here.[’’] 15 

Jesus the True Vine

(Isaiah 27:1–13)

[“] I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard. 2 He cuts off every branch in Me vvv that bears no fruit, and every [branch] that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in Me, and I {will remain} in you. Just as no branch can bear vvv fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither [can] you [bear fruit] unless you remain in Me.

I am the vine [and] you [are] the branches. The [one who] remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me vvv you can do nothing. 6 If anyone {does} not remain in Me, {he is} like a branch that is thrown away and withers. [Such branches] are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, [then] you will ask[fn] whatever vvv you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This [is to] My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, vvv [proving] yourselves to be My disciples.

No Greater Love

As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Remain in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. 11 I have told you these things so that My joy may abide[fn] in you and your joy may be complete.

This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that [he] lay down his life for his friends.

You are My friends if you do whatever[fn] I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant {does} not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You {did} not choose Me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit — fruit that will remain — so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. 17 This is My command to you: Love one another.

The Hatred of the World

If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me [first] 19 If you were of the world, [it] vvv would love [you] [as] its own. Instead the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.

Remember the word that I spoke to you:‘No servant is greater than his master.’[fn] If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well. 21 But they will treat you like this because of My name, since vvv they do not know the [One who] sent Me. 22 If vvv I had not come and spoken to them, vvv they would not be guilty of sin Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.

Whoever hates Me hates My Father as well. 24 If vvv I had not done among them the works that no one else did, vvv they would not be guilty of sin but now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father. 25 But [this is] to fulfill [what] is written in their Law‘They hated Me without reason.’[fn]

When the Advocate[fn] comes, whom I will send to you from the Father — the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father — He will testify about Me. 27 And you also must testify, because you have been with Me from [the] beginning.[’’] 16 

Persecution Foretold

(Acts 23:12–22)

[“] I have told you these things so that vvv you will not fall away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. 3 They will do these things[fn] because they have not known the Father [or] Me. 4 But I have told you these things so that when the[fn] hour comes, you will remember that I told you [about] them. vvv I did not tell you these things from [the] beginning, because I was with you.

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

(John 14:15–26)

Now, however, I am going to Him who sent Me; yet none of you asks Me,‘Where are You going?’ 6 Instead, your hearts are filled with sorrow because I have told you these things. 7 But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate[fn] vvv will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

And [when] He comes, He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 in regard to sin because vvv they do not believe in Me; 10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going to My Father[fn] and you will no longer see Me; 11 and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world has been condemned.

vvv I still have much to tell you, but vvv you cannot yet bear [to hear it]. 13 However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For vvv He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me by taking from what [is] Mine and disclosing [it] to you. 15 Everything that belongs to the Father is Mine. That is why I said that [the Spirit] will take from what [is] Mine and disclose [it] to you.

In a little [while] you will not see Me,[fn] and then after a little [while] you will see Me, because I am going away to the Father.[fn]”

Grief Will Turn to Joy

Then [some] of His disciples asked one another,“Why is He telling us,‘In a little [while] vvv you will not see Me, and then after a little [while] you will see Me’ and‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18 They kept asking,“Why is He saying,‘a little [while]’? vvv We do not understand what He is saying.”

Aware that they wanted to question Him, [Jesus] said to them,“Are you asking vvv one another why I said,‘In a little [while] vvv you will not see Me, and then after a little [while] you will see Me’? 20 Truly, truly, I tell you, you will weep and wail [while] the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman has pain vvv in childbirth because her time has come; but when she brings forth [her] child, she forgets [her] anguish because of [her] joy that a child has been born into the world. 22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

Ask in My Name

(Matthew 18:19–20)

In that day you will {no longer} ask Me vvv [anything]. Truly, truly, I tell you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. 24 Until now you have not asked vvv [for anything] in My name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.

I have spoken these things to you in figures of speech. But an hour[fn] is coming when I will no longer speak to you vvv [this way], but will tell you plainly about the Father. 26 In that day you will ask in My name. vvv I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God.[fn] 28 I came from the Father and entered the world. In turn, I will leave the world and go to the Father.”

His disciples said to Him,[fn]“See, now You are speaking plainly and without vvv figures of speech. 30 Now we understand that You know all things and that You have no need for anyone to question You. Because of this, we believe that You came from God.”

“vvv Do you finally believe?” Jesus replied 32 “Look, an hour is coming and {has} already come when you will be scattered, each to [his] own [home], and you will leave Me all alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 33 I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!” 17 

Prayer for the Son

[When] Jesus had spoken these things, He lifted up His eyes to heaven and said,“Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may also[fn] glorify You. 2 For You granted Him authority over all people,[fn] so that He will give[fn] eternal life [to] all those You have given Him. 3 Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. 4 I have glorified You on earth. I have accomplished[fn] the work You gave Me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world existed.

Prayer for the Disciples

I have revealed Your name to those You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours; You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7 Now they know that everything You have given Me comes from You. 8 For I have given them the words You gave Me, and they have received [them]. They knew with certainty that I came from You, and they believed that You sent Me.

I ask on their behalf. vvv I do not ask on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those You have given Me; for they are Yours. 10 All I have is Yours, and [all] You have [is] Mine; and in them I have been glorified. 11 I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You.

Holy Father, protect them by Your name, [the name] You gave Me,[fn] so that they may be one as We [are one]. 12 While I was with them in the world,[fn] I protected [and] preserved by Your name those You gave Me.[fn] Not one of them has been lost, except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.

But now I am coming to You; and I am saying these things [while I am] in the world, so that they may have My joy fulfilled within them. 14 I have given them Your word and the world has hated them. For they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

vvv I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil [one].[fn] 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth;[fn] Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I {have} also sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify Myself, so that they too may be sanctified by [the] truth.

Prayer for All Believers

vvv I am not asking on behalf of them alone, but also on behalf of those who will believe in Me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, as You, Father, [are] in Me, and I [am] in You. [May] they also be one[fn] in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

I have given them the glory You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one — 23 I in them and You in Me — that they may be perfectly united and that[fn] the world may know that You sent Me and have loved them just as You have loved Me.

Father, I want [those] You have given Me to be with Me where I am, that they may see [the] glory You gave Me because You loved Me before [the] foundation of [the] world.

Righteous Father, although the world {has} not known You, I know You, and [they] know that You sent Me. 26 And I have made Your name {known} to them and will continue to make [it] known, so that the love You have for Me may be in them, and I in them.” 18 

The Betrayal of Jesus

(Matthew 26:47–56, Mark 14:43–52, Luke 22:47–53)

[After] Jesus had spoken these [words], [He] went out with His disciples across the Kidron Valley, where vvv vvv vvv vvv [they] entered a garden. 2 Now Judas His betrayer also knew the place, because Jesus {had}[fn] often met there with His disciples. 3 So Judas brought a band of soldiers and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees. They arrived [at the garden] [carrying] lanterns, torches, and weapons.

Jesus, knowing all that was coming upon Him, stepped forward [and] asked them,“Whom are you seeking?”

“Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered

Jesus said“I am [He].”

And Judas His betrayer was standing [there] with them. 6 When [Jesus] said“I am [He],” they drew back and fell to [the] ground.

So He asked them again,“Whom are you seeking?”

“Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered.

“I told you that I am [He],” Jesus replied.“So if you are looking for Me, let these [men] go.” 9 This was to fulfill the word He had spoken: vvv“I have not lost one of those You have given Me.”[fn]

Then Simon Peter drew [his] sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.

“Put [your] sword back in [its] sheath!” Jesus said to Peter. vvv vvv“Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given Me?”

Then the band of soldiers, [with] [its] commander and the officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound Him. 13 They led Him away first to Annas, who was [the] father-in-law of Caiaphas, [the] high priest [that] year. 14 Caiaphas was the [one] who had advised the Jews that it would be better if one man perished[fn] for the people.

Peter’s First Denial

(Matthew 26:69–70, Mark 14:66–68, Luke 22:54–57)

Now Simon Peter and the other[fn] disciple were following Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, vvv he also went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. 16 But Peter stood outside at the door. Then the disciple who was known to the high priest went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter [in].

At this, the servant girl watching the door said to Peter,“Aren’t you also [one] of this man’s disciples?”

“I am not,” he answered.

Because it was cold, the servants and officers were standing around a charcoal fire they had made to keep warm. And Peter was[fn] standing with them, warming himself.

Jesus before the High Priest

(Matthew 26:57–68, Mark 14:53–65, Luke 22:66–71)

Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about His disciples and His teaching.

“I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus answered“I always taught in [the] synagogues and at the temple, where the Jews always[fn] come together. I said nothing in secret. 21 Why are you asking Me? Ask those who heard vvv My message Surely they know what I said.”

[When] [Jesus] had said [this], one of the officers standing nearby vvv slapped [Him] in the face [and] said,“{Is} this how You answer the high priest?”

Jesus replied“If I said [something] wrong, testify as to what was wrong. But if [I spoke] correctly, why did you strike Me?”

[Then] Annas sent Him, [ still ] bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.

Peter’s Second and Third Denials

(Matthew 26:71–75, Mark 14:69–72, Luke 22:58–62)

Simon Peter was still standing and warming himself. So they asked him,“Aren’t you also [one] of His disciples?”

He denied [it] and said,“I am not.”

One of the vvv high priest’s servants, a relative of [the man] whose ear Peter had cut off, asked,“Didn’t I see you with Him in the garden?”

Peter denied [it] vvv once more, and immediately a rooster crowed.

Jesus before Pilate

(Matthew 27:11–14, Luke 23:1–5)

Then they led Jesus away from Caiaphas into the Praetorium. By now it was early morning, and [the Jews] {did} not enter the Praetorium, to avoid being defiled [and unable] to eat the Passover.

So Pilate went out to them and asked,“What accusation are you bringing against this man?”

“If He were not a criminal,” they replied“vvv vvv we would not have handed Him over to you.”

“You take Him and judge Him by your [own] law,” Pilate told them.

“vvv We are not permitted to execute anyone the Jews then replied 32 This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to indicate the kind of death He was going to die.[fn]

Pilate went back into the Praetorium, summoned Jesus, and asked Him,“Are You the King of the Jews?”

“{Are} you saying this on your own,” Jesus asked him,[fn]“or {did} others tell you about Me?”

“Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. Your [own] people and chief priests handed You {over} to me. What have You done?”

Jesus answered,“My kingdom is not of this world; if vvv vvv [it] were My servants would fight to vvv prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is not of this realm.”

“Then You are a king!” Pilate said

“You say that I am a king,” Jesus answered.“For this reason I was born and have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to My voice.”

“What is truth?” Pilate asked

And having said this, he went out again to the Jews and told them,“I find no basis for a charge against Him. 39 But it is your[fn] custom that I release to you one [prisoner] at the Passover. So then, do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”

“Not this [man],” they all shouted“but Barabbas!” ( Now Barabbas was an insurrectionist. ) 19 

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

(Isaiah 50:4–11, Matthew 27:27–31, Mark 15:16–20, Luke 22:63–65)

Then Pilate took Jesus and had [Him] flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns, set [it] on His head, and dressed Him in a purple robe. 3 And they kept saying,[fn]“Hail, King of the Jews!” and slapping Him in the face

[Once] again Pilate came out and said to [the Jews],“Look, I am bringing Him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against Him.” 5 [When] Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, [Pilate] said to them,“[Here is] the man!”

As soon as the chief priests and officers saw Him, they shouted“Crucify [Him]! Crucify Him!”[fn]

“You take Him and crucify [Him] Pilate replied“for I find no basis for a charge against Him.”

“We have a law,” answered the Jews,“and according to our law[fn] He must die, because He declared Himself {to be} [the] Son of God.”

When Pilate heard this statement, vvv he was even more afraid, 9 and he went back into the Praetorium.“Where are You from?” he asked

But Jesus vvv gave no answer.

So Pilate said to Him, vvv“Do You refuse to speak to me? vvv Do You not know that I have authority to crucify You and vvv authority to release You?[fn]”

Jesus answered,“You would have no authority over Me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the [one who] handed Me over to you is {guilty of} greater sin.”

From then on Pilate tried to release Him, but the Jews kept crying out“If you release this [man], you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who declares himself a king is defying Caesar.”

[When] Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat on the judgment seat at a place called [the] Stone Pavement, [which] in Hebrew[fn] [is] Gabbatha. 14 It was the day of Preparation for the Passover, about the sixth hour.[fn] And [Pilate] said to the Jews,“Here is your King!”

At this, they shouted,“Away with Him! Away [with Him]! Crucify Him!”

“Shall I crucify your King?” Pilate asked

“We have no king but Caesar,” replied the chief priests.

The Crucifixion

(Psalm 22:1–31, Matthew 27:32–44, Mark 15:21–32, Luke 23:26–43)

Then [Pilate] handed [Jesus] over to be crucified, and [the soldiers] took [Him] and led [Him] away.[fn] 17 Carrying His own cross, He went out to a place called[fn] [The] Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha.

[There] they crucified Him, and with Him two others, [one] on each side [with] Jesus in the middle.

Pilate also vvv had a notice posted on the cross. It read

JESUS OF NAZARETH,

THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Many of the Jews read this sign, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, [and] Latin.[fn] 21 So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate,“{Do} not write,‘The King of the Jews,’ but only that He said,‘I am [the] King of the Jews.’ ”

Pilate answered,“What I have written, I have written.”

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided His garments [into] four parts, [one] for each soldier, [with] the tunic [remaining]. [It] was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 24 So they said to one another, vvv“Let us not tear it Instead, let us cast lots to see who [will get] it.” This was to fulfill the Scripture

“They divided My garments among them,

and cast lots for My clothing.”[fn]

So that [is what] the soldiers vvv did.

Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother and vvv vvv [her] sister, [as well as] Mary the [wife] of Clopas and Mary Magdalene. 26 [When] Jesus saw [His] mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to [His] mother,“Woman, here [is] your son.” 27 Then He said to the disciple,“Here [is] your mother.” So from that hour, [this] disciple took her into [his] [home].

The Death of Jesus

(Psalm 22:1–31, Matthew 27:45–56, Mark 15:33–41, Luke 23:44–49)

After this, seeing[fn] that everything vvv had now been accomplished, [and] to fulfill the Scripture, Jesus said,“I am thirsty.”[fn] 29 A jar of sour wine[fn] was sitting [there]. So they soaked a sponge [in the] wine, put [it] on a stalk of hyssop, [and] lifted it to [His] mouth.[fn] 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said,“It is finished.” And bowing [His] head, He yielded up [His] spirit.

Jesus’ Side Is Pierced

(Zechariah 12:10–14)

It was [the] day of Preparation, [and] [the next] day was a High Sabbath. In order that the bodies vvv would not remain on the cross during the Sabbath, the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and [the bodies] removed. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first [man] who had been crucified with [Jesus], and [those] of the other.

But when they came to Jesus [and] saw that He was already dead, vvv they did not break His legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. 35 The [one who] saw [it] has testified to this, and his testimony is true. He knows that he is telling [the] truth, so that you[fn] may believe.

Now these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled:“Not one of His bones will be broken.”[fn] 37 And as another Scripture says:“They will look on the [One] they have pierced.”[fn]

The Burial of Jesus

(Isaiah 53:9–12, Matthew 27:57–61, Mark 15:42–47, Luke 23:50–56)

Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus (but secretly for fear of the Jews), asked Pilate to let him remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and removed the body of Jesus.[fn] 39 Nicodemus, who had previously come to Jesus at night, also vvv brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds 40 So they took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in linen cloths with the spices, according to vvv [the] Jewish burial custom.

Now there was a garden in the place where [Jesus] was crucified, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 And because it was the vvv Jewish day of Preparation [and] the tomb was nearby, they placed Jesus there. 20 

The Resurrection

(Matthew 28:1–10, Mark 16:1–8, Luke 24:1–12)

Early [on] the first [day] of the week,[fn] while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the [entrance]. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved.“They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,” she said“and vvv we do not know where they have put Him!”

Then Peter and the other disciple set out for the tomb. 4 The two were running together, [but] the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down [and] looked in at the linen cloths lying [there], but vvv he did not go in.

Simon Peter arrived just after him. He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying [there]. 7 The cloth[fn] that had been around [Jesus’] head was rolled up, lying vvv vvv separate from the linen cloths. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in. And he saw and believed. 9 For vvv they still did not understand from the Scripture that [Jesus] had to rise from [the] dead.

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

(Mark 16:9–11)

Then the disciples returned to their [homes]. 11 But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. [And] as she wept, she bent down [to look] into the tomb, 12 and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and [the other] at the feet.

“Woman, why are you weeping?” they asked

“Because they have taken my Lord {away},” she said“and vvv I do not know where they have put Him.”

When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing [there]. [But] vvv she did not recognize that it was Jesus.

“Woman, why are you weeping?” Jesus asked“Whom are you seeking?”

Thinking He was the gardener, she said“Sir, if you have carried Him off tell me where you have put Him, and I will get Him

Jesus said to her,“Mary.”

She turned [and] said to Him,[fn]“Rabboni!” ( which means “Teacher” ).

“{Do} not cling to Me,” Jesus said“for vvv I have not yet ascended to My Father.[fn] But go and tell My brothers,‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.’ ”

Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples that she had seen the Lord.[fn] And [she told them] [what] He had said to her.

Jesus Appears to the Disciples

(Luke 24:36–49, 1 John 1:1–4)

It was the first day of the week, [and that] very evening, while the disciples were gathered [together][fn] with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood vvv vvv among them.“Peace [be] with you!” He said to them. 20 [After] He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side.

The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

Again Jesus said to them,“Peace [be] with you. As the Father has sent Me so also I am sending you.” 22 [When] He had said this, He breathed on [them] and said“Receive [the] Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven if you withhold [forgiveness] from anyone, it is withheld.”

Jesus Appears to Thomas

Now Thomas called Didymus,[fn] one of the Twelve, was not with [the disciples] when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him,“We have seen the Lord!”

But he replied“Unless I see the nail marks in His hands, and put my finger [where] the nails [have been], and put my hand into His side, vvv vvv I will never believe.”

Eight days later, His disciples were once again inside [with] the doors locked, and Thomas [was] with them. Jesus came and stood vvv vvv among them and said,“Peace [be] with you.”

Then [Jesus] said to Thomas,“Put your finger here and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put [it] into My side. vvv vvv Stop doubting and believe.”

Thomas replied“My Lord and my God!”

Jesus said to him,“Because you have seen Me,[fn] you have believed; blessed [are] those who vvv have not seen and yet have believed.”

The Purpose of John’s Book

Jesus performed many vvv vvv vvv other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may believe[fn] that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name. 21 

Jesus Appears by the Sea of Tiberias

Later by the Sea of Tiberias,[fn] Jesus again revealed Himself to the disciples. He made [Himself] known in this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,[fn] Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the [sons] of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter told them,“I am going fishing.”

“We vvv will go with you,” they said [So] they went out and immediately[fn] got into the boat, [but] caught nothing that night.

Early in the morning Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples {did} not recognize that it was Jesus. 5 So [He] called out to them,“Children, vvv do you have any fish?”

“No,” they answered

He told them,“Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find [some].” So they cast [it there], and vvv they were unable to haul it in because of the great number of fish.

Then [the] disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter,“It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on [his] outer garment (for he had removed it . . . ) and jumped into the sea. 8 The other disciples came [ashore] in the boat. They dragged in the net full of fish, for they were not far from land, only about a hundred yards

When they landed they saw a charcoal fire there [with] fish on it, and [some] bread.

Jesus told them,“Bring [some] of the fish vvv you have just caught.” 11 [So] Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net vvv vvv ashore. [It was] full of large fish, 153 {} but even with so many, the net vvv was not torn.

“Come, have breakfast,” Jesus said to them. None of the disciples dared to ask Him,“Who are You?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then[fn] came and took the bread and gave [it] to them, and [He did] the same with the fish.

This [was] now the third time [that] Jesus appeared to His disciples[fn] after He was raised from [the] dead.

Jesus and Peter

vvv When they had finished eating, Jesus asked Simon Peter,“Simon [son] of Jonah,[fn] do you love Me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered“You know I love You.”

[Jesus] replied“Feed My lambs.”

[Jesus] asked vvv a second time,“Simon [son] of Jonah, do you love Me?”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered“You know I love You.”

[Jesus] told him,“Shepherd My sheep.”

[Jesus] asked a third time,“Simon [son] of Jonah, do you love Me?”

Peter was deeply hurt that [Jesus] had asked him a third time,“Do you love Me?”

“Lord, You know all things,” he replied“You know I love You.”

Jesus said to him,“Feed My sheep.

Truly, truly, I tell you, when you were young, you dressed yourself and walked where you wanted; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else[fn] will dress you and lead [you] where vvv you do not want to go.” 19 [Jesus] said this to indicate [the kind of] death by which [Peter] would glorify God.

And [after] He had said this, He told him,“Follow Me.”

Jesus and the Beloved Disciple

Peter turned [and] saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following [them]. [He was the one] who had leaned back vvv vvv vvv [against Jesus][fn] at the supper to ask,“Lord, who is going to betray You?” 21 [When Peter] saw him, [he] asked“Lord, what about [him]?”

Jesus answered“If I want him to remain until I return, what [is that] to you? You follow Me!” 23 Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple {would} not die. However, Jesus vvv did not say that vvv he would not die, but only,“If I want him to remain until I return, what [is that] to you?”

This is the disciple who testifies to these things and [who] has written [them down]. And we know that his testimony is true.

There are many more things that Jesus did. If all of them were written down, I suppose that not even the world itself would have space for the books that would be written. Amen.[fn]